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Board of Directors & Executive Management

The UCP Board of Directors

Colleen West-Levy
Board of Directors Chair

Colleen West-Levy was appointed to UCP Suffolk's Board of Directors in June 2005 and currently holds the position of Chair. She is a member of the Golf Classic Committee and Co-chair of the Dinner Dance Committee.

Colleen came to UCP Suffolk with extensive experience in the private sector where she is the founder and president of Enright Court Reporting, Inc., based in Sayville.

A recognized business leader, Colleen lends her expertise to several advisory boards, including the L.I. Business Institute and the Sayville and Patchogue Chambers of Commerce. Colleen was featured on Cablevision's "Women of the New Century" and has been the subject of several articles regarding women in business. In addition to being involved with UCP Suffolk, she lends her support to the Cody Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities at Stony Brook University and 1 in 9: Long Island Breast Cancer Action Coalition.

Colleen is a graduate of the L.I. Business Institute and the Dale Carnegie Institute, where she has served as a graduate assistant. She is a member of the National Association of Women Business Owners, the National Association of Female Executives, the National Court Reporter's Association, the National Association of Legal Secretaries and Paralegals and its Suffolk County Chapter, the American Association of Medical Transcriptionists, the Medical Transcription Industry Alliance and the Long Island Health care Information Management Association. Colleen was recognized twice by Long Island Business News as one of the Island's top 50 Business Women.

James Aspromonti
Board of Directors
Vice Chair, Membership

Jim Aspromonti joined the Board of Directors in 2008 and is currently Vice Chair of Development. Aspromonti is an Audit Partner at Marcum LLP in their Long Island office. He is responsible for directing the accounting and auditing activities for a number of staff professionals and provides services to a broad range of clients. Jim possesses over 15 years of experience with both publicly traded and closely held companies and has specialized expertise in audit services for clients in manufacturing, distribution and transportation businesses.

Jim has been a Certified Public Accountant since 1993 receiving his BBA from Hofstra University. Jim is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants. He is also Co-Chair of the UCP Suffolk Dinner Dance Committee and member of the Golf Classic committee.

Michael Ingham
Board of Directors
Vice Chair, Policies and Planning

Michael F. Ingham, Esq., a managing partner in the law firm of Carman, Callahan & Ingham, LLP in Farmingdale, was appointed to the Board of Directors at UCP in 2004. He currently holds the position of Vice Chair, Policies and Planning.

Michael has a law degree from St. John's University School of Law, a Master's in Public Administration from New York University and is a graduate of Hamilton College. Mr. Ingham is general counsel to the Long Island Water Conference. Michael has been a member of UCP's Golf Classic and Dinner Dance committees.

Lawrence Levy
Board of Directors
Vice Chair, Advocacy and Government Relations

Lawrence Levy became a member of the Board of Directors in 2010. He is the Executive Director, National Center for Suburban Studies, at Hofstra University and brings more than 30 years experience as a reporter, editorial writer and columnist, winning many of journalism's top awards.

A member of a Brookings Institution advisory panel, guest contributor on NYTimes.com and CNN.com, he appears frequently on local and national television and radio. Larry also serves as the co-host of "Face Off," a public affairs talk show produced by Long Island's PBS affiliate.

Thomas Lowenberg
Board of Directors
Vice Chair, Audit and Compensation

Tom Lowenberg is a Certified Public Accountant with Fuller & Lowenberg, which is located on Motor Parkway in Hauppauge. He joined UCP Suffolk's Board in 1992 and served as Vice President of Finance/Treasurer from 1996 through 2006. Tom currently holds the position of Vice Chair, Audit and Compensation. He has been a member of the UCP Golf Classic and Down Under Golf Committees.

Tom is Vice Chairman and an Advanced Emergency Medical Technician with the Commack Ambulance Group.

A graduate of Adelphi University and a member of the American Institute of CPAs and the New York State Society of CPAs, Tom founded his firm with partner Howard Fuller in 1990.

Paula Neyssen
Board of Directors
Recording Secretary

Polly Neyssen has been an active volunteer at UCP Suffolk since 1981 when her son enrolled in UCP's Adult Day Treatment Program. He now also lives in a UCP residence. Polly joined the UCP Speaker's Bureau, representing the Agency in the community, and became a member of UCP's Family Outreach Campaign. She edited the agency's yearbook, a precursor to the Annual Report, and founded the Families and Friends of UCP Adults group, which she chaired for a number of years.

Polly was elected to the Board of Directors in 1992. She and her husband, Mike, are long-time volunteers at UCP's golf outings, and in 2009 received the Life Without Limits Award. She is an active volunteer at her church and for Meals on Wheels. Polly was recognized for her volunteerism by being named the Volunteer of the Year by UCP's Family Outreach Committee, and she was the recipient of the Good Neighbor of the Year Award by the Three Village Times.

Polly is a graduate of Barnard College. She worked for IBM as a system service representative, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York as writer of the Department Store Trade Section of their "Monthly Review" and Bloomingdale's as manager of two branch store departments before retiring to become a full-time mother, volunteer and advocate for people with disabilities.

Thomas Pfundstein
Board of Directors
Vice Chair, Finance/Treasurer

Thomas Pfundstein became involved with UCP through his son, who attends the UCP Suffolk Children's Center. He joined the Board in September of 2005 and currently serves as Vice Chair of Finance/Treasurer. He has chaired the Dinner Dance committee and remains active on that and the Golf Classic committee.

Most recently, Tom was a Senior Vice President, Retail Banking, at Capital One Bank where his responsibilities included all aspects of Retail Operations, including Systems and Procedures, Branch Operations, Pension Plans, Management Reporting and Incentive Compensation.

He is a graduate of New York Institute of Technology.

Gerard Schmitt
Board of Directors
Vice Chair, Develoment

Gerard Schmitt joined the UCP Suffolk Board of Directors in 2011. He is Vice President of Marketing for Bethpage Federal Credit Union. As such, Jerry is responsible for the credit union's strategic marketing direction and key marketing priorities.

Previously, Jerry was a Vice President at advertising agencies in New York City and on Long Island, with responsibility for marketing strategy and client service. Prior to that, he served as Vice President/Director of Marketing for Alexander & Alexander Inc., the U.S. arm of a global insurance brokerage and risk management consulting firm, and as Vice President of advertising and creative services for Alexander & Alexander Services Inc., the corporate holding company.

Jerry holds a B.A. in English and an M.B.A. in marketing, both from the City University of New York (CUNY). He has taught as an adjunct professor at Baruch College and New York Institute of Technology, and is a former board member of the New York Chapter of the Business Marketing Association and Tomorrow's Hope Foundation.

Anthony Bertrami
Board of Directors

Anthony Bertrami, M.S., CLU, joined the UCP Board of Directors in 2010. Tony is a principle of the Forest Hills Financial Group and a Business Estate Planning Specialist. He transitioned from a career in higher education with the State University of New York to the fields of insurance and financial planning in the early 70s, and received his Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designation in 1976. Since that time he has developed a large and loyal client base by understanding his clients' problems and desires, offering creative strategies.

Tony was honored at the 2009 UCP Golf Classic and is a member of the Golf Classic and Dinner Dance committees.

James Conner
Board of Directors

Jim Conner joined the Board of Directors in 1990 and is currently Vice Chair of Membership. Jim has been involved in many campaigns and committees during the years and served as President of the Board for two years. He has volunteered as a guest speaker at various UCP in-service training programs.

Jim is Director of Decision Support Systems at Bimbo Bakeries USA. He has a Bachelor's Degree in Systems Analysis and received his M.B.A. from Long Island University. He is the Finance Chairperson for St. Anthony's Parish and a member of the Pastoral Council for the Rockville Centre Diocese.

Nina Eaton
Board of Directors

A UCP founder and Board Member of UCP Suffolk, Nina Eaton, a resident of Woodmere, New York, was presented with the prestigious UCP National President's Award at the organization's annual conference several years ago. Mrs. Eaton knows firsthand what parents of a disabled child experience as her only child, who eventually became an attorney and a judge, was born over 60 years ago with cerebral palsy.

In the 1940s Mrs. Eaton and several parents living in New York City helped to found the organization that is known today as United Cerebral Palsy Association (UCP). Knowing that there were parents who had children with disabilities throughout the country advocating for schools and entitlements for their children, Nina helped lead the movement to strengthen their voices by banding together as one, which is how the national organization was formed. Today, there is a nationwide network of 100 UCP affiliates, and Nina remains actively involved.

Kathy Flinn-Knott
Board of Directors

Kathy Flinn-Knott has been a volunteer leader at UCP Suffolk since 1970 when her daughter began receiving services, and Kathy joined her local UCP auxiliary. Her daughter now attends UCP Suffolk's Day Treatment Program and resides in a UCP operated home.

A staunch parent advocate, Kathy has always been committed to UCP. Kathy joined the UCP Board of Directors in the early 1980s. For many years she chaired the UCP Suffolk Telethon. In addition to her volunteer efforts at UCP Suffolk, Kathy is also active with St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church, where she coordinates a program for children with special needs, chairs the lector committee and is a member of the liturgy committee.

Howie Rowland
Board of Directors

Howie Rowland joined the board in 2010. He is the President of E.W. Howell Company Inc., the respected construction management firm. Rowland has been with the company more than 25 years, where he has expanded the firm into new markets and emerging areas of expertise while maintaining the company's historical commitment to excellence, integrity and professionalism.

Howie was the honoree at the 2004 UCP Suffolk Gala Dinner Dance and serves on the Golf Classic and Dinner Dance committees.

Marvin Salenger
Honorary Member, Board of Directors

Marvin Salenger became an Honorary Member of the UCP Board of Directors in 2012. One of the country's premier trial attorneys, Marvin Salenger’s recognition amongst and by his peers is significant. He has been included in the "Best Lawyers in America" publication since 2005, and featured in New York magazine every year since 2005. Marvin has also been named to the Top 100 New York Super Lawyer list of the top practicing attorneys in the state. He was first selected to the NY Super Lawyer list in 2007 and has made the list every year since. Marvin has also earned the highest ranking among attorneys by Martindale-Hubbell's Peer Review Ratings Service and was recognized as one of Long Island's Ten Leaders in Civil Trial Law. He has successfully tried hundreds of cases with numerous multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements to his credit.

Throughout his career, he has been regarded as a leader among his peers and regularly lectures to attorneys on trial practice, trial strategies and courtroom procedures.

His bar memberships include the New York State Bar Association, New York State Trial Lawyers Association, New York County Lawyers Association, Nassau County Bar Association, Nassau-Suffolk County Trial Lawyers Association, Suffolk County Bar Association, Association of Trial Lawyers of America and American Board of Trial Advocates. He has written extensively and published numerous articles on trial strategy and technique, and has served on the Judicial Screening Committee for the New York State Trial Lawyers Association.

Marvin was honored at the 2011 UCP Suffolk’s Annual Golf Classic.

Bob Venero
Board of Directors

Bob Venero joined the UCP Board of Directors in 2012. Bob took a start-up company from the basement of his Long Island home in 1996 to an industry leading end-to-end IT solution provider with over 100 employees. He frequently appears in the media and speaks to audiences about technology trends and the IT industry. Under Bob's leadership, Future Tech Enterprise, Inc. is a dynamic international resource for Fortune 1000 organizations looking to increase efficiencies, save resources and remain competitive. Future Tech leverages its strong relationships to deliver solutions and services for systems, networks, infrastructure, security, storage management, software, data center, portfolio management and more using a variety of industry-leading solutions that improve business resilience. Through teamwork and strategic planning sessions, Future Tech recommends custom solutions that are scalable, support business growth goals, help lower TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) and improve productivity.

Bob’s business acumen is only surpassed by his humanitarian instincts. Bob is the founder of The Bob Venero Children’s Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the welfare, health and happiness of children through innovative technologies, all designed to help celebrate the indomitable human spirit.

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Executive Management

Senior Executive Leadership Team

Stephen H. Friedman
President/CEO

The UCP Suffolk Board of Directors appointed Stephen H. Friedman President/CEO of UCP Suffolk in November 2003. He joined the agency in 1997 as Director of Administration, where he was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the organization and oversaw the functions of Human Resources, Management Information Systems, Purchasing, Facilities Services and Quality Assurance.

Prior to joining the staff of UCP Suffolk, he was Vice President of Human Resources and Administration at the Movado Group. Inc. He received his MBA in Human Resources and Labor Relations from the New York Institute of Technology and earned both an MS in Education and a BBA in Business/Public Accounting from Hofstra University.

Janine Klein
Chief Financial Officer

Janine has been with the agency since February of 1997. She graduated from Adelphi University in 1989 and received her CPA license in 1991. She obtained her license requirements while employed at KPMG Peat Marwick. Prior to coming to UCP she was the Director of Finance at Catholic Charities.

Executive Leadership

Janet Alvarez
MBA, BS
Health Center Director

Alvarez has over fifteen years of healthcare experience in a variety of settings. She was promoted from Associate Director to Associate Director. In the past, Janet was the Administrative Manager for the Department of Urology at North Shore - Long island Jewish Medical Center.

She holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration and a Bachelors of Science in Computer Science.

Beth Apostoli
M.Ed., S.D. A.
Director of Educational Services/Principal of the UCP Children's Center in Commack, NY

Apostoli provides administrative oversight, managerial supervision and strategic leadership for our Children's Center. She has over 25 years experience in the field of special education, with an emphasis on early childhood education. Her previous positions include teaching and administrative responsibilities at the Henry Viscardi School, the Long Island Infant Development Program and the Suffolk County Department of Health. Beth is an adjunct instructor at Hofstra University and was also a Student Teaching Supervisor at the University.

Following a Bachelor of Science Program in Elementary Education at Adelphi University, Beth earned a Master of Education degree in Special Education from Boston College and a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Educational Administration from Hofstra University.

Patricia A. Caso
Director of Adult Day Services

Caso has been with the Agency in various capacities since 1969. She established Vocational Rehabilitation Services in 1975 for our agency and was involved from the inception of all Adult Day Services including Day Treatment, Day Habilitation, Adult Advocacy, Service Coordination and many of the Family Support Services offered through our agency.

For the past 18 years, Pat has been an international surveyor for the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). This gives her the opportunity to bring habilitation and rehabilitation concepts and ideas back to our organization from all over the US and Canada. A member of the Board of Directors for the NYS Rehabilitation Association, Pat holds a Masters Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from Hofstra University and is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor and a Nationally Certified Counselor.

Adriana Cleveland
Director of Residential Services

Cleveland has a vast history in the fields of human service and residential care. She began her career with UCP in 1988 as an Assistant Director of Clinical Services. Over the years she was promoted through the ranks and was appointed to her current position in 1992. She oversees the staff and operations of UCP Suffolk's 30 residences.

Adriana holds a master's degree in psychology from Adelphi University. In addition to English she is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese.

Kathleen Fila
Director of Property Development and Facilities

Fila oversees the maintenance, renovation, general facility management and environmental safety at all of the agency's residential and day sites throughout Suffolk County.

She has over 20 years of experience in both Facilities and Project Management. Prior to joining the UCP Suffolk Executive Staff she worked for the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) where she held the position of Project Manager and Facilities Specialist. Kathleen holds a Bachelors of Science in Business Management from Strayer University in Virginia.

Elizabeth A. Geary
M.Ed., LMSW
Director of The Community Programs Center of L.I. (CPC)

Geary has been the director of CPC since 2002. Betsy's career in administration began with residential services for seniors. In her position, she directs Long Island's first Intergenerational Day Care Center where children and elders come together each day to support and enrich each other's lives.

Betsy holds Master's Degrees from Boston College and Hunter College School of Social Work.

Marsha Gittleman
Director of Development

Gittleman has more than 25 years experience with the agency, and has held the title of Director of Development since 1993. She is an active member of the Long Island Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and has served on its board of directors for the past 14 years.

In the spring of 2007, she joined the faculty at Molloy College teaching in the Certificate Program in Development and Fundraising Management. An alumnus of Syracuse University and Hofstra University, she holds a degree in Psychology from Hofstra.

Jayne Mancusi
Director of Human Resources

Mancusi is responsible for managing and directing the implementation of Human Resources strategies, plans, and programs that drive performance and employee satisfaction throughout the Agency.

Jayne has been with UCP Suffolk since 2003. She demonstrates proficiency in human resources with over 20 years of human resources experience. Prior to joining the UCP Executive Team, she spent 13 years at Kollmorgen Motion Technologies where she was Manager of Human Resources.

She earned her bachelor's degree from St. John's University and also studied labor management at SUNY Stony Brook. Jayne possesses Human Resources certification from the Society of Human Resources.

Patricia Ting Tan, MD
Medical Director

Tan specializes in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Before joining UCP Suffolk, Dr. Tan served as an Attending Physiatrist at Mercy Medical Center Inpatient and Outpatient Units, and at United Cerebral Palsy of Nassau. She was previously Director of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at St. Charles Hospital and Rehabilitation Center and was the Director of the Traumatic Brain Injury Unit at St. Mary's Hospital for Children. She has been an Assistant Professor at Stony Brook University Center, and is a pioneer in Pediatric Rehabilitation at Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola, New York. Dr. Tan is fluent in Chinese (Mandarin and Fookien).

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