The Board is comprised of seven members of the public appointed by the Governor and State Senate. The Board advocates for consumers of long term care in Wisconsin. To carry out this statutory mandate, the Board operates the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program, the Medigap Helpline and the Volunteer Ombudsman Program.
Mary Bouche
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Mary was born and raised in Green Bay and attended UW-Stevens Point, where she received degrees in Sociology and Psychology. Mary worked for 20 years in non-profit organizations focusing on aging issues, with an emphasis on Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Mary was the Executive Director of the Alzheimer’s Association of Greater Wisconsin from 1994-2009, Director of Development at Notre Dame de la Baie Academy from 2011-2015, Volunteer Coordinator at St. Vincent DePaul from 2016-2017 and Director of Development at Curative Connections from 2017-2021.
Mary is now retired but continues to follow local, state, and national issues as they pertain to older adults and those with disabilities. Early in her career, Mary worked at the Bay Area Agency on Aging, where she provided technical assistance to a 17-county area working. During that time, Mary partnered with BOALTC on various special projects. Mary also previously served on the Board of Directors for the Greater Wisconsin Area Agency on Aging Resources (GWAAR) and served as a Board Member for Wisconsin Pooled & Community Trust (WisPACT).
Mary and her husband live in Green Bay and enjoy spending time in northern Wisconsin or visiting their son in Minneapolis. Mary actively volunteers with several local and regional non-profit boards, including with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul where she serves as the President of the Green Bay Diocesan Council. Mary is looking forward to serving as an advocate of consumers of long-term care in Wisconsin!
Jackie Gordon
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Jackie Gordon is honored to have recently joined the Board on Aging and Long Term Care. As caregiver for her husband as well as her elderly sister, Jackie regards improving the quality of life for this segment as critical. Jackie is proud to also contribute to the State of Wisconsin with membership in two Councils: Wisconsin Council on Physical Disabilities and The Independent Living Council of Wisconsin.
Jackie’s primary interest for reaching out to the State was triggered by her husband’s horrific car accident in 2010. As a result, Jackie’s husband Blaine was paralyzed as a Tetraplegic. Jackie and her husband quickly became aware of the challenges involved in living with disabilities. Blaine (recently deceased) had joined her in acting on behalf of older adults and those with disabilities.
Jackie retired after 35 years in the commercial paper industry, most recently serving as the Mid Central Regional Sales Director. She also was an integral contributor and presenter with training programs delivered throughout the country.
Jackie holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Florida. Her majors were Industrial Psychology and Business Management. Jackie has many interests including travel, exploring the outdoors, and spending time with her rescue pups. She resides in western Wisconsin.
Abigail Lowery - Vice Chairperson
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Abigail Lowery currently works as an educational substitute, mainly supporting students with disabilities. She previously served on the DeForest Village Board from 2017 until 2023. She also served on the DeForest Library Board, the DeForest Area Community and Senior Center Commission, and the DeForest Housing Authority Board, which oversaw subsidized housing for seniors, people with disabilities, and those of lower incomes. She volunteers as a meal delivery driver for the DeForest Area Community and Senior Center.
Previously, Abigail worked in various jobs supporting people with developmental disabilities of all ages: at-home autism line therapist, special education assistant, respite care provider, adult family home coordinator, and special education teacher.
Abigail is a graduate of University of Wisconsin-Madison with bachelor's degrees in Women’s Studies and Special Education.
Tanya Meyer - Secretary
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Tanya Meyer has a Bachelor of Sciences from the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point with majors in Psychology and Organizational Communications.
Tanya has been working at the Social Security Administration since 2005. Prior to that, she had 20 years in long term and aging case management and program administration. She has worked in various settings including nursing homes, Community Based Residential Facilities, county and Tribal agencies. She has also served a diverse group including elders and persons with developmental disabilities.
Tanya enjoys spending time with her children and grandchildren. When she is not working, she spends much of her free time reading, tending plants, and enjoying time in the great outdoors.
Dr. Valerie Palarski - Chairperson_1.jpg)
Dr. Valerie Palarski is a registered nurse in Central Wisconsin. She has been a registered nurse for over 3 decades. Dr. Palarski received her diploma in nursing from Bellin College of Nursing. She earned a bachelor’s degree from UW-Green Bay in Human Adaptability, a master’s degree in Fitness Management and a Doctorate degree in Higher Education and Organizational Leadership from Benedictine University. She also has a master’s degree in Nursing with a specialization in healthcare education from the University of Phoenix.
Her specialty is cardiac nursing and leadership. She has worked in Pittsburgh, PA and for the Rockford Health System in Rockford, IL where she was the Administrative Director of Case Management. Dr. Palarski has authored research articles in the field of cardiac nursing for National journals. Her current research interest is faculty to faculty incivility. She currently teaches nursing in Wausau.
Dr. Palarski is the Past President of the DC Everest Area School District where she was also a Board member for four years. She also served on the Cooperative Educational Service Agency District #9 board of Control. She is a past member of the Wausau Region Chamber of Commerce Leadership Board. She has been a volunteer for Junior Achievement.
She lives in the Wausau area with her husband and two dogs. She and her husband have two adult children. In her leisure time she enjoys hunting, fishing, scuba diving, traveling and cooking.
Dr. Dale B. Taylor
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Dr. Taylor is an emeritus professor at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire where he founded the Bachelor of Music Therapy degree program and prepared students for careers in long term care settings and other clinical facilities. He served as Chair of the Department of Allied Health Professions which also included programs in Environmental & Public Health and Health Care Administration, the latter of which prepares administrators for long term care facilities.
Dr. Taylor also served as a member of the Advisory Board of the Wisconsin Music and Memory Initiative. He previously served as Chair of the Turning Point Transformation Team, a statewide task force that wrote Healthiest Wisconsin 2010, the state public health plan, and served on the Board of Directors of the Wisconsin Institute for Public Health. He received his bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees at the University of Kansas and worked or trained in numerous treatment facilities.
Dr. Taylor is a Board Certified Music Therapist and author of Biomedical Foundations of Music as Therapy, a book that is used in college and university undergraduate and graduate programs throughout the U.S. and in many other countries. He also taught Music Therapy courses at Alverno College and at Augsburg College where he served as Interim Director of Music Therapy. Dr. Taylor is the current President of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Emeriti Association
Dale and his wife, Jennifer, live in Eau Claire.
