2025 Conference Speakers

Mark Christopher, Principal, Yates Campbell, LLP – Attorney
Bio: Mark Christopher has been practicing elder law in northern Virginia for over 45 years. Mark has represented caregivers, care providers as well as patients and their agents. He has represented attorneys-in-fact, medical agents, trustees, executors, and other fiduciaries. Mark has been recognized by the Alzheimer’s Association, the Washington Post, Washingtonian Magazine, the New York Times and Super Lawyers. He has been selected as Lawyer of the Year for Elder Law by Best Lawyers for the Washington DC Metropolitan area in 2014 and 2022.
Mark has helped plan for incapacity for many types of disabilities. He has extensive experience with qualification for Medicaid benefits. He has appeared in all the Circuit Courts in northern Virginia (as well as other Courts) for parties concerned with elder law and trust and estate matters. He practices before the IRS and other tax agencies.

Farrah Daly, MD, MBA – Owner/Founder EvenBeam Neuropalliative Care, LLC

Bio: Dr Daly is a neurologist and palliative medicine physician in Northern Virginia. She provides home-based care for people living with progressive neurological illnesses. She helps with managing physical or emotional symptoms, providing education, or connecting with other resources to remove barriers to coping.

She completed medical internship at Yale University in New Haven, CT and neurology residency at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA. In the final year of her residency, an experience with a family member’s hospice care introduced her to palliative medicine. She was one of the first neurologists in the country to complete a formal palliative medicine fellowship training program. Since fellowship she has been advancing education and advocacy for neuro-palliative care through work with the American Academy of Neurology, and the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. She is a founding member and the president-elect of the International Neuropalliative Care Society, has authored textbook chapters on hospice care in neurologic illness, and collaborated with the University of Virginia Movement Disorders clinic on incorporating primary palliative care into multidisciplinary care for Huntington’s Disease. She has worked in Northern Virginia since 2009 as a hospice medical director, and as a neuropalliative consultant for hospice organizations. She started EvenBeam Neuropalliative Care, LLC in 2021 to better address the needs of people living with neurologic illness. She provides physician consultation in home and assisted living facility settings in Fairfax County, Arlington, Alexandria, and Loudoun County.
She lives in Leesburg, Virginia with her husband, 2 kids, 1 dog, and too many cats.

Christopher Wes Garit – Customer Care Manager for the Public Assistance and Employment Services Division

Bio: Wes Garit has been with the Public Assistance and Employment Services division of the Department of Family Services in Fairfax County for over 15 years. During his time serving the community he has held several roles assisting with the SNAP, Medicaid, and cash assistance programs that the division provides to populations experiencing poverty. In his current role as the Customer Care Manager, he is working to increase the division’s outreach efforts while also improving the overall customer experience. His goal is to make sure those in need in Fairfax County are able to connect with or stay connected with the Public Assistance and Employment Services Division.

Barry J. Jacobs, PsyD & Julia L. Mayer, PsyD

BIO(s):
Barry J. Jacobs, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist, family therapist, and healthcare consultant. He is the author of The Emotional Survival Guide for Caregivers (Guilford, 2006) and coauthor with his wife, Julia L. Mayer, PsyD, of AARP Meditations for Caregivers, AARP Love and Meaning After 50 (Hachette, 2020), and The AARP Caregiver Answer Book (Guilford, 2025). He has also written a self-help column for caregivers for AARP.org since 2013. For seven years, he was the primary caregiver for his stepfather with Alzheimer’s disease and his mother with vascular dementia. An honorary board member of the Well Spouse Association, he maintains psychotherapy practice in Media, Pennsylvania.

Julia L. Mayer, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Media, Pennsylvania, who has specialized for three decades in helping women in caregiver roles, as well as those with troubled marriages and histories of sexual trauma. She is the author of the novel A Fleeting State of Mind (2014) and coauthor of AARP Meditations for Caregivers, AARP Love and Meaning After 50, and The AARP Caregiver Answer Book. She is a former president of the board of the Philadelphia Society for Clinical Psychologists . Since 2016 she has cohosted the podcast Shrinks on Third on psychology and social justice. She was a caregiver for her father with vascular dementia and Barry’s stepfather with Alzheimer’s disease and mother with vascular dementia.

Dawn Jefferson, Education and Support Coordinator, Insight Memory Care Center

Bio: Dawn Jefferson is the Education and Support Coordinator at Insight Memory Care Center. A native New Yorker who has nurtured a 20-year career as an English teacher and administrator in secondary schools, Dawn worked in hospital and nonprofit settings while earning master’s degrees at Columbia University’s Teachers College, Middlebury College’s Bread Loaf School of English, and Yale Divinity School.

Sydney Palinkas – LMSW, CDP, RAFT Dementia Education and Outreach Coordinator

Bio: Sydney Palinkas is a licensed masters social worker and a certified dementia practitioner. Since 2022, Sydney has been the RAFT Dementia Education and Outreach Coordinator at the Regional Older Adult Facilities Mental Health Support Team (RAFT), supporting older adults living with dementia and their families. Sydney also serves as the Board President for the Virginia Coalition for the Prevention of Elder Abuse, volunteers with Meals on Wheels, and teaches chair yoga to older adults. Previously Sydney worked for the ElderSAFE Center at Charles E. Smith Life Communities and the National Network to End Domestic Violence. Sydney received her B.A. in Human Services and Sociology from Northeastern University and her Master’s in Social Work from Boston University.

Arvette Reid AIF®, Healthcare Planning Strategist, Signature Estate & Investment Advisors, LLC

Bio: Arvette M. Reid, AIF®, is a Healthcare Planning Strategist with Signature Estate & Investment Advisors (SEIA), where she has supported families through the firm’s Lifecare Affordability Plan® since 2017. Arvette also has 15 years of marketing experience in senior housing and healthcare, including independent living, assisted living, memory care, nursing care, and hospice. Her unique ability to bridge healthcare and financial planning helps families navigate complex aging-related decisions with clarity and compassion.
A lifelong advocate for older adults, Arvette’s passion for service began in her hometown of Alexandria. She has served on the boards of the Insight Memory Care Center and Senior Services of Alexandria and is currently active in Jack and Jill of America, Inc. She holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Virginia, a Series 65 securities license, and the Accredited Investment Fiduciary® (AIF®) designation.

Loretta Veney – Inspirational Speaker & Certified LEGO Serious Play Facilitator

Bio: Loretta Woodward Veney is an Inspirational Speaker, certified LEGO® Serious Play® facilitator and author of Being My Mom’s Mom, Refreshment for the Caregiver’s Spirit, and Colors Flowing from My Mind. In 2006 after her mother Doris was diagnosed with dementia, Loretta learned everything she could about the disease, becoming a fierce advocate for her Mom. They were featured in the Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The NY Times and two PBS specials. Loretta’s engagement with her Mom using LEGO bricks and her facilitation of LEGO Serious Play workshops for those with dementia and their caregivers resulted in them being selected as one of Robin Roberts Thriver Thursday recipients, which previewed on Good Morning America in November 2021. In September 2023, Loretta received a Maude Award, given to individuals using innovative methods for engaging with those with dementia. After her Mom’s passing in January of 2022, Loretta is continuing their legacy of joy and hope in spite of dementia throughout the United States and Europe!

Rachael Wonderlin – Founder & CEO, Dementia By Day
dementiabyday.com | rachael@dementiabyday.com

Bio: Rachael Wonderlin is an internationally-recognized dementia care expert and educator. She has a Master’s in Gerontology and is a Johns Hopkins University Press three-time published author. Rachael is the owner of Dementia By Day, a dementia care consulting firm and education company.