It is with great pride that The Kelberman Center, which began with the vision of founder and Board of Director’s President Dr. Michael Kelberman over 15 years ago, along with tremendous help from Upstate Cerebral Palsy and Upstate Caring Partners, Inc., has now rebranded and developed into its own independent organization.

According to Tara Costello, Kelberman Executive Director, “We are thrilled to announce our new brand today.  Kelberman is rapidly expanding and now, with over 300 staff members and locations in Utica, Rome and Syracuse, we are an entirely self-sufficient and thriving organization ready to meet the needs of the community in an even bigger and more impactful way. Our new brand symbolizes a new and exciting phase for us as an agency. We thank Upstate Cerebral Palsy for providing leadership and resources to our organization in its infancy, as it did to many other new and growing agencies over the years.  Now, as a completely independent organization, we are fully positioned to realize Dr. Kelberman’s dream of a center of excellence for autism here in our community; a dream that began decades ago as he searched for a place for his son to receive autism services locally.”  

In 2005, Dr. Kelberman turned the need for services into a reality for not only his son, but for hundreds of other local children and adults as The Kelberman Center began providing autism services to the community.   

 

According to Dr. Kelberman, “Like many families, our first exposure to autism was a personal one. When our son, Harry, was diagnosed with autism at two years of age, we were introduced to an unfamiliar world, with a suddenly uncertain future and no clear path forward. Even though I was a practicing Cardiologist and my wife, Jennifer, a trained Nurse Practitioner, we struggled to find sophisticated diagnostic, behavioral or educational resources locally. Although we were ultimately able to access some services in distant metropolitan areas, the impact on our young family, including my two young daughters, was overwhelming. It quickly became clear that we would have to make a decision, either relocate or take on the task of creating what we and other families needed here at home.” 

He continues, “My wife and I have always loved and believed in our talented community. So actually, the decision was an easy one, we would take our resources and energy and create a state-of-the-art autism organization right here. Many years later, we could not be prouder of what our staff, leadership team, and board of directors have accomplished. Our reach has also expanded across much of Upstate New York as the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder continues to grow. The new brand is symbolic of our development and achievement as an organization.  We are leading autism support and services through all stages of life, guided by our vision of being the center of excellence for autism regionally and beyond. Our community has the strength, compassion and love to accomplish extraordinary things, and Kelberman is a daily reminder of that fact.” 

About Kelberman 

Kelberman is the leading provider of autism services for children, adults and families in the Mohawk Valley and Central New York. We provide comprehensive programming and services for people throughout all phases of life, from early childhood through adulthood, including: Home and Community Based, Educational, Clinical, Residential, Respite and Camp. Our goal is to meet people and families where they are in life and to support them every step of the way on their journeys navigating autism. The expert staff at Kelberman empower the people we support with specialized, one-of-a-kind programs, resources, support and wrap-around services, creating a fulfilling, life-enriching experience for people and families.

Contact Us 

Please feel free to reach out with questions or for more information.  Visit our new website, www.Kelberman.org or contact Julie Suprenant, director of communications and donor engagement, at (315) 797-6241 ext. 3923 or julie.suprenant@kelbermancenter.org. 

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