Back to the Main PageResource Parents
Resource Parents are people like you. They live in the cities, towns, and rural sections of our area and have children attending local schools, in most cases. SPAN Resource Parents are initially intensely trained by the Newark staff over a one to two week period. In addition, they receive ongoing training to stay current on the many laws, regulations, strategies and "best practices" for children and adults with special needs. Many of our Resource Parents hold full-time jobs in addition to their volunteer activities with SPAN. If you would like to find out more about becoming a Resource Parent, contact Deborah Fernandez at the main SPAN office in Newark at (973)642-8100. Trainings are held annually in our area, usually involving 6-12 parents each year.
Here are the people you should know....
your Hunterdon County SPAN Resource Parents:
Mark Hermann: MarkTRG@aol.com
Mark was trained by SPAN in 1993. He lives in Lambertville with his wife Lisa and sons Allen, Andrew, William, and Daniel. Allen, Andrew and William are all in the Autism Spectrum, and are included in regular education classes, with supports, at the Lambertville Public School. Mark is on SPAN's Board of Trustees and serves as Treasurer to the organization. He has conducted training sessions for parent groups and provides telephone and meeting support to parents.
Donna Festa: jfesta@blast.net
In addition to her duties with SPAN, Donna is co-chair of the Somerset-Hunterdon chapter of the Learning Disabilities Association. Donna lives in Flemington with her husband Joe and children Nick and Helen. Through her work with LDA, Donna has specialized knowledge in learning disabilities that often accompany attention deficit disorders (ADD, ADHD), emotional, and behavioral differences. Donna is committed to both systems change and empowering families.
Tom Reddington: tbr@sonapub.whats.lucent.com
Tom has developed and presented parent training materials for SPAN and has a special interest in changing policies that harm children and adults with disabilities. Tom, his wife Betsey, and children Tom, Jr. and Neil. Neil recently returned to his home district in Kingwood, after a successful inclusive program in a private pre-school.
Beth Eppinger: beke4@aol.com
Beth and her husband, Doug, are Clinton Township residents. They have been active in special education for many years and have helped organize the Friends of North Hunterdon Group. Beth has her Masters Degree in Special Education. Their children, Leigh and Drew, attend North Hunterdon High School. If you would like the perspective of someone who has both a parent's and a professional's experience, contact Beth at the e-mail address above.
Selma Sisco
Selma is the Secretary-Treasurer of the Friends of North Hunterdon parents group.
Sandy Dunleavy
Sandy is a member of the SPAN staff who lives in Annandale. She is available to support parents and to conduct SPAN training sessions for parent and professional groups.
Elaine Buchsbaum
Elaine can be reached during weekdays at the Arc of Hunterdon. (908) 730-7827. In addition to her role with SPAN as a resource parent, and the Arc as coordinator of the family support program, Elaine also serves as a member of the West Amwell School Board. She and her husband Peter have four sons, including Matthew, who has autism. Matt is transitioning from school to adult life now that he has reached age 21.
Dorothy Salvatore
Dorothy is currently completing her Masters Degree at Rutgers University in Special Education. Through this training, Dorothy can be very helpful in assisting parents with understand evaluation and testing procedures and results.
