FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec 07, 2021

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, we are pleased to announce that Atalaya Sergi, director of AmeriCorps Seniors, was named one of PBS Next Avenue's 2021 Influencers in Aging. Each year, Next Avenue recognizes advocates, researchers, thought leaders, innovators, writers and experts who continue to push beyond traditional boundaries and change our understanding of what it means to grow older.

Sergi is a leader in this space and is doing so through national service. With Sergi at the helm, AmeriCorps Seniors is a model for how communities can benefit from the wisdom and talent of older Americans.

Started in 2015, Influencers in Aging annually recognizes remarkable people bringing solutions, innovation, inspiration and big thinking to the aging space. This year’s recipients - ranging in age from their 30s to 80s - include health care professionals, advocates, entrepreneurs, thought leaders, educators and members of the creative community, from across the country.

Appointed in January 2021, Sergi brought 20 years’ experience in service, community engagement and education to AmeriCorps, the federal agency dedicated to national service and volunteerism. She previously was vice president, Strategic Partnerships and Programming at Jumpstart for Young Children, where she led strategic initiatives, managed AmeriCorps-funded programs, and launched that organization’s first Foster Grandparent program. Sergi has also worked in public school districts, higher education, and the nonprofit sector, bringing private and public organizations together to ensure citizens of all ages and those in underserved communities thrive.

“I am honored to receive this recognition and be in the company of so many esteemed colleagues. Older adults provide our country and our society with a tremendous asset in their wisdom, knowledge, and lived experiences. Throughout the pandemic the positive impact our AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers was demonstrated time and again in supporting their communities through safe, socially distanced, and virtual service. It speaks to the strength and adaptability of older adults which I work to uplift,” said Atalaya Sergi, director of AmeriCorps Seniors. “I am proud to work with the dedicated AmeriCorps Seniors agency team, the project directors and grantees who implement AmeriCorps Seniors programs in communities, and our AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers who always inspire me with their unwavering commitment to service.”

“As the newly appointed national director of AmeriCorps Seniors and its three flagship volunteer programs – Senior Companions, Foster Grandparents and RSVP – Atalaya Sergi has been a leading force showing older Americans the importance of their volunteering for the greater good,” said Richard Eisenberg, managing editor, Next Avenue and editor, Money & Policy and Work & Purpose channels. “Sergi’s work has been vital lately as AmeriCorps Seniors is delivering $4 million in grants to engage older adults in service during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

For more than five decades, volunteers age 55 and older have been serving their communities, and is in partnership with AmeriCorps additional programs which focus on service opportunities for youth and young adults. All AmeriCorps programs allow volunteers to take their commitment – to both country and community -- to the next level.

AmeriCorps, the federal agency for volunteerism and national service, provides opportunities for Americans to serve their country domestically, address the nation’s most pressing challenges, improve lives and communities, and strengthen civic engagement. Each year, the agency invests more than $800 million in grants for local nonprofit, community, tribal, and state organizations; places more than 250,000 AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers in intensive service roles; and empowers millions more to serve as long-term, short-term, or one-time volunteers. Learn more at AmeriCorps.gov.

About Next Avenue: Launched in 2012 by Twin Cities PBS in St. Paul, Minn., Next Avenue has grown to become the premier national source of high-quality original daily content and community for older Americans. It publishes more than 800 articles annually and reaches more than 80 million people through its multiple platforms. In addition to its own digital channels, Next Avenue content is distributed through leading news and business media outlets including Forbes, “PBS NewsHour” and MarketWatch. Its audience is as engaged and motivated as it is deep: In annual reader surveys, more than 70% of respondents say Next Avenue is personally important to them and 97% have taken an action based on its content.