Joy is the Director and Managing Attorney of The Weinberg Center. Joy co-founded The Weinberg Center in 2004. She was previously Director of Elder Abuse Services at the Pace Women’s Justice Center and an Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan, where she served for eight years. Joy is a frequent speaker and writer on the issue of elder abuse and elder justice, including to the United States Senate, Special Commission on Aging. Screening for elder abuse detection in health care and legal systems has been a priority for Joy. In addition to developing evidence-based screening protocols in long-term care, Weinberg Center Risk and Abuse Prevention Screen (WC-RAPS), Joy recently co-authored and published two research papers relating to evidence-based screening for elder abuse. Joy’s work in long-term care also includes an active role in the creation of sexual expression policies for residents, a resilience/well-being program for caregivers, and a fresh look at death and dying in long-term care. Joy also developed a unique domestic violence prevention and intervention program for all employees of the Hebrew Home at Riverdale. Like the Weinberg Center itself and many of its innovative projects, this program is easily replicable. Joy was a founder of the Elder Abuse Committee on the Elder Law Section of the New York State Bar Association. In 2017, Joy was awarded the National Crime Victims Service Award by the United States Department of Justice. In 2016, Joy was recognized with an award of Distinction in Public Service by the New York Law Journal, and in 2010 she received The New York State Bar Association award for Excellence in Public Service. Joy is also a certified ISHTA yoga instructor and teacher of breathing and meditation.

Deirdre is the Assistant Director and General Counsel for The Weinberg Center. She manages the operations of the shelter, including providing legal services to victims in Supreme Court, Housing Court and Family Court. An Adjunct Professor at Brooklyn Law School, Deirdre directs the law school’s HELP (Helping Elders through Litigation and Policy) Clinic. She is a frequent speaker on the issue of elder abuse and the law, and has guest lectured at Penn State Dickinson School of Law, Cardozo Law School, Touro Law, Hofstra Law School and CUNY Law School and is a faculty member of Lawline. She has provided training to attorneys through the New York State’s Judicial Institute, the Queens Bar Association, and the Bronx Bar Association. Deirdre was appointed by Mayor Bill de Blasio to the Age-Friendly NYC Commission, is chair of the American Bar Association’s Senior Lawyer’s Division, Elder Abuse Prevention Committee, and serves as Chair of the Policy and Procedure Subcommittee of the New York State Committee on Elder Justice. Prior to joining The Weinberg Center, she was a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in Oahu, Hawaii and an Assistant District Attorney in the Queens County District Attorney’s Office where she focused on domestic violence cases. She is the recipient of the New York Law Journal 2017 General Counsel Impact Award.

Malya is the Senior Staff Attorney at The Weinberg Center. In this role, she represents victims of acute elder abuse from throughout New York City and Westchester County in a wide variety of legal fora. Malya has spoken extensively about various aspects of elder abuse to professional and community audiences, and has also published prolifically on the subject, with a primary focus on the role of legal tools and policies in elder abuse cases. Malya is the coordinator of Westchester County’s Elder Abuse Multidisciplinary Team. She is on the Executive Committee of the New York State Bar Association Elder Law Section, and a member of its Elder Abuse Committee. Malya was named one of The New York  Jewish Week’s “36 Under 36” for 2018. She graduated cum laude from Brooklyn Law School in 2012 and is a certified Reiki energy healer.

Meredith Levine is the Senior Elder Justice Specialist at The Weinberg Center. Meredith has worked extensively with older adults in both long-term care and community-based settings. She is passionate about person-centered dementia care, the prevention and treatment of delirium in hospitalized older adults, and palliative care. She is an advocate for trauma-informed care and advance care-planning. Meredith graduated from Cornell University with Bachelor of Arts in English and Government. She received her Master of Social Work from Columbia University, where she focused on Advanced Clinical Practice in Aging. For her second year of graduate school, she was selected by The Social Work Leadership Institute as a fellow for the Hartford Partnership in Aging Education Program. Meredith is an avid reader of fiction, a perfume enthusiast, and a frequent Connect 4 champion.

Sarah Wilkinson is the Elder Abuse Screening Specialist at the Weinberg Center.  She screens all new admissions to the Hebrew Home at Riverdale at RiverSpring Living for elder abuse risk, and provides resources and referrals as necessary to individuals experiencing elder abuse. Prior to joining the Weinberg Center, Sarah worked in outpatient behavioral health and primary care.  Sarah has taught courses on dialectical behavior therapy at New York University Silver School of Social Work; provided clinical supervision on group psychotherapy to doctoral candidates in psychology; and trained family medicine residents in patient/provider communication and other psychosocial issues.  She is a graduate of Oberlin College and received her Master of Social Work degree from New York University Silver School of Social Work.

Rachael Domanico is the Elder Justice Specialist at The Weinberg Center. Rachael has worked with a variety of populations including LGBTQ+ youth, justice involved individuals, and housing insecure veterans. She graduated from Molloy College with a Bachelor in Social Work and was secretary of the Molloy Social Work club. She later received her Master of Social Work from Fordham University. Rachael was given the New York State Society for Clinical Social Work Student of the Year Award of Excellence in the spring of 2020.