Meet the Board
Ken Cabral M.Ed.
Board President
Ken Cabral is the Executive Director at BenHaven, Inc. a private, not-for-profit agency located in south central Connecticut. Benhaven’s mission is to enable people with autism and pervasive developmental disorders to participate in community life, exercise productive control over their own lives, have meaningful relationships and associations, be gainfully employed and experience happiness and personal satisfaction.
Ken returned to the provider after a 25 year career in state government including Connecticut and Washington, DC. His career has focused on person centered and family center service in the field of Intellectual Developmental Disabilities and Child Welfare. He has a passion and commitment to supporting people with intellectual disability and their families.
While in Washington Ken worked at the Development Disability Administration (DDA) where he served as the Director of Operations providing leadership and oversight of the provider community in DC, the Home and Community Based Waivers, Intake, and the DDA budget. Prior to his return to Connecticut Mr. Cabral’s professional career was focused on working with children, families, and adults with intellectual disabilities. Since returning to Connecticut Ken has served as the Regional Administrator for both Region 5 and Region 1 at the Department of Children and Families and the Director of Family Services Strategy at the Department of Developmental Services.
Ken’s focus and priority remains with individual and family centered services, and to ensure quality, inclusion, and dignity. Ensuring high quality services is only accomplished through strong partnerships, creativity, and flexibility.
Julia Boisvert
Vice President and Treasurer
Attorney at Murtha Cullina LLP in the health care and nonprofit organizations practice areas
Julia advises a variety for-profit and nonprofit health care providers on health care regulatory, employment and corporate issues. She also assists nonprofit organizations on matters including governance, tax exempt questions and operational issues.
Prior to joining Murtha Cullina LLP, Julia taught legal research and writing to first year law students as a teaching fellow at American University Washington College of Law, where she had graduated with her Juris Doctor degree.
Julia is also a graduate of Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science degree in human development.
Jeana Bracey, Ph.D.
Secretary
Jeana Bracey is Associate Vice President of School and Community Initiatives at the Child Health and Development Institute (CHDI). She oversees several school and community-based systems, development activities and programs in school-based mental health, juvenile justice diversion, health equity, and program implementation and evaluation. Jeana’s work focuses on developing effective systems, policies, and best practices to improve behavioral health outcomes for children, youth, and families through school-family-community partnerships. Currently, she coordinates several statewide initiatives, including the CT School-Based Diversion Initiative (SBDI), the Connecticut Network of Care Transformation (CONNECT) Initiative, and Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resilience in Education).
While Jeana officially joined the CHDI staff in July 2011, has worked with CHDI since 2008 through her predoctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship at The Consultation Center at Yale University. She earned her PhD in Clinical/Community Psychology in 2010 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Jeana lives in Waterbury with her husband and three children, including one with special medical needs.
Marty Carroll
Senior Vice President – Wealth Management at Raymond James in Glastonbury
Marty is a Senior Vice President and Branch Manager with Carroll Wealth Management Advisors of Raymond James in Glastonbury, Connecticut. Before joining Raymond James in 2017, Marty spent over 19 years at Merrill Lynch serving as senior vice president and senior resident director. Prior to entering the financial services industry, he served in the United States Marine Corps from 1989 to 1998 as a Major and helicopter pilot. Marty earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the College of the Holy Cross and an MBA from Boston University.
An active member of his community, Marty founded and chairs the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation annual Connecticut golf tournament, which has raised more than $500,000 to provide needs-based college scholarships for children of Marines. He and his wife, Jen, founded Glastonbury TOPSoccer – a youth soccer team for children with disabilities. Marty serves as the head coach for the team. Additionally, he is vice chair of the finance and administration committee for HARC, Inc.
In his spare time, Marty enjoys golfing, skiing, snowboarding, fishing and vacationing with his family. Son to a fellow Marine, he was born in Quantico, Virginia, and calls Fall River, Massachusetts, home. Marty and Jen live in Glastonbury with their children, Kaitlyn, Jamie, Mattie and Halle.
Erin Cornell, MPH
Associate Director, Help Me Grow National Center at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center
Erin is a public health practitioner whose work focuses on strategies to improve the health and developmental outcomes of children through systems innovation. Currently, she oversees the design and implementation of strategic initiatives within the Help Me Grow National Center, an organization that supports national replication of a model designed to facilitate developmental promotion, early identification, and linkage to services for young children and their families. Before joining Help Me Grow, Erin contributed to the implementation and evaluation of innovations in child health services, including Co-Management and Mid-Level Developmental Assessment, both programs of the Office for Community Child Health at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.
While a graduate student, Erin completed a year-long assistantship as a LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities) Fellow through the University of Connecticut University Center of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities.
Erin holds a BA from Boston University, an MPH from the University of Connecticut, and is currently pursuing a doctorate in public health from the University of Connecticut.
Dr. Robert Keder
Rob Keder grew up in Connecticut, attended the Loyola University of Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, and then completed his residency in pediatrics through the University of Connecticut. He completed a three year fellowship in Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics at Boston Medical Center / Boston University and a one year LEND (Leadership Education for Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities) fellowship through the University of Massachusetts Shriver Center. He returned home to Connecticut Children’s in 2016 where he is involved in several aspects of medical education working with students, residents, and colleagues. His clinical interests relate to autism, ADHD, learning disabilities, developmental delays, and bullying. He is currently a co-chair of the Advocacy Committee for the Society for Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics and services on the UConn Pediatric Residency Program’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee as well as the UConn GME Diversity Oversight Committee.
Cindy Jackson
Pediatric physical therapist and director of Children’s Therapy Services
Cindy has several years of experience as a pediatric physical therapist and director of Children’s Therapy Services. She received her degrees in Physical Therapy and Allied Health Administration from the University of Connecticut. Cindy established Children’s Therapy Services in 1987. CTS provides services to children with special needs in the Greater Waterbury and Greater Danbury areas. Cindy also established LARC ( Lefty and Righty of CT ) – a constraint-induced movement therapy camp in 2002. Cindy participates in many councils that support system improvement for children with special needs and their families. She was recently appointed by the Governor to chair the CT Birth To Three Interagency Coordinating Council. Cindy has three children and resides in Cheshire with her husband.
Ken Spiegelman, MD
Ken is a practicing pediatrician in Manchester, CT. He is Medical Director of Post Graduate Medical Education at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center and is a board member. of Child Health Development Institute. Ken has a special interest in serving the developmental and behavior needs of children and families.