New York, NY (July 30, 2025) – Terry Fulmer, PhD, RN, FAAN, will step down as president of The John A. Hartford Foundation in September 2025, after serving for 10 years as the leader and chief strategist for the national philanthropy dedicated to improving the care of older adults. Dr. Fulmer’s vision catalyzed the Age-Friendly Health Systems movement, which is transforming care for older adults across the country. Under her leadership, the foundation also expanded major programs and policy change initiatives to support family caregivers and improve serious illness and end-of-life care.
“The John A. Hartford Foundation has had the great fortune to have Terry Fulmer as its inspiring and dauntless leader,” said John Mach, Jr., MD, chair of The John A. Hartford Foundation’s Board of Trustees. “She has been a driving force in advancing the Age-Friendly Health Systems movement, which is unquestionably one of the foundation’s most successful initiatives. Our entire board, staff, community of grantees – and all of us who are aging – are better off because of her vision, expertise, and intense focus on action and impact.”
Dr. Fulmer began the Age-Friendly Health Systems movement in 2015, and it has spread to over 5,000 hospitals, practices, nursing homes and other care settings, while becoming embedded in federal programs as a key approach to improving health outcomes for older patients. She expanded that vision to help create the Age-Friendly Public Health Systems initiative and a broader movement to make all sectors of society more age-friendly. She led the foundation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including helping nursing homes manage the crisis in real time and launching major initiatives to improve nursing home care over the long term.
“I am honored and grateful to have spent the last decade in service to The John A. Hartford Foundation and its mission, which is my own passion,” said Dr. Fulmer. “Every day I have a sense of purpose, with the unwavering belief that we can help every older person get the age-friendly care they need and deserve. Our age-friendly framework has been essential for guiding our approach to grantmaking and has resonated with our nation’s health care system and the public.”
Prior to joining the foundation, Dr. Fulmer was Distinguished Professor and Dean of Health Sciences at Northeastern University and the Erline Perkins McGriff Professor and Founding Dean of the New York University College of Nursing. She was a grantee of The John A. Hartford Foundation early in her career, when she began the Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders (NICHE) program. She is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and has received numerous honors for her work, including as a Living Legend by the American Academy of Nursing and the Donald P. Kent Award from the Gerontological Society of America for exemplifying the highest standards for professional leadership in the field of aging. She is the recipient of five honorary doctorates.
Dr. Fulmer will complete her service following the September board meeting. Rani E. Snyder, MPA, will continue in her role as acting president throughout the leadership transition.
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Media Contact: Marcus Escobedo, 212-832-7788,
marcus.escobedo@johnahartford.org
About The John A. Hartford Foundation
The John A. Hartford Foundation, based in New York City, is a private, nonpartisan, national philanthropy dedicated to improving the care of older adults. For more than three decades, the organization has been the leader in building a field of experts in aging and testing and replicating innovative approaches to care. The foundation has three priority areas: creating age-friendly health systems, supporting family caregivers and improving serious illness and end-of-life care. Working with its grantees, the foundation strives to change the status quo and create a society where older adults can continue their vital contributions. For more information, visit johnahartford.org.