Meet Our Community Partnership for Inclusion Team

Meet the Summit DD Community Partnership for Inclusion (CPI) team. We are experts in inclusion strategies and work with existing community programs, like area YMCAs, libraries, the zoo, among others, to ensure there are inclusive opportunities for all children and families, regardless of ability. The CPI team also partners with local child care facilities to match families to the resources they need on a day-to-day basis.

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Lois Anders – Inclusion Support Specialist
I have worked for Summit DD since 2008. I started in a classroom at Calico until I took the position as an Inclusion Support Specialist. Through CPI, I get the privilege to help classroom teachers provide inclusive opportunities for children to be successful in life. Before this I worked as a classroom assistant at Copley/Fairlawn city schools in a variety of different age groups in all of the classrooms with multiple disabilities. It has been a privilege to help children and their families be successful throughout their daily lives!
Contact Lois at (330) 634-8565 or LAnders@summitdd.org

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Alyssa Armbruster – Inclusion Support Specialist
On my 25th birthday I received the best birthday present ever! I received a job here at the Summit DD in Calico.  I’ve been here for over 11 years and have learned so much.  I loved working in the classroom as an assistant watching the children grow and overcome obstacles many would’ve given up on.  Over the years, the laws and rights of individuals with disabilities has changed.  Calico was phasing out, and that’s when I joined the CPI department. I feel honored to be able to offer teachers support in their classrooms, for children with and without disabilities.  It’s very rewarding to help empower teachers with knowledge that you know will benefit children for the rest of their lives.
Contact Alyssa at (330) 634-8567 or AArmbruster@summitdd.org

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Joan Bauer – Child Care Specialist
I have been employed by the Summit DD Board since 2003. I began my career as a private preschool teacher before working in an integrated setting with children with disabilities.  Teaching has been a very rewarding experience filled with wonderful memories of children and their families. CPI provides me with the opportunity to share inclusion knowledge and experience with childcare centers in the community by encouraging empathy, reflecting what I know and living out what I teach.
Contact Joan at (330) 634-8063 or JBauer@summitdd.org

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Keri Bistor – Inclusion Support Specialist
I started working in child care in 2008, began taking coursework in infant/toddler development and early education, and eventually moved into my current position in 2010 where I’ve learned to work with children of all abilities and disabilities. My role as an Inclusion Support Specialist is to provide teachers with techniques, tools, and strategies to assist in creating an inclusive and positive learning environment for all children. I’ve been married since 2011 and am a mother of a precious little girl.
Contact Keri at (330) 634-8512 or kbistor@summitdd.org

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Lucy Boss – Child Care Specialist
After 15 years in the banking and accounting world’s I took some time off. I soon fell into the early childhood world rather unexpectedly when I was asked to help out with the Title 1 reading program and with some at-risk kindergarten children at my local school. I spent 3 years there as a Special Education Assistant. I moved to Ohio in 2005 and began working at Summit DD a few months later. My current role as Child Care Specialist has been a great experience. It is wonderful to work with program staff to develop strategies for all to be successfully included.
Contact Lucy at (330) 634-8059 or LBoss@summitdd.org

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Elaine Decker – Inclusion Support Specialist
I have been in the childcare field since 2003. I have been employed with Summit DD since 2008, which I worked in the classroom until 2014 when I became part of the CPI team. This job has been the most rewarding job ever! You will always learn more from the children, than you will ever be able to teach them.
Contact Elaine at (330) 634-8563 or EDecker@summitdd.org

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Denise DiDomenico – Child Care Specialist
I love my position at Summit DD because I’m able to help families navigate through the community resources that are available in our community and help them find what’s best for them. Families and children have always been close to my heart. I’ve worked at Head Start, St. Martha Preschool, Akron Public Schools Preschool and at Calico. My life has always revolved around children, including my own daughter and son, and now I get to enjoy my grandchildren as well!
Contact Denise at (330) 634-8625 or DDiDomenico@summitdd.org

160A8077Lisa Gibson – Inclusion Support Specialist
I began my journey at the Summit DD in 2004 where I worked at Calico in the classroom until I accepted a position in the CPI program in 2012 as a Inclusion Support Specialist. Working in the CPI program has been a totally gratifying experience.  It’s like having the best of both worlds.  I have the opportunity to meet new teachers and children within the community and support their growth with my experiences and knowledge. It gives me great joy to work with community child care centers that except children for being children, strive to see them succeed at all cost and allow my co-workers and myself be a part of the process.
Contact Lisa at (330) 634-8806 or LGibson@summitdd.org

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Laura Keener – Inclusion Support Specialist
When I was 13 years old, I toured Apple Creek State Institute for adults and children with disabilities. I was so moved by what I witnessed I made a vow to help improve the lives of individuals with disabilities. This journey lead me to many rewarding experiences in a classroom setting through the years. Through CPI, I am excited to be able to support teachers in their classrooms. It has been a privilege to be able to serve children and their families.
Contact Laura at (330) 634-8560 or LKeener@summitdd.org

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Linda Millar – Inclusion Support Specialist
I started my career as a classroom assistant at Summit DD in August 1979. Since then, I have worked in a variety of job assignments, starting at Weaver Learning Center, where I taught children who were severely and profoundly disabled. I also worked in the off-site preschool at Newberry Elementary School, with children who were hearing impaired and language challenged in the Total Communications classroom at Weaver School, in the CADET program (a community work training program with older students), and in Calico.­ In May 2011, I was an integral part of launching the CPI program. As the first Inclusion Support Specialist, I have enjoyed watching CPI grow and multiply over the years and take immense pride in the imprint they have made in the community.
Contact Linda at (330) 634-8643 or LMillar@summitdd.org

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Jennifer Minney – Child Care Specialist
I’ve been in the education field for over 10 years. In my role as a Child Care Specialist, I support families with children 3-5 years old. I work with the CPI program to make sure that children and families stay connected with the other services that Summit DD provides along with Early Intervention Services. I can assist families with information on FSS (Family Support Services) that can help with therapeutic, adaptive, and respite services, camp funds, along with keeping families informed of community events that are going on around the area.
Contact Jennifer at (330) 634-8740 or JMinney@summitdd.org

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Erin Pemberton – Inclusion Specialist

I am a wife, mother of a son on the autism spectrum and step mom to another son. I started my experience with Summit DD in 1993 by volunteering in Weaver school classrooms. I joined the Summit DD team officially in June of 1997 when I became a substitute for the children’s services department. After a couple of years, I was hired as an assistant in the Calico Program, then returned to school and became a Child Care Specialist in 2008.  I joined the CPI program in 2011. Every day, I look forward to helping families get connected with community resources to help their child develop to their full potential.
Contact Erin at (330) 634-8831 or Epemberton@summitdd.org

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Megan Rowan-Crook – Inclusion Support Specialist
I knew at an early age that helping kids learn is what I wanted to do. I have worked with children for 12 years. My favorite age to work with are the three year olds, but I have taught kids from 6 weeks to 12 years old. I have also filled many different positions from a substitute to an Assistant Director. I started collaborating with CPI about 5 years ago. My experience with a little guy who has lots of medical concerns, was what really brought my attention to helping children with special needs be included and providing support to their teachers.
Contact Megan at (330) 634-8064 or MCrook@summitdd.org

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Beverly Scott – Inclusion Support Specialist
In July of 2000, I joined the pool staff at Weaver School to work with children with disabilities as an Adapted Aquatics Instructor. I was also a Substitute in classrooms at Weaver and Calico. In 2004, I was given the opportunity to work full time at Calico as a classroom assistant, both of these positions were very similar in many ways. In October of 2015, I moved into a position in the CPI department as an Inclusion Support Specialist.  The position allows me to not only work with the children but their teachers and families to help provide the best experience in a day care setting for them to build their futures on.
Contact Beverly at (330) 634-8323 or BScott@summitdd.org

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Tricia Streharsky – Inclusion Specialist
I have worked in Early Childhood Education for over twenty years, teaching Head Start with two different programs for the majority of that time, and joining the Summit DD CPI team in 2016.  I love my job tremendously, and as an Inclusion Specialist, it is my privilege to help connect families of Board Eligible children with community childcare centers, as well as, to assist childcare centers in identifying the needs of children within their care and working with other agencies in the community to provide for those needs.
Contact Tricia at (330) 634-8066 or TStreharsky@summitdd.org

Annie Westfall – Inclusion Manager
I began my journey at Summit DD in 2010 as a Calico Assistant after many years of teaching and managing a childcare center. I became a Developmental Specialist in Early Intervention in 2012 and provided Evidenced Based support to families and children in their natural environments using a coaching, modeling and team approach. In 2014, I accepted a position in the Early Intervention program as a Children’s Services Manager providing support to the Early Intervention staff, and responsible for the oversight of the day to day responsibilities of the program as a whole. In 2017, due to the knowledge and experience I gained during my journey, I accepted the position of Inclusion Manager, for the CPI program. I am excited to be back in the world of childcare and supporting staff and the community on a whole new level.
Contact Annie at (330) 634-8623 or AWestfall@summitdd.org

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Erin Wynn – Inclusion Support Specialist

I have worked for Summit DD since 2003. For 10 years, I worked as a classroom assistant for children with all manner of disabilities.  I found this work extremely fulfilling and rewarding. In my current position, I support many children in the CPI program at locations throughout Summit County. I was born with Cerebral Palsy and I believe that living with CP has helped me to better connect with, understand and assist the children I have worked with. I love what CPI has to offer and look forward to helping more children in the future.
Contact Erin at (330) 634-8507 or EWynn@summitdd.org

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