Experience

Five decades. One throughline.

Building programs, schools, and systems that work for the students and families others can't reach.

  1. 2017 – Present · New Jersey

    Executive Director

    Paradigm School System, Inc. — a Subsidiary of CarePlus NJ

    Brought in as a consultant to build Paradigm Therapeutic High School from the ground up — navigating the full NJ DOE approval process for a new therapeutic day school. Upon state approval, hired as Executive Director to open and lead the school in 2018. Subsequently led the development and NJ DOE approval of a second campus — Paradigm Therapeutic Middle School, which opened September 2025 — combining both schools under Paradigm School System Inc., currently serving 60 students across both campuses.

  2. 2002 – Present · Bergen County, NJ

    Founding Board Member & Board President

    Bergen's Promise, Inc.

    Helped conceive and launch Bergen's Promise in 2002, serving as a founding board member and helping establish it as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The designated Care Management Organization for Bergen County, serving youth ages 5–21 with behavioral, emotional, and developmental challenges using a Wraparound Model of Care — over 13,000 youth and families served since inception. Currently Board President.

  3. 1998 – 2016 · New Jersey & National

    Principal Consultant

    ED&M Consulting

    Nearly two decades of consulting to schools, districts, and behavioral health organizations across New Jersey and nationally. Provided school system-wide behavioral management planning, program evaluation, and compliance consulting. Worked with schools in Ohio and Indiana to implement behavioral frameworks that improved student outcomes.

  4. 1985 – 1990 · New York

    Co-Founder

    ProPrep Teacher Training

    Co-founded ProPrep, a teacher training company that successfully prepared NYC educators to earn their teaching certification, combining behavioral management and special education with a practical training model.

  5. 1990 – 1994 · National

    National Trainer — School-Wide Behavioral Management

    Independent Practice

    National trainer and speaker in school-wide behavioral management systems, presenting at conferences including NAPSEC and the Council for Exceptional Children — including state conferences in Arkansas and Nevada.

  6. 1985 – 1990 · New York

    Adjunct Professor — Behavioral Management

    CUNY / Rockland

    Developed and taught graduate-level coursework in behavioral management for NYC special education teachers pursuing a Master's Degree.

  7. 1977 – 2016 · New Jersey

    Owner & Executive Director

    Palisades Regional Academy

    Acquired a struggling special education school in 1977 and built it into a multi-school system with a statewide reputation — one of the state's early NJ DOE-approved private schools serving students with behavioral and emotional disabilities. In 1979, led the development of one of the nation's first school-wide behavioral management systems.

  8. 2000 · Bergen County, NJ

    Special Education Administrative Representative

    Bergen County Mental Health Department

    Represented special education interests within Bergen County's mental health infrastructure — work that directly led to the conception and launch of the Partnership for Community Health, laying the groundwork for what later became Bergen's Promise.

  9. 1975 – 1977 · New York City

    Assistant Coordinator — Committee on the Handicapped

    New York City Board of Education

    Worked across all 32 NYC school districts to establish the Committee on the Handicapped (COH) compliance infrastructure as mandated by federal law — among the earliest implementations of its kind in the country. Created and implemented IEP and 504 planning systems across NYC's entire public school system at the dawn of federal special education legislation.

  10. 1970 – 1974 · New York City

    Special Education Teacher

    New York City Board of Education

    Worked with elementary-age students with learning disabilities and behavioral challenges. Developed an in-class positive reinforcement program while differentiating instruction to meet the needs of each student.

Skills & Expertise

Special Education AdministrationBehavioral Management SystemsNJ DOE ComplianceProgram DevelopmentTherapeutic Day SchoolsSchool TurnaroundWraparound ServicesIEP DevelopmentStaff Training & DevelopmentSchool OperationsBehavioral HealthNonprofit LeadershipInterim LeadershipFamily AdvisoryIDEA ComplianceCommittee on the HandicappedOut-of-District PlacementsCare ManagementNational Training & SpeakingSchool Avoidance504 PlansFiscal Management