Read on to see the large span of work I’m engaged in — whether in aging advocacy, at the Jewish Community Center, or in my community to help elect leaders we deserve — and how vital and intertwined I see these efforts.

My areas of focus are: home and community-based services, nursing home policy, age-friendly health systems & ecosystems, aging services & long-term care workforce, and NYS policy and advocacy.

I hold a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and an MPH in Gerontology from University of Illinois at Chicago. I live in Albany, NY and work regularly with teams across New York City, Washington, D.C., and Boston.

More older adults are alive today than ever before in human history—a triumph we should celebrate, but without adequate investment in care infrastructure, we're failing older people and setting up every generation for crisis. Building the systems we need is both an urgent responsibility and an opportunity to create a more just society.

With an over twenty year career in the field of aging, I've worked to improve the systems older adults rely on to live healthy, dignified lives in the community. I've done this through health care system transformation, rapidly scaling Age-Friendly Health Systems throughout New York State; and through statewide advocacy, strategically building power for older adults and the programs that serve them. As State Policy Director for LiveOn NY, I advocate for increased resources for the nonprofit organizations that run programs helping older adults age in the communities they built. Prior to this role, I was the head of long term care at Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS), advocating to improve the systems that the most vulnerable older New Yorkers need. I frequently testified before the NYS legislature in favor of long term and aging care reforms; my testimony on post-pandemic nursing home workforce shortages in July of 2021 was picked up by several major media networks.

My board leadership at the Albany Jewish Community Center, an organization that has meant so much to my family and my city, reflects my core commitment to strengthening community and repairing the world. As Board President, I’m spearheading a major capital campaign to renovate the entire campus alongside an upcoming leadership transition. Revitalizing the JCC—one of Albany’s most important community institutions—will strengthen the whole city, ensuring a resource that serves diverse residents and shapes Albany’s future for generations.

Given my commitment to the city of Albany, I have worked on several winning political campaigns including Dr. Dorcey Applyrs for Mayor, Gabriella Romero for Common Council and again for State Assembly, and Sam Fein for City Auditor. The leaders we deserve will not appear out of thin air; I believe we need to actively work to elect leaders in our communities who can make the meaningful change we need.

Skills & Experience

  • Major awards from Administration for Community Living, National Institute on Disability & Rehabilitation Research, John A. Hartford Foundation, Retirement Research Foundation, United Hospital Fund, New York Health Foundation, Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Health Foundation for Western & Central New York, New York Community Trust

    • Given talks at the American Society on Aging, Gerontological Society of America, American Public Health Association, Grantmakers in Aging, Aging Concerns Unite Us, Resident Services Coordinator Association of New York State, and many more

    • Regular moderator, guest lecturer, and panelist on a variety of events and conferences

    • Drove New York's leadership in Age-Friendly Health Systems

    • Scaled Chronic Disease Self Management Program, Aging Mastery Program, Get Smart About Your Mouth, Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation

    • Hundreds of older adults to NYC City Hall (2005)

    • Coalition building for aging policy priorities

    • Collaborated with Senate leaders on Medicare dental coverage

    • Testified to NYS Legislature on numerous occasions

    • NY Governor's Re-Imagining Long-Term Care Task Force

    • Master Plan for Aging Subcommittees

    • Published in Disability and Health Journal and Health Promotion for People with Intellectual Disabilities and a recent IHI guide on Age-Friendly Health Systems

For any further thoughts, questions, or interest, view my CV, my LinkedIn, and Contact me! Thank you for taking the time to learn more about me.