Who
We Are
Our Story
In 1976, a group of parents came together to create ongoing adult programs for their children with autism, intellectual disabilities, and/or developmental disabilities, who had aged out of Special Education services.
With the help of a three-year grant, Special Citizens Futures Unlimited was born.
A few years later, in December of 1981, we opened our first group home in Westchester and haven’t looked back. Today, with the generosity of our incredible community, we have a staff of 200+ caregivers who support 300 people in multiple Residential Locations, Group Homes and (2) Day Habilitation programs across New York City, the Bronx, and Westchester.
Our dedicated team provides a wide array of services, including:
- Specialized Residential Programs
- Day-Services
- Community-Habilitation
- Respite
- Life Skills Programs
- Recreation
Every step of the way, we passionately promote our person-centered mission and work to empower those we support with the tools needed to build lives of independence, inclusion, individuality, and productivity.
Mission & Values
Special Citizens exists to provide home, family, care, and love to men, women, and children living with autism, intellectual disabilities, and developmental disabilities.
Meet Our
Leadership
Alex DiMaio
Chief Executive Officer
Mark Campione
Chief Financial Officer
Dina Hardy
Chief Compliance Officer
Stephen Matrone
Chief Operations Officer
Yvette Forbes
Controller
Katrina Potter
Director of Day Services
Lorraine Elson
Director of Community Support Services
Charles Herold
Director of Development
Justin Castillo
Director of Behavioral Supports
Jermaine Fisher
Director of Residential Services
Meet Our Board
Victoria Berger-Gross
President
Dr. Berger-Gross brings years of leadership and organizational transformation experience to Special Citizens and until her recent retirement, held the position of Chief Human Resources Officer and Senior Vice President at Tiffany & Co. Dr. Berger-Gross has also served as Senior Vice President & Director of Human Resources at Lehman Brothers and Senior Director - Human Resources at Bertelsmann A.G.'s BMG Entertainment.
Robert Beaudet
Vice President
Professionally, Bob is a Career and Internship Advisor for St. John’s University’s Peter J. Tobin College of Business. There, he is responsible for all aspects of the students’ career development, as well as creating student programming and serving as the primary liaison between University Career Services and the Business Faculty and Advisors. In addition to his work with Special Citizens, Bob also volunteers as a coach for special needs athletes. Bob resides in Rockville Centre, NY and is the proud parent of 4 wonderful children.
Michael Earl Brown
Trustee
Mr. Brown is the owner of several small businesses and has over 30 years of mortgage, property management, and real estate experience. Mr. Brown continuously volunteers for a variety of political campaigns and non-profits. In addition to his wide breadth of experience and community involvement, Mr. Brown also has made it his personal mission to encourage entrepreneurship of youth and adults through his summer employment programs.
Ali Charkeih
Treasurer
Mr. Charkeih, a CPA and Certified Internal Auditor, has a distinguished background providing accounting, auditing, and advisory services to real estate and financial companies in New York, Canada, and New Zealand. He gained extensive experience through previous roles with various federal governments and KPMG. Currently, Mr. Charkeih serves as a Finance and Accounting Advisor for large publicly traded companies in the New York Metro area at The Siegfried Group. His consulting work with Blackstone and Credit Suisse, where he navigated tight deadlines and M&A activities, was highly valuable. In addition to his professional commitments, Mr. Charkeih has actively assumed leadership roles in various nonprofit organizations. He holds a deep appreciation for his late sister, who had intellectual disabilities, and the impact she had on his life.
Joseph Patuleia
Trustee
Mr. Patuleia is the Executive Director Emeritus of Madison Square Boys & Girls Club and formerly served as Vice President to the Special Citizens Board of Directors. During his tenure at Madison Square Boys & Girls Club, his efforts have ensured that every member was equipped with the necessary skills to succeed in life. Mr. Patuleia was also an educator and administrator in Massachusetts for more than 30 years and in 2004 he was nominated for Massachusetts Principal of the Year.
Michael J. Driscoll
Trustee
Mr. Driscoll is an attorney at Black Marjieh & Sanford LLP. Michael handles all aspects of litigation, representing both individual and corporate clients in the prosecution and defense of a variety of the firm’s matters, including products liability, premises liability, real estate disputes (with a focus on cooperatives and condominiums), and breach of contract, discrimination, construction defect, civil rights violations and toxic torts.
Victoria Andretta
Trustee
Victoria brings over two decades of strategic marketing experience to SCFU. She previously served as the Associate Director of National Marketing and Communications at Development Corporation for Israel (DCI)/Israel Bonds. Victoria played a pivotal role in generating sales, increasing organizational awareness, and enhancing the client journey, contributing to investments totaling $50B. Her commitment to fostering a sense of community through branding initiatives and campaigns addressing critical challenges is evident in her work at Smart Arches Dental Implant Centers. Victoria is enthusiastic about joining the SCFU Board and contributing to its mission of supporting and enabling individuals with autism, intellectual disabilities, and developmental disabilities.
Dianna Coles Lee Sam
Trustee
Dianna currently serves as the Head of Quality for MedStar Health in Washington DC, Dianna brings a wealth of experience in managed care and health systems. As the former Assistant Vice President of State and Custom Measures at Cotiviti, she oversaw custom quality measure development for over 26 states and 100+ health plans across the US. Dianna has also served as the Executive Director of Quality for the City’s Health Plan (MetroPlus), leading quality initiatives for various lines of business. Her educational background includes a BS and MHA in Health Administration, and she is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Health Administration. Dianna's extensive involvement in healthcare quality organizations and her commitment to promoting high-quality healthcare align seamlessly with our organization's goals.
