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Board of Directors

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Ruth Nuss

President

Ruth has served as the President of the PATH Board of Directors since 2013. A 25+ year veteran at Sikorsky Aircraft, Ruth is an Engineering Manager specializing in protected wiring systems for extreme Helicopter environments and managing the Wiring Installation Group. She and her husband Roy completed their family, adopting three amazing children with various learning and medical needs in 2001.

Ruth is a member of the Legislative Committee for CAFAP (CT Assn of Foster and Adoptive Parents) and a Parent Advocate with CPAC (CT Parent Advocacy Center). Ruth says, “becoming involved with PATH has felt like “coming home,” a way to help other parents of children with challenges find the support and help they need, an opportunity that I see a blessing.”

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Sue Bastien

Vice-President

Sue is a retired special education teacher and a single adoptive mom. She is a very active leadership member of CT DDS Families First, a group of families advocating for DDS services/funding that meets weekly with legislators.  She especially advocates for those on the DDS Residential Waiting List. Sue is an appointed member of the DDS Regional Advisory and Planning Council (RAC) West Region, and a member of FLAG (Family Leadership Action Group).

Sue has also served in the past as founder/director/coach of Region 16 Special Olympics.  She was co-organizer of Cheshire Special Olympics, president of the Cheshire ARC, president of the Naugatuck Valley Society for Autistic Children, and a governor-appointed member of the CT Developmental Disabilities Council for two terms.  Sue also enjoyed serving on the Special Education Resource Center’s school inclusion advisory team for South Central Connecticut.

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Erin MacDonnell

Treasurer

Erin joined the PATH board of directors in 2017 after previously volunteering with PATH. She works as the Research Intake Coordinator for the Autism Program at the Yale Child Study Center, acting as the liaison between families and clinicians. Erin is passionate about her job and loves being able to help families.

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Ann Ramos

Secretary

Ann is the mother of five children and a Job Developer and Job Coach for Transitional Employment Unlimited (TEU), an organization that provides vocational options and supports to individuals with disabilities in the community. Prior to TEU, Ann provided consulting, advocacy, and facilitation services to families and individuals in the special education process, IDEA, and Section 504 rights, with a focus on Transition and Post-secondary options. Ann was inspired to follow this career path after advocating for her own children who had a variety of special healthcare and learning challenges.

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James Hexter

Board Member

James joined the PATH board of directors in 2017. He is a person with Asperger’s syndrome who graduated from Middlebury College with a degree in environmental studies in 2011 and worked at Autism Services & Resources Connecticut (ASRC) in Wallingford from 2013 to 2016. In 2016, he graduated from Partners in Policymaking. He has been serving on the CT Council on Developmental Disabilities since 2016 and is dedicated to advocating for the right for people with disabilities to live great lives.

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Cindy Paluch

Board Member

Cindy recently became a School Adjustment Counselor at the Willie Ross School for the Deaf (WRSD) in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, while in CT is serving as a Communication Facilitator and a Sign Language Instructor. Prior to WRSD, Cindy worked for almost four decades at the American School for the Deaf (ASD) in West Hartford, Connecticut. Cindy has worked successfully with students, parents, teachers, administration, and support staff to ensure the maximum potential of all student-oriented programs was reached through overseeing student IEP/PPT meetings and involvement with student-focused agencies.

As the Director and/or Administrative Liaison for Parent Advisory Committees, Family Education Programs and Services, Outreach Networking, Multi-Cultural Affairs, and Litigious Matters for the school, Cindy developed a respected presence in a wide-reaching network of individuals concerned with children in the world of special education.

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Mary Green-Hayden

Board Member

Mary joined the PATH Board of Directors in 2019. As a sibling of a developmentally and intellectually disabled individual, she is very impassioned about the opportunity to advocate for her brother and other individuals in our state and across our country.   Mary started the Connecticut Sibling Network in June 2016, which recently became a part of PATH.  She is a UCONN graduate and holds a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Hartford.  For almost 10 years, she has worked at LEGO Systems Inc, currently as a Marketing Brand Manager.  Her career and community ambitions are both very mission driven and she strives to continue to learn and advocate for the people and things she cares most about.

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Dylan Maldonado

KASA Representative

Dylan has wanted to help people and make sure everybody was comfortable. His dream in the future is to become a social worker and a pilot. Dylan is currently involved in several community service and advocating groups. He is currently a part of CT-KASA as a board representative.

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Robin Butler

HR Consultant

Robin is the Recruiting & Administrative Office Coordinator for A.R. Mazzotta Employment Specialists. In this role, she supports the company with special projects and jumps in to assist branches during busy periods and vacation coverage. Robin has served on the Board of Directors since 2012.