Our Team
Kim R. Costanzo
An award winning, innovative educator and a successful entrepreneur who has used her business experience to develop vocational entrepreneurial programs for developmentally challenged students.
The core piece of these programs is for profit businesses that provide participants with an income and programs with operational and growth funds.
Costanzo has sixteen years experience as a special education teacher and administrator. She has taught in urban and suburban districts including Elizabeth, NJ, Washington DC and Maryland where she has successfully developed curriculum and school to work programs for every level of developmentally challenged students. Kim also taught in Waterford and East Lyme schools in Connecticut.
Her experience includes twenty years of coaching Championship high school teams in state wide and international competition and directing the New Jersey Tournament of Champions for five years. She was named coach of the year, in back-to-back seasons in basketball and softball.
In addition to her years as an educator, Costanzo has owned and operated two successful Tampa Bay entertainment complexes that employed more than fifty individuals.
Kim has also served as project manager for one of the largest contractors in NJ where she coordinated on-site construction including an Atlantic City casino site. She also served as the vice president of the family corporation where she managed several apartment complexes, and residential developments.
Kim was the recipient of the Teacher of the Year Award DC Public School 1999 and the Grafton School 2002. She also served on the Board for the State of Maryland MANSEF.
Rosemary J. Dempsey
She has more than thirty years of Executive level management and project development experience. She is an attorney who served in Washington, DC, as the National Vice-President for the National Organization for Women and later as the Director of the Government Relations for the Center for Reproductive Rights. Dempsey has also established and developed several small businesses including two restaurant/clubs in Florida, a real estate management company and a law partnership in New Jersey where she and her partners challenged and impacted civil rights law. She is an educator who has taught elementary school through college level courses and has guest lectured at tens of universities.
Rosemary has been a community activist for all of her adult life. She was the first President of NJ NOW and a founding member of “Woman Space” the first battered woman’s shelter in New Jersey; Dempsey also chaired a statewide coalition to pass anti-discrimination legislation in New Jersey and was an early and long time National Board member of the LAMBDA Legal Defense and Education Fund.
Rosemary has a B.A. in Sociology from the College of New Rochelle in New York and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from Rutgers Law School.
She has recently come back home to Niantic, Connecticut. Currently, she operates a summer business in southeastern Connecticut called Waterworks. Rosemary has recently been admitted to the Connecticut Bar.
Tina Miller
Christina I. Miller has a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix, a Master’s degree in Education and Counseling from the College of Santa Fe, and graduated cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of New Mexico.
Ms. Miller has twenty years of executive and administrative experience in nonprofit, for profit, educational, and community service environments. She has extensive knowledge and experience in program and service development, board recruitment and development, family and community relations, marketing strategies, and strategic and fiscal planning. She also has a strong knowledge of accrediting and licensing regulations and procedures and has worked with many regulatory agencies. During her tenure at Innovative Services, Inc. the organization was awarded JCAHO accreditation with commendation.
In her current position as the Executive Director for the Transportation Association of Maryland, Christina advocates for transportation providers in the state of Maryland. Under her direction the organization has experienced a 30% growth in membership and its annual budget has seen a significant increase due to the successful planning and outcome of the Association’s events, and important partnerships that have been developed with the state. These collaborations have resulted in annual campaigns, an increase in funding, and the availability of additional services and benefits for members.
Christina is a strong advocate for individuals with disabilities. In her twenty years of leadership she has worked with adults and children and directed many types of programs. During her term as the Regional Director of Grafton Schools in Maryland the program was able to regain its licensure from the Maryland State Department of Education for its specialized school and maintain licensure from DHMH for its community based residential programs. During this time, Ms. Miller was able to successfully lead the program to its first ever, in the black month of operations. Prior to this, the program was losing approximately $80,000 per month.
While the CEO of Innovative Services, Inc. Ms. Miller developed the program from six residential treatment centers to ten in the central part of the state in addition to two residential treatment centers in the southern part of the state. Furthermore, while under her direction the program successfully developed and licensed on on-site specialized school, a therapeutic foster care program, and an outpatient center. Services were provided to dual diagnosed clients with psychiatric and developmental disabilities.
As the Executive Director of Gerard’s House, a grief support center for children and adolescents and their families, Ms. Miller was responsible for the substantial growth the program experienced. A grass roots, newly developed program, it went from serving 10-15 individuals per week in 1999 to serving 55-65 individuals per week in 2001. Furthermore, under her direction, the organization was able to secure enough funding to hire a full-time Program Director, a part-time Program Coordinator, and contract with a development professional.
Furthermore, Ms. Miller was specifically hired by the Valencia County CASA program as the Executive Director to help stabilize the program and to repair relationships with Children’s court judges and Children’s Youth and Families department. Under her direction and management, the program became very successful. A new Board was developed, a volunteer program was implemented, and relationships with the judges and CYFD became collaborative. Christina went on to serve on the Board for the State of New Mexico CASA Program.
tmiller@myprojectfree.org
Sharon Vanderlinde
Sharon Vanderlinde has over twenty years experience in business development. Her experience include: National Sales Executive, Senior Sales Executive, Marketing Coordinator, Director of Entertainment Events Coordinator and Event Production.
Sharon has been responsible for meeting quarterly sales goals, has created national marketing strategies to promote events, and managed national ads and media campaigns. Furthermore, Ms. Vanderlinde has extensive experience with inside sales, new business development, cultivation of business partnerships, and sales promotions and communications.
Having a daughter with Down Syndrome, Ms. Vanderlinde has been a passionate advocate for individuals with disabilities her entire life. She has served as Entertainment Chair / Volunteer Coordinator for “March for Our Lives in Florida and Washington D.C..
Sharon served on the Board for Visual Voices Unlimited, Florida. She was as the Treasurer and was the Assistant – Director of the Tournament of Champions, New Jersey.
She was also the Director for Florida “Relay for Life” sponsored by the American Cancer Society, and volunteered for the Special Olympics.
svanderlinde@myprojectfree.org
Chezia Quarterman
Chezia Quarterman has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Communication and Physical Education from Towson State University . She also has a Master of Education degree in Special Education from Coppin State College and holds an Advance Professional Certificate with the Maryland State Department of Education in both Special Education and Physical Education.
Ms. Quarterman began her career in the Baltimore City Public School system fulfilling roles such as Teacher, Department Head, and Athletic Coach. After 5 years at Harlem Park Middle School , she joined Potomac Ridge Behavioral Health-The Ridge School ( Rockville campus) as a teacher and soon became the Director of General Education. Her experience also includes working with at risk adolescents as a Youth Advocate with a community retention program and as a Psychiatric Technician at Potomac Ridge Behavioral Health Residential Treatment Center .
After serving as Supervisor of Instruction and Director of Education of the Grafton School, Ms. Quarterman returned to Adventist Healthcare in 2002 (Potomac Ridge Behavioral Health System at Anne Arundel) to serve as the Director of Education at The Ridge School of Anne Arundel County. In 2006, she was promoted to supervise both The Ridge School of Anne Arundel County and the newly acquired The Ridge School of the Eastern Shore . She joined the Maryland State Department of Education in February of 2008 as a Nonpublic School Approval Specialist serving Type I general, Type I general and special education, and private schools.
Joy Williams
Joy Williams, M.S., CCC-SLP is a speech and language pathologist with more than 10 years experience. She received her Bachelors of Art in Linguistics from Binghamton University and a Masters of Science in Speech and Language Pathology from Howard University in Washington, DC. While attending Howard University, Ms. Williams was awarded a full scholarship on a grant specializing in Pediatric Dysphagia. In 1996, she presented at the annual National Black Speech and Hearing Association. Since graduate school, Ms. Williams has worked in a variety of settings such as health clinics, hospitals, rehabilitation, nursing homes, private and public schools.
Ms. Williams’ has specialized in improving the communication skills of individuals with special needs and disabilities. She is particularly interested with the link between behavior, language development, and social communication. Her expertise extends to providing consultation and trainings on using language for functional communication, life skills, and social skills for everyday living.
Ms. Williams has retained state licensures in New York, California, and Washington, DC. As well, she maintains membership in the local and national speech and language associations and a Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech and Language Pathology. She currently works for Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland .