Catherine Thurston, LCSW is the Chief Executive Officer at Service Program for Older People, SPOP. As the CEO, she is responsible for overall agency management including finances, human resources, fundraising, and program development. Before moving into this role in 2024 she previously served as Chief Program Officer at SPOP for eight years with oversight of all clinical programs and community outreach. She has over three decades of experience in the field of aging, including serving as Chief Services Officer at SAGE/Service & Advocacy for LGBTQ+ Elders and as Director of Alzheimer’s Programs at the Cobble Hill Health Center.
Catherine has been published in the areas of aging and dementia as well as LGBT Aging. She has served as a member of the American Society on Aging’s LGBT Aging Issues Leadership Council as well as sitting on the steering committee of the National Resource Center on Nutrition and Aging and has been a member of AARP’s Caregiver Advisory Panel. A proud graduate of Hunter College as well as the Hunter College School of Social Work, Catherine has been a Faculty Instructor at the Silberman School of Social Work since 2016 .