The DC Villages Collaborative has selected Dr. Katrina Polk to serve as its inaugural executive director. This appointment will help launch an innovative structure that leverages the strengths of all 13 Villages in DC. Dr. Katt, as she is known, has spent the past two decades working on issues at the heart of aging in the community. She earned her doctorate in public policy and administration from Walden University and holds multiple certificates and credentials in project management, aging and wellness, and gerontology.

In her new role, Dr. Katt will lead collaborative efforts among the 13 DC Villages, working closely with leaders of existing Villages and exploring expansion of the Village concept into underserved areas of the city. “Dr. Katt brings an amazing level of professional, academic, and lived experience to the District’s Village movement. She understands the critical role Villages play in the network of services for older adults in Washington, D.C. We are looking forward to her leading our collaborative efforts to strengthen and expand Village services,” said Morgan Gopnik, chair of the DC Villages Collaborative Council, and NNV Immediate Past President.

Professionally, Dr. Katt has led public and private-sector organizations focused on serving older adults, including developing programs for aging in community at the Community Preservation and Development Corp.; building strategic alliances for affordable housing at Enterprise Community Partners; and, most recently, overseeing community and aging services for the city of District Heights in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Dr. Katt also founded Dynamic Solutions for the Aging, a social enterprise firm focused on solutions for the health and housing industries, with a focus on aging and community development. She was appointed co-chair of the Housing Domain for Age-Friendly DC and sits on the AARP DC Executive Council.

“Since early 2000, I have studied, co-designed, and co-led community-driven service networks, from Philadelphia to Virginia’s Tidewater region. The Village model is highly flexible and well suited to the delivery of services and connections that people benefit from as they age in their community,” said Polk. “I am excited by the work the District’s Villages have achieved over the years, and I look forward to supporting their collaborative work transforming aging in the city.”

Dr. Katt will start on February 19, 2024. The NNV board and staff are enthusiastic about the many ways the DC Villages Collaborative will benefit our community and older adults citywide under Dr. Katt’s leadership. Stay tuned for more exciting news from the DC Villages Collaborative. 

The full press release about Dr. Polk is available to read here.