Meet our staff

Sasa Olessi Montaño, Chief Executive Officer

Ms. Montano joined Meals on Wheels of Mercer County in August 2013 and brings with her a wealth of non-profit and management experience. A graduate of Bryn Mawr College and Johns Hopkins University, she is a past President of the Trenton School Board and adjunct professor at Rider University. She has held various leadership positions both at the County and municipal government level, in addition to being a past Executive Director of the YWCA of Trenton, founding Director of the Pace Center at Princeton University, and the founder of Latinas Unidas. She is a past member of the National Board of Meals on Wheels America, and is President of the Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund (LALDEF) Board. She has served on numerous State Commissions and Boards, many with a focus on the City of Trenton and its residents. She currently serves on the Trenton Board of Education (second time), and on the NJ Center for Non Profits Board of Directors. She has served on the Trenton City Planning Board, the TASK Board of Directors, the Board of Directors of the YWCA of Trenton and the Rescue Mission of Trenton Board of Directors. She was selected in 2020 to be part of CHIEF, a national women’s leadership program.

Lara Livne, Chief Program Officer

llivne@mealsonwheelsmercer.org

Lara is a licensed social worker and joined MOWMC in 2020. Lara oversees the programs and services of Meals on Wheels directly related to Volunteer Services, Operations, and Program Services with a special emphasis on customer experience and customer satisfaction. Lara also focuses on evaluating the efficacy of programs and ensuring the highest level of quality control. She received her BA in psychology from Goucher College and Masters of Social Work from the University of Maryland. Lara’s career includes serving at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Baltimore and the Jewish Family & Children’s Service of Greater Mercer County in various management positions. Lara’s excitement to be part of the Meals on Wheels’ family stems from her lifelong passion to help people of all backgrounds and ages achieve a higher quality of life. She strives in going the extra mile in connecting individuals with resources to help them live healthy and successful lives.

In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, including her miniature poodle, Yofi, cooking, baking, hiking in the outdoors and the occasional tennis match.

Ruth Todd, Director of Program Services

programservices@mealsonwheelsmercer.org

Ruth has more than 25 years of mission-driven work. She has an unwavering drive to improve the quality of the lives of those we serve. Ruth joined Meals on Wheels with a keen understanding of the challenges facing a growing aging population. She is inspired by work that bridges the needs and supports for those isolated individuals and preserves the dignity of those who are underserved.

Ruth’s untiring passion ensures each participant receives the most from our program. Through personal assessment, Ruth partners with participants, their families and/or case managers to ensure changing nutrition/dietary, scheduling & supplemental needs are met.

When away from the office, you may find Ruth on a local walking trail, exploring a new recipe or enjoying a story-time Skype session with her beloved granddaughter.

Megan Maher Innes, Director of Volunteer Services

minnes@mealsonwheelsmercer.org

Megan Maher Innes is the Director of Volunteer Services for Meals on Wheels Mercer County, bringing with her fifteen years of experience in audience experience design, public engagement and community outreach.

After attending Fordham University for a B.A. in Anthropology, and conducting archaeology excavations in Peru, she received her M.A. in Museum Studies from NYU and began working in public education for museums across the country. Serving as the Director of Volunteers for the World Science Festival, as well as starting her career at the New York Botanical Garden as Volunteer Coordinator, she believes in working with good people to do good things. A daughter and granddaughter of volunteer firefighters, she has been dedicating her time to the community since a very young age through volunteer opportunities in New Jersey, New York City and Tacoma, Washington.

In her spare time, Megan enjoys hiking, camping, strolling through museums, and taking her rescue dogs on walks.

Jabeen Obaray, Project Manager

jobaray@mealsonwheelsmercer.org

Jabeen joined MOWMC in 2017 as Executive Assistant. In her current role as Project Manager, Jabeen assists the CEO and other staff, performs various daily and project/event related tasks, assists participants and volunteers who call in to the office, and manages donor related tasks. When asked what led her to Meals on Wheels, she answers, “my childhood memories as I watched my father care for and his relationships with the elderly in his profession. His passion became my passion.”
Jabeen received her BA in Psychology from Bryn Mawr College and a Masters in Special Education from Teachers College. Prior to MOWMC, Jabeen’s work experience included teaching in early intervention and preschool settings in the NY and DC areas.

In her free time, she enjoys outdoor activities, video/board games and comic books, and spending time with her niece and nephew!