Meet Our Team
Board of Directors
Tricia Zarro
Chair
Tricia is an experienced educator in a co-taught, inclusive classroom. She is a fierce advocate for all children, particularly those with special needs. Tricia knows firsthand the many benefits of having an autism service dog as her family received the first one placed by Caroline McCabe-Sandler in 2008. In addition, service dogs in training regularly visit Tricia’s classroom; they interact with children and help to facilitate learning.
When not teaching or with her family, Tricia can be found working at various summer camps as an inclusion specialist. She has a BS in Therapeutic Recreation from Lehman College, a MS in Education from Fordham University and is currently completing her MS in Special Education from Manhattanville College. She lives in Ossining with her husband Ernie, children Maddy, Kylie and Danny, and their dog, Ranger. She believes very deeply in something that Mother Teresa once said: “In this life we cannot always do great things, but we can do small things with great love.”
Julia Lancian
Treasurer
Julia is an experienced Finance Director and Compliance Officer at a health care focused investment banking firm in New York City, where she has been since 1999. She is responsible for all compliance with local, state and federal regulatory bodies as well as all aspects of accounting. Julia earned the equivalent of an M.B.A. with focus on Finance and Marketing at the European Business School, Oestrich-Winkel. In addition, Julia completed advanced business studies at the University of California, Berkeley, Universidad de Navarra (Spain), and New York University. Julia is bilingual in English and German and is an avid traveler. Over the past 20 years she has been a passionate volunteer for Special Olympics, Coalition for the Homeless, New York Cares, BOS Foundation and Guiding Eyes for the Blind. Julia believes that the powerful bond found between canines and humans has unmatched potential in changing lives profoundly.
Neva Goldstein
Director
Neva is an artist and yoga teacher with a BFA from Rhode Island School of Design.
She has an extensive hands-on volunteer background, including 12 years as a wish grantor with the Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Hudson Valley; art teacher’s aid at Blythedale Children’s Hospital; teaching yoga to cancer patients and survivors at Northern Westchester Hospital Center, and being a volunteer counselor at The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp.
With her past volunteer experience, love for animals, and passion for supporting children with special needs, BluePath was the perfect organization for Neva to become involved with. She teaches the ongoing and beloved Puppy Yoga class, our most favorite fundraiser.
After raising children in Westchester County, Neva moved to Martha’s Vineyard with her husband, where she is currently a volunteer patient aid with Martha’s Vineyard Hospice and Palliative Care. In addition to her board work with BluePath, she also serves on the board of Volunteer Ventures of Massachusetts.
Linda Hogan
Director
Linda is a trusted executive coach and advisor with expertise in talent strategy development, team dynamics, talent assessment, change management, and organizational design. Most recently, Linda was Vice President of Employee Relations and Policy at Guardian Life Insurance Company, where she designed policies to influence and evolve the company’s culture to align with diversity, equity, and inclusion goals.
Linda holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Business Administration from King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, PA and has completed Executive Education programs at Babson College and Harvard University. She has certifications in DiSC assessment and Conflict Dynamic Profile. In addition to her Board role at BluePath, Linda serves on the Boards of the Pleasantville Community Scholarship Fund and the Pleasantville High School Parent Council. She resides in the suburbs of New York City.
Karen Kirby
Director
Karen lives in New Vernon, New Jersey with her husband, Jeff. They have four grown children, Morgan, Walker, Jane & Sam. In addition to BluePath, Karen currently serves on the Board of Cornerstone Family Programs in Morristown, NJ. Previous Board roles include St. Philip’s Academy, The Foundation for Morristown Medical Center & The Harding Land Trust. Karen is also involved with The Washington Association of New Jersey and on several committees at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church.
Karen is co-owner and co-founder of SNOLUXE, a company that makes custom neck warmers. She is an avid skier, tennis and paddle player and enjoys gardening.
Jeff Moore
Director
Jeff Moore currently serves as the chief strategy officer for Independent Sector, supporting the organization’s critical strategic visioning efforts as it guides the sector to meet the future needs of democratic society. He is a senior leader with broad experience in the nonprofit field, government, and industry. He most recently served in an executive role in the health-systems research field.
Jeff has served as a senior advisor to the Secretary of Defense and as legislative director to Congressman Thomas J. Downey (NY). In each of his positions, he has built critical partnerships and alliances that have accelerated organizational and mission success. Jeff considers his Distinguished Civilian Service Award, presented in 1998 by Secretary of Defense William Cohen, to be among his greatest career achievements. Cohen honored Moore at the end of his tenure in the Clinton administration for his contributions to the nation’s security and his unique ability to build bridges between U.S. government agencies, the U.S. private sector, and foreign governments.
Jonathan Nettelfield
Director
Jonathan’s multi-faceted background as an agency guy in London and New York (Leo Burnett and Ted Bates), a VP of Marketing for global brands (Seiko and No Limits) and a senior PR executive (Hill & Knowlton) gives Jonathan a unique perspective on the whole spectrum of marketing communications.
A resident of the Hudson Valley, Jonathan has a record of involvement in community affairs, serving on many volunteer boards, all of which are concerned with improving the quality of life of residents and visitors. He is an avid outdoorsman and has hiked and paddled the Hudson Valley for 25 years, including several kayak trips between Troy and New York.
Maura Smith
Director
Attorney Maura A. Smith has broad experience in corporate law, economics, and finance. Her background includes more than 15 years in private practice, and 20 years as the general counsel for several large public companies. Currently, she is licensed to practice law in New York, Connecticut, Florida, and Tennessee.
Following a successful 25-year career in corporate law, in 2016, Ms. Smith established Maura A. Smith Law Offices LLC, which primarily focused on commercial and corporate matters. She became an arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association, expanding her practice to include alternative dispute resolution, representing a public company retailer as its national claims and settlement counsel. She also developed a family law practice.
From 1987-1991 she was a partner at Baker McKenzie, one of the largest international law firms in the world. She left the firm to join General Electric, where she was vice president and general counsel of GE Plastics. From 1998 to 2014, she served as the chief legal officer of the following global public companies: Owens Corning, International Paper, PepsiCo, and Ahold Delhaize. In 2019, she joined the Law Offices of Edward Nusbaum P.C. to further enhance her family law experience.
Steve Sprague
Director
Steve’s career in finance has included stints with Chemical Bank, Price Waterhouse, Brystol Meyers and Goldman Sachs, culminating with 27 years as CFO of the Rafferty Companies, involved in brokerage and asset management. He majored in economics at Colgate University, received an MBA from Cornell University, obtained a CPA certification in NY, and is registered with FINRA as a Financial Operations Principal.
Steve lives with his wife Cathy, a BluePath volunteer, and their numerous cats. He stays active with their antique car collection, and other hobbies of sailing, carpentry, gardening and landscaping, and currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Tabor Academy in Massachusetts. Steve believes in the quote from Henry David Thoreau, “To have made even one person’s life a little better, that is to succeed.”
Staff
Michelle Brier
Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer
Michelle is an accomplished nonprofit leader with a proven track record of driving mission-based impact. As a co-founder and now CEO of BluePath, she has forged high-profile partnerships and expanded the organization’s reach to empower more autism families. Her leadership emphasizes driving strategic initiatives, enhancing organizational operations, and cultivating a dedicated community of supporters.
Previously, Michelle held leadership roles at the American Red Cross and Guiding Eyes for the Blind, where she spearheaded multimillion-dollar partnerships and nationally recognized campaigns, including the placement of a future service dog on NBC’s TODAY. Her work has earned accolades such as Nonprofit HR’s “Social Impact Woman to Watch” and multiple “40 Under 40” awards.
Outside of her professional work, Michelle volunteers as an Emergency Medical Technician. She is an avid hiker and horseback rider, and she is usually planning her next big outdoor adventure. Michelle holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Economics from SUNY Oneonta and lives in Bedford Hills, NY.
Caroline McCabe-Sandler
Co-Founder, Vice President of Canine Operations
Caroline was the founding director of an autism service dog program that placed 90 dogs with families since 2008. She began her career as a guide dog instructor and was certified as a master trainer in 2002. She then served as a training supervisor, providing leadership and guidance to junior staff and apprentice instructors.
In 1999, Caroline placed a guide dog named Salty, who navigated his way out of Tower One on September 11, 2001, saving his handler’s life. Caroline has presented at professional conferences and industry events throughout the country. She has also been invited to lecture about the impact of autism service dogs at Yale University, Cornell University, University of Pennsylvania, and Rochester Institute of Technology. She has a BA in English from Clark University. Caroline lives in Hopewell Junction with her husband, Jody, their four children, three dogs and four cats.
Megan Baker
Puppy Program Manager and Field Representative
Megan always knew she wanted to work with dogs. A Rhode Island native, she moved to New York after college where she began working with service dogs. In 2010, she became a professional guide dog instructor, training and placing guide dogs with individuals with vision loss.
Megan graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a B.S. in Animal Science. She lives in Nazareth, PA with husband, daughter, yellow Lab retired guide, and cat.
Justine DiNapoli
Manager of Canine Programs and Admissions
Justine, also known as Jessy, is a lifelong animal lover with over 20 years of experience in various roles within the service dog industry. She spent most of her career training guide dogs, placing them with individuals with vision loss and supporting the teams after training. Through the years, Justine learned that not only did she enjoy working with dogs, she also truly enjoys working with people; this led to working with people who were interested in getting a guide dog as a member of the admissions team, providing resources, guidance, and support.
Justine has a BS in Psychobiology from Southampton College. She lives in Mahopac, NY with her partner and pet dog. Favorite pastimes include traveling the world, hiking, reading, knitting, and millinery.
Brittany LaChausse
Service Dog Trainer and Facilities Program Coordinator
Brittany oversees BluePath’s Paws to Learn Program, in which service dogs in training visit various schools, residential programs, and day habilitation programs to socialize with a wide range of children, teens, and adults with autism and other developmental disabilities. The dogs benefit from practicing the skills they are working on in training and the individuals they meet benefit from the calming presence of the dogs as well as the sensory experience of touching, petting, brushing and walking with the dogs.
Prior to her current role, Brittany worked as a professional pet groomer for almost 10 years. She received her BA in Psychology and began her career in Human Services at Greystone Programs where she worked as a residential manager and went on to become the Day and Employment Services Supervisor. Brittany continues to work part time in Greystone’s residential programs providing support to adults with developmental disabilities to develop social skills, learn daily living skills, and pursue the life they choose. Brittany lives in Fishkill, NY with her partner Brian, his two children, and his parents.
Maureen Mellett
Manager of Training and Graduate Services
Maureen began her dog training career in 2004 as a guide dog instructor, placing expertly trained dogs with men and women with vision loss. She then spent seven years working with Caroline McCabe-Sandler training service dogs for children with autism. Prior to training dogs, Maureen was a middle school science and math teacher for five years. She worked in a variety of classroom settings including teaching children with special needs and with behavioral challenges. She received a BA in Biology from Cornell University. Maureen lives in Patterson, NY with her released service dog.
Erica Stanzione
Director of Marketing & Development
Erica oversees the strategic and operational components of BluePath’s development initiatives. She fosters relationships with individuals, foundations, and corporations to support our life-changing work. Prior to her current role, Erica was the Director of Communications and Partnerships at the Alliance for Safe Kids where she was responsible for raising awareness and funds in support of drug and alcohol prevention. In the past, she served as the Events and Marketing Manager at Guiding Eyes for the Blind.
Erica began her career at the Jorge Posada Foundation where she fell in love with the nonprofit sector. She received her BS in Psychology from Mount Saint Mary College and her MS in Nonprofit Management and Philanthropy from Bay Path University. She lives in Westchester with her family.
Julia Velez
Operations Manager
Julia has more than 15 years of experience in finance administration and human resources. Prior to her current role, she worked in the elevator industry and for a local non-profit organization whose mission was to help adults and children with special needs. Julia is passionate about helping people and working in the community to make positive change.
She received an AFA in the early 2000’s from County College of Morris and a CTACC, Life Coaching Certification in 2023 – both illustrating her love of creativity and for helping others.
Julia lives in New York with her husband, dog and step-son. When she is not working, she is promoting health and wellness in her local area, providing grief and step-parent coaching, creating women’s programs of support, and taking care of her family.
Jody Sandler, DVM
Co-Founder
Dr. Jody Sandler founded BluePath in 2016 with Michelle Brier and Caroline McCabe-Sandler, serving as the organization’s Chief Executive Officer until his retirement in 2023. Jody is a lifelong champion of the human animal bond, regularly referring to its transformative powers. He is passionate about the relationship between dogs and children with autism, a catalyst for his role as a driving force in BluePath’s inception.
Jody graduated from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine with his DVM in 1988, after receiving his BS in Biology from Binghamton University. He was a staff clinician at a private veterinary hospital on Long Island for two years before becoming the first Director of Veterinary Services for Guiding Eyes for the Blind. In 2014, Jody assumed the role of Chief Operating Officer in which he supervised 55 staff members and provided leadership in the strategic planning process and implementation of new programmatic initiatives.
In 2013, Jody’s veterinary department was awarded the Virginia Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine’s Booker Willoughby Service Award. In 2016, Jody received the Bustad Companion Animal Veterinarian of the Year Award for his outstanding work in preserving and protecting human-animal relationships.
Jody has co-authored numerous papers with researchers and clinicians at Cornell University, as well as with researchers at the San Diego Zoo’s Institution for Conservation Research. He has served as a mentor for countless veterinary students and lectured at conferences at Cornell University, Virginia Maryland Veterinary College, and local veterinary medical association chapters.