We support every educator so that they can better support every student.

 

We believe in:

  • The expertise of lived experience.
    At PINE, educators learn about neurodiversity by listening to the neurodivergent community.

  • Shifting mindsets.
    We believe that when educators know better, they can do better. By deepening understanding about neurodiversity and inclusion, PINE shifts both mindset and practice.

  • System-wide change.
    We know that true inclusion takes a village.
    At PINE, ALL staff in a school have access to PINE training, resources, and supports.

Meet our team…

  • Kristie Patten

    Kristie Patten

    Advisor

    As Counselor to the President at NYU, Kristie oversees the priorities of the Office of the President and is a key liaison to the Office of the Provost and major administrative units to coordinate planning, implementation, and assessment around these joint efforts. Dr. Patten has been at NYU since 2007. She has served as Vice Dean of Academic Affairs at NYU Steinhardt and Chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy. As a professor, her research examines strength based practices in inclusive public school settings.

  • Lauren Hough Williams. Middle-age white woman smiling with brown hair in a bun, gold hoop earrings, and a green shirt.

    Lauren Hough Williams

    Executive Director, Co-founder

    Lauren (she/her) is a neurodiversity and inclusion specialist and an experienced special educator. Lauren taught in the NYC Department of Education before working for over a decade to define, refine, and expand ASD Nest, the largest inclusion program for autistic students in the country. As a program developer, Lauren partners with neurodivergent experts to shift the paradigm in traditional “special education” from focusing deficits to centering on strengths. She is committed to galvanizing school systems to understand the needs of neurodivergent communities to build equitable, inclusive learning ecosystems for all.

    Contact Lauren:
    Lauren@pineprogram.org

  • Samara Sweig

    Samara Sweig

    Vice President of Business Strategy and Operations, Co-founder

    Samara (she/her) envisions the Program for Inclusion and Neurodiversity Education in schools across the nation. She has worked in the nonprofit sector for more than 20 years, bringing an intense commitment to developing and elevating programs in order to have a wider reach and deeper impact. Throughout her career, she has worked with a variety of NYC-local, national, and international organizations related to at-risk youth, social justice, and healthcare. Her passion is building scalable and sustainable mission-driven programs.

    Samara also serves as faculty on the Family Advisory Council, at Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone Health, working to improve patient and family centered care initiatives and outcomes.

    Contact Samara: samara@pineprogram.org

  • Kate Garcia

    Kate Garcia

    Director of Program Operations

    Kate Garcia (she/her) brings a wealth of experience and a unique perspective to PINE. As a neurodivergent individual and a proud mom to a multiply disabled daughter, Kate champions inclusion through her work and personal life. Her background spans various fields, including her experience as a former Spanish teacher and now certified speech-language pathologist (CCC-SLP). This multifaceted expertise allows her to design systems that work for everyone while achieving PINE’s goals and cultivating a thriving environment for the PINE team and its Members.

    She is a proud alumna of Rutgers University, New York University, and Columbia University.

    Kate also serves as a member of the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children, a division of the National Federation of the Blind, and is involved in other inclusion-focused and family-centered initiatives at state and national levels.

    Contact Kate:
    kate@pineprogram.org

  • Kade Friedman. Kade is a white, androgynous, 40-something, looking away from the camera, smiling, with a fade haircut and white button down. Their background is a blue geometric pattern.

    Kade Friedman

    Director of Education

    Kade Friedman (they/them) is a white, non-binary, neurodivergent New York-based educator with 20 years of experience teaching pre-K through higher ed. They work with teachers to uncover their biases so they can co-create equitable and inclusive learning communities with neurodivergent, disabled, and gender expansive students.

    Contact Kade:
    kade@pineprogram.org

  • Christina DeNucci

    Christina DeNucci

    Program Coordinator

    Christina (she/her) serves as the Program Coordinator for the PINE Program, drawing upon her extensive 15-year background in administrative roles to ensure a seamless onboarding experience for our valued partners. Before joining the PINE team, Christina held the position of Director of Operations with a top-tier Real Estate team in New Jersey. In this role, Christina played a crucial part in crafting and formalizing policies and procedures while providing invaluable support to a substantial team of real estate agents. Christina is a proud alumna of Monmouth University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication. In her leisure time, Christina enjoys moments spent with her husband and their young son and daughter.

    Contact Christina:
    christina@pineprogram.org

PINE content is developed with a growing community of neurodivergent experts…

Jordyn Zimmerman. Jordyn, a white woman with wavy brown hair, smiles. She is wearing a green top.
Tiffany "TJ" Joseph. Tiffany wears an orange blazer top with a dark blue blouse, smiling.
Niko Boskovic. Niko Boskovic is a white man with long, shaggy dark hair with bleach blonde highlights growing out and a light moustache and beard. He is wearing a t-shirt and is sitting at a table facing a window. His pronouns are he/him.
Lisa Vallado. Lisa is a Brazilian girl with long brown hair and a bright coral tank top, smiling.
Brandy Haberer. Brandy is a mixed indigenous female (White and Cherokee). She is wearing a black shirt with curly hair dark blonde hair. She is in front of an ombre pink and purple background.
Noor Pervez. Noor is aa south Asian non-binary person with brown skin and eyes, and teal and black curly hair, wearing a .
Lauren Melissa Ellzey. I am a black multiracial woman with big curly hair and brown eyes, and I am wearing a white ruffled shirt.
Lydia Brown. Lydia smiles and tilts their head slightly to the side, looking confidently at the camera. They are a young-ish East Asian person with a streak of teal in their short black hair, wearing glasses, a cobalt blue jacket and navy tie, with a
Chlow Rothschild. Young woman with brown hair, glasses, and a blue dress standing among trees.
Paul David Kotler. My name is Paul Kotler. I am a Caucasian male. I have short brown hair and blue eyes. I am standing in my favorite city, New York. I am happy and smiling, looking off to the side. I am wearing a blue shirt, a striped tie, and a nav
Grant Blasko. I am a white teenager with auburn-colored curly hair in a camel sweater, who is hooked on neatness.
Morénike Giwa Onaiwu. A headshot of Morénike, a dark skinned Black person who is looking at the camera and smiling. Morénike has shoulder length black hair and is wearing a black shirt.
Ina Stankovic. I’m a female with black glasses and long, brown curly hair. I’m wearing a black overall and a black hat. I’m also wearing a gold wedding band and tiny amethyst earrings. My pronouns are she, her and hers. I am sitting at a wooden table
Stephen Shore. White male with a beard, white baseball hat, glasses, and a burgundy collared shirt standing in front of a row of CitiBikes.
Maxwell Schneider. I'm a white, non-binary person with short, bleach blonde hair and a brown mustache. I use they/them pronouns. I have visible tattoos on my neck and arms. I am wearing a color-block t-shirt with a light green front, red breast pocke
Becca Lory Hector. I’m a white female with glasses and chin length brown hair. I’m wearing an olive green sweater and holding my cat named Kira.. My pronouns are she, her, hers. I am standing in front of a yellow wall.
Maisie Soetantyo. The headshot shows Maisie is an Asian woman with shoulder-length black hair. She was smiling and looking at the camera. Maisie was wearing a red sleeveless top.
Zosia Zaks.