About Us
Who We Serve
Young adults over 21 years of age with a primary diagnosis of autism who benefit from individualized and community support throughout their life. Rise at Warren will have behavioral and medical experts on site so all residents, regardless of their support needs, can live a full and enriched life.
Advisory Board
Christopher Manente Ph.D., BCBA – Founding Executive Director of Rutgers University’s Center for Adult Autism Services
Paul Abend, M.D. – Rise at Warren Founder and Medical Director, Founder of the Autism Healthcare Collaborative
Robert Naseef, Ph.D. – Internationally known Psychologist in the field of Autism
Founding Family Bios
The parents of 3 grown children, the youngest of whom is a 24-year old young man with autism, Drs. Paul and Lori Abend recognized early on the lack of advanced medical care available for children with medically complex autism.
Dr. Paul Abend developed a preceptorship program at the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center, New Brunswick, NJ, for second-year family medicine residents to help sensitize them to the needs of children and adults with autism and maintains a medical practice in musculoskeletal and pain medicine and is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Dept. of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Kessler Institute, Dept. of Medicine and Family Medicine at the Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. He is the Medical Director of Inpatient and Outpatient Services at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital. Dr. Paul Abend launched the Autism Think Tank, NJ, a unique medical videoconferencing solution that brings together world-renowned medical experts to guide families and their physicians in addressing the medical complexities of autism.
Dr. Abend is the past President of the New Jersey Society of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation as well as the New Jersey Society of Medical Specialties. He has also received some of the highest honors including the 2011 Governor’s Jefferson Award for NJ and the Governor’s Citizen Award in 2008 at the NJ Disability Association Meeting for his work with sports clinics for children with special needs.
Lori Brand Abend, MD. is a graduate of Rutgers – Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. She completed a Diagnostic Radiology Residency and Fellowship in Cross-Sectional Imaging at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. Lori spent the first 20 years of her medical career as a diagnostic Radiologist. She became increasingly interested in integrative and complementary medicine as means to alleviate her son’s suffering and her own caregiver stress and decided to make a career pivot into the field, completing a Fellowship in Integrative Medicine at The University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine under the direction of the renowned Dr. Andrew Weil. Dr. Brand Abend maintains a private Integrative Medicine practice in Bernardsville, N.J., where she specializes in Mind Body Medicine, with particular interests in the role of stress and trauma in disease, and the role of the place, space and the built environment on wellbeing.
Dismayed by the lack of advanced medical care available locally for her son and other individuals with medically complex autism, Lori researched and consulted with multiple leading experts in the fields of autism and gastroenterology, neurology, and chronic pain in the pursuit of diagnosing, treating, and stabilizing her son. Recognizing that her family was not alone in their pursuit, she and her husband, Paul, co-founded Autism Escapes, a nonprofit network of private jet owners used to fly patients with autism to specialists and specialized clinics around the country at no cost to the patient’s families.
Dr. Brand Abend served as a consultant on the design and décor for the Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services community building. She will be integrally involved in all design details and programming at Rise at Warren, ensuring the creation of a calming environment and intentional programming designed to optimize the health and wellbeing of Rise at Warren’s residents.
Doron and Dara have 3 daughters and a 20-year-old son with autism named Joseph. Joseph lives in a residential school in Massachusetts. Their family has appreciated the benefits of campus style living which offers an environment filled with friends, learning and purpose.
Doron is Head of the Cash Equities Global Distribution at Oppenheimer & Co. inc. Prior to this role, he held various positions including Institutional Cash Equity Sales Trading and Managing Director in the Equities Division. Prior to joining Oppenheimer & Co. inc. Doron was a founding partner at WP Asset Management, responsible for trading, operations, and business development, and spent 14 years at Goldman Sachs as Managing Director and focused on both Fixed Income and Equity sales and trading. His career began as an analyst in the Investment Banking program at Salomon Brothers.
Dara and Doron have spent much of their time bridging the gap between neurotypical children and those with autism. Their daughters have spent years volunteering with organizations that encourage inclusivity. In turn, they have seen how these connections generate more empathy, education, and support for the autism community.
John and Laura have two sons, Anthony a Graduate Student at USC and Frankie who is on the autism spectrum. Both work tirelessly on advocacy and navigating resources for Frankie and others with autism. During this process they recognized the lack of quality adult programs and developed a passion for improving life for those affected with Autism after 21.
John Vaccaro, President, Bettaway Supply Chain Services
John Vaccaro is president of family owned Bettaway Supply Chain Services, which operates as an integrated third-party logistics, transportation, warehousing, eCommerce fulfillment, supply chain solutions engineering and pallet management company, and is one of the nation’s largest service providers to the beverage industry. He guided the team that built Bettaway’s core logistics and pallet management software platforms and expanded service offerings into warehousing and supply chain consulting, earning a reputation as a high-service, high-performance logistics partner specializing in the food and beverage sector.
John is well-known for identifying and capitalizing on opportunities in both emerging and mature supply chains, by creating more efficient and responsive supply chain solutions that enhance business models for brands we eat and drink every day. Under his leadership, Bettaway has been instrumental in providing effective, enduring supply chain solutions that help new-age brands such as Snapple, Arizona Beverages, Vitamin Water, Fuze, SOBE, Voss Water, scale up from their infancy, often from their first case, to multi-million-dollar businesses. Among the awards Bettaway has received have been the prestigious PepsiCo Chairman’s Award, as well as multiple recognitions for excellence by Nestle Waters, Johnson and Johnson, CH Robinson and Inc. 5000.
John and Laura believe strongly in community involvement and support for educational and health-related causes. Among these has been providing co-op and intern opportunities for students at Rutgers University’s School of Supply Chain, as well as supporting the Rutgers Center for Adults with Autism as a contributing founder and provider of job-training opportunities for adults with autism. Early this year they also formed a job-skills development partnership with North Pennington, NJ-based WeMake, a non-profit skills development and workforce management organization dedicated to the autistic adult community.
Gary and Julie have a 13 year old son and a 21 year old daughter with Autism. They recognized very early on that it was essential to fiercely advocate for their daughter as well as for the autism community. Their daughter struggled with severe behavioral challenges that required more support than was provided in the school and recreational programs. She has been in different residential placements since she was fourteen years old.
Julie served as a parent committee member for the Board of Education in New York to help guide other parents in navigating the system for services. She became a member of the Board of Directors for the GRACE Foundation, which provides resources for the Autistic Community by spearheading social and educational programs. Julie received the honoree award in 2012. Julie knew that empowering parents would help their children progress and therefore she led parent support groups and educational seminars to educate and support families. She also served on the board for Mt. Bethel Village, a residential supportive housing for adults with developmental disabilities.
Julie works as a business manager in Gary’s dental practice.
Dr. Gary White has a thriving dental practice in Gillette NJ for over 20 years. Dr. White graduated from NYU dental school with honors. He is very active in community outreach and passionate about dental ethics. Dr. White recognizes the need for better dental practices for the Autism community and is excited to improve and implement a higher standard of care at Rise at Warren and beyond.
Jeff and Jodi have a 19 year old son, a 13 year old daughter and a 21-year-old son with autism named Alex. Alex is aging out of the school-based education system and they recognize the limited resources available both in day programming and housing. They are highly motivated to make an impact by creating a model for housing that ensures continued support, activity and growth in all areas.
Jeff Wiseman
Jeff is a senior commercial real estate professional with 25 years of experience. He’s held leadership roles within investment banks, private real estate companies and publicly traded REITs. Jeff has a background in real estate credit, fundraising, originations, capital markets and portfolio management. At his most recent firm, he founded and built out a successful real estate debt platform. Jeff was the Treasurer and Board Member at the Educational Partnership of Instructing Children (EPIC), a school located in Paramus, NJ that serves children with autism.
Jodi Wiseman
Prior to dedicating her time to non-profit work, Jodi spent her career in the pharmaceutical, home diagnostics and food industries working for two global companies, Johnson & Johnson and Unilever N.V. She was an integral part of the team that developed and launched two revolutionary products in the U.S., Confide, the first Home HIV test and ClearPlan Easy Fertility Monitor. She also has experience in pharmaceutical sales as well as brand management in the food industry.
After learning that her first child was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Jodi then spent 15 years volunteering in the autism community. She began fundraising for organizations like Autism Speaks and The Educational Partnership for Instructing Children (EPIC), a private school dedicated to serving individuals with autism between the ages of 3-21. At EPIC, she served as Fundraising Chairwoman for 6 years, using her professional marketing and management skills.
Background
The Facts
- More than 700,000 teens with autism in the U.S. will enter adulthood over the next ten years?
- Individuals with autism spectrum disorder age out of their school-based programs at age 21.
- There is a nationwide shortage of innovative housing solutions for adults on the autism spectrum.
- 17,000 adults currently are on the waitlist for housing in New Jersey alone.
- Only 200 adults are offered housing each year, most are emergency cases so there is very little movement off the waitlist.
- Individuals with autism spectrum disorder age out of their school-based programs at 21 years of age and, unfortunately, the availability of quality adult services is not as robust as those available for individuals under 21, leaving adults on the spectrum without enough suitable activity and expert care.
Parents ask: “Who will care for my child with autism once I’m not able to do so?”.
We are determined to work towards providing all adults with autism, regardless of their behavioral and medical support needs, access to dynamic and innovative residential communities. With that always in mind, Rise at Warren will serve as a model for replication across the country.
Together, with your support, we can change the lives of adults with autism everywhere.
Important Stats
Autism in Adulthood
- Over the next decade, an estimated 707,000 to 1,116,000 teens (70,700 to 111,600 each year) will enter adulthood and age out of school-based autism services.
- Teens with autism receive healthcare transition services half as often as those with other special healthcare needs. Young people whose autism is coupled with associated medical problems are even less likely to receive transition support.
- Many young adults with autism do not receive any healthcare for years after they stop seeing a pediatrician.
- More than half of young adults with autism remain unemployed and unenrolled in higher education in the two years after high school. This is a lower rate than that of young adults in other disability categories, including learning disabilities, intellectual disability or speech-language impairment.
- Of the nearly 18,000 people with autism who used state-funded vocational rehabilitation programs in 2014, only 60 percent left the program with a job. Of these, 80 percent worked part-time at a median weekly rate of $160, putting them well below the poverty level.
- Nearly half of 25-year-olds with autism have never held a paying job.
- Research demonstrates that job activities that encourage independence reduce autism symptoms and increase daily living skills.
Economic Costs
- The cost of caring for Americans with autism had reached $268 billion in 2015 and would rise to $461 billion by 2025 in the absence of more-effective interventions and support across the life span.
- The majority of autism’s costs in the U.S. are for adult services – an estimated $175 to $196 billion a year, compared to $61 to $66 billion a year for children.
- On average, medical expenditures for children and adolescents with ASD were 4.1 to 6.2 times greater than for those without autism.
FAQs
