Senior Resource Fair Presenters

Jorge Bendersky, Celebrity Dog Groomer

Jorge Bendersky started his career with dogs back in Argentina at a very young age. Today he is a certified Master Groomer, Best seller Author and TV personality.

Cas Castro, Fitness Team Leader/Technology Instructor, Older Adults Technology Services, AARP

Castulo Castro (Cas) is originally from Venezuela, but raised in Far-Rockaway, Queens at an early age. Cas worked for the shipping industry in Venezuela for over 20 years as a boarding agent for various maritime agencies. Between work and family life, he managed to stay active health wise, thus continuously practicing the ancient art of Kung-fu, Tai Chi and Yoga of which all he has certifications. These disciplines helped him become a unique and versatile Fitness instructor of which all the members of Team Senior Planet zoom sessions enjoy participating.

Jenny Coffey, LMSW, Director of Community Engagement, Animal Haven

Jenny Coffey LMSW, has extensive experience addressing the intersection of poverty and pet ownership and engages social work colleagues to reduce systemic barriers experienced by vulnerable pet owners. In New York City she has led innovative efforts to understand and respond to issues that combine human welfare and animal welfare including animal hoarding and co-sheltering in emergencies, including domestic violence.

Megan Coryat, PhD, Co-Owner and General Manager, Instinct Dog Behavior & Training Hudson Valley

Megan Corvat oversees Training Programs and Business Operations. Megan is a certified dog trainer who works with families who want to help their dogs have the best quality of life. She specializes in obedience, canine well-being, therapy dog work, and working with children and dogs. She holds the CPDT-KA certification from the Certification Council of Professional Dog Trainers. Megan is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants. She is certified instructor in animal first aid with PetTech. Megan holds an Executive Education Diploma from the Columbia Business School as well as a PhD in Musicology from the CUNY Grad Center.

Marco Digirolomo, New York State Program Manager, Older Adults Technology Services, AARP

Marco is an Astoria native who has been with Older Adults Technology Services from AARP since 2017. As New York State Program Manager, Marco oversees all programmatic initiatives throughout New York State.

Carrie Nydick Finch, MS, LCSW, Deputy Director, Programs and Strategy, PAWS

Carrie is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and native New Yorker who has been working in the social services field for almost 15 years.  Since 2013, Carrie has worked with PAWS NY, a nonprofit organization that seeks to help mobility-impaired, low-income individuals keep their pets at home.  Carrie is an adjunct faculty member at Columbia University School of Social Work, holds a Master of Science in Social Work from there as well, and is certified in Animal-Assisted Activities, Therapy, and Learning from the University of Denver.

Madelyn Freundlich, Fitness Instructor and Personal Trainer, Asphalt Green

Madelyn teaches pilates, barre, yoga, senior fitness and water exercise and loves working one-on-one with older adults.

Dr. Callie Harris, Celebrity Vet, Purina Veterinarian

Dr. Callie Harris is a former ER veterinarian that now works for Purina. She spends most of her time educating veterinary students and other veterinary professionals on pet nutrition along with her media work to connect with the veterinary and pet loving communities.  Most recently, she joined the cast of ABC’s Pooch Perfect as a co-judge of a creative grooming reality contest and to provide veterinary consultation.

Abby Kaufmann, Pro-Trainer, Group Fitness Instructor, Asphalt Green

Abby Kaufmann has been working in the fitness industry for over 10 years, starting as a Yoga teacher and then expanding her knowledge to include Pilates, Personal Training and Group Fitness instruction. Abby works at Asphalt Green where she specializes in working with older adults and people coming back from injury and/or illnesses. Aging fiercely is Abby’s motto. In her work with older adults, she encourages people to build up strength steadily until they can work with heavier weight or resistance. Abby knows we are stronger than we think we are!

Follow Abby on Abby’s Instagram or see her FREE YouTube videos at Abby’s YouTube Channel

Marynan McNamara, Council Member and Chair, Membership Committee, Quest

Marynan McNamara has been a Quest member for almost six years, and is now a member of its Council and Chair of the Membership Committee. The job from which she retired was Dean of Admissions at NYU School of Law. Marynan has since volunteered, and done all those things that retired people do in New York City.

Lorraine Novack, Director, Connect Through Tech Programs, DOROT

Lorraine Novack, MS Ed. is the Director of Connect Through Tech at DOROT, leveraging technology to design and deliver programs that increase social connectivity and improve access to information and services for older adults.

Shannon O’Conner, LMSW – Coordinator, Onsite & Special Programs, DOROT

Shannon O’Connor, LMSW is the Coordinator for Onsite & Special Programs at DOROT. Shannon radiates compassion for older adults and is inspired to introduce new creative aging programming in the community.

Gladys Perez-Mojica, Community Relations Manager, Theater Development Fund (TDF)

Gladys Perez-Mojica is the Community Relations Manager at TDF. She manages TDF’s public engagement programs. These programs provide access to theatre for all New Yorkers of all types, including a program that provides viewing events via Zoom for homebound seniors followed by conversations in English, Mandarin and Spanish. She would love to connect with organizations here “at the Resource Fair” in order to connect as many NYC seniors as possible to the performing arts. GladysP@TDF.org

Lara Schweller, Associate Educator for Community and Access Programs, The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)

Lara works on accessibility across The Museum of Modern Art, collaborating with staff on initiatives to ensure building and exhibition accessibility, and focuses on the Museum’s award-winning education programming for individuals with disabilities as well as the Museum’s creative aging initiative, Prime Time.

Pratigya Singh, MS, RD, Registered Dietician, Mount Sinai Hospital

Pratigya Singh is a Registered Dietitian who earned her B.A. in Psychology from The George Washington University before going on to pursue her M.S. in Nutrition and Food Science from Montclair State University. She subsequently completed the highly prestigious dietetic internship at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital with rotations at Weill Cornell and Columbia Presbyterian. Pratigya currently works at Mount Sinai Hospital as a cardiac and behavioral health dietitian. Through her experience Pratigya has gained extensive counseling and clinical skills. She provides individualized evidence-based care with a focus on medical nutrition therapy for patient’s with myriad health concerns including  heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes, and digestive disorders.  Pratigya believes in helping patient’s make sustainable adjustments to help reach their personal goals and optimize their health. She is an active member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics as well as the Greater New York Dietetic Association.  Pratigya’s personal interests include dancing, playing tennis,  spending time with her loved ones, and learning about other cultures.

Robin Strashun, Outreach, PET, Volunteer Coordinator, Search and Care

Robin has worked at Search and Care for 17 years focusing on outreach, intergenerational volunteers, medical escorts, a mentoring/teen pregnancy prevention program, and, of course PET which earned the ASPCA’s “Heroes in Human Service” award in 2019. She has served on Metropolitan Hospitals’ Community Advisory Board, and is an active member of Community Board 11’s Health & Human Services Committee in East Harlem.