Dave Peterson
President
Dave Peterson graduated from California State University, Northridge with a degree in English Literature and did his Master of Public Administration work at the University of Southern California. He is a former US Naval Officer, serving two tours in Viet Nam and as Navigator of a new commission Destroyer.
Upon completion of his Active Duty Service, he joined the City of Los Angeles as a financial analyst and line manager with extensive experience with the City Administrative Officer and the Departments of Recreation and Parks, Public Works and Police, where he retired in 2003 as Police Administrator in charge of the Property & Evidence and Jail Divisions.
For 21 of his 32 years of City service, he served as a Board Member for the Los Angeles City Employees Association, a $2 billion employee held insurance and financial services association, serving as President for three terms.
Roger Lurie
Secretary
Roger Lurie lives in Scottsdale Arizona and is employed at Arizona State
University as the Director of Information Technology Services in the
Graduate College. He has been employed at ASU for over 22 years, with 30
years in technology innovation and education. Roger has also been active in
professional organizations and conference planning.
Roger is married and has two grown sons, Richard and Christopher. Roger's experience with learning disabilities stems from Richard's life experiences, including 2 1/2 years that he spent as a student at Berkshire Center. In Roger's spare time, he enjoys running marathons, bicycling and hiking.
Richard DeFilippis
Treasurer
Richard DeFilippis lives in Hull Massachusetts. He is a special educator working for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education as a teacher in a hospital school. He has been teaching special needs for over thirty years. He recently earned a master's degree in special education with a specialty of Teacher of the Visually Impaired.
Richard is married and has an adult daughter and son. His personal expereince with learning disabilities is based on his life with his son Eric who spent three years at the Berkshire Center. Richard enjoys several outdoor activities in his leisure time including kayaking, hiking, and bicycling.
Dr. Michael McManmon
Board Member
Dr. McManmon grew up the youngest son in a family of nine children. He is the father of six children and nine grandchildren. He received his B.A. in English from Mt. St. Mary's College in Maryland and went on for his Masters in Counseling from Shippensburg University.
He attended the University of Kansas for his Masters in Human Development through a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health. He obtained his Doctorate in Special Education from the University of Nevada. Subsequently, he was licensed as a Psychologist by the State of Massachusetts. He worked for state, private and non-profit organizations in several states prior to founding The Berkshire Center in 1984.
During his 35 years of experience with students with Learning Differences and Asperger's Syndrome, Dr. McManmon has worked on Curriculum Development, Staff Training, Program Evaluation, and Administering Community Based Programming. He is a member of the International Learning Disabilities Association and the Independent Educational Consultants Association. Dr. McManmon speaks and presents at Professional Conferences nationally and internationally. He has an inside perspective as he himself was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome and grew up in a large family with several individuals on the spectrum.
Dr. McManmon has been certified as a family teacher through the Boys Town Center in Nebraska. He has served as a PTA President, School Board Member and Parish Council Member. He has been on the Board of Directors of the Lee Chamber of Commerce, coached in the Community Soccer League and basketball league, and is an avid gardener.
Dr. McManmon's program philosophy is to provide a loving and trusting environment in which personal growth can occur. The process includes honoring each individual's talents and assisting them in using their personal power to develop skills, meet their needs and thus live independently. This process is accomplished by hiring exemplary individuals, giving them the tools to operate and working as a team.
Dr. McManmon's presentation calendar
Barbara and Harvey Kroiz
Board Members
Barbara and Harvey Kroiz have been affiliated with the College Internship Program for ten years. Their son, Justin, attended the Center in the Berkshires for five years, and now lives near the Center in Melbourne. He resides in his own apartment and has been working at Home Depot part time for over four years. Justin has three married sisters, four nephews, and two nieces.
Barbara is a former French teacher and has taught students at several different junior high schools. Harvey presently serves on the Board of Directors of PLM Mutual Insurance Co., and the Board of Overseers of the University of Pennsylvania.
The Kroiz’s reside in Palm Beach, Florida and Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. They both support the goals and achievements of the College Internship Program.
- Ami Klin, Ph.D.
Yale University School of Medicine - Carol Gray
The Gray Center - Stephen Shore, Ed.D.
Autism Spectrum Disorder Consulting - Brenda Smith Myles, Ph.D.
University of Kansas - Diane Adreon, M.A.
University of Miami, Center for Autism and Related Disabilities - Liane Holliday Willey, Ed.D.
Doctor of Education - Dean J.M. Mooney, Ph.D., NCSP
Clinical Psychologist, Maple Leaf Clinic - Jeff Bradstreet, MD, FAAFP
International Child Development Resource Center - Diane Twachtman-Cullen, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
ADDCon Center, Autism Spectrum Quarterly - Susan J. Moreno MAABS.
MAAP Services - Michelle Garcia Winner, MA, SLP
Center for Social Thinking - Steven Gutstein, Ph.D.
The Connections Center - Peter F. Gerhardt, Ed.D.
Organization for Autism Research - Cathy Pratt
Indiana Resource Center for Autism
