Jilenne Gunther

AREAS OF EXPERTISE BankSafe, financial exploitation, fraud, consumer law, consumer protection, banking, elder law, policy analysis, aging. ABOUT Jilenne Gunther, JD, MSW, is the national

director of AARP’s Bank_Safe_ Initiative, a game-changing intervention platform focused on financial-exploitation prevention for frontline employees at banks, credit unions, investment

firms, retailers and other providers of financial products and services. Prior to joining AARP, Gunther held several government and non-profit positions where she oversaw and directed policy

and legal programs on behalf of victims of crime, particularly older adults and other vulnerable groups. She developed one of the nation’s first bank-account features to help family and

caregivers prevent exploitation. Gunther has authored two books on consumer rights and elder law and a novel analysis on the economic cost of financial exploitation. While a Borchard Fellow

with the Borchard Center on Law & Aging, she conducted a groundbreaking study on the legal needs of older Americans. Her work has been replicated in over forty states, widely quoted in

national media and cited in Senate hearings, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Advisories, and U.S. Government Accountability Office reports. Gunther holds a juris doctorate from the

University of Utah, a master’s degree in social work from Washington University in St. Louis. Honors and Awards: Under her guidance, AARP’s Bank_Safe_ Initiative has trained one in ten

financial industry frontline employees who have saved older adults more than $100 million from exploitation. Gunther has been recognized and honored with over 15 awards for her distinct

contributions, including the Association Women Technology Champions (AWTC) Social Impact Award and the Governor’s Woman of the Year Award. Read Jilenne Gunther's blog posts.   CONTACT

Email: jgunther@aarp.org LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jilenne/ X: https://twitter.com/banksafegirl For media inquiries, call 202-434-2560 or e-mail media@aarp.org.