Joellen Meckley, JD, is the Executive Director of the American College Center for Special Needs.  

Meckley joined The College in 2022. She was most recently a partner at Begley Law Group where she concentrated her practice in special needs planning, elder law, estate planning, and guardianship. She is licensed to practice law in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Licensed in New Jersey and Maryland as a nursing home administrator, Meckley spent several years running nursing homes and assisted living facilities. 

Through her work with the special needs community, older adults, and their caregivers, she found herself increasingly drawn to helping clients plan proactively for the challenges of disability and aging. This passion led her to obtain a degree from the Temple University Beasley School of Law and many years in private practice as an Elder Law and Special Needs Attorney.

Meckley earned her Bachelor of Arts degree with high honors in Psychology from the University of Michigan, where she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She earned her Master’s in Health Finance and Management from Johns Hopkins University, and her Juris Doctor from the Temple University Beasley School of Law.