RUTHERFORD, NJ – On Friday, March 24, Felician University held its third bi-annual Felician Autism Collaboration in Teaching (FACT) Conference in the Joseph and Joal Job Gymnasium on the Rutherford campus.

Paul Aronsohn, New Jersey Ombudsman for Individuals with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities; Dr. Nasiah Cirincione-Ulezi, Founder and CEO of ULEZI, LLC, and Dr. Peter Gerhardt, the Executive

Paul Aronsohn, NJ Ombudsman

Director of EPIC Programs served as the FACT Conference keynote speakers and were joined by presenters Michael Hitchcock, MA, BCBA, IBA & Cynthia Espinosa, MA, BCBA, of New Horizons in Autism, Inc; Nicola Schneider, MA, BCBA, of the NRS Compassionate Behavior Services; Dr. Michael Kuchar, Supt., Principal Ashley Vaughan, & Chris Hughes of South Bergen Jointure Commission; Dr. Salena Babb, BCBA-D of Penn State University; Michael Farelly & Tracy Lee of the Gramon Family Schools and Dr. Theoni Mantzoros, BCBA of Felician University. Sr. Annelle, retired Felician Sister and former Dean of the School of Education also gave a meaningful and well-received invocation in the format of the Prayer of St. Francis. 

The all-day conference had over 250 attendees who heard from these leading ASD experts on the most current evidence-based strategies, practical interventions, and effective, data-proven educational methods for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Dr. John Burke, Executive Director of I-CAdRE stated, “The main goal for the conference is to bring together multiple groups of people in the ASD community, from local professionals to parents to educators, to share information that can improve quality of life. I was so fortunate to work with my co-chairs and our keynote speakers toward the common end of taking ASD research out of the sphere of academia and bringing it to life.”

The FACT Conference is presented by Felician University’s School of Education and the International Center for Autism and disabilities Research in Education (I-CAdRE) and is co-chaired by Dr. John Burke, Executive Director of I-CAdRE, Dr. Katharine Croce and Dr. Theoni Mantzoros, Assistant Professors in the School of Education.

The Felician University School of Education ABA program is one of the fastest-growing in the nation and one of the few in which each ABA supervising instructor is a Board-Certified Behavior Analysis Doctor (BCBA-D). Felician University’s I-CAdRE takes pride in being a leading organization for the advancement of knowledge by conducting innovative neurobehavioral research, offering interprofessional training opportunities, providing comprehensive research-based assessment and intervention services, and forming local and international community partnerships.

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About Felician University

Felician University inspires and engages more than 2,100 undergraduate, graduate, and adult education students through programs in the Schools of Arts & Sciences, Business & Information Sciences, Nursing, and Education. Over the past five years, Felician University has ranked 3rd among private institutions in New Jersey for best value according to payscale.com and #1 Safest College Campus in New Jersey according to niche.com. The Master of Science in Nursing program is ranked one of the best online graduate nursing programs in the nation by U.S. News and World Report. Felician University was designated as a Military Friendly School (Gold Status) for the ninth year recognizing its strong support for Veteran students.  The university is recognized for its diversity as an HSI (Hispanic Serving Institution) and MSI (Minority Serving Institution), having underrepresented students comprise more than half of the student population. With campuses in Rutherford and Lodi, New Jersey, the Franciscan values of social justice, compassion, and respect for human dignity serve as an inclusive foundation for transforming the lives of tomorrow’s leaders. For more information, please visit https://felician.edu.