Board Member Info

Ms. Barbera is the sibling of an adult sister with Down syndrome diagnosed with dementia.  She is a retired educator and advocate for the Down syndrome and intellectually and developmentally disabled community.  Ms. Barbera is a member of a variety of I/DD organizations including AHRC Nassau (a local chapter of The Arc), Board member of the Charles Evans Center (a medical group for I/DD), and Partners Health Plan (a managed Medicare organization for I/DD).

Dr. Bishop is a gerontologist with a specialty in aging with developmental disabilities.  Dr. Bishop works as a consultant for many organizations in the aging and IDD networks and assists with program and support planning.  Her areas of expertise include environmental modifications and developmental disabilities, caregiving for adults with dementia and IDD, and issues of women with disabilities.

Dr. Esralew is a licensed psychologist in California and New Jersey and a Certified Clinical Neuropsychologist specializing in work with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, individuals with severe mental health disorders and persons with dementia both with and without intellectual disability. She is on the Clinical Certification Subcommittee of NADD and serves as Senior Psychologist for the California Department of Developmental Services.

Ms. Hatcher is the Chief of Staff at the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) in Washington, DC. She has a bachelor’s degree in elementary special education and a master’s degree in elementary special education, severe disabilities from the University of Maryland. She was inspired to advocate for individuals with disabilities because of her friend Gina who has Down syndrome. She is passionate about ensuring that individuals with disabilities, their families, and caregivers have access to the services and supports they need.

Dr. Herge is Professor and Director of the BSMS OT Program in the Department of Occupational Therapy at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA, and Co-Chairs the NTG Evaluation Committee.  She has presented at various professional venues and authored book chapters on topics related to intellectual disability, aging, dementia, and occupational therapy practice.  She is Skills2Care® certified and is working on a new Skills2Care-ID® program to support caregivers of individuals with intellectual disability and dementia.

Dr. Jokinen is an adjunct professor for the University of Northern British Columbia's School of Social Work. She alongside Canadian colleagues leads the NTG - Canadian Consortium on Intellectual Disabilities and Dementia. She helped adapt the NTG Education & Training Curriculum for use in a Canadian context and works to provide training and advocate on behalf of families and individuals with intellectual disability affected by dementia.

Dr. Janicki is a psychologist and research associate professor in the Department of Disability and Human Development at the University of Illinois Chicago, a member of the federal Advisory Council on Alzheimer’s Research, Care, and Services, and formerly was director for aging and special populations for the New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities. He is the author of numerous books and articles on aging, dementia, and public policy with respect to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Dr. Keller is a board-certified neurologist in private practice with Neurology Associates of South Jersey, specializing in the evaluation and care of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. He is a Past President of the American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry (AADMD) and the past-chair of the Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Section of the American Academy of Neurology.  He is a co-author on a number of articles and book chapters relating to aging and dementia in adults with intellectual disability. 

Mr. Ley is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst and a provider of Intensive Behavior Intervention services. His specialties include behavioral gerontology and the behavioral presentations of neurocognitive disorders, in addition to working with criminal offenders with intellectual disabilities. His experience includes being a direct support professional in long-term care settings, a licensed long-term care administrator, and with outpatient rehabilitation clinic management.

Dr. Marsack-Topolewski is an assistant professor in the School of Social Work at Eastern Michigan University and a co-investigator on the Michigan Older Caregivers of Emerging Adults with Autism and Other Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Family Support Project. Her areas of interest include the needs, experiences, and service delivery systems for caregivers of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Dr. McCallion is Professor and Director of the School of Social Work within the College of Public Health at Temple University and the co-founder/co-principal investigator/co-applicant of the Intellectual Disability Supplement to the Irish Longitudinal Study on Aging, and co-investigator on longitudinal studies of dementia in persons with Down syndrome. Dr. McCallion is also a Visiting/Adjunct Professor at Trinity College Dublin, and is the National Consultant on Intellectual Disabilities and Dementia for the U.S. National Alzheimer’s and Dementia Resource Center.

Dr. Mughal is associate professor emerita at Gannon University, a registered dietitian nutritionist, and Fellow of the American Dietetic Association and of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She is also the Clinical Director for Health Promotion for Special Olympics (PA) and a national consultant on nutrition and disability. Her interests and work includes research, acute care, higher education, nutrition education programs, advocacy for good causes, perennial volunteerism, and community service.

Ms. Murray is the President of The Arc of Greater Pittsburgh and Senior Vice President of  Achieva. She has more than 45 years of experience in the disability field in the areas of public policy, advocacy, family support, supports coordination, health care, and state government serving people with disabilities and their families. Nancy's primary areas of interest and study are the resilience of families of children and adults with disabilities and family caregiving. Nancy and her husband have three adult children with Down syndrome. Nancy is the founder and Project Director of Achieva's Disability Healthcare Initiative and was one  of the founders and first Director of the Down Syndrome Center at Children's Hospital (UPMC) of Pittsburgh.

Ms. Pears is principal of Dementia Care Strategies {DCS) and provides training and consulting to professionals in the aging and disability sectors.  She has been professionally involved in the field of dementia-for over 30 years and served as the Director of Programs and Policy for the Alzheimer's Association's Maine Chapter. She specializes in the non­pharmacologic management of the behavioral and psychiatric behaviors of dementia (BPSD).

Dr. Rader is the Director of the (Orange Grove) Habilitation Center in Chattanooga, TN, and a physician crossed-trained in internal medicine and medical anthropology. His special interests are in the aging process as it relates to individuals with intellectual disability; and especially in the training and education of direct support professionals and health care providers in the area of cognitive decline and dementia. He is a member of the federal National Council on Disability, Board President of the American Association on Health and Disability, and editor-in-chief of the Exceptional Parent magazine.

Ms. Service is a nurse practitioner and specializes in gerontological nursing. Retired from the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services, she consults as a dementia care specialist advanced practice provider. She has served on various advisory boards and committees, including the founding board of DDNA and presented and authored articles on aging, dementia, end-of-life related to people with intellectual disability.

Ms. Stepowany is an adjunct lecturer in the graduate program for Health Administration at Utica College and has worked for more than 40 years in health and disability services.  She has served in an executive leadership role for several highly regarded New York State non-profit organizations including Upstate Cerebral Palsy, the Kelberman Center for Autism, and the Kennedy Willis Center at Pathfinder Village. As an organizational consultant, her work focuses on non-profit capacity building as well as on how livable community models can effectively support older adults with intellectual disabilities.