Meet our New Staff!
ICAN is growing! We have expanded our team by recruiting some exceptional and skilled individuals. Our new hires are all set to contribute significantly to our mission of Keeping Families Together. We cannot wait to introduce them to you and share their experience and talents, which will aid us in providing better services to our clients. Without further ado, let's meet our new team members!
James Hymes
Street Outreach Worker
James enjoys collecting coffee mugs, grilling up some tasty BBQ ribs, and traveling during the fall, especially in October!
Lindsay Sanderson
Adult Care Coordinator
Lindsay, originally from Rochester, NY, is a mother of boys and a big Indianapolis Colts fan.
Ian Bellassai
Behavior Specialist - UCSD
Ian is a professional brewer planning to open a community-oriented brew pub in Utica, NY, this year. He is a trained drummer who has toured and released vinyl records for the psychedelic, instrumental, doom metal band "Twin Speak."
Kim Newton
Education Liaison - Utica Children's Museum
Kim has a great passion for spending time outdoors and discovering new places. Her first summer job was at the Memorial Parkway Family Resource Center, which was then known as UFCW. Interestingly, Kim presently works in the same building. She considers herself fortunate to be a grandmother of four lovely grandchildren.
Eva Perez
Adult Care Coordinator
Eva enjoys cooking, and summertime is my favorite season. English is my second language.
Stephanie Heiland
Interventionist
Stephanie doesn’t watch much TV; you’ll always find her with a book or Kindle! She has two dogs and is set to complete her Master's degree in Social Work this December!
Rudy Deninno
Family Service Coordinator
Rudy won a national soccer championship in college and enjoys collecting sports cards. However, he has a massive fear of spiders after watching the movie "8 Legged Freaks".
Frank Conestabile
Sports Team Member - Elevate CNY
Frank is the founder of the Rising Stars soccer club in CNY, which is a youth sports group. Additionally, he has 38 years of experience serving as a Director of Human Resources and Labor Relations in the Public and Nonprofit sectors. Frank has been happily married for 38 years and has two sons and one granddaughter, who brings immense joy and is undoubtedly the best part of his life!
Jamie Hillhouse
Family Service Coordinator
Jamie has more than 40 first cousins! She loves anything creative, such as drawing, painting, and sculpting. Her photography has been highlighted in a marketing campaign in New Zealand!
Linda Lopez
Chief Operating Officer
Linda’s dad served in the Air Force, so she moved around often. By the time she finished high school, she had attended eight different schools in eleven different places. Her family has always been passionate about foster care and adoption, and she is a proud parent of four wonderful children! After completing high school, Linda moved to Syracuse to attend Syracuse University as a journalism major. However, after taking a job in street outreach, she discovered her love for human services.