Kristy Leader M.S.Ed SAS
Director of Community Support Network and Public Policy
kleader@wihd.org | 914-493-3024

Kristy Leader holds a School Administrator/Supervisor license and Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Bank Street College of Education.

Kristy has worked as an early childhood and elementary teacher, school leader/administrator and professor in the field of education for over 20 years with a passion around increasing equity in schools.

Prior to taking the role as Director of the Community Support Network and Public Policy, Kristy worked at WIHD as a Family and Community Educator and Professional Development Specialist with the Hudson Valley Family and Community Engagement Centers, working with families and professionals across the region to improve outcomes for students with disabilities.

Janet Longo-Abinanti
Support Broker
jlongo@wihd.org | 914-493-8547

Janet Longo-Abinanti is a former science teacher and has some administrative experience in the field of education.  She has served on several not-for-profit boards of directors for agencies providing services to people with disabilities.  She is a LEND fellow from the class of 2019 and has a child who has ASD.  She has been a broker with WIHD since September of 2019.

Mariela Adams
Manager for Self-Advocacy and Community Engagement
madams@wihd.org

Mariela Adams is CSN’s Manager for Self-Advocacy and Community Engagement. She oversees the self-advocacy team and supports their activities, including community engagement, virtual events, outreach, and social and volunteer activities  She also provides training and develops curriculum for WIHD’s Speakers Network and Think College program as well as disseminates resources and materials supportive of best practices in self-advocacy and self-determination.  She can be contacted at madams@wihd.org. Mariela is a 2018 graduate of the LEND program and a parent of a young man with severe autism. Prior to working for WIHD, Mariela worked for Parent to Parent of NYS as a Regional Coordinator supporting the needs of caregivers of individuals of special needs. She is a passionate advocate for her son and is committed to empowering families reach a better quality of life through education and self-advocacy.

Janine Belfast
Manager, Decision Making and Benefits Navigation Solutions
jbelfast@wihd.org | 914-493-5204

Janine Belfast joined WIHD’s Community Support Network in 2019, where she helps families to make decisions around life skills development, supported decision-making and benefits navigation. Prior to this, Janine had a background in process improvement in the corporate and consulting world, working for GE Capital, GE Structured Finance and AT&T Solutions, and in sustainability consulting. She has served as the Special Education PTA representative for Davis elementary school in New Rochelle and was also a member of the board of New Rochelle SEPTA. Janine has an MBA from Columbia University and an MS in Engineering from NYU and is married with two children.

Christina Bueti, MSEd
Bilingual Family Engagement Facilitator
cbueti@wihd.org | 914-493-8119

Christina Bueti is a Bilingual Family Engagement Facilitator for the Lower Hudson Early Childhood FACE Center at WIHD where she works collaboratively with the team to improve outcomes for children and families with disabilities. She started at WIHD in October 2021 and holds a Master’s degree in Early Childhood and Special Education.

Christina taught preschool for over 20 years and was an Educational Director for Head Start for four years before coming to work at WIHD. As a teacher, she was always focused on helping the families understand the Special Education process and working closely with their children in the classroom to gain their full potential.

Christina began her work as the Hudson Valley Family Engagement Facilitator for School Age then moved in the role of the Lower Hudson Early Childhood Family Engagement Facilitator.  She also joined the Partnership Implementation Team (PIT) and is part of the Preschool work group for the Office Of Special Education.

Eleanor Evangelista
Innovative Transition Planning Coordinator
eevangelista@wihd.org | 914-548-4881

Eleanor Evangelista resides in Eastchester with her husband and two sons, one of whom has a diagnosis of Autism.  Her background is in Marketing Management but her passion and eventual career path surrounded creating and implementing programming for those with ID/DD.  Becoming president of SEPTA in 2009, she immediately began after school clubs for the special needs’ students, utilizing the assistance and mentorship of general education students to bridge the gap.   

Eleanor established the IMPACT U experiential college program at Concordia College-NY from 2017 until the college ceased all operations in May 2021.   As her son, Paul, longed for the same experiences as his HS peers, that goal was met for fourteen young adults who remain friends after living in residence halls together, auditing classes, and socializing every day for years.    Following graduation, WIHD’s Search & Expand program of Community classes and volunteer opportunities began at NYP-Lawrence hospital with eight young adults successfully completely a nine-month program in preparation of and prior to navigating their vocational searches.  An official Project SEARCH was launched in September 2022 at the hospital (now NYP-Westchester Hospital) whereby Eleanor oversees staff and nine young men and women in a blended model combining school district students and those already exited from high school.   A rigorous curriculum of daily work related and independence skills combined with internships throughout the hospital has proven to be a win-win for our families involved as well as the hospital.   

Debbie Goddard
Family and Community Educator
dgoddard@wihd.org | 914-849 0536

Debbie Goddard is a Family and Community Educator at the Lower Hudson Valley FACE Center at WIHD where she works collaboratively with the team to improve outcomes for children and families with disabilities. Debbie served for many years as a Parent Member in her district and was always available to parents and families with resources and encouragement. As the founder and president of the Ossining School District SEPTO she coordinated with professionals to lead workshops, presentations and Q & A sessions on a variety of relevant topics to the disability community.

Yvette Goorevitch
Coordinator, School District Partnerships
ygoorevitch@wihd.org | 914-522-9662

Yvette Goorevitch has over 46 years’ experience as a special education leader in public schools. She is Coordinator of School District Partnerships at WIHD providing consultation to regional school districts. As an educational consultant, her Transition Thought Exchange provides strategic planning to School Districts.  She serves as an Executive Coach in several school districts and is a Leadership Consultant to the NYU ASD Nest Program.

She was Chief of Specialized Learning and Student Services in Norwalk CT from 2017-2022 and oversaw services to 1700 students with specialized needs Goorevitch focused on program and staff development to support co-teaching teams, transition programs for students 18-22, programs for children with autism, parent engagement and the Norwalk Center for Dyslexia. Formerly director of special and alternative education in the City school district of New Rochelle, During her 26-year tenure with New Rochelle, Goorevitch took a school system with special education challenges, and economic threats and transformed it into a model district for students with special needs and supports.

In 2016, Goorevitch received the NYCASE Special Education Administrator of the Year Award. She served as President of NYCASE for three years. Goorevitch is currently is a member of the National CASE Legislative and Policy committee, and serves on the CASE Committees in CT and NYS. She is a frequent presenter at regional, statewide and national conferences focusing on effective family engagement while ensuring authentic voices of self-advocates.

Goorevitch holds a Master of Science in Special Education, and a Master of Education in Supervision and Administration from the Columbia University Teacher’s College where she has completed advanced doctoral coursework.

Nichole Hastings
Coordinator of Self Advocacy & Community Engagement
nhastings@wihd.org

Nichole Hastings is a talented woman with life experience that entails working in the field of disabilities as an advocate for herself and others with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She is overjoyed to have joined the WIHD Family first as the vice president of The Hear Our Voices Self-Advocacy Group, she is currently  in the LEND program. And now her position as a Coordinator of Self-Advocacy & Community Engagement. She is an adaptive bike rider, and skier.

Joyce Hawk
Senior Family and Community Educator, Training Development and Reporting
jhawk@wihd.org | 845-891-1305

Joyce Hawk has worked with individuals with disabilities in many capacities for more than thirty-five years. In addition to assisting parents of children with disabilities to better understand the special education process, Joyce’s experience includes coordinating accommodative services for college students with disabilities, teaching college courses, providing professional development training for school district personnel, career counseling with high school students, as well as managing residential programs for individuals with developmental and emotional disabilities. Joyce works in partnership with school districts, families, community agencies, and colleges to improve effective transition planning practices and services through her active participation in regional transition councils and other consortiums. In addition to a college degree, Joyce holds professional competency certifications in College Coaching for students with Asperger Syndrome, Basic Assistive Technology Services and Person-Centered Planning. Her unique experiences enable her to provide families, educators and community members with valuable information and resources on many different levels.

Brendan Klein
Coordinator of Self Advocacy & Community Engagement
bklein@wihd.org | 914-493-8119

Brendan Klein is the Coordinator of Self Advocacy & Community Engagement at the Westchester Institute for Human Development. Brendan is also a passionate self-advocate at both the local and state level, participating as a WIHD Board member and the President of the Hear Our Voices group. He is actively engaged in the community, both professionally and with his TicTacGO social network that has hundreds of members. He is currently a board member of SANYS, part of the Westchester County IDD Advisory Committee and a self-advocate on DDAC Self Direction Committee. He volunteers weekly at the Mount Kisco Interfaith Food Pantry and is on the board of the Pleasantville Community Garden, both of which provide healthy nutrition for food insecure families in Westchester County.

Carole Lucas
Self-Direction Supervisor
clucas@wihd.org | 914-734-5116

Carole Lucas graduated with her Masters of Social Work degree. She has many years of professional experience working as a Medicaid Service Coordinator, Care Manager, Self-Direction Start Up/Support Broker, and Broker Supervisor. Carole is passionate about helping people.  She is aware of and has encountered many of the challenges individuals face when assisting her niece in obtaining services. Carole believes in the right for all individuals to be as independent as possible and live their best life.

Beth Poague
Family and Community Educator
bpoague@wihd.org

Beth Poague is a family and community educator for early childhood special education, and a parent advocate for families with children with disabilities. Beth holds a master’s degree in Social Justice Educational Studies at SUNY New Paltz, focusing on disability advocacy, inclusion and anti-racism work, and is a graduate of the Certified NYS Partners in Policymaking. In addition, she apprenticed in the restorative justice program at the Mediation Center of Dutchess County, working to provide opportunities for parents of children with disabilities to sit in circle and build a community of support, and is certified as a transformative mediator.

Claire Polin
Coordinator of Self Advocacy & Community Engagement
cpolin@wihd.org

Claire Polin is a self-advocate and a member of the Hear Our Voices organization. Claire has participated in many professional speaking opportunities. She is passionate about improving quality of care for individuals with disabilities in medical settings. Claire is also a Certified Sexual Education teacher for people with disabilities. In addition to her work at WIHD, Claire is also a mentor to high school students with disabilities.

Lucile Rossi, MBA
Special Projects
lrossi@wihd.org

Lucille Rossi has been associated with the Community Support Network at WIHD since 2013 and has worked on projects ranging from performing research and coordination of the Housing Resource Guide to the recent Transition Institute.  She is also involved in the disability community, as a parent of an adult child (now 20 years old) with an intellectual disability.

In addition to her work at WIHD Lucille is also involved with the following organizations:

• Member of the town of New Castle’s EPIC (Every Person is Connected) Committee  (http://www.mynewcastle.org/283/Every-Person-is-Connected-Committee-EPIC)
• Chappaqua’s Special Education PTA Committee – Chairperson for Horace Greeley High School, since 2012
• Chappaqua School District Special Education Advisory Committee member
• Graduate of NYS Partners in Policymaking program, class of 2018
• Family Supports and Services (FSS) Advisory Council Member at the OPWDD office in Tarrytown
• Contracted by the NY Alliance for Inclusion and Innovation’s NY Housing Resource Center (www.NYhrc.org)
• Member of the new formed Westchester County Advisory Council on People with Disabilities.

Her professional background includes a 30-year career in financial services, process redesign, and project management. She attended Wellesley College, and received her MBA from NYU’s Stern School.

Lucille has extensive training in, and knowledge of, the disability landscape and is experienced from both a policy perspective and as a user of these services.

Additional Staff Pictures and Bios Coming Soon!

Luis Ortiz