Board of Directors

Picture	Name	Biography
	Chairperson David Bartash	David is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Bryn Mawr College and professionally has worked for the Bank of New York, Citibank and Dean Witter Reynolds as a pharmaceutical analyst. He currently has his own health care consulting company. He has a son who lives in DDI’s Gull Dip residence. David is on the Finance Committee, Property Committee, Research Investment Committee, and Strategic Planning Committee. He has been on the Board of Directors since August, 2001 and also serves as a member of the the DDI Foundation Board of Directors. David lives with his family in Aquebogue.
	Vice Chaiperson William Kacin	Mr. Kacin is the parent of a son who has been served by DDI's Adult Day and Residential programs since 1985. Bill was first elected to DDI's Board of Directors in January 2002. He served as Chairman of the Board from January 2002 to January 2005. He presently serves on the Finance, Certification Review, Human Resources, Quality Improvement, Property and Nominations Committees. He also serves as a member of the the DDI Foundation Board of Directors. Mr. Kacin is the retired Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of MET-PRO Corporation, where he was employed for thirty two years. MET-PRO corporation is an international industrial equipment manufacturer of pumps, filters, exhaust blowers and pollution control equipment with seven manufacturing facilities in various locations in the United States plus additional operations in Canada, Holland and China. He has held positions in management, marketing and engineering and has a degree in Engineering from The Cooper Union.
	Treasurer Rocco J. Cirigliano	Rocco joined DDI’s Board of Directors in August, 2001. He has a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from SUNY- Oneonta and also attended Pace University Graduate School of Business and has a CPA license. With over twenty years of experience in public accounting, Rocco has his own firm, Rocco J. Cirigliano, CPA. He has previously served as Treasurer and as Chairperson of the DDI Board of Directors, and he also serves as a member of the DDI Foundation Board of Directors. Rocco has lived with his family in Smithtown for over thirty years. His family includes his wife, Susan, and his identical triple sons who are served by DDI's Adult Residential Program as well as the Adult Day Services Program at Meadow Glen in Smithtown.
	Secretary Beverly Karasik	Beverly is the mother of an adult son who has been involved with DDI program’s since 1979. He currently lives in DDI’s Larkfield residence. Beverly is a retired high school math teacher who taught in East Meadow for 32 years and has also served on the Board of the Nassau/Suffolk chapter of the Autism Society of America for 17 years. Beverly has been on the Board of Directors of DDI since January, 2003 and is currently chairperson of the Incident Review Committee and an active member of the Quality Improvement Committee.
	Member Albert Dawson	Albert is a parent of a son who (until recently) attended our Young Autism Program (YAP) and is now mainstreamed into his home school district. Al’s family still receives support services from DDI at their home. Al has a Batchelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from Polytechnic University and is a licensed registered professional engineer working on projects which include the Lincoln Tunnel, JFK Airport, Holland Tunnel and Long Island Expressway etc. Al has been a member of DDI’s Board of Directors since 2002 and is the Chairperson of the Property Committee.
	Member Eric Dubrow	Eric N. Dubrow MD is a board certified orthopaedic surgeon, currently retired from active practice. Dr. Dubrow has been a past president of the St. Charles Hospital Medical Staff and Medical Board. He has been a member of the Board of Trustees of St. Charles Hospital, Catholic Health Services of Long Island, and the Long Island Health Network. Dr. Dubrow has had a long term interest and experience in the orthopaedic management of cerebral palsy and has served as the lead surgeon and co-director of the Cerebral Palsy Center at St. Charles Hospital. He is married and lives in East Setauket.
	Member James Fogarty	James has a Doctoral degree from Nova Southeastern University, Masters Degree in Special Education from Adelphi University as well as a Certificate of Advanced Study in Administration from Hofstra University. James worked for Eastern Suffolk BOCES from 1983 through 2000 administering their special education programs as well as all other instructional programs and, more recently, has been providing consultation services to various school districts. James has been on the DDI Board of Directors since August, 2003 and currently services as Chairperson of the Certification Review Committee.
	Member Stuart Gordon	Stuart is a Partner in the law firm of Rivkin Radler LLP in Uniondale, New York. Mr. Gordon represents corporate and individual debtors, creditors and financial institutions in complex reorganizations and liquidations. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from George Washington University and also has a JD Degree from St. John’s University School of Law. Stuart has been a member of our Board of Directors since 2003. In addition, Stuart is a member of the Human Resource Committee.
	Member Francesca Kerimian
	Member Kevin Long	Kevin joined DDI’s Board of Directors in May 2008. He is Executive Vice President at Insidedge, a corporate communications agency specializing in employee communications and engagement and is responsible for managing the NY office where he consults with a number of Fortune 500 companies. Previously, Kevin held senior communications and HR positions at Accenture and CA Technologies. He currently chairs DDI’s Human Resource Committee and has been an active board member for the DDI Foundation Board of Directors since 2005. Kevin has a son who previously attended DDI’s education programs. Kevin lives with his wife, son and two daughters in East Setauket.
	Member David Ring	David is currently Vice President at Dowling College. His career at Dowling College began in 1984. David earned his Doctorate in Education from Dowling College in 2003 and has a Masters Degree in Secondary Education as well as an MBA in Management. He has been a member of the DDI Board of Directors since July 2004. He is Chairperson of the Certification Review Committee and also serves as a member of the Executive Committee.
	Member Karen Valerie	Karen joined DDI’s Board of Directors in February 2008. Karen is a partner at Deloitte and Touche and has worked there since 1996 and has been a partner since 2008. She has a Bachelors Degree from St. John’s University in accounting. Karen is a member of DDI’s Audit Committee which meets periodically with our independent accounting firm. To ensure proper oversight of that process. Karen has relatives with a child with autism and is therefore highly sensitized to their unique needs as well as the concerns of families raising those children. Karen lives with her family in Bethpage.
	Member John Werner	Dr. John Werner joined the DDI Board of Directors in July 2011. Following a 37 year career at DDI, he recently retired as Director of Children's Services which included administrative/programmatic oversight to early intervention, preschool and school age day/residential programs. Additionally, he participated in numerous agency initiatives including the expansion of child residential services, development of evidenced based practices for both students and staff, and support for applied research. He participated in a number of agency committees and chaired the Research Review and Behavior Review Committees. John has served as a member of the Suffolk County Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Advisory Board and Developmental Disabilities Subcommittee. John has a BA and MA in Psychology from St. John's University and a Ph.D. in School/Clinical Psychology from Hofstra University. As a licensed psychologist, he maintained a private practice and taught graduate course at local universities. He is a member of the American Psychological Association and New York State Psychological Association. John also served in the United States Army as a captain in the Medical Service Corps.