"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." - William Butler Yeats
Nancy Merz Nordstrom, M. Ed
Nancy Merz Nordstrom spent many years in office administration for both the private and non-profit sectors. Three years after the unexpected death of her husband, she returned to school, and at age 53 was awarded a Masters of Education degree (M.Ed.) from Cambridge College in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
As a later-life student she became aware of the opportunities and challenges facing older adults, and has dedicated herself to the belief that lifelong learning is both empowering and life-affirming, regardless of age.
Nancy's expert knowledge of older adult lifelong learning and her own first-hand experience play a large part in her direction of the Elderhostel Institute Network (EIN), North America's largest and most respected educational network for older adults.
In this role, she oversees and ensures prompt delivery of multiple services to 400 Lifelong Learning Institutes (LLIs) across the U.S., Canada, and Jamaica. Nancy also corresponds regularly with directors of programs in the UK, Australia and New Zealand, and has worked closely with developers establishing lifelong learning programs in Japan.
She has been interviewed extensively by the media about the learning in retirement movement. Articles have appeared in many newspapers and periodicals, including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Boston Globe and the Washington Post. Nancy has taken part in numerous radio interviews, local TV shows, and was a guest on the CNN Financial News TV show, "Your Money."
Nancy also oversees the Lifelong Learning Campus of Computer School for Seniors, an Internet learning site. She blogs and writes columns for several other online sites that focus on adults over the age of 50, such as Growing Bolder and Computer Savvy Seniors. She is a regular on both Facebook and Twitter, and contributes her expertise to Baby Boomer Knowledge Center and @BoomerAuthority.
Learning Later, Living Greater: The Secret for Making the Most of Your After-50 Years, is Nancy's first book, her way of spreading the word about the concept, benefits and opportunities of Lifelong Learning for older adults.
Nancy also gives customized presentations, workshops and courses for the general public on the immense value of lifelong learning in our After-50 years. She is dedicated to, and passionate about spreading the lifelong learning word.
Jon F. Merz
Jon has published over a dozen novels including four Lawson Vampire adventures (2002-2003) with Kensington's Pinnacle Books, the Jake Thunder mystery/thriller DANGER-CLOSE (2004) with Five Star Mystery/Thorndike Press, and eight installments in the internationally bestselling adventure series Rogue Angel (2006-present) with Harlequin's Gold Eagle line.
His latest thriller PARALLAX debuted in March 2009 as an exclusive ebook.
His short fiction story "Prisoner 392" (appeared alongside Stephen King in FROM THE BORDERLANDS, 2004, Warner Books) earned him an Honorable Mention in 2004's Year's Best Fantasy & Horror edited by Ellen Datlow.
Jon also co-authored THE COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO ULTIMATE FIGHTING with Rich "Ace" Franklin (2007, Alpha Books/Penguin/Putnam)
