Center for Elder Law and Justice Inc
Donations deductibleCenter for Elder Law and Justice Inc's network
20 people2 organisationsi20 people and 2 organisations on this map.The large node is the subject of this page. Solid lines are what the register itself records (20). Violet dotted lines (2) are likely: the same full name sits on the current board of another organisation in the same register and region. Form 990 filings give names without a person identifier; SEC insider filings carry a CIK. It may be a different person.The board
20 listediTime on the board is observed from the annual filings: the IRS files no appointment date, so the bar counts years from the first filing the person appears on - a lower bound, not a filed start date. Names are exactly as filed. The IRS publishes no person identifier, so this edition does not yet link a person across organisations in the tables. The network map shows same-name matches as likely links only, never as confirmed.Time served and departures are observed across annual filings. Observed time served is a lower bound - a member may have joined before the first year on record. The organisation reported 20 voting members of its governing body on its latest Form 990 Part VI, which matches the board listed here.| Name | Role as filed | Since | On the board |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ann Monroe | Vice President | 2021 | 5 yrs |
| Anne E Joynt ESQ (also filed as Anne Joynt) | Company secretary | 2022 | 4 yrs |
| Ben Cranston ESQ | Member | 2024 | 2 yrs |
| Christopher M Marks JD MBA | Member | 2021 | 5 yrs |
| Fidele Menavanza | Member | 2022 | 4 yrs |
| Holly Hejmowski CPA | Treasurer | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Holly P Tucker ESQ (also filed as Holly P Tucker) | Member | 2021 | 5 yrs |
| Hon Rosalie Bailey | Member | 2022 | 4 yrs |
| James Schwegler ESQ (also filed as James Schwegler) | Member | 2019 | 7 yrs |
| Jessica Kulpit ESQ | Member | 2023 | 3 yrs |
| Judge John F O'Donnell | Member | 2021 | 5 yrs |
| Judge Michael Hudson | Member | 2024 | 2 yrs |
| Leslie Fox MBA (also filed as Leslie Fox) | Member | 2022 | 4 yrs |
| Oliver Young ESQ | Member | 2023 | 3 yrs |
| Paul J Vallone ESQ | Member | 2021 | 5 yrs |
| Robert C Weissflach ESQ (also filed as Robert Weissflach ESQ) | Member | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Ryan D Ledebur ESQ | Vice President | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Sam Alba ESQ | Member | 2024 | 2 yrs |
| Sarah Galvan ESQ (also filed as Sarah Galvan) | Vice President | 2019 | 7 yrs |
| Steven Bengart ESQ | President | 2018 | 8 yrs |
Officers and senior leadership
10 listediNamed in Part VII as officers, key employees or highest-compensated staff - not board members, shown for completeness.| Name | Title as filed | On the filings |
|---|---|---|
| David Shapiro | Senior Attorney | since 2020 |
| Helen Ferraro-Zaffram | Managing Attorney | since 2018 |
| Jessica Brown ESQ CPA | CFO 1/19 - 4/19 | since 2018 |
| Karen L Nicolson ESQ | Chief Executive Officer | since 2018 |
| Kirtan Patel | Chief Financial Officer | since 2023 |
| Nicholas Gregori | Director of Finance | 2020 |
| Nichole Herr | CFO 5/19 - 10/19 | 2019 |
| Rachel Haseley | Chief Human Resource Officer | 2024 |
| Sara Ogden | Attorney | 2023 |
| Tamar Rothaus | CFO (Part-Year) | since 2022 |
Pay and hours
year to 31 December 2024iFrom Part VII of the Form 990: compensation reported for each officer, director, trustee, key employee and highest-paid staff member, and the average hours a week they report. Most board members are unpaid; a blank means nothing was reported. Pay from related organisations is shown separately.| Name | Title as filed | Hours a week | Pay from the organisation | Related organisations | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karen Nicolson | Chief Executive Officer | 40 | $257k | $42k | |
| Helen Ferraro-Zaffram | Managing Attorney | 40 | $148k | $7k | |
| David Shapiro | Senior Attorney | 40 | $125k | $26k | |
| Rachel Haseley | Chief Human Resource Officer | 40 | $124k | $26k | |
| Kirtan Patel | Chief Financial Officer | 40 | $121k | $13k | |
| Ann Monroe | Vice President | 2 | $0 | ||
| Anne E Joynt Esq | Secretary | 2 | $0 | ||
| Ben Cranston Esq | Member | 1 | $0 | ||
| Christopher M Marks JD MBA | Member | 1 | $0 | ||
| Fidele Menavanza | Member | 2 | $0 | ||
| Holly Hejmowski CPA | Treasurer | 2 | $0 | ||
| Holly P Tucker Esq | Member | 1 | $0 | ||
| Hon Rosalie Bailey | Member | 1 | $0 | ||
| James Schwegler Esq | Member | 1 | $0 | ||
| Jessica Kulpit Esq | Member | 1 | $0 | ||
| Judge John F O'donnell | Member | 1 | $0 | ||
| Leslie Fox MBA | Member | 1 | $0 | ||
| Oliver Young Esq | Member | 1 | $0 | ||
| Paul J Vallone Esq | Member | 2 | $0 | ||
| Robert Weissflach Esq | Member | 1 | $0 | ||
| Ryan D Ledebur Esq | Vice President | 2 | $0 | ||
| Sam Alba Esq | Member | 1 | $0 | ||
| Sarah Galvan Esq | Vice President | 1 | $0 | ||
| Steven Bengart Esq | President | 1 | $0 | ||
| Judge Michael Hudson | Member | 1 | $0 |
About
- Legal name
- Center for Elder Law and Justice Inc
- EIN
- 161118282
- Address
- 438 Main St Ste 1200, Buffalo, NY, 14202-3207
- State
- New York
- Mission
- To improve the quality of life for elderly, disabled and low-income persons in the western new york area through the provision of free civil legal services. The primary goal is to use the legal system to assure that clients may live independently and with dignity. (as filed on the Form 990)
- Activity (NTEE)
- I80Z Crime and legal-related
- IRS classification
- 501(c)03 (tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) where shown)
- Classified purpose
- Crime & Legal-Related
- Size band
- 7 (IRS master file code)
- Formed
- 1978
- Principal officer
- Karen L Nicolson (as named on the Form 990)
- IRS ruling date
- 1 April 1981
- Status
- Code 01 (unconditional exemption)
- Form 990 filings on record
- 7, latest 2024
- IRS Publication 78
- PC (contributions deductible)
Most connected
Longest observed on the filings
≥8years on the filingsHolly Hejmowski CPA
≥8years on the filingsRobert C Weissflach ESQ
≥8years on the filingsRyan D Ledebur ESQ
≥8years on the filingsSteven Bengart ESQ
Latest return
year to 31 December 2024iFigures from the newest Form 990 or 990-EZ in the IRS e-file releases of 2025 and 2026, for the year ending 31 December 2024. US dollars, as filed.- Total assets
- $5.5m
- Total liabilities
- $2m
- Net assets or fund balances
- $3.5m
- Contributions and grants received
- $7.4m
- Program service revenue
- $1.1m
- Employees
- 101
- Volunteers
- 104
Filed finances
1 yeariTotals as filed on the IRS Form 990 (revenue and expenses), by tax year.| Tax year | Total revenue | Total expenses | Surplus or deficit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $8.6m | $8.4m | $169k |
As filed on the IRS Form 990. US dollars.
State registration
1 entityiBusiness-entity registers published by US states. These records are matched to this organisation by name and state, not by EIN, and are labelled as likely matches. Street addresses are not shown.Center For Elder Law & Justice, Inc. likely matchiMatched by exact name and state (and ZIP where shown). State registers do not publish EINs, so this is not a confirmed match. Source: New York Department of State, active corporations (data.ny.gov n9v6-gdp6). Licence: New York open data terms of use. Data last fetched 18 October 2026.
- State
- New York
- Entity type
- Domestic Not-For-Profit Corporation
- Status
- Active
- Formed
- 13 November 1978
- Registered agent
- N/A The Corporation (city and state not held)