GSU alum Dr. Joy Dillard Appel (B.A. ’99, M.A. ’01, Ph.D. ’23) will share how she turns diverse data skills gained from her GSU studies into real-world action as a Senior Analyst on the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) Lifelong Communities team. When: Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026, 3-4 p.m.Where: 1st Floor of Georgia State University Library North building (100 Decatur St. SE, Atlanta, GA 30303) in Classroom 1 — free and open to the GSU community and wider public (PantherCard or government-issued photo ID required for entry).Who: Joy Dillard Appel, Senior Program/Project Analyst, Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) The ARC Lifelong Communities team draws on a range of methods to understand aging and well-being across the Atlanta region. Quantitative measures like Life Expectancy estimates and Years of Potential Life Lost alongside qualitative sources including focus groups, community engagement events and stakeholder interviews, create a complex and informative narrative. This talk covers how these different methods complement each other, what each has revealed about variation across the region, and how the combined findings have shaped ARC's Live Beyond Expectations strategic framework and the Age-Friendly Atlanta Region Action Plan.