Meet Nada O’Brien The Person Behind Our Foundation

Nada O'Brien is an engineering leader with a 30-year career in the tech industry. Nada holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Trine University and a Master’s and Ph.D. in Materials Science & Engineering from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. She is currently a Vice President of Engineering, Mechanical at Magic Leap. Prior to that she held leadership roles at Meta and Viavi Solutions developing products in Augmented/Virtual Reality and Instrumentation respectively.

Inspired by her 78 year old mother’s situation during the COVID pandemic, whereby Nada witnessed a significant deterioration in her mother's physical and cognitive abilities, coupled with observations of the broader challenges faced by elderly individuals in regions plagued by economic hardship and/or lack of a support system, Nada decided to establish Young at Heart foundation to create opportunities for the elderly in under-served areas to stay mentally and physically engaged, enhancing their quality of life, independence, and overall well-being.

Nada holds a profound appreciation for the elderly, viewing them as vessels of wisdom, history, and treasured experiences. Her passion for technology, honed through her career in developing high-tech consumer products, drives her to explore innovative, science-based, and tech-for-good solutions for healthy aging and for addressing some of the societal challenges faced today.