Mission and Philosophy
Elmcrest is a community of caring professionals providing services to children with a variety of emotional, behavioral, and developmental limitations in order to help them overcome barriers to success in their homes, in their schools, and in their communities.
The Elmcrest experience focuses on developing meaningful relationships in a teaching and learning environment that will enable children, regardless of age, gender, or circumstance to reach their optimum potential, point toward a productive future, and contribute to the success of their community.
In the early 1800s, when Syracuse was still a village of fewer than 5,000 people, the education of children was a luxury afforded only to those who could pay the tuition for a private school. A group of churchwomen became interested in educating children who were less fortunate. In 1835, a group of churchwomen interested in educating children who were less fortunate established the Syracuse Free School in a rented room behind the village store.
In 1841, the same group of women turned their attention to children who were parentless or abandoned and being cared for in the County Poor House.
Read more about our history
The “Association for the Relief of Destitute Children” was formed with the sum of $427.38. The efforts of the women resulted in the incorporation of the Syracuse Orphans’ Asylum. It opened its doors to 10 boys and five girls on May 10, 1845.
By 1847, the house had expanded to serve children throughout the county. To accommodate the needs of more children, the home was relocated several times. In 1922, it moved for the last time to what was then the outskirts of the city, a 146-acre farm on Salt Springs Road. On the occasion of its 100th anniversary in 1945, the name was officially changed to Elmcrest Children’s Center.
Elmcrest continued to function as an orphanage into the 1960s. With changes in social policy and a decrease in the population of true orphans, Elmcrest turned its attention to serving the needs of “troubled youth.” In 1980, Elmcrest began to refocus its efforts to provide services to children with emotional as well as behavioral issues and began to increase its services to children with special needs. In the more than three decades since, Elmcrest has established itself as a leader and innovator in serving the children of Central New York.
Today, Elmcrest Children’s Center is a multi-service residential treatment and education center for children with emotional, behavioral, and psychiatric challenges; a respite center for children with developmental disabilities and serious medical conditions; and an early education center and Universal Pre-K (UPK) program. Elmcrest serves more than 2,500 children and their family members yearly in more than 20 different programs. At any given time, Elmcrest is home to 130 youngsters, with another 150 preschoolers being served in its early education facility. Elmcrest provides supportive services, counseling, education, and training to another 80 families at risk of having their children removed from the home.
Our Officers
“Once you have a Mission, you can’t go back to having a job.” – Shai Agassi
Dana C. Loucks
President
Margaret L. Dudarchik
Vice President
Jennifer Young
Vice President
Dennis T. Cleary
Vice President
Merry Bhattacharjee
Secretary
Raymond B. Ryan
Treasurer
Diane Nappa
Executive Director
Board of Directors
- David M. Aiello
- Jodi Bobbett
- Eric M. Brown
- David M. Capriotti, Esq.
- Sean P. Dougherty
- Jonathan K. Leister
- F. Jasper Massey
- Thomas McGuire
- Gabriel J. Merrin, Ph.D.
- Alison K. Miller
- Constance B. Palleria
- Kevin Randall
Board of Advisors
- Charles W. Beach
- Steven Bergstraesser
- Gary R. Bobbett
- James V. Breuer
- Amy C. Burns
- Donald E. Burns
- Caitlin Campbell
- Mary Beth Carmen
- Joseph L. Cecile
- Kevin D. Delaney
- Andrew M. Eassa, CPA
- Twiggy M. Eure
- Charles L. Falgiatano, Esq.
- Joanna Ferguson
- Patricia H. Hale
- Scott R. Hatz, Esq.
- Matthew G. Holt
- Gwen Judge
- Matthew Huber
- Yvonne Annese LoRe
- James Maloney
- J. Bradford Mann, CPA
- James R. Muldoon, Esq.
- John O’Brien
- Gary R.M. Payne
- Anne M. Reagan, PSY.D.
- Joseph O. Reagan, M.D.
- Francis J. Reid
- Hugh Roszel, Sr.
- Samuel D. Rowser
- Matthew N. Schiro
- Hon. Frederick J. Scullin, Jr.
- Deepal Shah
- Paul M. Snow
- Terrence M. Tormey, CLU
- Arthur W. Wentlandt, Esq.
- Mary Anne Winfield
- Daniel P. Young
- Thomas G. Young
Leadership
Our staff focuses on developing meaningful relationships in a teaching and learning environment that will enable children, regardless of age, gender, or circumstance, to reach their optimum potential, point toward a productive future, and contribute to the success of their communities.
Each day, Elmcrest Children’s Center’s 500 highly dedicated full and part-time staff members, along with volunteers and interns from local universities, help to bring compassionate assistance and services to children and families living in Central New York. Our staff consists of skilled professionals with a variety of academic and employment backgrounds who work tirelessly to respond to the needs of those seeking our help.
Leadership Team
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller
Diane Nappa
Executive Director
dnappa@elmcrest.org
Marcus Gillespie
Chief Compliance Officer
mgillespie@elmcrest.org
Rick Johnson
Director, Support Services
rjohnson@elmcrest.org
Brandon McInerney
Director, Staff Development & Training
bmcinerney@elmcrest.org
Patrick Casey
Chief Operations Officer
pcasey@elmcrest.org
Ashton Nelson
Chief Human Resources Officer
HR@elmcrest.org
Helen Kelley
Agency Development Officer
hkelley@elmcrest.org
Shereen Webb
Director, Residential and Community Operations
swebb@elmcrest.org
Terri Tulowiecki
Chief Finance Officer
ttulowiecki@elmcrest.org
Dan Burns
Director, Children’s Crisis Mental Health Respite
dburns@elmcrest.org
Michelle King
Director, Early Education
mking@elmcrest.org
Chelsea Wild
Director, Managed Care
cwild@elmcrest.org