Leadership

Adam Jones graduated with honors from Meredith Manor in 2009 with a Riding master’s degree. He has been working at Madison Fields for over three years. At Madison Fields, Adam actively advocates for autism awareness and employing adults on the autism spectrum. He believes that people like him deserve a fighting chance and a way to find their true sense of self-worth. He continues to grow in his own riding career and aspires to show at the Washington International Horse Show.

“Horses have taught me so much about life and myself. They really inspire me to be a better person.”

Andrew Blitman, who earned his degree in Marine Conservation Science & Policy from the University of Miami, is a local from South Florida who served on the UM-NSU Center for Autism and Related Disabilities constituency board from 2011 to 2017. He currently works as a tutor and mentor for Firewall Centers. He is the author of five books: one comprehensive poetry anthology, three illustrated poetry books written and drawn from the perspective of animals, and a memoir about his December 2012 Birthright trip to Israel. To read his works, you can visit his website: andrewblitman.com.

 

Connor is a West Palm Beach native and an identical twin.   He is a 2017 graduate of The Learning Academy where he also participated in a work/school program at Publix. Connor was employed by Publix in 2013 and promoted to a full-time role on their customer service staff in 2020. Connor is also a greeter at his church every Sunday. He actively pursues ways to work hands-on with programs at The Els Center of Excellence including development and adult services.

Connor is also a proud Eagle Scout and enjoys paddleboard racing with his twin brother. He also is a regular at outdoor events in the South Florida area, primarily car and boat shows, and music events.

Dhivaan Salig was originally born in South Africa and moved to Florida in December 2010. His brother, Rhevaal, graduated from The Learning Academy and now is a client in our Adult Day Training program. Dhivaan completed an internship with the Marketing and Development Team Department at Els for Autism in the summer of 2023 which led to an invitation to serve on the Advisory Board. He then graduated from Florida Atlantic University in December 2023 with a B.A. in Communication Studies.   He is also an aspiring author who wants to write a series of young adult books and self-publish them. His many interests include animals, movies, and animation. 

Dr. Kerry Magro (Mah-grow) Ed.D. was nonspeaking till 2.5, diagnosed with autism at 4 and didn’t speak in complete sentences until 7 years old. Today as an adult he is an award-winning autistic professional speaker, best-selling author and autism consultant to the HBO series Mrs. Fletcher and the latest season of Netflix’s Emmy-Award Winning Series ‘Love on the Spectrum U.S.’ He started professional speaking 13 years ago via the National Speakers Association after he fell in love with theater as a child to help with his social and communication skills. Today he has spoken at over 1300 events during that time include 2 TEDxTalks and a 'Talks at Google' presentation. In addition, Kerry is CEO & President of KFM Making A Difference, a nonprofit organization that hosts inclusion events and has provided 150 scholarships for autistic students for college and counting since 2011. He’s provided 27 small business grants for small businesses that hire people with disabilities and has played Santa Claus for autistic and special needs children for the past decade to give them an opportunity to meet Santa in a sensory-friendly environment.

In his spare time, he hosts a Facebook Page called Kerry's Autism Journey that now has 278,000 Facebook followers where he does on-camera interviews highlighting people impacted by a diagnosis to help break down barriers in our community. His videos he’s produced have been watched over 35 Million times. 

Kerry’s best-selling books Defining Autism From The Heart, and Autism and Falling in Love, I Will Light It Up Blue and his latest, Autistics on Autism have reached Amazon Best-Seller Lists for Special Needs Parenting. His latest book ‘Supporting Your Autism Journey’ was released on April 2, 2024 for World Autism Awareness Day!

For his efforts in the community he’s been featured on NBC’s Today Show, CBS News, FOX5, Upworthy along with additional outlets. He frequently speaks in-person and virtually to companies on Neurodiversity in the Workplace including JP Morgan Chase, TD Bank, and S&P Global.

Dr. Stephen Shore is from Massachusetts. A Clinical Assistant Professor of Special Education at Adelphi University, Dr. Shore has been tireless on advocacy, with his countless speeches, interviews, presentations (all over the world), and his high positions on many important organizational boards, along with working on many different projects that improve on advocacy.

Gyasi Burks-Abbott, MS, is on the faculty of the LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities) Program at Boston Children’s Hospital and UMass Boston’s Institute for Community Inclusion. He serves on the boards, committees, and commissions of many autism and disability organizations; and he’s written for several autism and disability-related publications. Gyasi graduated from Macalester College in St. Paul, MN with a BA in English and psychology, and he has an M.S. in Library and Information Science from Simmons University in Boston. Gyasi tells the story of how he became an autism self-advocate in his autobiography/memoir titled My Mother’s Apprentice: An Autistic’s Rites of Passage

James A. Williams is originally from England. At 3 years he was diagnosed with autism and admits to processing information different from most people. It was around that time, when he was starting to take small lessons in playing the piano but never picked up on it. Around 2010, however, a decision was made that would change his life for the better. He stumbled across a Youtube visual tutorial on Fantasie Impromptu Op. 66 in C sharp minor by Frederic Chopin which quickly became his go-to trademark for his piano skills. After months of practicing and following along without traditional music theory, he memorized the famous masterpiece.

There was an opportunity to take part in a middle school talent showcase; in a short period of time, a first-place prize was awarded to him. After more inspiration and determination for establishing his gift, he took on the next step of his journey, participating in The National Fine Arts Competition. In order to raise funds to travel with the church congregation across the country, performing for tips and selling CDs helped out tremendously, thus A Moment With The Classics was born by mid-2011 with a few recordings of my classical renditions.

Jeff Snyder is an autism/neurodiversity ambassador and public speaker based in Seekonk, Massachusetts.  He specializes in training families, educators and employers about various topics related to neurodiversity all from his own personal lived experiences.  Upon graduation from Seekonk High School in 2007, Jeff became the first neurodivergent to have completed Kindergarten through Grade 12 from start to finish in the Seekonk Public School system.  Since May 2021, he is the founder of "Going the Distance" a personalized platform that serves as the hub for his journey of living neurodivergent.

Katie Santoro is a Miami Herald Silver Knight Award winner in the Drama category. She became a Silver Knight after she was invited to Washington at age 16 to speak to members of Congress and the National Endowment for the Arts about the impact of budget cuts on arts funding. She has been an arts advocate for over a decade and recently became an autism advocate after a late diagnosis at age 24. She participated in Job Seekers and the SALT program at UM/CARD. Her favorite group is Women on the Spectrum Support Group. She babysits for a 12-year-old girl on the spectrum.

She hopes the future will be a world where clinicians have more accurate testing tools and knowledge to accurately identify women on the spectrum. Katie is the chair on the board of the Unicorn Children’s Foundation. She has traveled to 5 continents with the life goal of visiting all 7. She is a graduate of the University of Illinois and currently works full time at Cardinal Health.

Merrick Egber started working with the Els for Autism Foundation just a few months before the ribbon cutting of the Els Center of Excellence in 2014! He earned his B.A. in Communication Studies from Florida Atlantic University, with specialized classes on group facilitation, management, and organizing. Currently, he is a member of two boards, APSE and our Els for Autism Advisory Board, and is also busy working as a Communications Specialist, helping out the Marketing Department.

On the side, he is a self-published author who has written numerous works of poetry and song lyrics that are on Amazon.com and Lulu.com and managed to get a few of them recorded as actual songs, which can be found on MerrickEgber.com.

Mike DiMauro was diagnosed with autism at the age of 22. Mike graduated from Westfield State University in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies. Mike also has a driver’s license and has been driving since he was 17. Mike likes to spread autism awareness no matter where he goes.

Mike has spoken at the Family Cafe in Orlando, Milestones Autism Conference in Cleveland Ohio, and the Nebraska ASD Network Conference in Omaha Nebraska. Mike is a former Autism Speaks Walk committee member for the Central Florida walk. Mike is formerly an Autism Speaks Volunteer Advocacy Ambassador for the state of Florida.

When Mike is not spreading autism awareness, he likes to go camping and traveling. Mike is also an UberEats driver since January 2018 and looking at going on a cross-country road trip to do UberEats deliveries in all 50 states. Mike is also an involved member of Pioneer Valley Chapter 8 of the North American Family Campers Association based in Springfield Massachusetts. The camping club is the promoters of the Springfield RV Camping & Outdoor Show which Mike and his family volunteer at yearly. Mike also threw out the first pitch at the Tampa Bay Rays game in 2012

Throughout his life, with confidence & pride, he has walked to the beat of advocacy, influencing Congress, & several major universities, & has had a profound impact on his alumni, the College Internship Program in Lee, MA, all the while raising funds for research on the science of autism. Paul is from Weston, CT, & currently resides in White Plains, NY.

Ron Sandison works full time in the medical field and is a professor of theology at Destiny School of Ministry. He is an advisory board member of the Art of Autism and the Els Center of Excellence. Sandison has a Master of Divinity from Oral Roberts University and is the author of A Parent’s Guide to Autism: Practical Advice. Biblical Wisdom published by Charisma House and Views from the Spectrum. He has memorized over 15,000 Scriptures including 22 complete books of the New Testament. Sandison speaks at over 70 events a year including 20 plus education conferences. Ron and his wife, Kristen, reside in Rochester Hills, MI, with daughter, Makayla. His website is http://www.spectruminclusion.com. You can contact him at sandison456@hotmail.com.

https://www.spectruminclusion.com
https://www.facebook.com/SpectrumRonSandison

Sue Abramowski is an autistic self advocate with a passion for helping others. She earned her Bachelor’s in Social Work from Buffalo State College in 2006 and currently holds three positions working with others who have developmental disabilities and mental health diagnoses. Sue uses her own life experiences to connect to others.

In her free time, Sue is a gamer and has proclaimed herself an Android geek. She can be found tinkering with her devices and customizing them. Sue also loves animals and has had pets most of her life. Her favorite animals are rats!