Staff

Paige Pierce | Ruth Foster | Brooke Schewe | Bill Przylucki | Anne Kuppinger | Tracie Killar

Stephanie Orlando | Ryanna Soule | Daphnne Brown | Zachary Garafalo | Elizabeth Haller | Fawn Montanye | Christine Navojosky

Paige Pierce, Executive Director

Paige has been the Executive Director for Families Together since 2000. Paige has been very successful in shaping policy and implementing systems change at the state level; and serves as a liaison between families and policy makers. Paige serves as the Chair of Timothy’s Law Campaign and the New York State Coordinated Children’s Services Initiative (CCSI) Tier III.  She is dedicated to several other committees, boards and coalitions. 

Paige earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Skidmore College in 1987. She is the mother of four children. Her son has special emotional, behavioral, and mental health needs, and receives special education services and support in the local public school system.

 

Email Address: ppierce@ftnys.org

Phone: 518.432.0333 ext. 12

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Ruth Foster, Deputy Director/Director of Public Policy

As Deputy Director/Director of Public Policy, Ruth is responsible for monitoring policy developments in New York State, keeping families informed about policies affecting children with special behavioral or emotional disabilities. She works with the Families Together Board of Directors to support family participation in policy decisions.

Ruth has over 10 years experience in working with non-profits including publications director of a national women’s organization. Ruth is the mother of two daughters.

Email Address: rfoster@ftnys.org

Phone: 518.432.0333 ext. 15

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Brooke Schewe, Statewide System of Care Director

Brooke Schewe has recently been appointed the new Statewide System of Care Director for Families Together in New York State. With an abundance of experience in the field of systems of care and the family driven movement, she is responsible for coordinating system of care and cross-systems activities across the state and will serve as a liaison between regional and county collaboratives and the New York State Commissioner's Cross-Systems group.  Brooke has served Families Together in New York State since 2001, first as the Director of Outreach and Development and then as the Director of Families Together in Albany County. She has served as a family voice on numerous committees across New York State, and has consulted and presented on Systems of Care at the national level. Brooke has been passionately involved in advocacy most of her life.

 

Brooke is a graduate of the State University of New York at Albany and mother of two sons with emotional and behavioral concerns.

 

Email Address: bschewe@ftnys.org

Phone: 518.432.0333 ext. 14

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Bill Przylucki, Statewide Director of the NYS Children's Plan

As the Statewide Director of the NYS Children's Plan, Bill develops strategies and plans for the successful implementation of the New York State Children's Plan in collaboration with the Commissioner's Cross-System Group and other invested parties. 

 

More than 28 years with not-for-profit human service organizations, including work as a private consultant and advisor for child welfare and human services agencies, allows Bill to enjoy a depth and breadth of relevant experience for the statewide directorship.  Associated with the Council of Family and Child Caring Agencies (COFCCA) in NYS for nearly seven years, following twenty-two years with Catholic Charities, Bill largely and gratefully credits his knowledge of the voluntary human services and their many interfaces with government to his previous employment opportunities.  He unabashedly  works across sectors and disciplines to benefit the social and emotional wellness and learning of children and their families while helping to strengthen communities. 

    

Bill earned his MSW at the University at Albany School of Social Welfare.  He and his wife Tracy-Thompson Przylucki are the proud parents of 5 children in a blended family situation. 

Email Address: bill.przylucki@ccf.state.ny.us

Phone: 518.474.5194

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Anne Kuppinger, Director of Training & Family Involvement

As the Director of Training and Family Involvement, Anne is responsible for a number of Initiatives designed to strengthen and sustain the important work of family support organizations and family advocates.  This includes, but is not limited to, the Parent Empowerment Program (PEP)Training Initiative; the establishment of  a Family Advocate Credential;  the creation of learning collaborative opportunities for family advocates and the development of  data-informed strategies to better understand the unique contribution of family support as an important cross-system resource for families.

 

Anne has over twenty years of experience working in partnership with families, youth, communities, providers and policymakers to expand access to effective, compassionate, and responsive services and supports.   She earned her BA in History from Boston College and her Masters degree in Education from the University of Maryland at College Park. 

 

Anne and her husband Dan have three sons, one of whom has an intellectual disability as well as a long list of interests and abilities.

Email Address: akuppinger@ftnys.org

Phone: 518.432.0333 ext. 18

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Tracie Killar, Communications Director

As Communications Director for Families Together, Tracie is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the Communications and Outreach Department, and coordinating communication within the Families Together network and with the public. Building upon her 24 years of experience in nonprofit communications, and her personal experience as a parent of two children with emotional, social, behavioral, and developmental special needs, Tracie is a strong advocate for children and youth with disabilities.

 

Tracie earned her Bachelor of Arts in Public Communications from the College of Saint Rose. She is involved with a number of child serving organizations and committees.

 

Email Address: tkillar@ftnys.org

Phone: 518.432.0333 ex. 24

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Stephanie Orlando, Director of YOUTH POWER!

Building upon her personal experience in the children’s mental health system, Ms. Orlando has become a strong advocate for youth with disabilities on county, state and national levels.  As the Director of YOUTH POWER! she is responsible for coordinating and mentoring the statewide network of young people with disabilities and social-emotional challenges.

A former high school drop out, Ms. Orlando was graduated magna cum laude from the University at Buffalo in 2005.  She serves as a member of several boards and committees including the Commissioners’ Committee on Cross-Systems Services for Children & Youth, the Commissioner’s Advisory Panel for Special Education Services, the Mental Health Services Planning Council, and the Board of Directors of the Children’s Mental Health Coalition of Western New York. Ms. Orlando has received numerous awards for her work, including the Diana Vietz Award in 2008 from the National Council on Independent Living and mpower Award in 2006 from the National Mental Health Association.

Email Address: sorlando@ftnys.org

Phone: 518.432.0333 ex. 21

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Ryanna Soule, Associate Director of YOUTH POWER!

Ryanna Soule is a peer who has over 5 years experience personally navigating multiple systems of care. Originally from Elmira located in Chemung County, she has used her personal experience to become an advocate for youth specifically for their service planning meetings and through SPOA(Single Point of Access). Ms. Soule has developed key components to the SPOA Youth Advocate Program, and helped facilitate a Youth Advisory Council. In 2007 Ryanna helped to put on an event on Social-Emotional barriers to education, which brought together over a hundred mental health professionals, youth and school personnel. She is an experienced presenter and has delivered workshops to numerous providers.  Ryanna is now the Associate Director of YOUTH POWER!.  Her responsibilities will include supervision of five regional youth partners as well as maintaining successful implementation of  the peer network. 

 

Among her achievements, Ryanna has won awards such as Outstanding Youth Advocate of the Year from FTNYS, as well as ‘The Way’ award from the Chemung County Human Relations Commission.

 

Email Address: rsoule@ftnys.org

Phone: 518.432.0333 ex. 34

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Daphnne Brown, Family Involvement & Chapter Coordinator

Ms. Brown provides support and technical assistance to families, service providers, advocates and Families Together Chapters in the areas of family support, systems advocacy, and parent empowerment.  Ms. Brown works closely with the ten regional Families Together Chapters, and maintains the Families Together toll-free information and referral line.

 

Ms. Brown is the parent of five children; two of her children are classified and are being served by the local school district with IEPs. She has experience with different child serving systems; and received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from SUNY at Brockport. 

 

Email Address: dbrown@ftnys.org

Phone: 518.432.0333 ex. 25

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Zachary Garafalo, YOUTH POWER! Coordinator

Zach is a recent graduate of Southern Vermont College. He brings over 10 years of youth advocacy, leadership development and mentoring experience to YOUTH POWER! and FTNYS. In his role as YOUTH POWER! Coordinator, Zach will be responsible for the implementation of the Ready to Achieve Mentoring Program (RAMP) and will be working as staff support to the YOUTH POWER! working groups.

 

As a young person who has received mental health and special education services, Zach strongly believes that as young people, it is our privilege and responsibility to be involved in what affects our lives; whether it is with a school group, a civic league or in the community as a volunteer or elected official. Zach firmly believes that young people possess the unique ability to shape policies that will affect our generation in the years to come.

 

Zach was born and raised in Natick, Massachusetts and now lives in Hoosick Falls, New York.

 

Email Address: zgarafalo@ftnys.org
Phone: 518.432.0333 ex. 26

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Elizabeth Haller, Accountant and Benefits Coordinator

Ms. Haller brings to Families Together years of nonprofit accounting experience.

Email Address: ehaller@ftnys.org

Phone: 518.432.0333 ex. 13

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Fawn Montanye, Executive Assistant to the Executive Director

Information on Fawn is coming soon...

 

 

Email Address: fmontanye@ftnys.org

Phone: 518.432.0333 ex. 29

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Christine Navojosky

Information on Chris is coming soon...

 

 

Email Address: cnavojosky@ftnys.org

Phone: 518.432.0333 ex. 10

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