About the CoDesign Commons Team

Phil is a cultural anthropologist with 45 years of experience the field of aging studies. He has a long career in both community service and academic environments. He has edited or authored three books on nursing home culture, aging and place and the international movement towards age-friendly communities. He is the founder of the CoDesign Commons and a believer in the notion that we need to design a better future with, not for older adults.

Julie currently serves as Artist-in-Residence for the CoDesign Commons. She is a certified teaching artist by the National Center for Creative Aging (2015) and was named a Lifelong Arts Fellow with the Indiana Arts Commission in 2023. Across her career, she advanced creative aging research and best practice through arts programming to promote the health and well-being of older adults. Today, at the age of 64, she walks her talk by focusing her creative energy on abstract painting, home & garden renovation, and somatic dance.

Cynthia is an Information Technology (IT) Professional, Entrepreneur, and a Plant-based Chef. Most recently (Jan. 2024) she co-founded the BloomingZone Initiative (BZI), a health and wellness non-profit for the Bloomington community. Always a volunteer, she has served on numerous local boards and commissions. She also renovated, then owned and operated The Story Inn — a historic bed and breakfast and fine dining restaurant in nearby Brown County. Cynthia leads community outreach efforts of the CoDesign Commons.

Drew is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health & Wellness Design at Indiana University; he is also a Core Faculty member of the Irsay Institute. His current research focuses on advancing participatory co-design approaches for development of social and behavioral interventions for aging health, particularly among individuals living with dementia and their care partners. He manages strategy and day-to-day logistics for the CoDesign Commons.

Brea is Associate Director of the Irsay Institute for Sociomedical Sciences Research and the Allen D. and Polly S. Grishaw Professor of Sociology at Indiana University - Bloomington (IUB). Her research focuses on the measurement of social networks and their impact on health and wellbeing. She has received extensive funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other sources. Having previously served as Vice Provost for Research at IUB, she serves as primary leader of scientific research within the CoDesign Commons.