Adam Jacobs, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer, Bellefaire
Dr. Jacobs heads the Bellefaire management team, whose members represent a depth and breadth of expertise. Dr. Jacobs has headed the agency’s management team for over ten years. He has more than 26 years of experience in clinical planning and management in the field of child, youth and family services. Dr. Jacobs has demonstrated his exceptional capability to attract state, national, and private resources for special needs children, including Monarch School students.

Susan Ratner, M.S.S.A., Director of Special Projects, Bellefaire
Mrs. Ratner has more than 30 years’ experience in the fields of child development and early childhood education. She served for nearly ten years as Co-Director of Early Childhood Services at the agency before being appointed as one of Bellefaire’s Co-Directors of Education and Prevention Services and assuming the responsibility for setting up, funding, and hiring staff for Monarch School.

Debra Mandell, Director, Monarch School for Children with Autism
Ms. Mandell brings to her position formal training in two important disciplines: occupational therapy (B.S.O.T.) and health administration (M.S.H.A.). Responsible for the day-to-day operations of the school, Ms. Mandel honed her skills in management and supervision during her nine years as Program Director of the Child Development Center at Cooper Hospital University Medical Center. Her many years of experience working with special-needs populations have made her sensitive to the needs of Monarch School students, parents and staff.

Terry Murphy, CEO & Co-Founder, Monarch Teaching Technologies
Mr. Murphy’s focus is to develop software and other technology to support teaching children with autism. Monarch Teaching Technologies was founded in 2005 to deliver technology enhanced tools to improve the learning experience of children with autism. Under contract with Bellefaire, MTT has assembled a team of experts well qualified to design and implement the Visual Language Learning System. Mr. Murphy has over 20 years’ experience as a healthcare consultant and entrepreneur in Northeast Ohio. He serves on several advisory boards, including the alumni board of Cornell University’s Sloan Program for Health Services Administration.

Howard C. Shane, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Otolaryngology, Harvard Medical School and Director of Speech Pathology Services, Children’s Hospital Boston
Dr. Shane is the leader of Bellefaire’s collaboration with a team of professors and clinical program directors, speech pathologists, software application experts, and specialists in outcome research from Harvard Medical School, Children’s Hospital Boston, and Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Shane also directs the Communication Enhancement Center, the oldest and largest clinical program in the country having as its exclusive purpose the evaluation for and prescription of alternative and augmentative communication for persons with severe communication impairments. He is the author of numerous papers on severe speech impairment, has lectured throughout the world on the topic, and has produced many computer innovations for persons with autism spectrum disorders.