Mortimer "Morty" Matz

Morty is a Public Relations professional with a long career specializing in reputation and crisis management. He has also served as spokesman for public officials at the National, State and local levels. Prior to his career in public relations, Matz was an editor at the New York Daily News. He graduated from Amherst College. His part time college job was as driver for poet Robert Frost, who lectured at Amherst. He has created many annual media events and has been profiled in major newspapers and magazines.“If Edward Bernays was the philosophical father of public relations, Mortimer Matz might be considered the godfather of pragmatic press agentry.” NY Times August 2010.

Robert "Bob" Blancato

Bob Blancato is the President of Matz, Blancato and Associates. In that capacity, he also serves as the National Coordinator of the bipartisan 3000-member Elder Justice Coalition, the Executive Director of the National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs and National Coordinator of the Defeat Malnutrition Today coalition. Bob has long been recognized as a national advocate with policy expertise on behalf of older adults. In 2019, he was invited by both the Senate Finance Committee and House Ways and Means Committee to testify on a range of issues. Bob’s prior work history includes 17 years as a staffer in Congress and an appointment by President Clinton to be the Executive Director of the 1995 White House Conference on Aging, one of four he has participated in.  He is a member of the Senior Executive Service. As a volunteer, he currently serves on the National Board of AARP and the board of the National Hispanic Council on Aging. In 2019, Bob began a four-year term on the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services, appointed by HHS Secretary Azar. Bob holds a BA from Georgetown University and an MPA from American University. Bob has won numerous awards for advocacy, most recently the American Society for Aging’s ASA Hall of Fame Award in March 2020.

​Laura Borth

Laura Borth is a policy associate at Matz, Blancato, and Associates and provides policy analysis and advocacy support for Defeat Malnutrition Today, the Elder Justice Coalition, and the National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs. Previously, Laura worked as a Public Service Fellow in Policy at Feeding Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Institute for Science Education and Community Engagement and has worked in science policy and science writing. She is a Registered Dietitian and holds a BS from University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and MS in Nutritional Sciences from University of Wisconsin-Madison.