of the "age wave," she has spent more than twenty years deeply involved in exploring all aspects of this subject.
In 1986, together with her husband, Ken, she co-founded Age Wave, a firm created to guide Fortune 500 companies and government groups in product/service development for boomers and mature adults. During her first decade at Age Wave, she helped grow the company from the ground up to a multi-million dollar enterprise with a reputation as the best in its field.
Ms. Dychtwald is the author of two books; a children's book on aging and lifetime reinvention entitled
Gideon's Dream: A Tale of New Beginnings and
Cycles: How We Will Live, Work, and Buy, which was the winner of the 2004 Book of the Year Award from the National Community Colleges Association. Presently, she is working on her new book,
Power Shift: How Women's Soaring Economic Power Will Change the World, to be published in January 2010. She has been featured in numerous articles in leading newspapers and magazines nationwide, including
Advertising Age, The Chicago Tribune, The Los Angeles Times, The Miami Herald, and
US News and World Report, and has appeared on countless radio and television programs.
During her career, Ms. Dychtwald has addressed more than 275,000 business leaders worldwide including a diverse group of clients such as Allegiance Healthcare, A.C. Nielsen, Allstate Insurance, Blue Cross of California, Chevron, Direct Marketing Association, International Council of Shopping Centers, Fidelity Investments, International Foundation of Employer Benefit Plans, Lincoln Financial, National Association of Educators, and World Future Society. Her entertaining multi-media presentations combine provocative information with exciting imagery.
A graduate of New York University, Maddy, her husband, Ken, and their two children make their home in the San Francisco Bay Area.
powerful newsmaker studies that enable clients to enhance and differentiate their brand in the national or global media, establish themselves as thought-leaders, refine their understanding of their unique consumer needs and desires, and utilize landmark research insights to identify new strategies, markets, and product opportunities.
Mr. Baxter has developed and managed numerous highly acclaimed national and global surveys, uncovering unique market opportunities created by the growth of the over-50 population. Collectively, these surveys have spanned over 50,000 respondents on such topics as types of retirement experience, baby boomers' emerging vision of retirement, the new role of the financial advisor, needs and priorities in legacy and inheritance, attitudes toward aging and retirement around the world, and the impact of changing demographics on the workforce. Findings from these landmark studies have been widely featured in leading media such as
60 Minutes, the
New York Times, the
Wall Street Journal, the
Financial Times,
Business Week, and
U.S. News and World Report. Mr. Baxter is coauthor of the
Handbook of the New American Workforce, as well as a public speaker on cutting-edge research findings, and he is frequently interviewed by the media for his knowledge and opinions on population aging and its implications
Prior to joining Age Wave, Mr. Baxter was an intelligence officer at the Central Intelligence Agency, where he orchestrated intelligence collection efforts and briefed key decision makers in the Commerce, Treasury, and State Departments on strategic developments in overseas markets and industries. He also cofounded PAC-san, a Silicon Valley-based high-tech consulting firm providing strategy, industry analysis, partnership development, and capital-raising services, with a focus on developing synergies between Asian corporations and U.S. technology companies.
Mr. Baxter received his MBA at the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and his BA from Williams College.
Robyn Hamilton, Chief Administrative Officer
Robyn Hamilton brings more than 15 years of experience in administration, operations, sales, strategy, marketing, research, and project management to her position at Age Wave. She is responsible for managing Age Wave’s speaking engagements from business development to logistics. As chief administrative officer, Ms. Hamilton manages Dr. Dychtwald’s schedule as well as all administrative and operational functions within the organization, including: vendor relationships, financial oversight, and human resource functions. She also serves as a liaison between clients and project partners.
Prior to joining Age Wave, Ms. Hamilton spent four years at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where she most recently served as a sales manager and proposal strategist. In this position, she was responsible for shaping sales strategy and writing proposal documents for audit, business assurance, and consulting opportunities. Earlier in her career at PricewaterhouseCoopers, she served as an industry marketing manager, where she implemented and managed marketing initiatives for the U.S. Environmental Business Services practice, focusing primarily on merger and acquisition opportunities.
Ms. Hamilton has a BA in Business Management from the University of Georgia and lives in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood.
Sarah Werling, Executive Assistant
Sarah Werling has over 10 years experience in administration, support, sales and marketing. Ms. Werling works closely with Ms. Pellman, Age Wave's EVP, onthe development and coordination of all new business initiatives and supports ongoing project management activities. She acts as the liaison between executives, clients, associates, prospects and service providers. She manages the sales and marketing programs for Age Wave's unparalleled seminar programs including
LifeCourse Navigation™,
Your Powers Years™ and
Leaving a Legacy™.
Prior to joining Age Wave, Ms. Werling spent 4 years in the mortgage industry where her responsibilities included project management, office management, pipeline management, database management, loan processing, sales support and client care. She was also responsible for implementing and maintaining efficiency systems, as well managing a small investment business of six residential properties. Ms. Werling's prior experience included 7 years at Allstate Insurance as a Licensed Production Associate providing property and casualty sales and customer service.
Ms. Werling received a BS degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing from San Francisco State University and she resides in the Berkeley hills.
Ken Dychtwald, Ph.D., President and CEO
Elyse Pellman, Executive Vice President
Maddy Dychtwald, Age Wave Co-Founder and Senior Vice President
David Baxter, Senior Vice President