Mark Naghsh, LMSW
Regional Executive Director

In his previous careers, Mark Naghsh has been a Clinical Social Worker at Village Center for Care in Brooklyn, providing family-centered therapy, and was a therapist in private practice with Laurence Florek Associates. He has also served as Clinical Manager and Director of Creative Art Therapies for Housing Works in Brooklyn, where among other roles, he designed and implemented therapeutic recreational programs for the elderly. Mr. Naghsh has been a consultant in music therapy for Global Communication Services, Lake Success, New York, and a music therapist at Parkshore Nursing Home in Brooklyn. He has a Master's degree in Social Work from Hunter College School of Social Work and a BS in Music Therapy from the State University at New Paltz, New York.

John Birkelbach, MBA
Director of Professional Relations

As Director of Professional Relations at The Avondale Group in New York, a licensed home care agency, John was responsible for development and operational implementation of business-to-business and business-to-consumer sales and account management, and introduced physical, occupational, and speech therapy services to the agency. John's previous career had been in sports coaching and management. He served as Sports Information Director/Head Men's Soccer Coach at Mountain State University, Beckley, West Virginia, recruiting, developing, and managing a national award-winning men's soccer team. He had also been Head Men's Soccer Coach at Bluefield College in Virginia, where he also recruited and developed a national championship soccer team. John is currently Head Coach of the Under 16 Gotham Girls Football Club and has coached other soccer clubs and teams since 2002. He holds a Masters degree in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts in Hospitality Management from the University of Charleston, WV.

Elister Dennie, RNC, BSN
Care Manager

For 26 years, Elister's dedication to nursing has taken her into a variety of settings. Prior to joining SeniorBridge, she was Assistant Nursing Care Coordinator at the Mary Immaculate Hospital Chemical Dependency Outpatient Program in Jamaica. There she was involved in medication monitoring, healthcare coordination, and patient education. She previously worked as a per diem RN, supervising home health aides with responsibility for delivery of patient care at Best Care Agency in Forest Hills. Elister also served as Staff RN, delivering direct patient care and supervising LPNs and aides, in the Medical Surgical Unit at St. Joseph Hospital, Flushing. Earlier, she was a Nurse Consultant at MEDNET Medical Center in Brooklyn, providing telephone triage and referral, and a Staff RN/Charge Nurse at the Brooklyn Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation's Skilled Geriatric Nursing Facility. Elister started her career as a nurse/midwife in St. Vincent, West Indies. She received her BSN from Chamberlain College of Nursing (formerly Deaconess College) and graduated from the School of Nursing in St. Vincent. In addition, she earned Medical/Surgical Certification from the American Nurses Credentialing Center and has a diploma in midwifery.

Athena Heyenoort, LMSW
Care Manager

Athena received her Master of Social Work degree from the Columbia University School of Social Work. While earning her degree, she was an intern at Zucker Hillside Hospital in Glen Oaks, affiliated with the North Shore-LIJ Health System. There she was responsible for diagnostic assessments, discharge planning and individual psychotherapy as part of a multidisciplinary treatment team. Athena also interned at the Carnegie East House in Manhattan, offering individual and family counseling and support services to the senior community. She was trained in therapeutic crisis intervention while working at the Children's Home of Wyoming Conference in Binghamton, as a Family Life Specialist. Athena served as a Human Development Intern at the SOS Shelter, Inc., a domestic violence shelter in Broome County, NY, and as a Counseling Unit Intern at Safe Horizon in New York City. Athena's interest in crisis counseling began while earning her BS in Human Development (magna cum laude) at SUNY Binghamton, when she worked as a counselor for the campus crisis hotline and was responsible for training new counselors.

Alicia Rosana Rolon, RN
Care Manager

Alicia has had broad experience in the healthcare field since obtaining her nursing degree in 1990. Most recently, she has held positions as Supervisor and 3N Unit Nurse at the Highfield Gardens Care Center, a 200-bed nursing home in Great Neck. She worked for about 10 years in healthcare in Argentina in the Intensive Care Unit and in Post Surgery Care at the Italian Hospital and on the Pediatric Unit at the Plaza Hospital, both in Rosario. Alicia was also an intensive care nurse at the Sanatorio Rivadavia. She completed her nursing degree in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and is a licensed Registered Professional Nurse in the State of New York.