Agents of Humanity

Jonathan is a SAG-AFTRA actor and talented voice over artist, who happens to be Neurodiverse. With over twenty years of experience in the Entertainment Industry, he’s created and voiced characters for theme parks, audiobooks, apps, digital comics, and more. Jonathan is the host of “Dorktales Storytime,” an award winning podcast for kids which includes reimagined fairy tales, inspiring stories of h...

Today's fun-filled episode features a very special guest - Alana DeStefano of "Bach to Rock" Music School in Port Washington, NY. Alana is music teacher to not only our 4 co-hosts, but all 26 Nicholas Center participants who attend B2R. With an extensive musical background, Alana lends her time and talent to managing each of the 6 bands of The Nicholas Center along with a roster of private student...

Today's guest on Agents of Humanity is Anna Larochelle, the Assistant Director of Hillside Food Outreach which is located in Mount Kisco, NY and Danbury, CT. Hillside Food Outreach delivers high-quality, nutritious food that enables low-income, chronically ill, disabled and those who are not able to access a traditional food pantry to achieve a better quality of life. The pantry works to positivel...

The Intonato family is the subject of a new documentary, “Rocco Up." The film documents the journey of Ben teaching their Autistic son, Rocco how to surf. Over the years, Rocco develops confidence, grace and remarkable balance on his surfboard. “Rocco Up” is a true tale of limitless family love, the support of community and the neuroscience behind our enchantment with water. Additionally, Sara has...

Today's wonderful episode see the agensts interviewing Kim Jones, Publisher and Brian Berk, Writer, of Port Washington Living Magazine. Kim Jones is the owner of North Shore Media, LLC and publisher Port Washington Living Magazine, Manhasset Living Magazine, and Garden City Living Magazine. Through her magazines, she celebrates communities and  connects residents to local businesses. Brian Berk is...

Today is a very special episode co-hosted by our own Agents of Humanity co-hosts Tara, Jason, Robert and Tomas, and TNC Media Arts Coordinator Amanda! Our Co-Hosts answer your listener questions and share more about themselves. Have a question for Agents of Humanity? Let us know on Instagram @NicholasCenter   To learn more or sign up to be a guest:   https://tncnewyork.org/tnc-podcast     Today's...

Welcome to the newest episode of Agents of Humanity entitled Tips for Parents of Special Needs Indivduals with Chantai Snellgrove, Founder & Publisher of Parenting Special Needs Magazine - the first free, bi-monthly digital publication allowing access anywhere and anytime. In its 16th year, “Parenting Special Needs Magazine” continues to support and serve the special needs community and their...

David Goldberg is the founder of  Digital WaterWorx,  which produces radio and television commercials, corporate videos, live events and a host of other creative media services. Their client list of over 4,000 clients. He can be heard as the voice on hundreds of radio and TVcommercials, including for the US Army, Coors, General Motors, Kraft Foods, and Eli Lilly and has appeared as a doctor on sev...

Danielle Roma, Co-Founder of S.L.P. Empowered, a non-profit organization formed during the Covid Pandemic as a support resource to parents. The organization offers language enrichment opportunities and training. They aim to educate the community on communication disorders and to support vulnerable communities, while advocating for ethical practices.   Follow them at:  https://www.facebook.com/SLPE...

Jonathan "JoJo" Gold is the Co-Founder, along with his brother, David, of  “Can You Help Too?”, a non-profit started in Port Washington, NY with plans to expand far and wide. The idea began during the Covid pandemic as a way to help stock empty shelves at a local food pantry and has now grown to serve multiple organizations in many different ways. Jonathan has enlisted business owners and communit...

Tom Foth - Senior Emerging Technology and Innovation Consultant, Inventor and new Grandfather - is an award-winning innovator with 49 years of experience. At age 10, Kimberly-Clark filed a patent application for an easy open envelope and he never looked back. He has amassed 46 patents with 4 pending across a broad set of domains. He is currently working with The Nicholas Center to design a data co...

Amanda Finnochio, Media Arts Coordinator, The Nicholas Center (TNC) speaks with the Agents of Humanity about her role at TNC - coordinating Media Arts programming and assisting Autistic adults in the creation of the  TNC Navigator News ,  NCN - Nicholas Center News  and the  Agents of Humanity Podcast . Amanda works with participants to source, write, illustrate and produce creative, timely and in...

Jaqueline Oliveira-Cella is the Founder of wellBe Consulting, offering expertise in Health Solutions for employees and employers – working on product design, implementation, and the management of complex global health and other benefit offerings for employers. She is also a member of the Global Health Care Leaders Executive Program at Harvard Medical School. Previously, Jaqueline worked at IBM &am...

In today's episode, the agents chat with Dr. Michael Romas, a licensed Clinical Psychologist who has been involved in the support and treatment of persons with Developmental Disabilities for more than 30 years. He is also the Coordinator of Training and Professional Development for Developmental Disabilities Institute in Smithtown, NY. His diverse experience brings a unique perspective from multip...

In today's episode, the agents chat with Thomas Sullivan, Executive Director of the Westchester Children's Museum i n Rye, NY. Mr. Sullivan holds a Masters in Museum Education from Bank Street College of Education in New York City. As Director of Education and Programs at DuPage Children’s Museum in Naperville, IL, he supervised a team of 58 full and part-time staff, and oversaw a budget of $2.75...

In today's episode, the agents chat with Steve Edelson, owner of SMUSHT ice cream in Port Washington, NY which is a family owned shop, making small batch hand-crafted ice cream and freshly baked cookies. A self-taught cookie and ice cream maker, Steve loved the idea of opening a store where customers could build their own ice cream sandwiches and walk out the door feeling a little bit happier than...

The agents chat today with Jennifer DeSena who was elected the 38th Supervisor of the Town of North Hempstead in November 2021, her first time holding elected office. Before seeking elected office, Supervisor DeSena was an attorney and a leader of nonprofit organizations supporting family health and safety. She supports and promotes accessibility, diversity and inclusion of all community members,...

Our guest for this episode, Robert Valli, Jr., is a founding partner of Valli Kane & Vagnini LLP practicing for 27 years as a litigator in the areas of employment discrimination, False Claims Act litigation and Wage and Hour litigation. Robert and his partners have recovered over $100 million in verdicts/settlements for their clients. He is also the father of one of the Agents of Humanity co-h...

In today's episode, the Agents talk to Councilwoman Mariann Dalimonte who serves the 6th District in the Town of North Hempstead on Long Island, NY. A 4th generation Port Washington resident, her love of the community has been reflected in her passionate engagement with local organizations, including The Nicholas Center. Mariann’s service evolved to also include key roles in important organization...

In today's episode, the Agents of Humanity chat with author and life coach Brigitte Shipman about her experiences as the parent of a child with autism. The agents also talk about Brigitte and her son Jospeh Shipman's book "A Mother's Guide Through Autism," which you can purchase at the link below in the show notes. After the interview, the agents have a talk about life on the autism spectrum and c...

In today's episode, the Agents of Humanity discuss Plant A Row for the Hungry in Port Washington, which was founded in 2010 by long-time resident Marvin Makofsky who inspired a group of Port Washington volunteers to help solve the community's local hunger issues through gardening. The goal? Deliver fresh, nutritional food to hundreds of families in need living in Port Washington, NY by encouraging...

This episode's guest, Chief Erik Grutzner, was the honoree of The Nicholas Center's 1st Spring Gala in Westchester (on May 4). He is a very forward-thinking chief and devotes a lot of time to making sure the disabled population in Pleasantville is safe and connected with resources to support them, including the Police Department. All the officers receive training on how to communicate and support...

This episode's guest, Dave Thompson, perviously worked at The Nicholas Center as the Director of Workforce Development. He worked closely with TNC and its three enterprises - Designs/Bakes/Suds. He was instrumental in so many areas of TNC's growth like workforce flow, even designing the Digital Workboard that is located in both The Nicholas Center and Spectrum Designs Foundation. He started a podc...

It's our very first episode and we're kicking it off with an interview and conversations around government with our special guest Assemblywoman Gina Sillitti. Born and raised on Long Island, Gina Sillitti has a proven record of public service and will use her government experience to deliver results for the people of the 16th Assembly District. Gina is a first-time elected official, having won her...

Welcome to the trailer for Agents of Humanity, presented by The Nicholas Center. In this new, bi-weekly podcast, our very own agents of humanity will talk about learning, living, and working through life as a human. The special thing about this show is that our hosts just happen to be on the autism spectrum. Sometimes they'll interview special guests and sometimes they'll just talk amongst themsel...