Leadership
Thomas Kamber, Ph.D., Executive Director
Thomas Kamber is the founding executive director of Older Adults Technology Services (OATS), where he has led the creation of the largest municipal technology program for senior citizens in the country—training more than 8,300 senior citizens at over 80 locations since 2004 and leveraging over more than seven million dollars in public and private financing. His work at OATS has been covered in local and national print, television, and online media, and has been the subject of several academic studies of the intersection of aging and technology.
Prior to launching OATS, Dr. Kamber held senior management positions at nonprofit housing and technology organizations, as well as political campaigns at the local, state, and national level. He is a co-founder and Board Member of the Afro-Latin Jazz Alliance and serves as Board Treasurer for the New York Memory Center. In the private sector, he served as a senior brand strategist for D’Arcy advertising, where he helped design and implement communications strategy for Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, a leading global technology services corporation. Dr. Kamber teaches courses on social entrepreneurship, philanthropy, urban research, and the social impact of technology at Columbia University, is a visiting fellow at the Advanced Communications Law and Policy institute at New York Law School, and has published widely on public policy topics. He has a BA from Columbia College and a PhD from the City University of New York.. tkamber@oats.org Fred Fields, Esq., Chief Operating Officer
Fred joined OATS from United Way of New York City, where he led the Strengthening NYC Nonprofits group, which built the organizational capacity of over 1,000 organizations by providing grants, technical assistance, executive and staff training, and board development services. Previously, he served as founding Managing Director of Taproot Foundation, New York, and as an executive in London and New York at digital marketing agencies Agency.com and Organic. Fred is a graduate of Georgetown University and the University of Connecticut School of Law. ffields@oats.org Barbara J. Kelly, LMSW, Director, Program Development
Barbara Kelly brings more than 16 years’ experience and expertise in gerontologic program development to her role at OATS, where she is responsible for the expansion and coordination of the organization’s programming through its network of more than 70 community partners. Ms. Kelly also builds and maintains relationships with public officials and oversees regulatory and compliance requirements for OATS city and federal government contracts.
Prior to joining OATS, Barbara served Catholic Charities for over a decade in roles of increasing responsibility. During her tenure, she supervised five full-service senior centers, the case management division, the Alzheimer’s adult care program, and the transportation program. Ms. Kelly developed and monitored budgets in excess of $2 million and secured additional discretionary funding to underwrite programmatic innovations. She hired, trained, and supervised more than 100 professional and non-professional staff, as well as the organization’s large volunteer base. In addition to case management and direct service for over 500 clients, Barbara developed and delivered seminars on the prevention of elder abuse in partnership with the New York City Police Department. A Licensed Master Social Worker, Ms. Kelly holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Adelphi University School of Social Work, as well as Geriatric Scholar and Palliative and End-of-Life Care Certificates from the Consortium of New York Geriatric Education Centers. bjkelly@oats.org
Barbara Aria, Content Director, Senior Planet Digital  An editor, writer and author, Barbara is responsible for planning, creating and editing content and experiences on Senior Planet Digital.Barbara has 30 years’ experience in magazine, book and digital publishing. She was the founding editor of Time Out New York Kids and content director at Mom365, where she built a busy, 120,000-strong parent community, developed a team of bloggers and created parenting and lifestyle content. She has written about family and cultural topics for Redbook, New York magazine, Travel & Leisure, the Toronto Globe & Mail, AIl Performance for the Planet and other publications, and is the author/co-author of a dozen books. baria@oats.org
Kimberly Brennsteiner, Director of Programs
Kimberly oversees and facilitates the Senior Planet on- and offline communities. She also manages the Senior Planet intergenerational and education programs and the Advisory Council.
Kimberly has has enjoyed working with older adults in both her academic and professional lives. With a background in the social sciences and an interdisciplinary master's degree, she has researched the intersection of personal and national narratives. Professionally, Kimberly has taught students between the ages of 3 and 93 and worked for international human-rights oriented non-profits. Before coming to OATS, she was Program Director for “A Letter to the Stars,” an Austrian Holocaust education program that used new technology to connect students to Holocaust survivors. kbrennsteiner@oats.org
Tim Cunnane, Director of Technology
Tim came to OATS in September of 2012 after spending almost a decade improving technology-related operations and efficiency for small businesses, multinationals, video production companies and academic institutions. tcunnane@oats.org
Aaron Osgood, BTOP Project Manager
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As COO, Fred has primary responsibility for collaborating with the leadership and staff of OATS to ensure thoughtful planning, efficient operations, professional development, high quality outcomes, and organizational sustainability. In addition, he provides support for the executive director regarding strategic development and organizational advancement. Fred also serves as project director for the Connected Communities project, a partnership with the City of New York in which OATS is expanding and upgrading public computer centers and providing digital literacy and multimedia training at senior centers throughout the city, with a special focus on high-poverty neighborhoods. The Connected Communities project is supported by the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP), an initiative of the National Telecommunications Information Administration.
Tim is focusing on how best to use technology to empower and enrich the lives of Senior Planet visitors online and at the Senior Planet Exploration Center; getting feedback from visitors on their tech experiences makes Tim’s job all the more satisfying..jpg)
Aaron joined OATS in February 2011 as Project Manager for the Connected Communities project, a partnership with the City of New York in which OATS is expanding and upgrading public computer centers for use by seniors at locations throughout the city, providing digital literacy and multimedia training, and enhancing Senior Planet, a digital community for older adults. Aaron supports the initiative through planning, project administration, reporting, and compliance. Prior to joining OATS, Aaron worked with various community development, education, and youth serving nonprofits, gaining experience in program development, evaluation, and data management. Most recently, he administered a large youth employment collaborative funded by the City of San Francisco, where he was responsible for training, program monitoring, and evaluation. Aaron holds a master’s degree in community development and planning from Clark University, and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of Minnesota.