The Boggs Center and NJ APSE Host Facing the Future 2025 Conference
Monday, November 10, 2025
The Boggs Center and the New Jersey Association for People Supporting Employment First (NJ APSE) hosted their annual Facing the Future Conference highlighting best practices in supporting people with disabilities in career planning, supported and customized employment, and transition from school to work on Friday, October 10th in New Brunswick. This year’s conference, “Uncharted Waters: Navigation Strategies for Competitive Integrated Employment,” featured 12 workshops on transition, support strategies, job coaching, and job development.
Margaret Gilbride, JD, CT, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Director of Transition, Employment, and Aging & Disability, delivered opening remarks and a plenary presentation, “Navigating Success Through Uncharted Waters: It Takes Preparation, Skill, and Right Tools.” Boggs Center staff presented several workshops at the conference. Valentina Arango-Correa, EdD, Training and Consultation Specialist, and Robert Kimmel, EdD, BCBA, CESP, Training and Consultation Specialist, co-presented “Navigating New Currents: Uncovering the Tangible Benefits of Research-Provider Partnerships in Supported Employment.” Bethany Chase, DSW, Training and Consultation Specialist, and Jessica Short, BA, Senior Training and Consultation Specialist, co-presented “Built to Last: The Enduring Values of Supported Employment.” Jocelyn Muse-Taylor, MEd, Training and Consultation Specialist, co-presented “Community-Based Instruction (CBI) and Work-Based Learning (WBL) in Action: Creating Inclusive Employment Opportunities for Students with Disabilities.”
NJ APSE Award winners were announced during an awards luncheon. Honorees included: Danea Hayes from Easterseals New Jersey as Employment Specialist of the Year; Home Plate Catering and Hospitality, represented by Director of Operations Aly McGrath, as Employer of the Year; Stan Li, Materials Handler at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, as Supported Employee of the Year; Kirsten Sciallo from Barnegat Township School District as Transition Educator of the Year; and Joan Clark, Executive Director/CEO of Avenues to Independent Living, Inc., whose efforts were recognized with the Rebekah Novemsky Advocacy Award for Competitive Integrated Employment.
The event culminated with a keynote presentation by Duncan Winburn, 3rd year law student at Joseph F. Rice School of Law, University of South Carolina and disability rights advocate. Entitled, “The Person You’re Helping,” the presentation focused on Winburn’s own life experiences to illustrate how to effectively develop and implement a plan to successfully support the employment journeys of those with disabilities.
The Boggs Center and NJ APSE thank the Facing the Future Conference Committee, conference volunteers, presenters, and exhibitors for making the event a success!