ILA Executive Team

Arthur Palevsky,
Executive Director

Mr. Palevsky began his career in social services in 1975 following his graduation from Columbia University with two Masters Degrees. All of his career has been devoted to working with the developmentally disabled, first in positions of direct service and later in managerial and executive capacities. Mr. Palevsky has specialized in program development and quality assurance. He also is particularly attuned to the familial challenges that can be associated with a developmental disability having worked for a parent-run service provider for more than a decade and having had a developmentally disabled family member. Mr. Palevsky joined ILA in January of 1991 when the Agency had six homes. He was crucial to the addition of the many new programs, and became the executive director in 2003.

Frank De Lucia,
Chief Financial Officer and Deputy Executive Director

Mr. De Lucia is a Certified Public Accountant with more than twenty years of financial and auditing experience, including a ten year stint in public accounting. He has been with the executive staff of Independent Living Association, Inc. since January, 1992 having assumed the additional responsibility of deputy executive director in May of 2003. Prior to working at ILA, Mr. De Lucia was a tax specialist and also worked as an auditor for the City of New York and later for a major banking firm. Mr. De Lucia specializes in financial projections and budgeting, as well as internal control policies and procedures. He wrote ILA's manual of accounting policies and procedures which has been lauded by auditors from the State of New York and independent auditing firms.

Ava Morgan,
Director of Operations

Ms. Morgan has been with the Independent Living Association, Inc. since 1993 after fifteen years of dedicated service to the developmentally disabled. Ms. Morgan first worked for voluntary and New York State service providers, and later became a standards compliance analyst for New York State during which time she audited community programs and became an expert in regulations. During her tenure with the Agency, Ms. Morgan has held increasingly responsible positions first serving as the Director of Quality Assurance, later as the Director of Residential Services and her current role as the Director of Operations. Ms. Morgan is responsible for overseeing operations of four departments, thirty two programs and over six hundred employees.

Patricia Perkins,
Director of Residential Services

Ms. Perkins began working for the Agency in March 1991 as a clinician assigned to the John P. Welch Residence (formerly the New York Avenue Residence). In recognition of her dedication to ILA and demonstrated abilities, Ms. Perkins quickly rose through the ranks having been assigned various leadership positions including Residence Supervisor, Incident Management Coordinator and Area Coordinator. In her current role of Director of Residential Services, Ms. Perkins is responsible for the administration of thirty two programs. Her mastery of management techniques and regulatory compliance is demonstrated by the satisfaction of consumers, their families and auditors from New York State.

Jennifer Hinds,
Director of Human Resources

Ms. Hinds joined Independent Living as the Director of Human Resources in March of 2006. With nearly a decade working in the Human Resources field in the retail and financial services industries, Ms. Hinds has instilled a business approach to employee relations which has improved the Agency's employee recruitment and retention programs. Ms. Hinds also administers the Agency's collective bargaining agreement with the union that represents ILA's direct care and support staff. Jennifer has a Bachelor's degree in Business Management and a Masters Degree in Human Resources.

Richard Gruber,
Director of Quality Assurance

Mr. Gruber has been working in the field of Developmental Disabilities since 1981. It was his work as a direct care counselor that first inspired him to pursue a formal career in the "helping professions". Mr. Gruber has been affiliated with ILA since 1990 when he started as an Applied Behavioral Sciences Specialist. Before becoming the Director of Quality Assurance in 2007, Mr. Gruber worked as supervising psychologist for the Agency and later served as coordinator of psychological services. In addition to his current role at the agency, Mr. Gruber has presented at national AAMR conferences and at regional NYSACRA conferences. He holds a bachelors degree and a Masters Degree in psychology.

Frank V. Bono,
Director of Building Management

Mr. Bono began his work at ILA in March of 1994, after forty years of experience that includes carpentry, architecture and construction and facility management. At ILA, Mr. Bono is responsible for the management of the physical plants of thirty two programs. He assures the daily maintenance of each building as well as assuring the good working order of the building's systems including plumbing, heating, and fire-notifier panels. He also oversees the design, bidding and management of small and large repair projects, as well as the construction of new facilities. Mr. Bono supervises a maintenance team of twenty five staff.

INDEPENDENT LIVING ASSOCIATION ILA Case Management Services, Inc

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PRESIDENT AND CHAIRMAN