Episode 107: The Civic Firepower of Senior Activism at We the Seniors with Judy Loeb & Mary Mulvihill
Welcome to Specifically for Seniors, the podcast that celebrates the wisdom, wit, and willpower of older adults who refuse to sit quietly on the sidelines.
Today’s episode is a rich opportunity to spotlight the civic firepower of senior activism and the strategic brilliance behind We the Seniors—a grassroots movement that’s proving age is not a limitation, but a launchpad for change.
Our guests, Mary Mulvihill and Judy Loeb, are the architects of this powerful network. Through weekly Zoom calls, postcard campaigns, rallies, and coalition-building, they’ve mobilized thousands of older Americans to engage in meaningful, sustained political action. Their work has drawn speakers like Skye Perryman, activist Bill McKibben, Senator Cory Booker, Rep. Katie Porter, Liz Cheney and Jen Johnson —not just to inform, but to inspire.
Mary brings decades of organizing experience and a gift for turning civic frustration into coordinated action. Mary spent the first half of her career as an Associate Dean and Professor at Fordham University’s Business School, where she also taught. In the next chapter of her career, She turned her focus to revitalizing nonprofits, serving as Executive Director of two different nonprofits.
Judy, a former regional director for Emily’s List as a result of her anger over the Anita Hill hearings and a lifelong advocate, adds strategic depth and fundraising savvy to the mix.
Together, they’ve built the platform,We The Seniors, that amplifies senior voices, connects communities across 15 states, and redefines what it means to age with agency.
Whether you’re a seasoned activist or just beginning to explore your civic power, this conversation will challenge assumptions, spark ideas, and remind us all that democracy thrives when seniors lead. Let’s dive into their story, their mission, and the unstoppable force of senior volunteers.
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Mary Mulvihill
Mary spent the first half of her career as an Associate Dean and Professor at Fordham University’s Business School, where she also taught. In the next chapter of her career, She turned her focus to revitalizing nonprofits, serving as Executive Director of two different nonprofits—one dedicated to educating and empowering underserved women with business skills and job placement, and another, a community center in a housing project on the brink of bankruptcy. She successfully reopened, restructured, and fundraised for both organizations, ensuring their long-term financial stability.
In 2019, Mary founded Seniors Taking Action, an organization committed to mobilizing older Americans in the fight for democracy. What started with writing postcards has since evolved into a powerful advocacy network engaged in letters to the editor, editorials, op-eds, and weekly Zoom discussions. STA has 1500 members in 15 states. In the work with Seniors Taking Action, it was discovered that there were many senior groups around the country and it was decided that they could be much more powerful if they were united as one voice. Thus, recently, we started We the Seniors. We currently have 38 groups in 16 states and hundreds of individual members.
After a 25-year career as a maternity wear designer and owner of her own maternity wear manufacturing company, Judy joined Emily’s list as the Northeast regional coordinator. During the 18 years that she worked there, she raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Democratic women running for all levels of government. A couple … Read More
Judy Loeb
I began my career as a fashion designer and ultimately owned my own maternity wear company called Sweet Mama. I ran that for 25 years and then merged it into another company.
For my second career, I joined Emily’s list as a result of my anger over the Anita Hill hearings. I became the regional director and Northeast fundraiser for the next 18 years.
I retired about eight years ago and six years ago joined Mary to write postcards and to begin a speaker series for Seniors Taking Action.
A couple of months ago, Mary and I founded "We the Seniors.". Through our work on Seniors Taking Action we learned that there were many other senior activist groups around the country. It is our belief that by joining together to speak with one loud voice about the issue senior’s care about, we can make an impact.