2022-2023 Board of Trustees

Eden’s Board of Trustees plays a crucial role in determining the strategic course of Eden Autism, ensuring that the organization continues to operate in the best interest of past, present and future members.

PAUL PRIOR, ESQ. – Chair

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Paul Prior is a Partner with the firm Hinkle, Fingles, Prior & Fischer, Attorneys at Law.  Paul has spent his entire career representing people with disabilities.  As the younger brother of a long-served participant at Eden, he has a life-long commitment to disability law.   His legal work has focused on special education, guardianship, financial entitlements, and access to appropriate services. A substantial part of his practice is devoted to assisting families in estate and trust matters. He has successfully argued leading cases before the New Jersey Supreme Court, Third Court of Appeals, as well as other state and federal courts. Paul served as a federal monitor overseeing conditions at state-operated institutions.

Paul holds a JD from Seton Hall University School of Law and serves on the Board of Trustees of the Arc of New Jersey, and Autism New Jersey.  Previously he served on the Board of Special Olympics New Jersey.  He is a member of the Family Advisory Committee for the Supportive Housing Association of New Jersey, on the Professional Advisory Board of ASPEN, and a member of the Elder Law Section of the New Jersey Bar Association.  Paul writes and lectures frequently on topics concerning the law and disability, as well as issues affecting siblings.  Paul, brother of an Eden participant, serves on Eden’s Program and Governance/Nominating Committees.

SCOTT KENT – Vice Chair

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Scott Kent is an executive with Wawa, Inc., serving as a multi-unit operations leader who oversees 22 general managers and over 600 associates in the Central/Northern New Jersey market. Kent has a long history of community involvement, having worked with numerous organizations to better the lives of individuals with disabilities, including Special Olympics, Eden Autism, IGA Nephrophathy Foundation, and KidsBridge. In addition, he has been involved with Eden for more than 30 years. Kent holds an undergraduate degree in Organizational Dynamics from Immaculata College and a master’s degree in Food Marketing from Saint Joseph’s University.

JEFFREY A. VAMOS, DMin – Vice Chair

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The Reverend Doctor Jeffrey A. Vamos is Pastor and Head of Staff of The Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville, a position he’s held since 2005. He is leading the church through a capital campaign and new innovative forms of ministry, including a community center and job training program for formerly incarcerated persons. Dr. Vamos is active in the community and currently serves as board chair of Every Child Valued, an afterschool program in Eggert’s Crossing Village in Lawrenceville. He holds a D.Min., from Wesley Theological Seminary and M.Div. from Union Theological Seminary. He received a bachelor’s degree from Duke University in Political Science and Public Policy Studies.

WILLIAM A. JOHNSTON, ASA, IA/BV – Treasurer 

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Bill is CEO and a Senior Managing Director of Empire Valuation Consultants. His son Danny, attends the Eden School.  Bill has extensive non‐profit board experience in many different board leadership roles.  He has served on the board of Business Valuation Committee of the American Society of Appraisers since 2008.  Most recently he served as Chair until June 2017.  Prior to that, Bill led Finance and Nominating and served as Vice Chair.  Bill brings strong financial and analytical skills as a board candidate. Bill holds a B.S. in Finance and International Business from Pennsylvania State University, and a M.B.A. in Finance from New York University Stern School of Business.  Bill and his wife Megan are active supporters and contributors to Eden.   Their 5K team is one of the largest in size and fundraising, and they are also noted capital campaign contributors.  Bill’s son, Danny, is an Eden student, and he currently serves on Eden’s Finance/Facilities and Program Committees.

FRANK PIAZZA – Secretary 

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Frank Piazza, the founder and President of Piazza & Associates, has been dedicated to the administration and compliance of affordable housing for municipalities, nonprofits and for-profit developers for more than 25 years.  Mr. Piazza entered the affordable housing arena in 1991 by directing a successful effort to develop 126 low- and moderate- income apartments in Plainsboro for a local non-profit corporation.  In 1994, he established Piazza & Associates, Inc., which has since become one of the largest and most experienced firms in New Jersey, specializing in the independent monitoring of affordable housing. Mr. Piazza is an Instructor for Rutgers University Center for Government Services, he holds a C9P Certification for Low Income Tax Credit Compliance and is approved by the Council on Affordable Housing to provide compliance monitoring services.  He currently serves on Eden’s Finance and Facilities Committee.

JOHN A. AMIRANTE, CIMA®, CAP®, CFP®

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John Amirante is an institutional Financial Advisor and Sr. Portfolio Advisor with the Beacon Group of Merrill Lynch / Bank of America. His professional experience includes 18+ years of advising and consulting to Boards and Fiduciaries around governance and asset management issues pertaining to endowments, defined benefit and defined contribution plans, and foundations with Lincoln Financial, Wells Fargo Private Bank, JPMorgan Chase and American Express. John holds an MBA, Global from Columbia University, Graduate School of Business and a B.A., History, from the State University of New York at Albany. He holds a Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA) designation through IMCA and The Wharton School of Business, as well as Certified Financial Planner and Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy designations. He is a member of the NYSS of CPAs – Estate, Not for Profit, and Employee Benefits Committees and previously sat on the Board of CentraState Medical Center Foundation. John serves on Eden’s Audit/Risk and Finance/Facilities Committees.

KATERINA BUBNOVSKY, O.D.

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Dr. Katerina Bubnovsky practices optometry and has broad experience in treating patients with corneal disease, cataracts, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and age-related macular degeneration. She has specialized experience in dry eye disease and utilizes the latest technology and pharmacological interventions. Katerina is an avid runner and serves as a member of Princeton Special Sports’ board of directors. Her son attends the Eden School. Dr. Bubnovsky received her undergrad and doctorate degrees at Indiana University.

ANTHONY CANCRO

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Anthony Cancro is the Township Administrator for the Township of Plainsboro where he is responsible for the day-to-day operations and overall management of the Township’s workforce, and operating and capital budget. Anthony has held similar roles in Springfield and Edison and has held senior executive roles with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, and the New Jersey Department of Energy. Anthony earned a Master’s in Public Administration and Management at Rutgers University, a Master’s in Environmental Science at City University of New York, and a Bachelor’s in Environmental Science/Planning at Ramapo College.

MADELINE CHADEHUMBE, MD

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Dr. Madeline Chadehumbe is the Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurology at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Her current leadership and service positions include Medical Director at Princeton/Plainsboro Specialty Care Center with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Migraine QI at CHOP/ED Headache Center. Dr. Chadehumbe is Board Certified with the American Board of Pediatrics, and the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and holds memberships with the American Academy of Neurology, Child Neurology Society, American Epilepsy Society, and American Headache Society. She currently serves as an advisor to Eden’s Lecture Series Program, is a member of the Human Rights Committee and serves on Eden’s Program and Development Committees.

MARC A. CITRON, ESQ.

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Marc Citron is the Managing Partner of the Princeton office of the law firm Saul, Ewing, Arnstein and Lehr.  He brings extensive legal experience in real estate, land use, and business transaction that would be an asset to Eden. Marc has served on the board of numerous non‐profits including Greenwood House Home for the Aged, American Jewish Committee, Bayonne Medical Center Foundation, JFK Medical Center Foundation and on capital campaign committees. Marc brings a strong business oversight perspective to his board service. Marc received a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Rutgers University and his Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.  He currently serves on Eden’s Finance/Facilities and Audit/Risk Committees.

RAJIV DEVULAPALLI

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Rajiv Devulapalli is the Senior Manager, Enterprise Architecture – Data and Analytics at Johnson & Johnson. He has an MBA from the University of Miami, a certificate in Neuroscience from Harvard University, a certificate in Genomics from the University of Maryland, and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Biotechnology through Harvard University.

Rajiv participates in the Eden Autism 5K and has volunteered to represent the organization at Johnson & Johnson to engage his colleagues in Eden events and fundraising efforts. His son has attended the Eden School since 2013.

NANCY FISHMAN

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Nancy Fishman is a retired Senior Program Officer in Research, Evaluation, and Learning at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. There she designed, developed, funded, and managed research and evaluations grants in the areas of hospital and community integration for population health, strengthening community capacity, health profession workforce with a special emphasis on nursing and primary care, and innovative programs for community-based long-term care. Nancy earned a Master’s of Public Health with a concentration in Epidemiology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a Bachelor of Science – Nursing at the University of Connecticut.

JEFFREY J. GARY, CPA

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Jeffrey (Jeff) J. Gary, CPA, has worked in the financial services industry for over 30 years. Currently he serves on the Board of the National Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: NHLD) as Chair of the Audit Committee and he is on the Board of Arca US Treasury Mutual Fund. Mr. Gary also sits on the advisory boards for Monroe Capital and DealBox. In addition, from October 2018 to April 2020, Mr. Gary served on the board of directors of the Axonic Alternative Income Mutual Fund. Before retiring in 2018, Mr. Gary joined Avenue Capital Group as a Senior Portfolio Manager responsible for managing the mutual funds and CLO accounts, which included launching a new SEC 40 Act mutual fund. Prior to this, Mr. Gary was a Portfolio Manager at Third Avenue Management, LLC and Co-Head of the High Yield and Distressed investment team at BlackRock, Inc. where he was responsible for managing over $30 billion in mutual fund and hedge fund assets.  His career includes senior management positions with American General/AIG Investment Group, Koch Industries, Inc., Mesirow Financial Holdings, Inc., Citigroup, Inc., and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. Mr. Gary earned a Bachelor of Science in accounting from Penn State University in 1984 and a Master of Business Administration in Finance and International Business from Northwestern University (Kellogg) in 1991. Mr. Gary is a Certified Public Accountant.  The father of an adult participant, Jeff serves on Eden’s Finance and Facilities Committee and was a co-chair of Eden’s capital campaign.

CLAUDE P. GEORGE, MD, MSc

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Dr. George is President of Global Development Associates, Inc., a network of European and American pharmaceutical consultants/experts that provides consulting services in all aspects of drug development. Prior to founding Global Development Associates, Dr. George was Vice President of Global Development at Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) where he led the global development of a new oral targeted agent in colorectal and liver cancer. His career at BMS included the development of treatments for bladder, breast and gastric cancers. His career in drug development, teaching, and bedside care—in the US and France—spans four decades. Dr. George’s volunteer work includes Member of the Oncology Nursing Society Foundation and Chair of the Finance Committee and member of Eden’s Development Committee. Dr. George is the grandfather of Orin, an Eden student.

MANASA GOPAL, ESQ.

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Manasa is Associate General Counsel for Columbia University. She has specialized experience in health law, previously working as a Director of Legal Management at the nation’s largest free-standing public health sciences university. Manasa represents Columbia University on various matters, providing counsel primarily to the Columbia University Irving Medical Center on health care, business matters, risk management, and regulatory and compliance issues. She lectures on a variety of health law topics including managed care.  Manasa is an active member of the American Health Law Association. She received her B.A. in History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Science and Medicine from the University of Chicago and her J.D. from the University of Houston.

CHARLETTE GRAY, CPA, PMP

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Charlette is a Senior Director at Oracle Corporation. Her responsibilities include leading the North America Technology Consulting Project Management Center of Excellence, which is responsible for project management enablement as well as providing tools and initiatives that improve the organization’s project management capabilities. She previously provided support for large and strategic bids, including review and editing of proposals and coordination with risk management, contracts, and legal. She has been responsible for project and program management of implementation projects across a variety of industries both domestically and internationally. These projects included client relationship management, staff management, and development and execution of implementation strategies. Prior to Oracle, Charlette was a management consultant with Price Waterhouse Coopers. She earned her BA at Dillard University and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Project Management Professional (PMP). Her adult son is a resident at an Eden group home.

HELEN E. HOENS, ESQ.

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The Honorable Helen E. Hoens served as a Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court, capping off nearly twenty years as a trial and appellate court jurist, and following a lengthy career as a lawyer specializing in complex litigation in state and federal courts. The mother of an adult son who resides in an Eden group home, Justice Hoens has served as the General Counsel (pro bono) of the Autism Society and as a member of Eden’s Board of Trustees. Helen holds a B.A. in government from the College of William and Mary and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.

JAYNE O’CONNOR

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Jayne O’Connor is Vice President of Communications for Taft Communications.   Jayne has advised CEOs and political leaders in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors and served as press secretary to New Jersey Gov. Christie Whitman. Jayne was director of corporate affairs for Bristol-Myers Squibb and then led Capital Health’s successful rebranding and reputational transformation to become a regional healthcare leader. A recognized community leader with a history of service on nonprofit boards, Jayne helped to found the Mercer County affiliate of Dress for Success and served on its board. Jayne also was on the board and executive committee of the MIDJersey Chamber of Commerce and on the boards of the Trenton YWCA and Hopewell YMCA and now serves on the board of NJ Spotlight, the online news organization. Jayne received her BA in Political Science and MA in Political Science from Rutgers University. She serves on Eden’s Development and Governance/Nominating Committees.

TARA PALAMARIK MURPHY

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A graduate of Columbia University’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, Tara Palamarik Murphy was the Lead Mission Analyst for the Mars Observer and NASA’s ACTS. She was lead author and presenter of Mission Design for an Areosynchronous Orbiter at the GSFC/AAS International Symposium for Mission Design and Orbit Mechanics. As the mother of child with autism, Tara has spent much of the last several years volunteering for Eden Autism Services, Autism New Jersey, the Association for Science in Autism Treatment (ASAT), Parents of Edison’s Awesome Children (PEACH), and several other advocacy and outreach organizations. She is a graduate of The Boggs Center’s New Jersey Partners in Policymaking, a training program for advocacy in support of the disability community.  ASAT recently published an article she co-authored about the importance of families seeking sound scientific research when using social media platforms for advice. Tara’s son, Patrick Murphy, graduated from the Eden School in June 2020 and entered Eden’s Adult Day program.

STACIE SHERMAN

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Stacie Sherman is New Jersey Bureau Chief at Bloomberg News. She has been with the company for 23 years, and her current role includes managing the Trenton and Princeton news bureaus, assigning and editing stories about politics, government, business and finance, and running the Top News pages. Stacie holds a B.A. in Journalism from Trenton State College and is pursuing her M.S. in Business Journalism from Arizona State University’s Walker Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.  She is the parent of two special-needs children and is an advocate, fundraiser and blogger for the autism community. Her 18-year-old daughter, Brielle, attends The Eden School. Stacie and her husband David have served on Eden’s Annual 5K Organizing Committee since 2008. They served as co-directors of the event for four years.

KISHORE YALAMANCHILI, PhD., CFA

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Kishore Yalamanchili is the Managing Director/Consultant at New Oak Capital. Prior to this, he was Investment Senior Vice President, Portfolio Strategy Group at Prudential Financial. His experience in the investment industry includes Karya Capital Management, BlackRock Financial Management, and State Street Research & Management. He earned a PhD in Structural Engineering at Clemson University, an MBA at the University of Chicago, an M.Tech at the Indian Institute of Technology, and a BE at Andhra University. Kishore is an active volunteer with the Boy Scouts of America. He also participates in the Eden 5K and participated in other Eden fundraising events. His child currently attends the Eden School.