Easter Seals Southwest Florida

Ashley Canesse is the Vice President of Philanthropy at Easter Seals Southwest Florida.  She has a lifelong passion and dedication to helping children and families triumph over challenges and adversity.

Ashley believes that giving to Easter Seals is an investment in the quality of life for others.  “We invite our community to tour our programs, see the services and activities in action and to invest in anyway possible,” she says.

Dr. Kameron Partridge is the Vice President of Programs and Services for Easter Seals Southwest Florida. She has recently returned to the area and is a native to Sarasota, born and raised just down the road from the Braden Avenue campus. Dr. Partridge graduated from Florida State University with a B.S. in Psychology and Special Education and received both her M.A. and her Ph.D. in Lifespan Developmental Psychology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Susannah Cripe is the Director for Easter Seals Southwest Florida’s Project Rainbow, has been with Easter Seals Southwest Florida since 1996, and has been Program Director for Project Rainbow since 2000.  Ms. Cripe has 17 years of case management and client services experience.  She also serves as Easter Seals Southwest Florida’s Instructor of Safety and Education, and is a certified instructor for the American Red Cross. Ms. Cripe has a wealth of knowledge concerning community resources.

Don Herndon is the Director of the VIP Academy at Easter Seals Southwest Florida.  He has resided in Sarasota for the past 23+ years.  Mr. Herndon graduated from the University of South Dakota with a BS in political science. He completed his teacher certification through a program sponsored by the School Board of Manatee County called Alternative Certification for Teachers (ACT).  He is currently certified to teach Exceptional Student Education Grades K-12 and Elementary Education Grades K-6.

Nicole Murby, M.S. CCC-SLP
Nicole Murby is the Clinical Director of Children’s Therapy for Easter Seals Southwest Florida. She was born in Michigan but spent most of her years in the Northeast in both Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Nicole graduated from Salem State College in Massachusetts with a B.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She received her M.S. in Communication Disorders from the University of New Hampshire to become a Speech-Language Pathologist.

MaryAnn Zyla-Smith (MAZ) is the Director of Adult Services at Easter Seals Southwest Florida.  She has been with this agency since February 2000.  She initially assumed the responsibility of Director of Employment Services. Over the years since she has been here, she has provided oversight to the Adult Day Training (ADT) Program, the VIP Academy Program, and the Art Initiative Program and for a short time Residential Services.  The Art Initiative Program is a concept she brought with her from her previous employment assignment at another agency.