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AHA's Advisory Board members were drawn from past AHA speakers and professionals in the autism community. We consider ourselves fortunate that, since our beginnings in 1988, our group has had such outstanding speakers and made so many lasting friendships. Occasionally advisory members will submit articles for our newsletter and, as they do now, answer questions from us. We are delighted to be able to draw on the expertise and experience of such knowledgeable and terrific people.

Advisory Board Members


May-Lynn Andresen, R.N.

Tony Attwood, Ph.D.

Diane Adreon, Ed.D.

Co-Director Miami Center for Autism

Michael J. Carley, M.F.A.
Founder of GRASP
and Executive Director of ASTEP

Susan Deedy, Esq.

Michelle Dunn, Ph.D.

V. Mark Durand, Ph. D.

Valerie Gaus, Ph.D.

Lynda Geller, Ph.D.
Spectrum Services
Asperger Center for Education and Training

Peter F. Gerhardt, Ed.D.
Chair, Scientific Council OAR, Organization for Autism Research, McCarton School

Temple Grandin, Ph.D.

C. Faith Kappenberg, Ph.D.,LCSW
Clinical Director at Westbrook Preparatory School
http://sco.org/westbrook/

Ami Klin, Ph.D., Director Marcus Autism Center
Brenda Smith Myles, Ph.D.

Jerry Newport, B.A.

Shana Nichols, Ph.D.
Director, ASPIRE Center for Learning and Development

Martin Schwartzman, C.F.E., C.I.E., C.P.C.U.

John C. Pomeroy, M.D., Chair Director,
Cody Center for Autism and Developmental Disorders at Stony Brook University

Stephen Shore, Ed.D.
Associate Professor at Adelphi University in the Ammon School of Education

Administration

AHA Board of Directors

Pat Schissel, LMSW - Executive Director and President of the Board

Pat Schissel, LMSW is the Executive Director and President of the Asperger Syndrome and High Functioning Autism Association, Inc. (AHA), a support and education advocacy group for parents and professionals, with members across the state, country and world. She facilitates support groups, manages the AHA website and the AHA eNews, a worldwide listserv, and is the coordinator of AHA’s two yearly conferences. For six years she was an adjunct associate professor at Adelphi’s Ammon School of Education and Long Island University’s CW Post Campus in their CASE program where she taught undergraduates and graduates about Asperger Syndrome and related conditions. She also served as a Board of Education Trustee for close to twenty years. Ms. Schissel is a graduate of Adelphi University’s School of Social Work and is on their Autism Task Force. She is on the editorial boards of the Autism Spectrum News and the Autism Spectrum Quarterly and writes a monthly column on autism-related issues for the Long Island website 516/631ADS. She is on the founding board for Westbrook Preparatory School, the first therapeutic residential school in New York State for adolescents with Asperger Syndrome and related conditions which opened in February 2011 in Westbury, NY. Ms. Schissel is the parent of two; one an adult on the autism spectrum who was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome in his 20's and the other an attorney who works in public interest law.

Michael A. Buffa, Esq. - Vice-President of Board of Directors

Michael A. Buffa, Esq. is an attorney practicing in all aspects of personal injury work, including trials and appeals, for the past 26 years. Mike lives on Long Island with his wife and teen-aged daughter who has autism. Michael A. Buffa co-facilitates the AHA Nassau Evening Support Group. For many years Michael has been teaching at the Hofstra Law School NITA (National Institute of Trial Advocacy) program for law students and practicing attorneys. He is a council member of the Long Island Family Support Advisory Council. He is active in the marriage preparation program at St. Martin of Tours parish in Bethpage, and the Mid Island Y JCC KISS (Kids in Special Services) Center in Plainview.

Kathleen Barrett-Snyder

Bernice Polinsky - Deputy Director, Corresponding Secretary

Bernice Polinsky has been on AHA’s board since the early 90’s. She has been involved with family support, information and advocacy. Through outreach and involvement with agencies and families she has helped in promoting awareness of the particular needs of adult individuals with High Functioning Autism and Asperger Syndrome. Bernice Polinsky is editor of AHA’s newsletter, On The Spectrum, and facilitates support groups for parents on Long Island and Manhattan. Bernice serves on many AHA committees including the Spring conference. She is also on YAI Network’s Autism Center Advisory Board. Bernice Polinsky has a BA in Early Childhood Education from Queens College and taught elementary school. She has three children and three grandchildren. When her son was 19 he was diagnosed with high-functioning autism. He is now an adult. Bernice was Newsday’s Every Day Hero in 2003.

Lynn R. Levine - Treasurer

Bill Braun, Director

Joan Resnick Ehrlich, Director

Joan Resnick Ehrlich is the mother of two sons, one of whom has Aspergers Syndrome. Joan sought help from AHA after her son was diagnosed and became involved with AHA while learning how to advocate for her son. Joan is an IT professional with twenty year’s experience. Prior to her IT career Joan was a business researcher and partner at a NYC-based corporate and financial public relations firm. Joan has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Northwestern University.

Bea Gravino, Director
Bea Gravino works as an ELA consultant and is a former high school English teacher.  She has been a member of AHA since her daughter Amy’s diagnosis with autism/Asperger’s Syndrome at the age of nine.  In addition to serving as a board member, she is a member of a women’s writing group called Herstory Writers Workshop which helps give women a voice.  Bea also is a member of the Suwassett Garden Club in Port Jefferson.

William Heslin - Director

Carole Kalvar - Director

Edward J. Nitkewicz Esq. - Director
Edward J. Nitkewicz is a Senior attorney at Sanders, Sanders, Block, Woycik, Viener & Grossman, ("the Sanders Law Firm") one of the most successful and innovative personal injury law firms in New York. He was formerly the managing partner of Nitkewicz & McMahon, a small litigation practice located in Commack, New York. Ed concentrates on the representation of personal injury plaintiffs in matters arising from general negligence, medical malpractice and product defect. He has also represented clients in complex commercial litigation, estate litigation, and general civil litigation and has extensive pre-trial, trial and appellate advocacy experience.

Since 1999, when his son Edward was diagnosed with autism, Ed has become a leading education law attorney representing families in CPSE and CSE meetings, impartial hearings and special education litigation as a Parent Advocate and/or attorney. (Download entire bio (PDF).)

 

Kenia Nunez - Director
Kenia Nunez is the mother of 3 children, one of whom has Asperger's syndrome.  Aside from working a full-time job in a financial services firm, she enjoys volunteering her time to help others, especially when it comes to Hispanic families dealing with special needs children.  Kenia has been an invited guest speaker at Queens College (CUNY), and her biggest passion is the hope that every school will adopt a buddy program, so no child is left without a friend.

Patricia Fitzgerald, M.S., CCC-SLP, TSHH - Education Liaison

John Pomeroy, M.D. - Professional Liaison

Past President - Pat Long

AHA Administration

Joan Hourihane
Joan Hourihane is an administrator for the AHA Association. She has been a member of AHA for the past eleven years where she has served as volunteer, hotline/support group facilitator, head librarian for AHA’s lending library, newsletter editor, and former AHA board member. Joan has gained extensive knowledge in the areas of special education law, autism spectrum disorders, attention deficit disorder, learning disabilities and other developmental disorders through her affiliation and leadership at AHA, CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder), IDA (International Dyslexia Association) and SEPTA (Special Education Parent Teacher Association). Joan has a degree in Computer Science from St. John’s University, and worked as a Telecommunications Engineer for New York Telephone/NYNEX for eleven years. Joan and her husband have been married for 27 years and are the proud parents of two sons with special needs.


Jeannie Wright



 

 
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