Long Island Autism Communities, Inc. Announces New Executive Director Terri Manzione, Esq.

LongIsland.com

Long Island Autism Communities, Inc. announced the appointment of Terri Manzione, Esq. as Executive Director.

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Pictured is New Executive Director Terri Manzione, Esq.

Deer Park, NY - September 19, 2016 - Long Island Autism Communities, Inc., a recently formed not for profit, 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to developing supportive integrated communities for adults with autism, announced the appointment of Terri Manzione, Esq. as Executive Director.

Manzione brings extensive experience and expertise working on behalf of individuals with developmental disabilities including developing successful grant proposals to the New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), various other agencies and foundations. Her experience also encompasses community outreach, marketing and compliance related initiatives.

Prior to joining Long Island Autism Communities, Manzione served as a Grant Author/Coordinator of Grant Program Operations for The Center for Discovery ASSET (Assessment, Support, Education and Training) Program. While there, she co-authored an OPWDD Balancing Incentive Program (BIP) grant proposal and received the second highest award in New York State. Her role also included collaborating with the organization’s Associate Executive Director, CFO and General Counsel in the development of a business plan designed to achieve program sustainability through various funding streams. Additionally, she managed program contracts, helped facilitate participants’ obtaining OPWDD eligibility and HCBS Medicaid Waivers, conducted outreach with stakeholders across New York City and Hudson Valley region, and presented workshops.

Manzione’s career also included her roles as: Executive Director and Chair of the Board of Directors for Friends of L’Arche, Long Island, an organization developing family-like places where individuals with disabilities can live in the community with assistants; Corporate Compliance Officer and Coordinator of Outreach for Nassau Suffolk Services for Autism; and MSC Program Developer and Medicaid Service Coordinator for Ascent, A School for Children with Autism.

Manzione is an attorney who received her Juris Doctorate from St. John’s University and her
Bachelor of Science, Social Science Interdisciplinary from the State University of New York at Stony Brook (Stony Brook University). An active member of the community, her past and present affiliations include: Long Island Family Support Services Advisory Council, for which
she has been a member since 2006 and was a Chairperson from April 2013-April 2015; the St. Mary’s of Roslyn Choir, for which she has been a member since 2005; and Co-Chair of the Center for Discovery’s Evening of Discovery Gala, its largest annual fundraiser from 2014-2016.

She resides in Glen Head.

About Long Island Autism Communities, Inc.
Long Island Autism Communities, Inc. was formed in 2015 as a not for profit, 501(c)(3) organization. Its mission is to provide a place for adults with autism to live, work, socialize and thrive in a proactive, integrated community that meets the needs of each individual with person-centered planning and support. This goal will be accomplished by building communities of homes near vibrant villages or towns on Long Island that offer convenient access to hospitals and healthcare providers, potential employers, religious services, supermarkets, drugstores, restaurants, other retailers, service providers and recreational facilities. Our goal is to help each individual to become fully-engaged with the surrounding community, and encourage members of the local town or village to get to know our residents so that they can become part of that community. The organization was founded by CJM Wealth Management CEO Charles Massimo, the father of triplets, a daughter and two sons both of who are on the autism spectrum.

Massimo and his Board have identified an ideal location in Patchogue in close proximity to the village with easy access to transportation, a local hospital, healthcare providers, potential employers, supermarkets, banks, retailers, etc. and all of Patchogue’s thriving recreational and cultural offerings. It is exactly what the vision called for in giving the residents the best possible future into their adulthood.

Plans are to have the first community completed on or about 2018. The vision is for the first community to include residents with autism and some without a disability including a community director and caregivers. The homes would be designed with warm and inviting decors, while accommodating the special needs of individuals with autism such as sensitivity to certain outside stimuli such as excessive light or noise.

For more information, to get involved or make a donation, visit: www.licommunity.org or call: 631.302.0095