Administration

Ms. Morgan joined Independent Living Association, Inc. in 1993 with 15 years of dedicated service to the developmentally disabled under her belt. Ms. Morgan worked for voluntary and New York State service providers before becoming a standards compliance analyst for New York State, where she audited community programs and became an expert in regulations. During her tenure with ILA, Ms. Morgan has held a range of leadership positions, including Director of Quality Assurance and Director of Residential Services. In her current role as ILA’s Director of Operations, Ms. Morgan is responsible for overseeing four departments, 32 programs and more than 600 employees.

Ms. Bishop’s 35-year career at ILA began in 1988 when she joined the Agency as an on-call direct care professional. She then became a permanent direct care professional and was later promoted to a psychologist assistant. 

After working as a Qualified Intellectual Disabilities Professional (QIDP), Ms. Bishop was promoted to the position of Residential Supervisor, overseeing dual sites while working on development for the Agency. Following a promotion to Quality Assurance Specialist, she led additional development projects while working to ensure the continued safety and well-being of ILA’s Individuals.

Ms. Bishop’s outstanding work in conjunction with OPWDD led to the development of many new residences at ILA over the years, an accomplishment she remains “deeply proud of.” In her newest role as Director of Vacancy Management, she continues to be instrumental to the growth of ILA, helping to expand the Agency’s reach in the New York City community. Ms. Bishop holds a BA in Psychology and an MA in Industrial Psychology/Human Behavior from Brooklyn College. She is currently working toward a Ph.D. in Philosophy, with a concentration in Disaster, Crisis & Intervention, from Walden University. 

Mr. Palevsky began his career in social services in 1975 after receiving two Masters Degrees from Columbia University. He entered the field working in direct service before advancing to managerial and executive roles. Throughout his distinguished career, he has been dedicated to enhancing the lives of developmentally disabled individuals. With specializations in program development and quality assurance, Mr. Palevsky is strongly attuned to familial challenges associated with caring for a loved one with special needs. Prior to joining Independent Living Association, Inc. in January 1991, he worked for a parent-run service provider for more than a decade. Under Mr. Palevsky’s outstanding leadership at ILA (he was appointed Executive Director in 2003), the agency has grown significantly and continues to expand to serve many more Individuals and families across New York City.

Mr. De Lucia has a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from St. John’s University, and became a Certified Public Accountant in 1984. After working as an auditor for the City of New York and then a major bank, Mr. De Lucia spent 13 years in public accounting, performing audits and tax services. In 1986, he performed the first fiscal audit of Independent Living Association, Inc., and then joined the Agency as its Chief Financial Officer in 1992. He was also named Deputy Executive Director in May 2003. Mr. De Lucia specializes in Medicaid funding, not-for-profit accounting, financial projections and budgeting, as well as internal control policies and procedures. He wrote ILA’s manual of accounting policies and procedures, which has been lauded by auditors from the State of New York and independent auditing firms. Mr. De Lucia remains well-respected in the not-for-profit field.

Ms. Morgan joined Independent Living Association, Inc. in 1993 with 15 years of dedicated service to the developmentally disabled under her belt. Ms. Morgan worked for voluntary and New York State service providers before becoming a standards compliance analyst for New York State, where she audited community programs and became an expert in regulations. During her tenure with ILA, Ms. Morgan has held a range of leadership positions, including Director of Quality Assurance and Director of Residential Services. In her current role as ILA’s Director of Operations, Ms. Morgan is responsible for overseeing four departments, 32 programs and more than 600 employees.

Mr. Bonici joined ILA in January 2006 as an IT Manager and was quickly promoted to IT Director. During his tenure with the agency, he has been committed to helping ILA quickly adopt new technology, while streamlining processes to improve productivity and better serve ILA’s Individuals.

Mr. Bonici began his career as a system administrator at a reinsurance company, where he was the sole creator of a Network and email system that helped to enhance communication between multiple offices. He later became a systems manager for a large retail company where he was instrumental in a Network redesign that connected three offices, a Point-of-Sale (POS) system, 70 outlet stores, and a warehouse.

In his spare time, Mr. Bonici, along with his wife and three children, perform a great deal of community service. During the holidays, they organize an annual toy drive in the name of Mr. Bonici’s brother in-law, a former New York City police officer whose life was taken while off-duty. The heartfelt event has been brightening the lives of children and families in need since 1995.

Ms. Shuping joined ILA in February 1998 as a Qualified Intellectual Disabilities Professional (QIDP) at the Ocean Avenue, Butler Avenue, and Faber Street Residences. She soon transitioned to a Residence Supervisor at Faber Street where she worked for five years. 

After taking a maternity leave to have her second child, Ms. Shuping took on the role of Residential Generalist/Incident Management Specialist from 2004-2010, working in several ILA’s residences to fill Supervisor and Assistant Supervisor vacancies. In 2010, Ms. Shuping was promoted to Incident Management Coordinator. In addition to overseeing that department, she now serves as ILA’s Director of Quality Assurance following a promotion in 2021. In her newest role, Ms. Shuping continues to go above and beyond to ensure that Individuals receive the best possible care.

Before embarking on her 25-year career at ILA, Ms. Shuping worked as a Habilitation Specialist in an OPWDD-funded day program on Staten Island. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the College of Staten Island.

Ms. Bishop’s 35-year career at ILA began in 1988 when she joined the Agency as an on-call direct care professional. She then became a permanent direct care professional and was later promoted to a psychologist assistant. 

After working as a Qualified Intellectual Disabilities Professional (QIDP), Ms. Bishop was promoted to the position of Residential Supervisor, overseeing dual sites while working on development for the Agency. Following a promotion to Quality Assurance Specialist, she led additional development projects while working to ensure the continued safety and well-being of ILA’s Individuals.

Ms. Bishop’s outstanding work in conjunction with OPWDD led to the development of many new residences at ILA over the years, an accomplishment she remains “deeply proud of.” In her newest role as Director of Vacancy Management, she continues to be instrumental to the growth of ILA, helping to expand the Agency’s reach in the New York City community. Ms. Bishop holds a BA in Psychology and an MA in Industrial Psychology/Human Behavior from Brooklyn College. She is currently working toward a Ph.D. in Philosophy, with a concentration in Disaster, Crisis & Intervention, from Walden University. 

Dr. Sindiswa Akinbo, RN, was appointed ILA’s Director of Nursing in September 2022. She brings a wealth of nursing experience to the Agency, as well as extensive knowledge of State and Federal regulations and Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) Operations, from prior roles working in the mental health and OPWDD space.

As ILA’s Nursing Director, Dr. Akinbo works to ensure continuous compliance with the Standards of Nursing Practice developed by the American Nurses’ Association (ANA). She is a strong believer in the power of teamwork to enhance workflow and systems at the Agency. Dr. Akinbo works closely with ILA’s Psychiatry team, RNs, and Behavioral Intervention Specialists (BIS) to monitor Individuals’ care, to provide advocacy and medication management, and to identify any sources that can trigger certain behaviors.

Before joining ILA, Dr. Akinbo led a distinguished 10-year nursing career at Kingsboro Psychiatric Center, where she was promoted to Quality Management Specialist, Acting Supervisor of the Utilization Review Department, and Nurse Educator and Supervisor. She also held prominent nursing positions at NYC Health + Hospitals, Cornerstone of Medical Arts Center, Richmond University Medical Center, and served as Nursing Supervisor at the Cerebral Palsy Association of New York State. Dr. Akinbo holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from Medgar Evers College, a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) from Chamberlain University, and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from DeVry University. Currently, she is studying to receive her Ph.D. in Theology at Holy Trinity Bible College and Theological Seminary.