Meet our Board of Trustees
Our board of trustees are our trusted leaders privileged to oversee the Long Island Alzheimer’s and Dementia Center. Each of our trustees bring different experiences and expertise, but they all share a common passion for helping families impacted by Alzheimer’s disease and related forms for dementia. Just like our employees, our board of trustees are committed to making a difference — one person, one family, one community at a time.
Board of Trustees
Jennifer Cona, Esq., Chair
Managing Partner, Cona Elder Law
Jennifer B. Cona is the managing partner of Cona Elder Law, a leading Elder Law and Estate Planning firm on Long Island. The firm provides a holistic approach to Elder Law, working together with both families and health care facilities to sustain quality care for older adults. Ms. Cona provides hands-on management and leadership for the firm of 40. Ms. Cona is rated a Super Lawyer, a Top 10 Legal Eagle, was named in the inaugural class of the New York Law Journal’s Top Women in Law as well as the inaugural class of Hofstra’s Outstanding Women in Law, has received the Leadership in Law award, Smart CEO Brava Award, and twice the Top 50 Most Influential Women in Business award. She has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Law Journal, Long Island Business News, Newsday, USA Today, Kiplinger’s and more. She has appeared as a guest on WNBC-TV, WABC-TV, CNN-fn, Fox 5 News, News 12 LI, and various radio programs.Under Ms. Cona’s direction, the firm has prioritized corporate social responsibility. Cona Elder Law founded its own non-profit, Senior Dreams Come True, which grants wishes for low-income seniors on Long Island. Cona Elder Law seeks to raise the profile of attorneys and law firms in general, leading by example with outreach and good deeds.
Todd H. Hesekiel, Esq., Vice-Chair
Partner, McLaughlin & Stern, LLP
Todd H. Hesekiel, Esq., who was appointed to Long Island Alzheimer’s and Dementia Center’s Board of Directors in June 2017 and is a partner with McLaughlin & Stern, LLP, a national law firm. At the firm’s Great Neck office, he is the Administrative Partner, overseeing all day-to-day operations. Mr. Hesekiel received his B.A. from Boston University in 1996 and his J.D. from the Yeshiva University-Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 2000. He is admitted to practice law in New York, in the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and in the United States District Courts for the Southern, Eastern and Western Districts of New York. He is a member of the New York State Bar Association and the Nassau County Bar Association.
Mr. Hesekiel’s father-in-law lived with Alzheimer’s disease for several years before his passing in 2014. As a result, Mr. Hesekiel and his family have a strong commitment to supporting the work Long Island Alzheimer’s and Dementia Center does. For the last several years, he has been a member of Long Island Alzheimer’s and Dementia Center’s Golf Classic committee and his wife, Jennifer, is a committee member for Long Island Alzheimer’s and Dementia Center’s annual Women’s Luncheon and Fashion Show.
Carmine Asparro, Treasurer
Principal, OnPoint Partners
Carmine Asparro, Treasurer
Principal, OnPoint Partners
Carmine Asparro was appointed to Long Island Alzheimer’s and Dementia Center’s Board of Directors in June 2017. Carmine is a Principal with OnPoint Partners, a national boutique managed care consulting firm, based in Carle Place. He has extensive experience addressing the challenges of managed care and is well qualified in negotiation and implementation between facility-based and group-practice based service contracts and national and regional-based managed care organizations. Carmine’s professional experience includes numerous high-level positions, among them, Senior Vice President – Managed Care for the Long Island Health Network (a 10-hospital system) and senior roles with Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield and Travelers Health Network. Mr. Asparro earned an M.B.A. in Health Care Administration from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine/Bernard M. Baruch College of the City University of New York.
Since his mother’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis about ten years ago, Carmine has dealt with the challenges of the disease first-hand. He and his wife, Kathy, along with other family members, have dedicated themselves to providing her with the best possible care and are also actively engaged in fundraising events for Long Island Alzheimer’s and Dementia Center.
Scott W. Berfas
Managing Director, Newmark
Mr. Berfas serves as a corporate real estate specialist with focus on aligning clients’ core business goals with real estate and workplace strategy. Mr. Berfas has also been retained by major corporations to secure significant economic incentive packages new projects involving job retention and/or creation. In addition to providing corporate real estate advisory services, a key focus of his practice is enhancing value for commercial real estate assets; offering strategic investment advisory services such as leasing, investment sales, repositioning and/or lease-up campaigns of distressed property, feasibility studies, cash flow and comparative real estate financial & market analysis.
Mr. Berfas graduated with an economics degree from the University of Delaware. He resides onLong Island, NY with his wife and two children.
Matthew Glazer
Co-Founder and Co-Managing Partner at LG Planning Group
Matthew Glazer, Co-Founder and Co-Managing Partner at LG Planning Group, is a 25+ year veteran of the financial services and insurance industries. Matt’s experience has positioned him to be the primary business development director with a specialized focus on finding and creating new ways to more completely service and protect LG Planning Group’s client’s businesses and personal futures. Matt excels at not only understanding and fulfilling the needs of his clients but does so with a deeply personal, collaborative approach that serves the unique demands of each client.
Outside the office, Matt enjoys playing golf and spending time with his wife Rebecca, and his two children.
Meaghan Schachtel
Senior Vice President and Deputy Chief Financial Officer, Northwell Health
Meaghan Schachtel is a senior finance executive with over two decades of experience in healthcare finance. She recently joined Northwell Health as Senior Vice President and Deputy Chief Financial Officer, where she will collaborate closely with senior leadership to oversee the health system's financial operations, reporting, planning, budgeting and strategic financial decision-making.
Before joining Northwell, Meaghan spent 21 years at Ernst & Young (EY), where she was an Audit Partner in the firm’s Health Assurance practice. In this role, she served some of the Northeast’s leading healthcare institutions, including Mount Sinai Health System, Montefiore Health System, New York-Presbyterian and Hartford HealthCare.
Meaghan holds a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy from The George Washington University and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), licensed in both New York and Connecticut.
She has also witnessed the profound impact of Alzheimer's and dementia on friends and family – especially her grandmother, Eleanor, who passed away in 2019. This experience has instilled in her a commitment to supporting individuals living with Alzheimer's and dementia, as well as their caregivers.
Meaghan resides in Northport with her husband, Bill, and their three children.
Maria Lianos Johnson
Attorney in the Trust & Estate Litigation Department of Farrell Fritz, P.C.
Maria L. Johnson is a dedicated trusts and estates litigator with the law firm of Farrell Fritz, P.C.
where she concentrates her practice exclusively on contested estate, trust and fiduciary matters.
With more than a decade of experience, Maria is a seasoned advocate who handles all aspects of
litigation. She finds particular fulfillment in guiding clients through some of life’s most difficult
moments, working to ensure that the wishes of the decedent are respectfully and faithfully
carried out.
Maria earned her Juris Doctorate from Hofstra University School of Law after completing her
undergraduate studies at St. John’s University. She is admitted to practice law in New York.
Maria serves as co-chair of the Surrogate’s Court Estates and Trusts Committee of the Nassau
County Bar Association, regularly lectures at continuing legal education programs and serves as
a Part 36 guardian ad litem.
Maria’s commitment to advocacy extends beyond the courtroom. Having been personally
affected by Alzheimer’s disease through her grandmother and mother, she is passionate about
supporting individuals and families impacted by this disease. She understands first-hand the
importance of the programs that the Long Island Alzheimer’s and Dementia Center offers and is
proud to serve on its Board of Trustees
Maria resides in Nassau County, New York with her husband and two children.
Patrick Ryan Jr.
A Gentle Touch Home Care
Patrick Ryan Jr. is a senior care professional and Certified Dementia Practitioner with more than a decade of experience supporting older adults and their families. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from Jacksonville University and has dedicated his career to improving the quality of life for seniors and individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
Patrick and his family own and operate A Gentle Touch Senior Home Care, a proudly family-owned and operated home care agency providing personalized in-home care services throughout Long Island and the five boroughs of New York City. Through his work, Patrick collaborates closely with families navigating the challenges of dementia, helping them access compassionate care, resources, and guidance during every stage of the caregiving journey.
In addition to his professional work, Patrick’s passion for dementia care is deeply personal. His own family has direct ties to dementia, and that experience has strengthened his commitment to supporting families facing the realities of the disease and advocating for greater awareness and resources in the community
Patrick is honored to serve on the Board of Trustees of the Long Island Alzheimer’s and Dementia Center and to support the organization’s mission of improving the lives of individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias and the families who care for them.
In his personal time, Patrick enjoys spending time with his family, his fiancée Gianna, and taking advantage of the many “sunny day” hobbies Long Island has to offer.
Janet B. Schaberg
Chair Emeritus
Contact the Long Island Alzheimer's and Dementia Center
Are you interested in learning more about our esteemed board of trustees? At Long Island Alzheimer’s and Dementia Center, we’re a 501(3)(c) nonprofit organization. We encourage you to ask questions about our mission or financials.
Give us a call at (516) 767-6856 or complete our online contact form for more information.