The PLEA Agency - Helping individuals with behavioral or developmental problems.

Phone: 412-243-3464
Fax: 412-243-5649

733 South Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15221

Helping individuals and families facing behavioral and developmental challenges
through Programs for Living, Education and Advocacy

The PLEA Agency>Key Personnel

* To view a brief biography, select name . Administration
Deborah Ferraro	Executive Director
Audrey Aleprete	Administrative Assistant
Ruth Dymond	Finance Director
Beverly Kotys	Finance Assistant
Directors/Coordinators
Dr. Stuart Libman, MD	Medical Director
Gretchen Kelly, BA	Compeer Program Director / Development Coordinator
Dale Kline, BA	Summer Camp Director
Linda Gates, MA	Respite Program Director, BHRS Program Coordinator
Dana Fish, MS, BCBA	BHRS Clinical Coordinator
Cindy Franceschelli	PAL Program Coordinator
Program Specialists
Dr. Bill Helsel, EdD, BCBA	Behavior Analyst Consultant

Administration

Deborah Ferraro
Executive Director

Debbie has worked at PLEA since 1973. She started out in the classroom as the lead teacher therapist when PLEA only had one classroom. As PLEA developed, Debbie’s role at PLEA changed. When the program developed its Partial Hospital program, Debbie became the program coordinator. As she started her own family away from PLEA, she consulted to the agency and conducted agency trainings. In 1995, she became the Executive Director. Debbie’s job includes being part of the community in advocating and planning for services for children, adults and families living with developmental and behavioral disorders.

Ruth Dymond
Financial Director

A Certified Public Accountant since January of 1991, Ruth joined PLEA as the Financial Director in August of 1996. Ruth also provides the agency with many additional support services such as technical support and agency transportation coordination. Prior to joining PLEA, Ruth was employed in public accounting with an emphasis on non-profit organizations.

Beverly Kotys
Financial Assistant

Beverly has been an integral part of PLEA since 1994 as the Financial Assistant. With her degree in Business Management she is able to provide support in many essential areas of the agency, while helping to maintain a smooth and balanced work environment. In addition to the ways Beverly assists PLEA, she has also served as a Compeer volunteer for the past seven years.

Directors/Coordinators

Dr. Stuart Libman, MD
Medical Director

Dr. Libman has served as the Medical Director of the PLEA Agency since 1985. In addition to supervising the Partial Hospital center based program, he supervises the Family work component of the programs. Dr. Libman conducts psychiatric evaluations for the Programs. Dr. Libman is board certified in General Psychiatry as well as in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. He is a founding member of the Western Pennsylvania Family Center. Dr. Libman also maintains a private practice in Child, Adolescent and Family Psychiatry. He is an expert in the field of Autism.

Gretchen Kelly, BA
Compeer Program Director
Development Coordinator

Gretchen has been the Compeer Program Director since 1995. Prior to this, she served as Compeer Program Assistant. For Compeer, she additionally serves as the Compeer Regional Representative for Pennsylvania, coordinating the PA Compeer Coalition, consisting of 12 programs across PA. For PLEA, she additionally serves as Development Coordinator, organizing the fundraising efforts of the agency.

Dale Kline, BA
Summer Camp Director

Dale began working for the PLEA Summer Camp in 1978. He was a counselor for one year, became a group leader and has since served as Summer Camp Director for over 20 years. During the school year, he is an Instructional Support Coordinator and music teacher for Freedom Area School District. Dale earned degrees in music education from Edinboro College and elementary education from Geneva College.

Linda Gates, MA
Respite Program Director
BHRS Administrative Coordinator

Linda is the Respite Program Director and Administrative Coordinator of the BHRS (Behavioral Health Rehabilitation Services) program. She has worked with PLEA in several capacities since 1992. She received her Master’s degree in Community Counseling in 2003 and does volunteer work in grief counseling and with support groups.

Dana Fish, MS, BCBA.
BHRS Clinical Coordinator

Dana is Board Certified in Applied Behavioral Analysis and is currently the Clinical Coordinator of the BHRS program. She has been employed by PLEA since 1990. Dana has her undergraduate degree in Child Development and a Masters Degree in Psychology.

Cindy Franceschelli
PAL Program Coordinator

Cindy has served as PAL Program Coordinator since 1991. In addition to this, Cindy provides technical support to PLEA’s BHRS program and has provided administrative assistance to the Compeer Program. Prior to her work at PLEA, Cindy spent many years in the private sector in Human Resource Management.

Program Specialists

Dr. William J. Helsel, EdD, BCBA.
Behavior Technology Consultant and Psychologist

Dr. Helsel serves as consulting Psychologist to the center based and in-home programs. He trains staff in the use of the AGILE model (Academic Generative Instruction for Leaner Enhancement). Bill also conducts extensive Psychological evaluations. He has additionally worked with persons with developmental and behavioral disabilities and Alzheimer’s Type Dementia at a variety of agencies. He has been published in the areas of behavior assessment, treatment and organizational management. Bill is an expert in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis.