Team Directory

Lisa Rachmuth is the Program Administrator of the Center for Elder Abuse Solutions. She was previously the Deputy Director of CEASe's MDTs. She manages the day-to-day operations of CEASe's existing MDTs and is spearheading the expansion of the MDTs to all five boroughs. Prior to joining CEASe, Lisa was the Director of Clinical Initiatives and Programming for NYC’s Human Resource Administration’s Office of Domestic Violence.  Through these two positions, Lisa has worked with systems, communities, and individuals affected by and dedicated to Domestic Violence and Elder Abuse. Lisa holds a Master's in Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania.  She has 27 years of social service experience, with particular expertise in child abuse, intergenerational abuse, domestic violence, and housing initiatives for individuals and families.  In addition to her years of clinical and administrative experience, Lisa is an experienced workshop curriculum developer and presenter. Lisa is also an Adjunct Professor at The Silberman School of Social Work and a board member for an organization called Evenfooting. To contact Lisa, click here.

An internist and geriatrician, Mark is the Irene and Roy Psaty Distinguished Professor of Medicine at the Weill Cornell Medical College and Co-Chief of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, and the Director of Geriatrics for the New York Presbyterian Health System. Both a clinician and researcher, Mark has conducted numerous studies of elder abuse outcomes and epidemiology, and he is principal investigator of the largest longitudinal study of elder abuse victims which was funded by the National Institutes on Aging. His many accolades and awards include a Paul Beeson Physician Faculty Scholarship (the country’s preeminent career development award in Geriatric Medicine), a National Institutes on Aging Academic Leadership Award and the National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse Rosalie Wolf Ward. A co-author of the American Medical Association’s Diagnostic and Treatment Guidelines on Elder Abuse and Neglect, he has testified before congress on matters related to aging, served as a consultant to the World Health Organization on an international screening study of elder abuse, and been a member of a congressionally mandated National Academy of Sciences Panel convened by an order of congress to address the training needs of health care professionals in domestic violence. Mark mentors junior faculty in the area of elder abuse and neglect, and maintains an active geriatric medicine practice in New York City.  In September 2010, Penguin Viking published his book Treat Me, Not My Age: A Doctor’s Guide to Getting the Best Care as You or a Loved One Gets Older.

Yuichi Seki is the Finance Manager at the Center for Elder Abuse Solutions. He has over two decades of extensive experience in financial forecasting, reporting, and analysis as well as strategy and business development.  His primary responsibilities are providing leadership and direction for staff and managing budget development, planning, reporting, and contracts as well as overseeing the internal systems. Throughout his prior 20-year tenure at a Global Fortune 500 company, he managed venture capital portfolios, developed business plans, and manage financial matters in the technology, aerospace, entertainment, machinery, energy, and healthcare industries. He holds a Marketing degree from Columbia University and an MBA in Economics from Rutgers University. To contact Yuichi, click here.

Grace Cheong is the Program Manager all day to day operations at CEASe. Prior to joining CEASe, Grace worked in various policy and programming roles with the Singapore Ministry of Social and Family Development across a wide range of social issues including domestic violence, child protection, youth development, and juvenile rehabilitation. In her last deployment, she was involved in the setup of Singapore’s Adult Protective Service and enactment of the Vulnerable Adults Act to protect Vulnerable Adults. She has also held various teaching and curriculum development roles with the Singapore University of Social Sciences. Grace holds a MS in Social Work from Columbia University School of Social Work and a Master in Organizational Leadership from Monash University (Australia). To contact Grace, click here.

Asia Skerrett is the Center for Elder Abuse Solutions' Administrative Specialist. Asia assists CEASe's programs with their operational, financial, and administrative support needs. She previously worked as a Health Educator for Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, conducting outreach efforts and working with organizations serving vulnerable populations. She also has volunteered in Muizenberg, South Africa where she assisted teachers with daily lesson plans and helped to design individual teaching methods for children with learning disabilities. Asia received a B.S. in Health Education and Promotion with a focus on Community Health from Lehman College. To contact Asia, click here.

Leigh is CEASe's Technical Assistance Program Coordinator. Leigh coordinates the development and implementation of quality-control strategies for coordinators across the state to ensure that the MDT system is equitable, trauma-informed, and successfully collaborative. In her free time, Leigh volunteers at Mount Sinai Beth Israel’s Sexual Assault Advocacy and Intervention Program where she supports survivors of abuse and human trafficking and trains incoming advocates. Leigh’s background in victim advocacy lends itself to consistently prioritizing the narrative of the survivor. Leigh received her B.A. in Neuroscience and Gender Studies from Dartmouth College. To contact Leigh, click here.

Mariales Guillen is CEASe’s Enhanced Multidisciplinary Team (E-MDT)’s Program Coordinator, where she contributes her skills and expertise to coordinate and manage the E-MDT teams to foster collaboration with city agencies and professionals to overcome complex elder abuse situations and implement new ways of preventing and responding to elder abuse across all five boroughs. 

Mariales brings valuable experience as a former case worker. As a case worker, she dedicated herself to assisting New Yorkers facing housing instability by providing crucial homelessness prevention services, including short-term financial assistance, and helping individuals and families in locating community-based resources like job training and childcare within their communities. Mariales’ background in social services adds depth to her program coordinator role, reflecting her commitment to positively impacting the lives of those in need. Mariales received a B.A. in Sociology from Fordham University, focusing on political affairs and public development.

Ayana Mortley is the Training Coordinator for Weill Cornell Medicine. She collaborates with team specialists to design, facilitate, and coordinate workshops, training institutes and conferences related to CEASE's programs, elder abuse, and geriatric medicine. She also conducts outreach to internal and external constituents to build WCM’s elder justice network. Ayana developed a passion for elder justice during her time as a social worker for the Human Resources Administration Adult Protective Services program, where she developed and facilitated intervention plans for high-risk vulnerable adults. Ayana received her M.Ed in Adult and Continuing Education and Education Technology from Rutgers University, and B.A. in Sociology from Wesleyan University. To contact, click here.

Tina Janssen-Spinosa is the Center for Elder Abuse Solutions' Enhanced Multidisciplinary Team (EMDT) Program Coordinator. In this capacity, Tina works with city and state stakeholders, conducts outreach, represents CEASe at community meetings and events, and creates goals and processes to advance strategic initiatives.

Prior to joining CEASe, Tina worked for the New York Legal Assistance Group where she provided guidance and assistance with the probate and administration of estates, Art. 81 Guardianships, Art. 17-A Guardianships, and assisted clients with a wide variety of planning instruments.  Tina also acted as a legal case consultant for the Manhattan EMDTs where she counseled to aid in the prevention of Elder Abuse and promote Elder Justice. Tina has conducted hundreds of presentations and trainings and is a seasoned public speaker and outreach facilitator.

Tina obtained her Master’s in Private Law from the Faculté de Droit et Sciences Politique Université Cote D’Azur (France) and her Foreign Trained Lawyer Certificate from Brooklyn Law School. To contact Tina, click here.

Jaime Guzman is the Bilingual Helpline specialist. Jaime comes to the Center for Elder Abuse Solutions with over 10 years of Social Work experience working with children, adolescents, families, and older adults. As a former Program Director for a congregate supportive housing program at Henry Street Settlement, where she worked for 13 years, Jaime gained experience in child preventive services and Medicaid-managed programs.  In addition, through her work with Health Homes, which assists vulnerable adults in the five boroughs, Jaime is also trained in multigenerational family theory focusing on the three generational model and Bowen Family systems theory. Jaime holds a Master’s in social work from The Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College. To contact Jaime, click here.

Serena utilizes trauma-informed approaches to work with survivors of abuse and other trauma. In addition to her work with the Center for Elder Abuse Solutions Helpline for Concerned Persons, Serena has interned at New York Presbyterian Hospital’s Victim Intervention Program where she provided trauma-focused therapy and crisis intervention to individuals impacted by sexual assault, domestic violence, and other crime in the Emergency Department. Previously, Serena has worked with families of children with disabilities in Shanghai as part of her Global MSW program. Serena earned a B.A. from York University and an MSW from New York University. To contact the Elder Abuse Helpline for Concerned Persons, click here.

Khi-Lynn Johnson, LMSW, as the Lead TA Advisor, provides oversight of the National Center’s expanding technical assistance and training services. For three years prior to this position, Khi-Lynn coordinated and facilitated the Center for Elder Abuse Solutions' Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island EMDTs, provided consultations to NYC professionals on complex elder abuse cases, and conducted trainings for professionals and social work students on a range of elder abuse topics. Khi-Lynn gained extensive experience with high-risk elder abuse cases as a social worker for the Human Resource Administration for Adult Protective Services. Khi-Lynn also worked at Urban Resource Institute as a supervisor in their domestic violence shelter. The shelter piloted the People and Animals Living Safely (PALS) initiative program, which recognized the importance of pets as a primary source of emotional support for domestic violence survivors. Khi-Lynn is a 2013 alumna of the Yeshiva University Wurzweiler School of Social Work. To contact Khi-Lynn, click here.

Phillip is the Center for Elder Abuse Solutions' Program Coordinator. Phillip assists with the development, coordination and execution of the MDT meetings and provides administrative and clinical support to the MDT Coordinator. Phillip refined these skills previously serving as a Program Assistant for the Injury Prevention Program at the Boston University Medical Campus and as an International Justice and Human Rights Research Assistant for Sargent College. Phillip has also volunteered and partnered with non-profit organizations all around the world and has worked with many different vulnerable groups such as North Korean refugees, Native Americans, and people with intellectual disabilities. Phillip received his B.A. in Health Science from Boston University. To contact Phillip, click here.