OXFORD — Miami University professor Dr. Jane Karnes Straker was recently honored with the President’s Award from the Council on Aging.

Dr. Straker, who lives in Oxford, has provided many years of research, analysis, and scholarship that have helped the Council on Aging and numerous other organizations understand and plan for the needs of the aging population, according to a press release.

“Jane is always willing to do the right thing,” said Ken Wilson, COA’s Director of Program Operations. “She stays focused on what the data show and what is best for Butler County seniors. Her credibility as a researcher and her willingness to speak out have supported us in our meetings with county commissioners. She uses her knowledge of trends at the national and state levels to help develop good policy at the local level.”

Dr. Straker received the award at the 42nd annual meeting of Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio (COA). The meeting was held March 6 at the Sharonville Convention Center and awards were presented by Hamilton County Commissioner Greg Hartmann and COA Board Chairman William Thornton, Jr. Straker is a Senior Research Scholar, Scripps Gerontology Center and Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Sociology & Gerontology

One of Dr. Straker’s most valuable contributions has been her work on a customer satisfaction survey, which is known as the Service Adequacy and Satisfaction Instrument (SASI). Council on Aging first developed the SASI in 1999, in conjunction with Scripps, according to the release. In those days, few, if any organizations were asking seniors whether or not they were happy with their home care services and home-delivered meals.

For more than seven years, Dr. Straker has been leading the SASI project at Scripps. She has been an active partner in improving the survey. With the help of Scripps and COA’s Business Intelligence Department, SASI now allows both COA and providers to track and compare customer satisfaction by provider.

In 2007, Dr. Straker became a member of the Advisory Council for the Butler County Elderly Services Program. She has served for six years, including terms as Secretary and President. For three years, she has chaired the council’s Service Committee, which debates and decides many issues related to program operations and policies.