Staff

Alison Hirschel is Senior Legal Counsel for the Michigan Long Term Care Ombudsman Program. She has served as Counsel to the state's ombudsman program since 2004 and previously served as counsel to a local ombudsman program in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For 15 years, Alison coordinated and served as legal counsel to the Michigan Campaign for Quality Care, a grassroots advocacy group for long term care consumers. She also is the past president and serves on the Board of the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long Term Care where she her current role is Vice-President. In addition to her work with the ombudsman program, Alison is the Director and Managing Attorney of the Michigan Elder Justice Initiative and the elder law attorney at the Michigan Poverty Law Program. Since 1998, she has taught elder law at the University of Michigan Law School where she also serves as a Public Interest/Public Service Fellow. Previously, Alison taught on the adjunct faculty of the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Alison is the co-chair of the Medical Care Advisory Council and was appointed by the Attorney General to serve on the Elder Abuse Task Force. Previously, she was a Commissioner on the American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging and served as a delegate to the White House Conference on Aging.

Alison received her B.A. from the University of Michigan and her J.D. from Yale Law School. Alison was selected by Yale Law School as the first Arthur Liman Fellow. In 2003, Alison received the National Aging and Law Award and in 2010, she received the Toby Edelman Legal Justice Award for her work on behalf of long term care consumers. 

Karrie is the Assistant State Long Term Care Ombudsman for Program Quality Improvement.  Karrie was the long term care ombudsman for Ingham, Eaton, and Clinton counties where she advocated for residents of nursing facilities, adult foster care homes, and homes for the aged.  Karrie has extensive experience in health care and long term supports and services.  She worked in outreach for the Capital Area Health Alliance which partners with area organizations to promote healthy lifestyles.  She has been the administrator/director of two local assisted living facilities as well as working in management positions for a home health agency and a continuing care retirement community.  She has helped to develop dementia curriculum for nursing students and facilitated Alzheimer's Support Groups.  She has a master's in public administration with an emphasis in health care administration from Western Michigan University and a bachelor's degree from Michigan State University.

Mireille Phillips currently serves as Legal Counsel to the Michigan Long Term Care Ombudsman Program.  She earned her BA in Economics from the University of Michigan and her JD from Indiana University School of Law.  She brings over 25 years of legal experience to the Ombudsman Program.  She previously worked as an attorney with the CVLAP-Elder Justice Initiative where she represented seniors who had suffered abuse, neglect or exploitation in Macomb County.   She has also served as a Legal Research and Writing Professor at Wayne State University, as well as engaged in private practice focusing on commercial litigation, elder and family law. She is passionate about advocating for older adults, victims of domestic abuse and individuals living with a disability.

Nicole is the Systemic Litigation and Advocacy Attorney at the Michigan Elder Justice Initiative. Previously, Nicole was the Supervising Attorney and a Staff Attorney at Legal Services of South Central Michigan’s Lansing office, where she handled foreclosure, consumer, and elder cases for low-income and older clients. Nicole was also a Staff Attorney with Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service where she served adult clients with disabilities in civil rights matters. In her current position, Nicole is focused on systemic issues facing older clients and individuals with disabilities, such as guardianship, long-term care, and public benefits. Nicole has a B.A. from James Madison College at Michigan State University and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School, where she served as a Note Editor on the Michigan Law Review.

Since 2016, Salli has served as the Michigan State Long Term Care Ombudsman. Ms. Pung brings over 25 years of long term care experience to this role. For 13 years, she served as the Nursing Facility Relocation Coordinator at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services where she oversaw nursing home closures and ensured that residents were protected and empowered in the relocation process.  Ms. Pung previously served as the Program Manager for MI Health Link, Michigan's financial alignment demonstration for people eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid, Senior Program Manager at the Center for Long Term Care at the Michigan Public Health Institute, and Director of Education and Shared Services at the Michigan Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (now LeadingAge). Ms. Pung began her career in long term care when she served as a direct care worker in a nursing home during college.

Shelby is the Administrative Manager for the Michigan Long Term Care Ombudsman Program. Shelby comes to Michigan Elder Justice Initiative and the State Long Term Care Ombudsman Program with over sixteen years experience in the health care field, eight of those years as an Operations Manager for a large Michigan based healthcare system.  As the Administrative Manager, Shelby will work closely with local Ombudsman staff to ensure all time-sensitive information, case reporting details, and referral requests are handled appropriately and efficiently.  Shelby has a strong passion for helping others; for many years she has volunteered at several local Michigan based charities, from serving meals to raising funds.