Staff | Roles | Felicity House
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Natalia Zienko

Natalia joined Felicity House as a Program Assistant in 2022. Previously, Natalia worked as an Executive Assistant and Events Coordinator at ZNC Solutions, an events rental company. Before her experience in the hospitality industry, Natalia worked as an interior designer for Benjamin Moore and also freelance. She holds a BA…

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Sharon Valencia

Sharon joined Felicity House in 2014 after serving as the Program Associate at the Simons Foundation, an affiliated organization with a mission to advance the frontiers of research in mathematics, autism and basic sciences. One of Sharon’s main projects at the Simons Foundation was to establish a pilot group for…

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Lauren Summerill

Lauren joined Felicity House as a Program Manager in June 2021. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Virginia Tech and a Masters in Social Work from Boston University. During her MSW program, Lauren worked with the Asperger/Autism Network (AANE), where she co-facilitated social and support groups for…

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Penny Rosenstein

Penny joined Felicity House as a Program Manager in 2022.  Previously, Penny worked as an English teacher for the Department of Education (DOE), where she obtained experience in teaching diverse populations, including emergent language learners and neurodivergent students, and learned inclusive practices such as Universal Design for Learning. Penny most recently…

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Tanja Mrdjen

Tanja joined Felicity House in 2021 after working for the Foundation for a Just Society (FJS). At FJS, she managed finances and grants of the Nick Simons Foundation and MJS Foundation. Before FJS, Tanja spent five years working at the Simons Foundation. Tanja has a Bachelor of Science in Finance…

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Tracy Kernan

Tracy Kernan, LCSW joined Felicity House as an Outreach Consultant in 2018. Prior to joining Felicity House, Tracy served as the Director of Information and Outreach at YAI, where she managed their information and referral department, oversaw annual Latino and Autism Conferences and developed their volunteer department. Tracy holds a…

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Marisela Huerta

Prior to joining  Felicity House, Marisela was an Assistant Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College. She holds a B.S. from the University of Illinois and a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. She brings over ten years of experience working with adults on the autism spectrum….

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Angelique Erdtrachter

Angelique joined Felicity House as the Events Manager in 2022. Previously, Angelique worked as a Program Director for multiple after school programs across New York City, where she fell in love with program design and event planning. Her main focus has always been making sure that her events are accessible…

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Sam Diaz

Sam Díaz joined Felicity House in 2021 after working in program development for eight years in New York City public schools. In her previous work, Sam focused on bringing inclusion to school cultures through their daytime and after-school programs. Sam has experience working with students who are neurodiverse, including those…

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Alice DePietro

Alice DePietro, LCSW, joined Felicity House as a Program Manager in 2020. Previously, Alice worked as a Program Supervisor in Community & Family Services at YAI, where she managed YAI’s Camp & Travel programs. In this role, Alice led trips to destinations near and far, with customized vacation itineraries that…

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