After dedicating the past 17 years at the helm of a team of educators and fighters for the rights and quality of life for seniors, Rhonda Moore is preparing for her next chapter – a well deserved retirement. During her tenure, Pro Seniors has grown to become a nationally recognized advocate for older Ohians; and I thought, I couldn’t let her leave without a tribute and thank you to her for tireless leadership.

Rhonda has been honored by the Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation with the 2015 Denis J. Murphy Award for her outstanding leadership and advocacy for Ohio’s seniors and by the Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio with the 2017 Outstanding Professional in Aging Award.

If you are not familiar with Pro Seniors, you should be because all of us at some point in our lives will be impacted by their work. The nonprofit is dedicated to empowering and protecting older people through the myriad of legal issues that come up as we age. It gives free legal advice to anyone 60 or over, and its ombudsman program offers client-focused advocacy to protect the rights of those in long-term term care facilities.

Rhonda and her team have been instrumental in starting and expanding numerous services. In 2001, she partnered with Elder Law of Michigan to offer the Pension Rights Program, which now has two attorneys dedicated to pension rights and to date, has recovered over $49,000,000 in retirement benefits.  In 2014, the Pro Seniors’ hotline was recognized by the Center for Elder Rights Advocacy as the most efficient hotline in the country, and continues as one of the most productive, handling 6,503 clients for just $41.19 a call.  In 2002, Rhonda secured another federal grant to fund Senior Medicare Patrol, a statewide program that teaches seniors how to avoid Medicare fraud and identity theft.

She is a passionate and tireless leader who makes things happen through collaboration and determination.. She brought top leaders in Ohio aging organizations and legal aids to together to collectively strengthen legal services for older adults.  And, during her tenure, Pro Seniors pursued justice in two federal class actions that improved the financial security of Ohio veterans and low-income seniors.

With so many accomplishments, one in particular that makes her smile is the creation of the organization’s annual Seniors who Rock Awards event that highlights three or four honorees each year.. “That came about from seeing the prevalence of how ageism is depicted in the media, usually pretty negative. We wanted to put a spotlight on the good that seniors contribute to society and how many are still very vibrant and active,” Rhonda told me.

“I’ve been very privileged to be a part of Pro Seniors for the last eighteen years and play a role in securing access to justice for Ohio seniors.  My role is a supporting role, however, and it’s really the fine advocates on Pro Seniors’ staff who carry out our mission.  Our lawyers – as well as our ombudsman, SMP advocates and administrative staff – really do change lives,” she said. “Our economy has gone through tough times, We lost a lot of funding while seniors have more needs. I’m proud that we were able to keep our services in place and build other sources of revenue to serve them. We’ve added programs. Done thoughtfully and focused on protecting seniors’ legal rights. We’ve expanded our services and maintained.”

Before joining ProSeniors, Rhonda’s career included 14 years in private practice, first at Frost & Jacobs and then at Graydon Head & Ritchey LLP, concentrating in the areas of estate planning and estate administration.

Christine Buttress, who worked with Moore at Graydon Head and has been a long-time board member at Pro Seniors, spoke about her colleague, “I know Moore as a person of the highest integrity and commitment to her values. She is an established leader in the aging network in Southwestern Ohio and contributes daily to helping seniors resolve their legal and long-term care issues.”