Massachusetts Staff
Mary Devlin joined The Institute’s team in 2006 as the State Director of Massachusetts, bringing over 20 years of experience and expertise in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities. She started her professional life in the Massachusetts Governor’s Office and has spent the majority of her career in human services, including 10 years with the Massachusetts Department of Mental Retardation. While with the Department she was a legislative liaison advocating for services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and then a Division Director in a state school charged with transitioning people out of the institutional setting into appropriate community-based settings. She also worked in the Connecticut Department of Mental Retardation as the Director of Communications and Constituent Services. Prior to joining IPP, Mary spent 10 years in a senior management position with a Massachusetts based private non-profit human services agency where she planned, developed and implemented program services. Mary is currently a member of the Board of the Association of Developmental Disabilities Providers (ADDP), the American Association on Intellectualand Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) and the MA North Central Chamber of Commerce. mdevlin@ippi.org
Michael Farrah, MBA is a long-time employee of The Institute and is currently the Director of Administration and Finance in Massachusetts. Mike has held many positions with the Institute through out his long tenure, including providing direct treatment and support to individuals living in residential programs, overseeing homes and ISOs as a Facility Coordinator, and in 1997 managing services to 20 individuals as a Project Director. As Director of Administration and Finance, Michael has brought clinical, programmatic, operational and fiscal experience to his work. He is responsible for developing and overseeing program budgets, preparing fiscal documents and reports, and overseeing the maintenance of facilities. He received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Lowell in Economics and Political Science and his Master’s of Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. Michael’s professional interest is in finding creative ways of providing resources for those served by The Institute in a difficult fiscal environment. mfarrah@ippi.org
Kathleen Ferguson M.S. is the Clinical Director of Adult Services for The Institute in Massachusetts. Kathy has been with IPP since 1998 and is responsible for delivering and supervising evidenced-based best practices throughout each of the programs and sites that support adults in central Massachusetts. Kathy has worked in the field of developmental disabilities since 1979. Professional interests include dual diagnosis (MI/ID), applied behavior analysis, the effect of a developmental disability on family dynamics and borderline personality disorder. Kathy has received intensive training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy and continues to adapt the skills for use with people who have intellectual disability. Kathycompleted her undergraduate work at The State University of New York at Oneonta and her graduate work at The University of Wyoming. She is currently completing her work to become certified as a Behavior Analyst. kferguson@ippi.org
Susan Sczerzenie, Ph.D. is the Director of Children’s Services. She is responsible for overseeing Children’s Consultative Services, Residential Services, and the Center for Education. Dr. Sczerzenie completed her undergraduate work at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, PA and her doctorate in clinical psychology at Suffolk University in Boston, MA. She completed her pre-doctorate internship at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, NY where she specialized in the diagnosis and treatment of anxiety disorders including OCD, post-traumatic stress disorder, and disruptive behavior disorders in children and adolescents. Dr. Sczerzenie’s work in private practice as a Licensed Psychologist (MA) focuses on neuropsycholgical testing, social skills training including language pragmatics, and parent training for the management of challenging behaviors as well as the treatment of developmental and trauma-related disorders. Dr. Sczerzenie is a member of the American Psychological Association and Devereux Massachusetts’ Research Committee. ssczerzenie@ippi.org
Rachelle Asante is the Director of Quality Enhancement in Massachusetts. She has been with the Institute since 1996 and has held a number of positions including Instructor and ISO Provider. Rachelle is responsible for ensuring that the individuals supported by the agency in Massachusetts receive services agreed to by their team and that are in compliance with the quality standards set by the funding agency and the internal standards of The Institute. The Quality Enhancement Department has allowed her to use her business background but remain connected to the individuals with whom she works. Rachelle is a graduate of Fitchburg State College and she is currently exploring graduate school programs that will keep her closely tied to the field of developmentally disabilities. Her interests are in providing the best individualized supports possible for those with special needs. rasante@ippi.org
Laura (Bullen) Graves is the Director of Day Supports which includes the Focus, Compass, and Community Enclave Support (CES) programs. Each program offers work opportunities with varying degrees of supervision provided based on an individual needs. Ms. Graves originally joined The Institute in 2000 as the Program Director of the Focus Day Program. She started her career in 1988 transitioning individuals from State Schools to community living for several Massachusetts organizations. Ms. Graves has an undergraduate degree in Special Education and Behavioral Science. After completing her undergraduate work, she was a Graduate Assistant in Special Education while working on her Master's. She taught special education in a public school and was a Head Teacher at a residential school in a Behavioral Development Unit for 10 years. She has begun coursework through The Institute in Applied Behavior Analysis. lgraves@ippi.org