Our Staff

   Dr. Ruth Eren

Ruth Eren, Ed.D., Center Director, also serves as Associate Professor of Special Education at Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU). In addition to her Center responsibilities, she is currently the area head for the MS program in teacher preparation for teaching children with ASD at SCSU.  Dr. Eren is a member of the CT State Task Force that wrote the CT Guidelines for Educating Children and Youth with Autism in CT Public Schools and was an active participant in the Special Act No. 08-5 legislative initiative.  She has consulted with public school districts in CT for over fifteen years focusing on individual and system program development and curriculum design for children with ASD. 

Dr. Michael Alfano

Michael Alfano, Ph.D., Chair of the Department of Special Education and Reading at SCSU, is the Coordinator of Research for the Center. His background is in mixed research methodology, having published research studies using both quantitative and qualitative research designs. Dr. Alfano has spent several years in the classroom, teaching children with a variety of exceptionalities, including individuals with autism spectrum disorders. He currently consults with both families and school districts, focusing on comprehensive educational evaluation and educational program design and implementation.

  Barbara Cook

Barbara Cook, MS, CCC-SLP, Coordinator of Training, contributes experience in the development and implementation of workshops, presentations, and trainings for school-based personnel working with individuals with ASD. Her training focus has been in the areas of speech and language, social communication,  and social competency. Ms. Cook has worked as a private consultant with The Eden Family of Services Outreach-Connecticut Division and is pursuing her Doctorate in Educational Leadership at Southern Connecticut State University.

Dr. Mark Groskreutz 

Mark Groskreutz, Ph.D., recently joined SCSU as an Assistant Professor. He is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA-D) who has worked with individuals with ASDs in public and private school settings, their homes, and vocational and community settings.  His experience has focused primarily on designing individualized social and educational curricula, interventions for challenging behavior, classroom specific and district wide professional development programs, and research studies based on the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). 

  Dr. Deborah Newton

Deborah Newton, Ed.D., Chair of the Special Education & Reading Department at SCSU, also serves an Associate Professor of Special Education. Dr. Newton, who has provided hundreds of consults to districts and schools in the areas of assistive and instructional technologies, provides the Center with ongoing expertise in improving outcomes for children with ASD through the use of technological tools and other assistive or adaptive devices.

  Dr. Michael Ben-Avie

Michael Ben-Avie, Ph.D., the Senior Research Analyst in SCSU's Office of Assessment and Planning, provides research technical support. His expertise is in national and large-scale assessments that encompass grant writing, instrument development to measure educational outcomes, design of assessment systems, development and maintenance of complex databases, performance of statistical procedures, and data interpretation workshops. Previously he served as a teacher of youth with ASD.  

Natalie Jones, J.D.

Natalie Jones, J.D., recently joined the Center as a University Assistant and focuses on outreach activities. She received her J.D. from Western New England College School of Law and is pursing her Masters degree in special education at the University of Connecticut.

In Memory of James (Jim) Michael Granfield 

February 16, 1951-July 28, 2010 
Dr. James Granfield, former Co-Director of the Center, passed away in July of 2010. As interim Dean of the Southern Connecticut State University School of Education, Jim had the vision and the courage to support the concept of a Center of Excellence that would serve individuals with autism spectrum disorders. An active member of the 08-5 study group, Jim contributed tremendous effort, knowledge and skill in acquiring and evaluating the information needed to move ahead with initiatives to support the ASD population in Connecticut. He enthusiastically embraced the concept of a Center of Excellence; in fact, Jim would accept nothing short of "excellence" here at Southern  Once the Center concept was developed into a specific framework with goals and objectives, Jim worked tirelessly with the team to acquire federal funding to support the Center's first year initiatives. Jim's presence and influence will remain with the Center for many years to come.