Speaker Bios for Round 1 Breakout Sessions – October 7, 2020
Joel Bednoski, ALA, CDP
George Mason University, BIS Health Services Administration
Joel Bednoski is the Founder of Harpeth Consultant Advisory Group, which specializes in helping organizations focused in long-term care achieve their goals. After spending nearly two decades working in leadership and executive level positions within the long-term continuum of care, Joel truly knows what it takes to drive success within the organization.
Joel holds a BIS in Health Services Administration from George Mason University, is a licensed practical nurse and licensed Assisted Living Facility Administrator. He also holds multiple certifications in the field of dementia and memory care such as Certified Dementia Practitioner and Certified Memory Impairment Specialist, among others.
Christi Clark, ALA, CADDCT
George Mason University, BA in History and Russian Studies
Christi Clark is the Programming Consultant with Harpeth Consultant Advisory Group. She holds a BA in History and Russian Studies from George Mason University. She has over twenty years of experience in the field of long term care. Christi is a licensed Assisted Living Facility Administrator, where she has worked in both marketing and operations roles. As a Certified Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Care Trainer, as well as a Certified Memory Impairment Specialist, she has dedicated the last ten years working specifically with those affected with various forms of memory impairment, their caregivers, families and the community.
Terry Z. Fishler, MSW. NADSA Board Member and Chair of NADSA’s Policy Advocacy Committee. Terry has forty plus years’ experience in the healthcare industry in both the public and private sectors; a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania.
Career includes: Vice President of an Adult Medical Day and Care Management company; diversified the services to include contractual telephonic and on-site disease assessment /management and care management assessments/services contracting with Medicaid, Medicare and commercial insurance product lines. As Director of Provider Networks, for several managed care companies, Terry developed the expertise in strategic provider network design, credentialing, contracting and fiscal management for regional and national service delivery systems. Additional senior management positions included: Fortune 500 Companies’ Employee Assistance Programs, legislative assistant in the Maryland House of Delegates. For the past 10 years, as a Management Consultant, Terry had worked with ADS Data Systems in the areas of strategic planning, marketing and business management.
Lydia Missaelides, MHA has enjoyed a 35 -year career in public policy and program development in aging, mental health, and disabilities. She has a Master’s Degree in Health Administration from the University of Southern California.
After serving 30 years as Executive Director for the California Association for Adult Day Services, she is currently the Executive Director of the Alliance for Leadership and Education, the public benefit and research arm of CAADS. Lydia also serviced as a member of the Executive Committee and on several Board Committees for the National Adult Day Services Association.
She also serves as Secretary of the Board for the California Aging and Disability Alliance, a non-profit seeking to create a broad – based public long-term services and supports insurance program for the middle class. And, she is also a charter member of the Health and Human Service Agency’s Olmstead Advisory Committee and member of the Long -Term Services and Supports Subcommittee of the Governor’s Master Plan for Aging Stakeholder Advisory Committee.
With her leadership, the ALE has raised more than $4.6 million in philanthropic funding and donates to support the mission of advancing innovation and development of quality ADS programs.
William [Bill] Zagorski is the C.E.O. of American Senior Care Center, Inc. overseeing Centennial Adultcare Center’s three Adult Day Health Care locations, non-emergency medical transportation, and home care services, serving more than 150 adults each day throughout middle Tennessee.
Bill is a Nashville native, who completed his undergraduate degree at Xavier University, and his graduate degrees in Cancer and Cell Biology, and Molecular Genetics, Biochemistry, and Microbiology at the University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine in Cincinnati Ohio.
In addition to his role with American Senior Care Centers, Bill is also active on the Legislative Committee of the Council on Aging of Middle Tennessee, the past President of the Senior Services Network of the Mid-South, President of the Tennessee Association of Adult Day Services, the Chair of the Tennessee Coalition for Better Aging, and Chair of the Research Committee and Board Chair of the National Adult Day Services Association.
Elizabeth Barnes, Sr. Director of Adult and Senior Services for Easterseals DC, MD, VA, has over 14 years of experience supporting people with disabilities through the lifespan. She is a Board member of both the National Adult Day Services Association {NADSA] and Maryland Association for Adult Day Services [MAADS]. She has worked on increasing Medicaid reimbursements at the state level while adding on an additional adult day services supplement at the county level.
Elizabeth started her career as a direct care staff. She has also worked as a Behavioral Rehabilitation Clinician, Assistant Program Director, Program Director, Director of Residential, and Executive Director.
She is passionate about enriching the lives of those she serves and providing holistic support in order for them to be active participants in their community.
Elizabeth holds a Bachelor’s degree from University of Maryland Baltimore County in Psychology with a concentration in Clinical Psychology, and a Master’s Degree in Healthcare Administration from Utica College.