Board of Directors

"The Capacity to Care Gives Life Its Deepest Significance"

Bottom: (left to right) Michael Christodolou, Mario Fischetti, Dr. Ellenmorris Tiegerman, Toya Davis, Georgiana Reese-Benatti, Sher Sparano
Top: Joseph Farber, Scott Liewehr, Teri Fritz, Peter Fischetti, Bryan Tseng, Paul Rosen (Chairman)

SLCD Board of Directors Biography

Dr. Ellenmorris Tiegerman

Dr. Ellenmorris Tiegerman is the Founder and Executive Director of the School for Language and Communication Development (SLCD) and Professor Emeritus at the Derner Institute for Advanced Psychology Studies at Adelphi University.   As the Founder of SLCD, Dr. Tiegerman is responsible for the creation and the development of the preschool, elementary school and integrated programs within the School.

In 1994, Dr. Tiegerman served on Governor Pataki's Transition Team for Education in New York State.  She was appointed in 1995 by the New York State Assembly to the 21st Century Schools Committee. In 1996, Dr. Tiegerman was appointed by means of a gubernatorial recommendation to the New York State Early Intervention Coordinating Council.  Most recently, Dr. Tiegerman served as Chairperson of the Parent Involvement Committee.

Dr. Tiegerman has served on the faculty of several Universities in the New York Metropolitan area.  She has functioned as the Director of the Adelphi University Speech and Hearing Center as well as being the Founding Director of the Adelphi University Preschool Language Stimulation Program.  

Dr. Tiegerman holds a Ph.D. and a Master's degree in speech-language pathology from the City University of New York. She also received Masters degrees in special education and social work from Adelphi University. She has extensive experience in the areas of child language disorders and special education.  She has been involved in many research projects and is the author of textbooks in the areas of language disorders, early intervention, parent language training and autism spectrum disorders.  Dr. Tiegerman’s textbook on early intervention entitled "Language and Communication Intervention in Preschool Children" was published in 1995 by Allyn and Bacon.  Dr. Tiegerman recently co-edited a major textbook entitled "Language and Communication Disorders in Children," now entering its 6th edition will be published by Prentice Hall in 2008.   Her co-authored book entitled "Babysignals" appeared in hard and soft cover (Walker Publishing) in 1987.  The textbook "Collaborative Decision Making:  The Pathway to Inclusion" was co-authored with Dr. Christine Radziewicz and was published by Prentice Hall in 1998.   Dr. Tiegerman's latest book with Dr. Christine Radziewicz is entitled "Language Disorders in Children: Real Families, Real Issues and Real Interventions" has been published by Prentice Hall and is now at amazon.com.

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Joseph Farber, Esq.

"At SLCD, silence is not golden.  We want to give every child the gift of language."

Mr. Joseph Farber, Esq., is the senior partner in the law firm of Farber Rosen & Kaufman, P.C.  He is Chairperson of the Board of Directors for Queens Legal Services; the Chairman of the Board of Directors for Flushing Corona Willets Point Local Development Corp. Mr. Farber is also Chairperson of the Neuroscience Institute Advisory Committee at New York Hospital, Queens, and serves on the Board of Directors for Cross County Federal Savings Bank.  He has held past leadership positions at numerous organizations including: Chairman of the Lions Eye Bank at North Shore LIJ Hospital; President of the Queens County Chamber of Commerce; and District Governor of Lions Clubs International.

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Tanya Hunte

Ms. Hunte is the Founder, President & CEO of ELD, one of the top litigation support firms in the country. She is a featured partner with the Good Ground Project - a New York based non-profit that exposes urban youth to entrepreneurship, and a member of the United States Women's Chamber of Commerce. Ms. Hunte is an accredited Essayist with a number of works published in recent anthologies, and is the author of the forthcoming book, "Slay the Dragon, Sing the Song: An Affirmation of Khalil Gibran."

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Scott Liewehr

Mr. Liewehr founded onesta in 2006 and leads the Strategy Practice. He has served as an executive and strategist for the past eight years of his career, working primarily with Fortune 100 companies and government agencies, and is a recognized thought leader in the field. Mr. Liewehr is actively involved in his local community, having served as a youth football coach for six years as well as religious education teacher for hight school students.

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Paul Rosen

"My daughter Lauren started as a preschooler at SLCD.  In elementary school she was the third place winner in the Governor's Annual Art Contest.  Today she is a beautiful young woman who is a talented artist.  I will always be grateful to SLCD - always."

Paul Rosen has been on the Board of Directors of SLCD since 1990.   His daughter Lauren attended SLCD from 1986-1993. Mr. Rosen believes in the program and takes great pride in the results and growth he has witnessed over the years.  He is the co-owner of DGR Contract Furniture in Jericho.  His daughter Lauren is a talented artist who designed all of Dr. Tiegerman's textbooks.

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Toya Davis

Toya Davis has been an active member of SLCD's Board of Directors since its inception, and is the proud mother of Jonathan Davis one of SLCD's original students.  She is a contributor to Dr. Tiegerman's textbooks and serves as Parent Liaison at SLCD. Toya advocates for parents and lectures extensively on topics related to families and children with disabilities. Toya serves on the Executive Board of the following organizations:

Toya Davis resides in Hempstead, New York with her husband Arthur Davis.

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Teri Fritz

"We have an obligation in life to help children - especially when they cannot help themselves."

Teri Fritz joined the SLCD board in 1999. She became involved with SLCD because it is a worthy cause and her deep commitment to ensuring that all children have fulfilling educational experiences.  She visits her "adopted" classroom and sees the children learn and develop year after year.  Mrs. Fritz is an extremely successful business woman and entrepreneur who owns and manages commerical real estate.

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Georgiana Reese

Georgiana works for New York Community Bank (NYCB) as a Community Relations Consultant.   She joined the SLCD board in 2002, because she supports the mission of SLCD, and wants to contribute to the financial needs and outreach to others and develop and promote SLCD

She is a member of the Queens Chamber of Commerce.  Georgiana presently serves on the boards of the Queens Theatre in the Park, Holy Cross High School, Flushing Council on Culture and the Arts, Queensborough Community College, and New York Families for Autistic Children. She is also affiliated with New York Community Foundation, Unisphere (Parks Department Queens), and Child Center of New York. In addition, she serves on committees for the Ozanam Hall Senior Care, and the Arthritis Foundation.

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Sher Sparano

Sher Sparano is the president of Benefits Advisory Service, an independent firm that works with employers to obtain the best possible health and benefit plans at the most reasonable cost.  BAS takes pride in being known for its commitment to providing ongoing and in-depth support to employers and their employees.

Ms. Sparano joined the SLCD board in 2003 because she truly believes in their mission statement and she believes SLCD has phenomenal leadership in Dr. T and her staff. Further, she have the joy of witnessing remarkable results.

she serves on the Board of Directors of the Queens Chamber of Commerce.  In addition, she is a past president and active member of the Rego Park/Forest Hills Lions Club.  She is also affiliated with NAHU (National Association of Health Underwriters) and ASAP (Alcoholism & Substance Abuse Providers, Inc.)
 
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 Mario Fischetti

"All of us have a responsibility to help children.  As Chairman of the Board, I ask people ... What have you done today to help a child?"

Mr. Mario Fischetti is the Chairman of the Board of Directors.  He successfully built his own business, Mario Fischetti Nursery, Inc.  Mr. Fischetti is deeply involved with his community and believes that success in business must extend beyond the boundaries of his own family.  As a result, he has worked with many charitable organizations including, The Loggia Glen Cove #1016 Order of the Sons of Italy and Long Island University - C.W. Post College.  He has been honored on many occasions by the Knights of Columbus, Town of North Hempstead, City of Glen Cove, and Village of Williston Park by Nassau County.

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Bryan Tseng

Bryan Tseng joined the SLCD board in March 2009. He wanted an opportunity to have hands-on impact and help children in needs; SLCD provided that unique opportunity. Furthermore, Dr. T's passion and vision showed him that great things can be done at the school. Mr. Tseng works as a management consultant at Diamond Management & Technology Consultants.

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Darius Matthews

Darius Matthews currently works in Deloitte's New York office as a Senior Consultant focusing on merger and acquisition strategy, integrations and divestitures.

He has worked in the energy, manufacturing, technology, healthcare and automotive industries.

Darius joined the SLCD board in April 2010. He wants to be able to give back to the community by leveraging his personal experiences and network. He wants to make a difference in the lives of young people by donating his resources as others have done for him in the past.

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