In the United States, about one in five people will be age 65 or older by 2040, an increase from about one in eight in 2000. How can we prepare for a future of shifting demographics so that everyone thrives? Jim Barnett, Director of Strategic Intelligence Analysis at AARP, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that aims to help people choose how they live as they age, talks to IFTF Research Director Rachel Maguire about the ways in which the AARP FutureCasting team uses foresight as a tool for strategic intelligence for an organization with more than 38 million members. Jim shares best practices for partnering with different entities of the organization to explore unseen potential and how he uses an internal futures newsletter to feed conversations. Rachel and Jim will describe the most recent scenarios AARP created with IFTF, and Jim will offer his best advice for other small foresight teams.

Jim Barnett is Director of Strategic Intelligence Analysis at AARP, where he is responsible for identifying external forces and future trends likely to impact AARP and its members. He tracks developments in sectors including technology, media, advertising, healthcare, and nonprofit management. Jim joined AARP in 2006 to help establish the Strategic Intelligence group and has been a driving force in its evolution as the organization’s lead foresight function, now known as Futurecasting.

Before AARP, Jim had a 20-year career as an award-winning investigative reporter and editor for newspapers including The Washington Post, The (Portland) Oregonian and The (Raleigh) News & Observer.
Jim received his bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University. He holds a Master of Arts in Journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Master of Public Administration from The George Washington University.


Learn about the variety of ways to learn foresight here: https://www.iftf.org/foresightessenti...

© 2023 Institute for the Future. All rights reserved.