Autism New Jersey Announces Three New Board Members

Autism New Jersey is proud to announce the appointments of Colleen Cullari, Maria Leary, and Jamie McGovern to its Board of Trustees. They were elected to a three-year term at the board’s June meeting.

“I’m very excited about the new members on our Board of Trustees because they bring a breadth of experience to the Board with tremendous depth in each of their areas of expertise,” said Board President Kelly Milazzo. “In addition to their professional talents to help advance the Board’s and agency’s goals, they each have huge hearts and a passion for supporting families.”

Colleen Cullari is an experienced audit manager with a demonstrated history of working in the accounting industry. Skilled in accounting, auditing, management, financial accounting, and financial reporting, Colleen’s background specializing in nonprofits will be an asset to Autism New Jersey. Colleen has an MBA from the University of Scranton. Her participation in the growth of Cullari Carrico LLC, an almost 50-person firm, has made Colleen acutely aware of the challenges that many autism-related nonprofits face.

Maria Leary graduated from Bloomsburg University  with a bachelor’s degree in Fine Art. After building a career in the printing and advertising industry, her focus and purpose completely changed when she became the mother of two boys who have autism and a rare genetic disorder. Her experiences with her older son have shaped her into becoming the parent advocate she is today, focusing mainly on advocacy for individuals who display severe challenging behavior, especially those who are considered complex. Maria is a 2016-2017 graduate of the New Jersey Partners in Policymaking Program, and a 2017-2018 graduate of the New Jersey Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (NJLEND) Program. In addition to participating in several county and state committees related to disability, Maria works as a private consultant in the disability field and is currently a LEND Family Fellow at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Jamie McGovern has worked as a project manager in research and development with Janssen Pharmaceutical within their neuroscience and oncology portfolios for the past 20 years. Jamie earned a master’s degree of computer science from Regis University and has been an active member of the Autism New Jersey Golf Committee for a number of years.

We are excited for the passion and expertise they will bring in helping lead our organization in executing our mission of ensuring safe and fulfilling lives with individuals with autism.