Meet the Staff

Margaret Hefferle has been with the START project as a Northern Regional Associate since 2003. She is responsible for Sussex, Morris, Passaic and Warren Counties.

Margaret has worked for SPAN for over seven years as the Family Resource Specialist for Morris County, through the Special Child Health Services. She has also done some work for Special Child Health Services under a state grant for New Jersey Family Care. Margaret sits on the Special Education advisory council in both Lincoln Park and Boonton school districts, and is co-leader of the Lincoln Park Parent's of Exceptional Children.

Margaret is the only parent serving on the Partnership for Transition and Employment Services for Morris County, and is their treasurer. As an action Advocate for COSAC, Margaret has fought for legislation pertaining to the Autism community. She also is the Chair of the Regional Family Support Planning Council #1 serving Morris, Sussex and Warren Counties and the statewide chair of the Family Support Council. A pediatric nurse by profession, she lives in Morris County with her two sons, one of whom has autism.

Myriam Alizo has been working at SPAN since the year 2003 as a Parent Group Specialist Picture of Myriam Alizo

under the START Project, helping to develop and support Parent Groups in the area of special education in the counties of Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Union. Myriam is also part of the New Jersey Statewide Parent to Parent, covering the northeast of the state.

Myriam sits on the Special Education Parent Advisory Council in her local school district, and is a member of the Steering Committee of the Bergen Chapter of ASPEN (Aspergers Syndrome Education Network), and has made presentations in English and Spanish on IDEA, Basic Rights and Parent Professional Collaboration, Parent Involvement in the Special Education Process, Key Changes to the Special Education Law, Engaging Immigrant/LEP Families in School, Ensuring Effective Services to Immigrant &/or LEP/ELL Children & Families, etc.

Prior to working at SPAN, Myriam worked for over three years as a Family Support Coordinator & Parent Trainer in Parent-to-Parent of Miami, Florida, an organization dedicated to assist and advocate for parents and their children with special needs. Myriam has two daughters, and early on became very involved in their education as they struggled with learning difficulties and the complexities of acquiring language skills in a bilingual family/school environment.

Myriam Alizo has a B.S. in Electronic Engineering from Universidad Simon Bolivar in Caracas, Venezuela, and has been residing in the United States since 1989.

Greetings. My name is Lynn Muller-Guiser. I work as a Parent Group Specialist in Monmouth, Middlesex, and Ocean counties. An interest in parent involvement in education began when my children entered school, and I discovered that family involvement was a key ingredient to academic success and a meaningful education. Currently, I coordinate a support group called, BEAM (Becoming Educated And Motivated About Special Education) of Monmouth County.

Since I can remember, health and education have been priorities for me. My original - and still active career is providing nutrition counseling.

While I enjoy a variety of work opportunities, playing is important. I often find it energizing and peaceful to go kayaking and camping on the upper Delaware River with close friends and family.

Deborah Lynam lives in Haddon Heights, NJ along with her husband and three boys. It is her belief that parental involvement is key to securing a quality education for all children. Currently, she volunteers her time as a member of her local Special Education Parent Support Group (STEPS) and as a Board of Education member for her local school district. She is a tutor for the Reading Assist Institute, working in DE Public Schools to provide reading interventions to struggling students. She has also been a NJ Foster Parent and a member of the Camden County Foster and Adoptive Parents Association.

In September 2009, she accepted a position as Parent Group Specialist for SPAN's START Project serving Burlington, Camden and Gloucester counties. She is available to provide technical assistance to support parent involvement and to assist in getting parent groups up and running. She looks forward to working with the groups already established in these areas; as well as, assisting school districts and parents to organize new ones.

Connie Graham is the Parent Group Specialist for Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Salem counties. Connie was born and raised in New York City. She raised four daughters, one of whom has severe challenges. Connie received her master's in social work from Stony Brook University. For a number of years she also served as the Director of Mental Retardation and Development Disabilities for the Economic Opportunity Council of Suffolk County. Around the time when she moved to New Jersey she assumed guardianship for three of her young grandchildren all of whom are children with special needs. Connie also serves on the board of education in Pleasantville and is the chairwoman for the special education committee. She started the advisory committee of parents with students with special needs in Pleasantville called NANA, which stands for Never Alone, Never Afraid. Connie recognized that parents want support, knowledge, and training; parents will reach out for help and want respect for both parent and child.

Carolyn Hayer is the Director of Parent & Professional Development for SPAN, the Statewide Parent Advocacy Network. Mrs. Hayer presents at conferences and conducts trainings and workshops throughout New Jersey on a variety of issues related to special education. In addition, she is the Coordinator of the Region 1 Alliance for Parent Centers which provides technical assistance to parent centers throughout the Northeastern United States. Mrs. Hayer is a member of the NJ State Special Education Advisory Council; the NJ Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities; NJ DDC Education Task Force; NJ Protection & Advocacy Board of Directors; Hackensack Education Foundation and is President of the Hackensack Board of Education. She also participates on various panels, task forces and committees around issues related to autism and to special education.

Sh’corah Yehudah has been with SPAN since 2001. She began working on the START Project in 2007, consulting with New Jersey Department of Education OSEP staff on issues related to cultural competence and the efficacy of relevant program materials. She also conducted workshops for START and OSEP staff and parent and professional collaborating teams on cultural competence and how it affects outcomes for children with special educational needs. In 2008, Ms.Yehudah became a Parent Group Specialist, covering portions of Union County and a Family Information Specialist for the Lakewood School District, providing support and guidance to parents of the preschool disabled.

When wearing her other SPAN project hat, Ms. Yehudah is the Violence Prevention/Family Strengthening Coordinator providing workshops and trainings to families, professionals and other concerned citizens on such issues as; family strengthening, community building, child abuse, bullying, violence and substance abuse prevention. She is a certified Strengthening Families Program and Strengthening Multi-Ethnic Families and Communities Facilitator.

She is a lifetime advocate for her adult son, who has had special needs since he was two and a half.

Prior to her employment with SPAN, Ms. Yehudah worked for many years as a Counselor/Caseworker for battered women in Somerset County.