Our Team

The Mailman Advisory Council (MAC) brings together family members, self-advocates, community leaders, and clinicians to help guide the Mailman Center’s priorities and direction as part of our work as a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD). They provide lived experience, community perspective, and professional insight to ensure the Center’s work remains grounded in real-world impact.

The MAC is designed for individuals who care deeply about improving systems for children and families with disabilities and believe that meaningful change happens when community voices help lead the way. For more information, email Roselyne Antao at rantao@miami.edu.

Family Members

• Kathy Balaban – Family Member, Co-Chair
• Stephanie Preshong Brown – Family Member, Co-Chair
• Linda Starnes – Family Member
• Enrique Escallon – Family Member
• Elma Pierre – Family Member
• Sandra Angulo - Family Member

Self-Advocates/People with Disabilities (PWD)

• Alex Lopez – Self-Advocate/PWD
• Jairo Arana – Self-Advocate/PWD
• Joanne Palenzuela – Self-Advocate/PWD
• Kent Schomber – Self-Advocate/PWD

Community & Advocacy Organizations

• Jean Sherman – Developmental Disabilities Council
• Nancy Torres – Florida Network on Disability (FND)
• Carol Brady-Simmons – Lighthouse for the Blind
• Ire Diaz – Advocacy Network on Disabilities
• Leigh Markowitz – Disability Rights Florida
• Ernie Martinez – Push to Open, Inc.
• Kelly Hunter – Miami-Dade County Public Schools
• Hillary Jackson – Florida Agency for Persons with Disabilities
• Maricela Jimenez – Guardianship Program of Dade County
• Jennifer Zarcone – Florida Center for Inclusive Communities/USF UCEDD
• Andrea Hickson – Florida Department of Health
• Lianie Cuba – Advocacy Network on Disabilities

Mailman Center Staff & Leadership

• Daniel Armstrong– MAC Chair, Director
• Roselyne Antao – MAC Lead
• Rochelle Baer – Director of Leadership Training Initiatives
• Jason Jent – Associate Director
• Michelle Schladant – Associate Director
• Elana Mansoor – Director of Education and Training
• Austin Garilli – Director of Education and Leadership
• Cristina Pujol – LEND Training Director
• Jeff Brosco – Senior Advisor

Inter-Professional Collaboratives (IPCs) are interdisciplinary workgroups that provide a structured forum for collaboration across the Mailman Center’s priorities in research, training, clinical services, and community engagement. Created to ensure that initiatives are integrated at every level, IPC Leads report directly to the Director of the Mailman Center, and faculty, staff, trainees, and community partners voluntarily align with one or more IPCs to accelerate impact.

Neurodevelopmental Discovery IPC

Leads

• Dr. Daniel Messinger: dmessinger@miami.edu
• Dr. Jennifer Coto: jennifercoto@med.miami.edu

Description

The Neurodevelopmental Discovery IPC advances research that translates scientific discovery into meaningful improvements for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, particularly in community settings. Faculty across disciplines collaborate to strengthen team science initiatives and expand research funding. Current priorities include autism, genetics of hearing differences, early language development, and the long-term neurodevelopmental consequences of prenatal exposures such as Zika and COVID-19. A core objective of the IPC is to ensure that discovery science informs clinical innovation and community-based practice through collaboration with the other IPCs.

Neurodevelopmental Intervention IPC

Leads

• Dr. Michelle Berkovits: mberkovits@med.miami.edu
• Lynn Miskiel: LMiskiel@med.miami.edu

Description

The Neurodevelopmental Intervention IPC focuses on improving developmental outcomes through evidence-based intervention in communication, literacy (including health literacy), and social-emotional development. The collaborative brings together educators, clinicians, and researchers to organize research and strengthen implementation in early childhood and school-based settings. Special emphasis is placed on accelerating language acquisition, particularly for bilingual children with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and ensuring that intervention strategies are scalable and accessible across community contexts.

Promoting Behavioral Health IPC

Lead

• Dr. Elizabeth Pulgaron: epulgaron@med.miami.edu

Description

The Promoting Behavioral Health IPC addresses behavioral health challenges for children and adolescents with developmental disabilities through integrated service delivery and research to expand evidence-based behavioral care. The collaborative works to expand access, leverage technology to improve dissemination, and strengthen community partnerships to reduce disparities and improve mental health outcomes across settings.

Community Wellness IPC

Leads

• Dr. Ruby Natale: rnatale@med.miami.edu
• Dr. Maite Schenker: mxs2515@med.miami.edu

Description

The Community Wellness IPC builds capacity within community settings to improve early childhood health and well-being, with particular attention to social determinants of health and systems-level barriers. Through community-based participatory approaches, the IPC partners with childcare centers, community agencies, and advocacy organizations to ensure Center endeavors reflect lived experience and align with health equity priorities.

Lifespan IPC

Leads

• Shelly Baer: RBaer@med.miami.edu
• Dr. Lawrence Friedman: lfriedman@med.miami.edu

Description

The Lifespan IPC addresses continuity of care across childhood, adolescence, and adulthood for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Recognizing that effective lifespan care requires more than a transition “handoff,” the IPC integrates input from self-advocates and families to identify systemic barriers and inform redesign of care models. The collaborative advances workforce training in lifespan care principles and supports development of innovative primary care models, strengthening long-term access and continuity.