Robert “Bob” Blancato is President of Matz, Blancato and Associates, a public and government relations firm. He spent 17 years on the staff of the U.S. House Select Committee on Aging and has participated in four White House Conferences on Aging, including as the Executive Director of the 1995 White House Conference on Aging. With over 30 years of deep experience in the field of aging and public service, he is executive director of the National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs and the National Coordinator of the Elder Justice Coalition. As a volunteer, Bob serves on the Board of the National Hispanic Council on Aging. From 2016 to 2018, he chaired the American Society on Aging (ASA). He is a former volunteer State President of AARP Virginia and served six years on the Board of the National Council on Aging. He is a former president of the National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse. In 2019, he was appointed by HHS Secretary Alex Azar to the National Advisory Council on Rural Health and Human Services. Bob was named to the ASA Hall of Fame in 2020. He was knighted by the Republic of Italy in 2011.