About WCI

Marty Berliner
Chief Executive Officer

Marty became the President & CEO of WCI in May of 2024. Prior to that he was the President & CEO of Growthways, Inc., a provider of DDS services in the greater Brockton area. Marty has been working in the Massachusetts I/DD community since 1986, and been directly involved in the launch of various provider and DDS initiatives such as EIM, HCSIS and the adoption of the Chapter 257 rate structure. He is an active member of the Association of Developmental Disabilities Providers, serving on the Board of Directors for 25 years (Treasurer for 10 years), and is the former chair of the ADDP Residential Services committee. Marty has a BA and MA in Philosophy from the University of Connecticut.

Pam Laventure
Vice President of Human Resources

Pam joined WCI in 1995 as a residential Director of Supports responsible for five homes in 24-hour supports. In 2000, Pam transitioned to the human resources team as a Payroll Specialist. Pam’s role in HR expanded over the years and in 2010, she became the Vice President. Pam has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Smith College, a Certificate in Human Resources Management from Bentley University, and a Master’s degree in Human Resources from Framingham State University.

Judy Nichols
Human Resources Manager

Judy Nichols, Human Resources Manager, has worked at WCI since 10/1/1989. She developed WCI’s Human Resources Department from one person working part-time to five people handling all aspects of human resources, including recruitment, training, and payroll. In September 2010, Judy stepped down from the position of VP of Human Resources as a planned succession to the next most senior person in the department, Pam Laventure. Judy oversees the Payroll Specialist, manages the 401k & 403b, Staff schedules, unemployment insurance, and the Employee Recognition Committee. Judy holds a B.A. in Mathematics and Studio Art from Hobart and William Smith; she subsequently earned an M.Ed. from Tufts University with a specialization in elementary education. She has also studied special needs education at Lesley University.

Cindy Cote
Director of Nursing

Cindy has over 40 years of nursing experience with 25 of those years in a supervisory position. Cindy has previously worked at Holden Rehabilitation, Cambridge Health Alliance, MGH, UMASS Memorial Health Care System, BU Medical Group, Boston Medical Center, Youville Hospital, Winchester Hospital Breast Cancer Center and Emerson Hospital.

She earned her Master’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Health Care Management from Boston University and a Bachelors’ Degree in Nursing from Fitchburg State University.

Paula Dunn-Meadows
Residential Social Supports & Shared Living Division Head

Paula has a BA from Goucher College. She has been supporting Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities for 35 years. She has 33 years of management and 26 years of senior management experience. She has extensive experience supporting Individuals with significant behavioral and/or mental health issues.

Sally Roach
Residential 24 Hour & Individual Supports Division Head

Sally has worked in the field of Intellectual and Developmental Services for over 35 years. She has a Master’s Degree in Education with a concentration in Community Counseling from Salem State University and a CAGS degree in Psychology from Cambridge College. Sally has had numerous positions within residential supports during her career. She was a therapist with Strattus for several years prior to coming to WCI. At WCI, Sally is currently the Division Head for 24 Hour, Individual and Deaf Supports.

Aneta Hazen
Employment & Day Supports Division Head

Aneta Hazen joined WCI as the Division Head of Employment and Day Services in 2010. In her role, Aneta oversees the Deaf Employment/Day Supports, Social Skills, Community Employment, and Life Skills Day Habilitation Program. Prior to joining WCI, Aneta has worked with Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities for over 15 years, overseeing employment/day programs, day habilitation as well as case management supports. She has also worked with Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury for six years, supporting them in community integration services, which included employment, education, therapeutic and clinical supports. Aneta holds a Master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from Sargent College at BU, and an MBA from Simmons College. In her free time, she loves spending time with her kids, going to the beach, running, and cooking.

Jamie Cooper
Executive Administrator/ Intake Coordinator

Jamie joined WCI in 2002 as part of the Administrative Team. Jamie has worked throughout her tenure within the agency as the Executive Administrator and has established close relationships with all the WCI Departments, Board of Directors, Funding Sources, and Family Members.

At the end of 2018, Jamie took on an additional role as the Intake Coordinator to facilitate all incoming Referrals to WCI, such as organizing tours, scheduling visits, and ensuring the best placement possible while working with the Teams.

Jamie continues to oversee the Administrative Team and coordinate all of the agency’s Fundraisers working with the Board Development Committee, Wheels of WCI events, and day-to-day operations. If you would like more information on WCI, please contact Jamie at jcooper@wearewci.org.

Sherri Shafmann
Clinical Director

Sherri joined WCI in 2021 as a Behavior Analyst. She earned her Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from the University of Hartford and her Bachelor’s of Arts in Sociology and Psychology from Smith College. Sherri has had various experiences working with both children and adults with disabilities. Sherri’s previous experiences include working as Behavioral Consultant for the May Institute for over 7 years, Clinical Director for the Department of Youth Services at the Connelly Transitional Unit for over 6 years plus much more. She has experience teaching social skills and has been trained in Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and Trauma Informed Care. As part of the team, Sherri enjoys participating in activities at the group homes and the day programs. While attending virtual meetings, her pug, Louie, can often be heard in the background snoring.

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Robert Guinto
VP of Finance

Bob Guinto has 28 years of experience working for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in various human service agencies as both a Direct Support Professional (DSP) and Administrator. Upon leaving Massachusetts state services, Bob worked for 20 years with various nonprofits to evolve and support their program initiatives, including working as WCI’s CFO from 2014 to 2019.

Returning in 2023 as a Finance Consultant, Bob facilitated the completion of WCI’s FY’22 Annual Financial Audit, Uniform Financial Report (UFR) & the Form 990 before returning to manage the Finance Department at WCI. He involves Operations in financial decision making, policy making and budgeting. Bob sets priorities, problem solves and initiates the completion of a variety of projects.