Bridges to Adelphi Board of Advisors
Advisory Board Mission Statement
Bridges to Adelphi is dedicated to providing the highest levels of individualized academic, social, and vocational support services to Adelphi’s neurodiverse students. This includes students who self-disclose that they are on the autism spectrum or students who have other non-verbal or neurological social disorders.
The Bridges to Adelphi Board of Advisors (BABA) consists of alumni, parents, and friends of the University who provide support and input on educational initiatives, student experiences, site placements and career opportunities, as well as facilities and technology. The Board of Advisors is responsible for partnering with the Office of Advancement and External Relations, and the Bridges to Adelphi Director and staff, to help ensure that the program continues to flourish in the evolving world of neurodiversity.
Members commit to invest and engage in the activities of Bridges to Adelphi students, foster connections with faculty and administrators, and help sustain the program’s educational excellence and growth.
Advisory Board Roles and Responsibilities
- Be well-informed about the college’s mission, goals, programs, and practices
- Serve as an ambassador for the program
- Help identify potential alumni, parents or friends who might serve as Advisory Board members and/or who might consider a meaningful gift to the University
- Serve as a sounding board for the Director and staff on new initiatives and external activities
- Attend at least two Advisory Board meetings annually in person or via Zoom. At least three meetings will be called per year (fall, winter, spring)
- Support the program’s philanthropic efforts; assist in identifying and/or soliciting prospects for sponsorships that support the program’s efforts or initiatives
- Assist in raising funds to support the program’s mission and programs, including making a personal donation at the level of $1,000 or more
- Actively promote and advocate for the program with the surrounding communities, alumni, and other external constituencies
- Make connections between the college and community
- Provide mentorship and resources for Bridges to Adelphi families, including assistance navigating life after graduation
- Aid the program, where possible, in helping students find placements upon graduation
Meet the Board
Katy Cochrane Carey *P’23, Board Chair
Katy Cochrane Carey is the proud parent of an Adelphi University alumnus and member of the Bridges program Class of 2023. Her husband, Greg Carey, currently serves on the University’s Board of Trustees. She has been intimately involved in special needs education through her two children who are on the Autism Spectrum. She helped found or support several schools in Manhattan, including the Children’s Academy, Aaron School and Winston Preparatory School. Katy’s goal in forming the Bridges to Adelphi Advisory Board is to augment the amazing works of the Bridges staff and to create more opportunities for students in ex-missions – particularly in the arenas of employment and post-graduate life.
Katy spent a decade as an investment banking professional at Salomon Smith Barney and served as the Vice-Chairman of the Riverside Park Conservancy. She has also become a patron of the Global Lyme Alliance. She holds a B.A. from Colgate University and an M.S. from Columbia University.
Marie Bahnik *P’27
Marie Bahnik is a 1991 graduate of Garden City High School. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in History from Fordham University in 1995 and MA in Elementary Education from Hofstra University in 2002. Marie is also a NYS licensed Massage Therapist. Marie taught Kindergarten at St. Peter of Alcantara School in Port Washington, NY from 2002-2004.
From 2006-2012 she served in various roles on the Board of Directors for the Learning Tree Nursery. There she was directly involved in hiring staff, managing teachers and organizing field trips and fundraising for the school. Marie was a member of the Oyster Bay- East Norwich School District PTA from 2009-2018. During her time on the PTA, Marie was a Co-Chair of PARP (Parents as Reading Partners) and helped create themes to encourage students and guardians to read together nightly. Since 2017, Marie has been an active member of the Parents Association at Portledge School from where two of her children have graduated and her youngest currently attends. Marie has been the Co-Chair of the Ladies Luncheon and Ladies Night events for the Boys and Girls Club of Oyster Bay-East Norwich since 2010. She is also a member of the Gala and Event Committees at the club.
Marie lives in Oyster Bay, NY with Claude, her husband of over 20 years, and their three children.
Cherilynn Blumenthal
Cherilynn Blumenthal holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Clark University in Massachusetts, a Master’s Degree in Applied Behavior Analysis from Regis College in Massachusetts, and a Master’s degree in Nonprofit Management from Worcester State University Massachusetts. She is currently completing a Doctorate in Behavioral Health from Arizona State University. Cherilynn is a licensed and board-certified behavior analyst (2016) and has spent the last 25 years working in the helping professions across childcare, social services, and substance abuse settings. She is currently a course instructor with the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University in the special education department as well as a fieldwork supervisor for those pursuing certification as a behavior analyst. She is a mom to two children, Ethan and Harper and resides in Garden City with her children and husband, Josh, a 2009 Adelphi alumnus.
Her connection to Adelphi is through her husband, Josh (’09), and the men’s lacrosse program, which is led by a good family friend.
Cherilynn became interested in joining the Bridges to Adelphi Board of Advisors as she has a personal interest in assisting students of all ages and abilities access whatever educational and vocational opportunities interest them and the BABA will ensure that continues to happen for current members of the Adelphi community while planning to absorb those not at college age with accessing education at Adelphi. Cherilynn said, “It is heartwarming to see the Bridges program as it is now, and I can only imagine what it will be as my children approach college age. With Adelphi serving as their background, they will be blessed to become official members of the Adelphi educational community. I am passionate about the board expanding opportunities throughout campus for Bridges students to access everything all other students can access! I would like to see the board accomplish getting a true center built in the Nexus building so the program does not feel like an afterthought and has the same beautiful space as other programs.”
Brian Jaccoma ’89
Brian Jaccoma received his Undergraduate degree in Communication (Video Production) from Adelphi in 1989. He went on to win many prestigious awards in film / television including The Cannes Film Festival First Place (Gold Lion), and a Primetime Emmy Award. He was a Founding Member in the first High Definition production studio in the United States (ZBIG Vision). He helped to grow a tiny local production company into a multibillion dollar corporation (Cablevision systems). He has been a consultant for major Hollywood production studios, Directors, and projects, as well as Apple corporation.
Brian is also a dedicated and passionate advocate for people with autism and developmental disorders. He is a proud father of a teenage autistic son and is a supporting member of a National and international Autism foundation. He was a vital component in one of the first generous donors to the ELS Center For Autism in Florida, and has worked directly with Dr. Catherine Lord of Harvard University & USC (creator of the ADOS system). He was the Primary Consultant in the creation of Apple’s soon to be released highly anticipated products, and Apple’s Community programs, for the Autism, special-needs, differently-abled communities.
Ashleigh and Justin Nelson *P’25
Ashleigh Nelson is currently the Assistant Teacher for the 3s program at the Community Nursery School of Wilton (CNSW) in Wilton, CT. She began working there in 2022 and has 3 children who went through the school program. During her children’s tenure at CNSW, Ashleigh served as Room Parent, Fundraising Chair and Vice President of the Board.
Ashleigh graduated from Tufts University in 1997 with a BS in Biology. She worked a Research Assistant at Mass General Hospital in Boston researching Molecular Neurogenetics and also at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in the department of Neurology. She then worked at Merck & Co. as a Validation Scientist in bio-sterile vaccines. She is a long time volunteer with Girl Scouts of CT, serving as troop leader and Service Unit manager for the town of Wilton.
Justin D. Nelson is a Managing Director and Head of the Asset Management and Financial Principals Coverage Team for J.P. Morgan Private Bank’s East region. In his role as Market Head, he leads a team of 20 professionals who advise some of the most influential leaders in the hedge fund, private equity, real estate and financial industries. Justin and his team oversee over $15 billion in assets and advise clients on their strategic wealth plans, which include portfolio construction and investment management, estate planning, optimization of credit, cash management and banking services.
Justin is also a Senior Private Banker directly responsible for managing relationships with wealthy individuals and their family offices, endowments and foundations across New York and Connecticut. Justin first joined J.P. Morgan in 1998 as an Analyst at the Private Bank. In 2000, he began working directly for the CEO of the Private Bank. In 2001, he became a Private Banker in the Fiduciary Client Group, which focuses on the firm’s largest trust and multigenerational clients. He assumed his current role in 2005.
Justin received a B.S. from Tufts University in both Chemistry and Economics, and an M.B.A. from Columbia University. He founded and leads the Private Bank’s undergraduate recruiting team for Tufts University. He is also a member of the Tufts Financial Network Advisory Committee. In 2016, he joined the board of directors of the Breast Cancer Alliance, which is based in Greenwich, Connecticut.
Justin was recognized by Barron’s as the #2 ranked Advisor in Connecticut and was part of the Top 1,200 Advisors List for 2020. He was also named as one of the Financial Times 400 Top Financial Advisers for 2020. In 2008, he was recognized by
Connecticut Magazine as one of the Top 10 Financial Advisors in Connecticut, and was recognized by Barron’s as one of the Top 1,000 Financial Advisors in the United States for 2009.
Carolyn Schiff *P’24
Cari Schiff is the parent of Scott, a 2024 graduate of Adelphi and the Bridges program. She graduated from Wellesley College and, after a brief stint with the federal government and at a hybrid investment banking and consulting firm, received a law degree from Columbia Law School. Thereafter, she spent the first part of her legal career working as a litigator at a large national law firm. For the past 14 years she has been the litigation director at a small,family office investment firm. Cari serves on Adelphi’s Pre-Law Advisory Board and looks forward to helping the Bridges Program continue and expand its mission.
*P denotes a parent of a current Adelphi student or Adelphi graduate.
