Board of Directors – CSAAC

Board of Directors

Dedicated leaders guiding CSAAC’s mission to empower individuals with autism

Jane Ford Salzano

Founder / Honorary Board Member (Non Voting)

Jane Ford Salzano is the Founder of CSAAC. A retired educator from Montgomery County Public Schools of Maryland with a son and grandson severely impacted by autism. She has devoted her life to enabling individuals with autism to live and work in their community. As a stalwart community activist, Ms. Salzano remains involved in the organization, tirelessly advocating for funding to ensure CSAAC’s future. She is available to speak about the importance of community based supports as well as the development of CSAAC as national model for programming for children and adults impacted by autism.

Executive Board

Nivea Cordova Berrios

Board President

Nivea has dedicated her life to helping those with special needs reach their full potential. Her advocacy leadership has helped change the way the world views those with disabilities. Nivea is a retired administrator for Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland.

Nivea’s work began in Puerto Rico, where she won a landmark case in Superior Court benefiting all special needs school children by granting them the right to receive uninterrupted education all year long. She is one of the founders of The Parents Place of Maryland and was appointed by the United States Department of Education as co chair for the Select Committee of Underserved Group of Parents.

Nilda Colgrove

Board Vice President

Nilda holds a Doctor’s degree in Veterinary Medicine from the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo and a Doctor D’Universite de Sciences from the University of Paris VII. When her son Michael was diagnosed with autism at the age of two, Nilda interrupted her career to become Michael’s full time educational advocate.

This led to Nilda’s second career working with Montgomery County Public Schools as a Parent Community Coordinator. Nilda has been volunteering in CSAAC for 30 years, serving in various capacities including more than 20 years as a Board member. Her son Michael has received residential and supported employment services from CSAAC for many years.

Mark Maceira

Board Treasurer

Mark Maceira is the current Treasurer of the CSAAC Board of Directors.

Glenda Rose

Board Secretary

Glenda has been a member of the CSAAC Board for several years and presently serves as the Secretary of the CSAAC Board of Directors. She is the Chairman of the Evaluation Committee and a member of the Admissions Committee. She is retired from the Montgomery County Board of Education where she worked as the Administrative Secretary. Her son is supported at CSAAC.

Board Members

Deborah Seils

Board Member

Deborah has a Master’s degree in social work and is licensed in Pennsylvania. Currently, she works with a managed care organization in assessing medical necessity criteria for children with mental health and behavioral issues who receive medical assistance in Pennsylvania. She has also worked as a psychotherapist in a residential treatment facility for children with mental health and behavioral issues and has worked as an outpatient therapist in various agencies and in private practice. Early in her career, she worked with children in the autism program at Sandberg Elementary School. Deborah’s brother is in the residential and vocational programs and receives day rehabilitation at CSAAC.

Hans Berg

Board Member

Hans Berg currently serves as a Board Member of the CSAAC Board of Directors.

James M. Williams, Jr

Board Member

James is one of CSAAC’s newest board members. He is the Director of Federal Affairs for Wayne State University, located in Detroit, Michigan. A resident of Greenbelt, Maryland, James is a veteran of over 30 local, state and national campaigns and worked on Capitol Hill for over 20 years for six different members of Congress, including a term as Chief of Staff to Congressman John Lewis (GA). James has been active in the autism community in Prince George’s County for more than 20 years, working with other parents to help lobby for the adoption of the autism waiver law, and spent countless hours as a volunteer and concerned parent at the Kennedy Krieger LEAP program. James’ son is a resident at CSAAC.

Senator Karen S. Montgomery

Board Member

Karen S. Montgomery served 13 years in the Maryland Legislature, 8 years in the House of Delegates and 5 years in the Senate, serving on the Health, Education and Environment Committee in the Senate. Senator Montgomery retired in 2016. Prior to that, she had been a public school teacher, an adjunct professor of Sculpture and Design at George Washington University for 12 years, the Associate Director of Development at the National Rehabilitation Hospital and Director of Development on two separate occasions, at the Olney Theatre Center in Olney, MD. Senator Montgomery and her husband Harry, who is truly a rocket scientist with a PhD. in related fields, are forever grateful to Jane Salzano, the founder of CSAAC.

Michael Gugerty

Board Member

Michael is a local attorney and the father of two children. Michael’s law practice focuses on commercial real estate, business and landlord tenant law. His stepson is supported by CSAAC. He resides in Rockville with his wife Ann and is an active volunteer for Autism Speaks.

Scott Salzano

Board Member

Scott Salzano is Vice President of Contracts at ASRC Federal, a major provider of services to the federal government. He leads a team of professionals providing full lifecycle contractual support to include opportunity and strategy review, proposal support, contract formation, negotiation, administration, management and closeout services. Scott has an uncle and cousin who are served by CSAAC and he has been involved with supporting CSAAC’s mission in various ways for much of his life. Scott currently serves on CSAAC’s finance committee and holds a Bachelor’s degree from Northern Arizona University’s College of Business Administration.

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