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Staff Profiles

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Leadership

Kevin J. Mahoney, Ph.D. Director

Kevin J. Mahoney

Director

In addition to serving as NRCPDS director, Dr. Mahoney is a professor at the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work. During a 30-year career in gerontology and long-term care, he has held many policy-making and administrative positions in the state governments of Connecticut and California. He also has held academic appointments at Yale University, the University of Connecticut, the University of California-San Francisco and the University of Maryland.

From 1996 to 2008, Dr. Mahoney was the national program director for the Cash & Counseling Demonstration and Evaluation, a policy-driven evaluation of one of the most unfettered forms of consumer direction of personal-assistance services. An expert on state government and long-term care innovation, he speaks and writes extensively on consumer direction, the roles of the public and private sectors in financing long-term care, long-term care insurance and care management.

Technical Assistance & Training

Jim Wironen, Director of Product Development & Consulting Services

Jim Wironen

Director of Product Development & Consulting Services

Jim coordinates technical assistance efforts and leads the development of new products to assist in the delivery of technical assistance and training. Prior to joining the NRCPDS, he worked as VP of financial products at AARP. Earlier in his career, he held senior leadership roles at financial services firms including New River, Morningstar, New York Life Benefit Services, State Street Global Advisors and Fidelity.

Suzanne Crisp, Director of Program Design and Implementation

Suzanne Crisp

Director of Program Design and Implementation

Suzanne provides technical assistance across the country by assessing existing programs to determine compliance and efficiency, developing products to enhance understanding of the implementation of participant direction and performing diagnostic program reviews. Her prior positions include senior research lead at Thomson Reuters, state liaison mentor for the Cash & Counseling national program office and assistant director to the Arkansas Division of Aging and Adult Services.

Dianne Kayala, Director of New Initiatives

Dianne Kayala

Director of New Initiatives

Dianne leads the Veteran-Directed Home and Community Based Services and Innovations Grants programs for the NRCPDS. Formerly the administrator of adult Medicaid services in Rhode Island, she also has served as program director for the PARI Independent Living Center and program coordinator for the Intensive Rehabilitation Unit of the Memphis Mental Health Institute.

Mark Sciegaj, Senior Consultant for Training and Research

Mark Sciegaj

Senior Consultant for Training and Research

Mark leads training services for the NRCPDS.  He also directs work on our National Survey Publicly Funded Participant-Directed Services Programs.  In addition this role at the Center, Dr. Sciegaj is the associate director of the Smart Spaces Center for Adaptive Aging in Place and associate professor of health policy and administration at the Pennsylvania State University. His research focuses on the areas of elder autonomy, preferences and participant-directed long-term care models.

Casey Sanders, Assistant Director of Training

Casey Sanders

Assistant Director of Training

Casey leads training program development at the NRCPDS. Prior to her current role, she worked at the Cash & Counseling national program office. She also has clinical social work experience working with adults with disabilities and children and families in hospital settings. Casey earned a master of social work, clinical health services, from Boston College.

Mollie Murphy, Financial Management Services Lead

Mollie Murphy

Financial Management Services Lead

Mollie provides technical assistance to federal, state and local participant direction programs for the NRCPDS. She calls on her experience in fiscal/employer agent roles, regulations and best practices (in which she is one of the few national experts) and workflow system design to support nonprofits and government. In addition, she is co-founder of Annkissam, an organization dedicated to building software tools for nonprofits.

Sandra Barrett, Technical Assistance Consultant

Sandra Barrett

Technical Assistance Consultant

Sandra works on projects including the Administration on Aging CLP Grants and the Veteran-Directed Home and Community-Based Services program. She was a state liaison mentor with six of the expansion Cash & Counseling states and retired as assistant director with the Division of Aging and Adult Services in 2003.

Isaac Selkow, Financial Management Services Research Analyst

Isaac Selkow

Financial Management Services Research Analyst

Isaac provides technical assistance to federal, state and local participant-direction programs. Prior to his work at the NRCPDS, he served as head tutor and MCAS instructor for African Community Education in Worcester, Mass.

Patrick O'Keefe, Program Analyst

Patrick O'Keefe

Program Analyst, Veteran Directed HCBS

Pat works on veterans issues for the NRCPDS, focusing on the VD-HCBS program.  He has a bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of New Hampshire. Most recently he completed a graduate program in International Relations from Regent's College London. He has previously participated in internship programs at a number of different locations including a US Senate office, US Congressional office and abroad at the campaign headquarters of a major British political party.

Ruth Fleisher, Project Implementation Specialist

Ruth Fleisher

Project Implementation Specialist

Ruth manages the development of the Center’s Knowledge Management System, and works with staff on the implementation of the Center’s technology based projects.  Prior to joining the NRCPDS, Ruth served as Director of Knowledge Management at the Forum Corporation in Boston and Technology Manager for the Management Consulting Division of Arthur D. Little, Inc. She joined our team with years of experience in project and process management.

 

Policy & Research

Erin McGaffigan, Public Policy Lead

Erin McGaffigan

Operations and Policy Lead

Erin directs all operations and public policy efforts for the NRCPDS, including coordinating the Public Policy Advisory Committee. Prior to this role, she collaborated with the Cash & Counseling national program office to build effective strategies for enhancing the involvement of participants in designing programs and services. Earlier in her career, she was senior project director for the Emergency Preparedness Initiative at the Center for Developmental Disabilities Evaluation and Research, E.K. Shriver Center. She also directed the Massachusetts 2001 Real Choice Grant, 2003 Independence Plus Grant and 2005 Systems Transformation Grant. Ms. McGaffigan received a Master’s of Science in Public Policy from the University of Massachusetts, Boston and a Master’s in Social Work with a concentration in Community Organization, Public Policy and Administration from Boston College. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and the focus of her dissertation research was the complex factors and related outcomes associated with stakeholder engagement practices.

Lori Simon-Rusinowitz, Research Director

Lori Simon-Rusinowitz

Research Director

Dr. Simon-Rusinowitz has served as research director for the NRCPDS, the Cash & Counseling Demonstration and Evaluation, and the Next Steps replication project. She is an associate professor at the Department of Health Services Administration within the University of Maryland School of Public Health. Her long-time research focus has been in the field of aging and disability policy issues.

 

Membership & National Participant Network

Molly Hurt, Membership & Innovations Program Specialist

Molly Hurt Morris

Membership & Innovations Program Specialist

Molly is a central contact and coordinator for program and financial management services member services. Prior to her work at the NRCPDS, she earned her master of social work from Boston College, with a specialization in practice with older adults and macro social work. As an MSW student, she was selected for the Hartford Partnership Program for Aging Education and worked with older adults in various capacities.

Althea McLuckie, NPN Coordinator

Althea McLuckie

NPN Coordinator

Althea is responsible for facilitating the NPN's actions and growth. She served as a member for several years prior to her current role. As a result, she understands the importance of participants directing not only their individual budgets, but also contributing to the design, implementation and quality improvement of all systems affecting their lives.

Christina Battista, Core NPN Leader

Christina Battista

Core NPN Leader

Christina assisted in the development of the NPN. Today, she helps facilitate meetings and implement agendas, and provides feedback on matters related to participant direction. She is also a recruitment contractor for the NRCPDS. Christina plans to earn a master's degree one day and counsel people with disabilities and their families.

Scott Goyette, Core NPN Leader

Scott Goyette

Core NPN Leader

Scott is public policy liaison and a member of the governance committee for the NPN. Prior to joining the NRCPDS, he served as a state delegate to the NPN representing Vermont. He has over 20 years of experience in the field of participant direction, where he has played an active role in the development of several cutting-edge programs.

Lynn MacDonald, Core NPN Leader

Lynn MacDonald

Core NPN Leader

One of the co-founders of the NPN (and founder of the Minnesota Participant Network), Lynn is a core leader providing input to the NRCPDS. She also serves as a liaison to our membership committee and runs her own business as a guardian. Lynn is a long-time advocate for participant direction and follows these principles in her own life, having lived with a disability since childhood.

 

Operations & Administration

Kristin Simone, Director of Finance & Administration

Kristin Simone

Director of Finance & Administration

Kristin directs finance and administration for the NRCPDS.  She joined the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work in 1999 as the program coordinator for the Cash & Counseling Demonstration and Evaluation. She subsequently served as the deputy director of the Cash & Counseling Replication Project. Prior to coming to Boston College, she earned a master of management with a concentration in health policy at the Heller Graduate School at Brandeis University.

Christie Cohen, Grant Proposal & Post-Award Administrator

Christie Cohen

Grant Proposal & Post-Award Administrator

Christie, who joined the NRCPDS in 2010, has been in budget administration for over a decade, carrying out pre- and post-award grant activities and managing endowed, operating and gift funds. Prior to her work here, she served as grant manager at the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work and as assistant director at the Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis University.

Patti Krusz, Finance Specialist

Patti Krusz

Finance Specialist

Patti provides high-level financial support and assists with matters related to budgets and personnel to ensure the NRCPDS properly maintains administrative, financial and operational systems and controls. Patti previously served as fiscal/office assistant for the Cash & Counseling national program office. Patti worked for Norfolk County for nine years before coming to Boston College in 2003.

Elizabeth Maguire, Assistant Director of Marketing & Communications

Elizabeth Maguire

Assistant Director, Marketing & Communications

Elizabeth leads all communications, website and social media work for the NRCPDS.  Prior to joining the NRCPDS in 2009, Elizabeth served as communications & program specialist for the Cash & Counseling national program office. She has completed Spitfire Communications trainings and has certifications in focus group facilitation and Personalysis training facilitation. Elizabeth holds a master of social work, with specialization in macro studies and gerontology, from Boston College.

Mary Quirk, Administrative Assistant to the Director

Mary Quirk

Administrative Assistant to the Director

Mary is the administrative assistant for Kevin Mahoney, NRCPDS Director.  From 1984 to 1998, Mary worked in the Alumni Association and Bureau of Conferences at Boston College. She returned to the school in 2008 after taking time off to raise her family. She currently is working toward her master of science in administrative studies at the Woods College of Advancing Studies at Boston College.

Ashley Lo Bue, Administrative Assistant

Ashley Lo Bue

Staff Assistant

Ashley Lo Bue is the Staff Assistant for the NRCPDS, providing support to all areas of the center.  Prior to joining the NRCPDS in 2010, she served as an Administrative Assistant at JBS Limited in New York City.  Ashley holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in both Communications and History from Boston College, and is currently completing her Master of Arts degree in Higher Education. 

National Resource Center for Participant-Directed Services
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