James W. Loomis, Ph.D.

Jim Loomis is Director of Adult Services at CCSN in Glastonbury, a multispecialty practice serving individuals with autism spectrum disorders and developmental disabilities.

For 25 years, he has specialized in work with adolescents and adults with autism, helping to build independence and facilitate the transition to adulthood through family based therapy, behavioral treatment, social skills groups, and individual counseling. Through his practice he also provides evaluations, and consultation to schools and State agencies. He has been a regular speaker to ASRC as well as other regional and national audiences of professionals and parents.

He is on the Connecticut Autism Spectrum Advisory Council and is the author of Staying in the Game: Providing Social Opportunities for Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Other Developmental Disabilities and Reaching Out and Fitting In: A Manual for Peer Mentoring Students with Autism in Middle and High School.

Laurie Filippini graduated from the University of Connecticut in 1987 and joined the Department of Social Services directly thereafter. 

Laurie has worked in eligibility for every major program offered by DSS, including TFA, Medicaid and SNAP. 

Laurie currently manages the eligibility teams for DSS’ Community Options unit which comprises the Medicaid waiver team and the State-funded home care for the elderly.

Steve DiLella is the Director of the Individual and Family Support Program Unit at the Connecticut Department of Housing (DOH). 

Steve has been with the State working on ending homelessness and providing housing resources for individuals with disabilities for the past fourteen years.  During this timeframe, Steve has managed all state funded homeless service programs including homeless outreach, homeless diversion, emergency shelter, rapid rehousing, and permanent supportive housing, as well as assisting in the creation of Connecticut’s Coordinated Entry System. 

Connecticut has over 5000 units of permanent supportive housing and over $3 million dollars of funding for rapid rehousing for homeless individuals and families.  Within the 5000 units of permanent supportive housing are various special initiatives that target homeless individuals and families that are high cost users of institutional settings.  Steve has also pushed the Connecticut homeless service system toward a housing first and low barrier model and has instituted harm reduction policies in all homeless programs.

Steve has also collaborated with other state agencies, including the Departments of Social Services, Developmental Services, Mental Health and Addiction Services, Children and Families, Veterans Affairs and Correction to create housing programs for those agencies target populations. 

In addition to Steve’s roles with DOH, he serves as the Co-Chair for the Connecticut Balance of State Continuum of Care, which has leveraged significant resources over the past ten years to create more permanent supportive housing units for the disabled homeless population.

Aimee graduated from Springfield College with a Master’s Degree in Social work. Before working for the Social Security Disability program she was the Associate Director of a vocational rehabilitation agency that supports people to find meaning work and roles in the community. Aimee came to work for Social Security Disability as a Disability Examiner in 2009. She has experience working as a Hearing’s Officer and is currently the Professional Relations Officer. In her role of PRO she works as a liaison between the agency and outside stakeholders. She also works as a crisis clinician in local hospitals in the Springfield area.

Beth graduated from Springfield College with a Master’s Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling. Upon graduation, Beth worked in the Birth to Three programs in both Massachusetts and Rhode Island, working with children with Autism and ABA, amongst other children with developmental disabilities. She has worked at Social Security Disability since 2003, starting as a Disability Examiner and eventually becoming a Quality Assurance Specialist. Her current role as a QA Specialist includes training new consultants for the program, as well as reviewing Social Security Disability claims for accuracy. Beth is well versed in Social Security Disability policy and procedure, as well as medical and psychological conditions that affect a person’s ability to work.

Laura DiGalbo, M.Ed., C.R.C., L.P.C.

Laura DiGalbo received her B.A. in psychology from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College and her M.Ed. from the University of Hartford in counseling. She is a nationally Certified Rehabilitation Counselor and licensed to practice in the State of Connecticut.

Ms. DiGalbo has worked in the disability field including vocational rehabilitation and public policy for over 45 years as a practitioner, supervisor, administrator and consultant. It was during this time that she was charged with oversight of initiatives between the Department of Rehabilitation Services and school systems throughout Connecticut. This role led her to develop Connecticut’s first programmatic interdisciplinary team approach facilitating transition from secondary education to employment and postsecondary education for persons with disabilities; those on The Autism Spectrum in specific. She also provided clinical/ programmatic leadership to agencies, school systems and employment service providers around engaging families in collaborative planning with youth on The Spectrum.

Now in private practice, Laura provides consultation and training to public and private agencies, school systems as well as service providers around the country on such topics as; transition of those with disabilities to postsecondary education and employment, the creation of public policy affecting disenfranchised people, including those with disabilities, and engagement of stakeholders in interdisciplinary, interagency planning. She presents at conferences on these topics and others related to disability both nationally and internationally.

In addition, she has been an adjunct professor at Springfield College, Assumption College and Goodwin University. She has served as adjunct faculty for 27 years in the Graduate School of Counseling and Family Therapy of Central Connecticut State University where her focus is on developing an understanding of all disabilities with a concentration on psychological and cognitive disorders including those with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Amy Dumont is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker working for the Department of Social Services for the past 14 years on their 11 Medicaid Waiver Programs as well as other programs. She holds a Masters in Clinical Social Work from Fordham University and is currently pursuing her PhD in Health Education and Promotion.

Cathleen A. Calway, MS, BCBA, LBA, is an Autism Support and Resource Specialist with the Department of Social Services (DSS), Division of Autism. Cathleen began her career as a Special Education Teacher with the CT Department of Developmental Services (DDS), working with children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities. She later joined the Early Connections Birth to Three Program, where she spent over 30 years providing home and community-based services to young children with disabilities, including Autism. Cathleen was also a member of the Community of Practice (COP) statewide team that developed the CT Transition Timeline Guide. After the Early Connections program closed, Cathleen served as a Transition Coordinator for DDS, supporting individuals and their families as they navigated and accessed adult services, before joining the Autism Division in 2013. Cathleen’s years of expertise working with families and extensive knowledge of resources at the local, state and national level, has proven to be invaluable in her role as a Resource Specialist for the DSS Autism Division.

Nathaniel Calixto is an Autism Support and Resource Specialist with the State Department of Social Services Autism Division. He holds an M.A in organizational management with a specialization in human resources management from Ashford University and a Bachelors in Sociology with a minor in political science from Central Connecticut State University. Nathaniel has more than 8 years of experience working in the social and human services field. Before transitioning to the State Department of Social Services Autism Division, Nathaniel spent a little over 6 years working at United Way of Connecticut’s 211 lnfoline where he held variou·s positions as a supervisor, lead, and a contact center specialist. At 211 lnfoline, Nathaniel gained useful experience providing information and referrals to Connecticut residents, handled calls from the National Suicide Prevention Hotline, the 211 crisis line, shelter calls, and assisted individuals who had disabilities and co-occurring disorders. The skills Nathaniel brings along with him working with various populations and demographics has equipped him to provide essential information and resources to new applicants and individuals on our autism waiver wait list.