I delight in bringing together people and ideas to make the world a better place. I believe in the immense potential of all human beings to contribute their unique strengths to the world, no matter how old they are, their level of education, background, and challenges.

Dr. Sally Gelardin

photo by Marcia Dolgin

Sally Gelardin, Ed.D.

Career and life transitions counselor/coach for individuals in transition. Author/editor, administrator and instructor of e-learning and classroom programs. Outreach specialist, producing newsletters, online journals, and events. Specialties: teaching yoga to young children; career/life transition counseling and coaching; designing and implementing strategies; recruiting, training, and scheduling staff, entertainers and volunteers; producing manuals, interviewing, writing, storytelling, blogging; education, public relations, research, instructional design, community building, networking, inter-generational relationship building.

Yoga Teacher for Children

January 2017 – Present

With the confluence of political upheaval and a sped-up society,  affecting body, mind, and spirit, direct energies to balancing self care with the needs of others and sharing yoga practices with children and their  families on-site and through distance delivered media.

AgeSong Regional Director of Engagement and Education
September 2014 – December 20, 2016

Oversaw the continuous integration and implementation of the Engagement and Education Program and the continuous education of the Elders Academy. The Engagement and Education Program meets the social, spiritual, intellectual, and physical needs of all members of the communities and includes a variety of planned and spontaneous programs. Supervised staff in AgeSong's elder and assisted living communities throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Recruited volunteers and coordinated International Visitor Program. Produced bi-monthly newsletters and monthly calendars,  supervised volunteers, and facilitated groups. Conducted workshops for gerowellness interns, make presentations to related professionals, as well as staff, community members, families, friends, volunteers, and visitors.

AgeSong Enrichment Director

May 2013 - August 2014

Provided the best possible environment for all members of the community.  Responsible for the planning, coordination, and implementation of the enrichment activities, which are provided on a daily basis. Every effort is made to meet the needs and interests of community members and to provide meaning-based relational care. Create policies and procedures that lead to programs that comply with all appropriate government regulations. Develop and analyze quality indicators. Serve as member of an interdisciplinary team in assessing community members,  writing and carrying out care plans, and updating the plans at appropriate intervals.  Publish an online blog. Contribute articles and photos to a monthly e-newsletter. Publish public and community e-calendars and support all departments, including conducting tours, producing events, participating in management and gero-wellness client review meetings.

AgeSong Newsletter Editor/Volunteer Coordinator

January 2012 - September 2012

Wrote articles, produced calendar, edited, and produced newsletter for AgeSong communities. Created art showings and other community events open to the public. Staged rooms, interviewed community members, helped with community activities, built one-on-one and group relationships. Recruited and trained volunteers and administered volunteer program.

Poetics of Aging Conference Coordinator

August, 2011 - December, 2011

Produced Poetics of Aging Conference, www.poeticsofaging.org. AgeSong Institute, in collaboration with leading Bay Area universities and over 50 affiliate organizations, organized a four-day get-together for people interested in exploring the beauty and depth of life at any stage and age. The conference mission was to counter the mainstream understanding of aging as decline and/or disease with a more expansive, humanistic, and creative vision and approach. Enlisted the support of over 60 volunteers.

Additional Professional Experience

Through e-learning curriculum design and development,  audio interviews, presentations, radio/television interviews, and publications for print and electronic media, demonstrate ways individuals of any age or stage can develop lifelong skills and demonstrate their personal strenghs and values.

Founded  the Job Search Practitioner Certificate and taught the eLearning Career Development Facilitator curriculum, the Distance Job and Career Transition Coach Certificate training, the Integral Aging Certificate training, and other career and wellness programs.

Originated Careerwell Tele-Interviews with industry experts. Served as Women's Studies, Psychology, and Education Portfolio Evaluator at the University of San Francisco, and provided career, caregiving, and self-care services and products for individuals, small businesses, organizations, and educational institutions.

Authored three books:  The Mother-Daughter Relationship:  Activities for Promoting Lifework Success, Starting and Growing a Business in the New Economy:  Leading Career Entrepreneurs Share Stories and Strategies (National Career Development Association, 2007), and Career and Caregiving: Empowering the Shadow Workforce of Family Caregivers (NCDA, 2009). Contributed to several books, including The ACA Encyclopedia of Counseling (American Counseling Association, 2009).

Served as a past president of the California Career Development Association and as an active member of the National Career Development Association. In 2008, was honored by the California Career Development Association with the Robert Swan Award for Lifetime Achievement in Career Development. Received the California Counseling Association 2009 Service Award in Appreciation for Outstanding Leadership Contributions and in 2012 was inducted into the McDaniel Foundation Hall of Fame for dedicated leadership in counseling.