Leadership Team

Amy Smith
Chief Executive Officer

Amy Smith joined Foundations Behavioral Health in 2014 as the Director of Utilization Management and Special Projects and was promoted to Assistant Hospital Administrator in 2016. Amy became the Interim CEO in 2021 and was appointed CEO in 2022. Prior to joining the incredible team at Foundations, she held multiple leadership positions within the behavioral health field across the southeast region of Pennsylvania. Throughout her career, Amy has focused on improving outcomes for individuals through a trauma-informed approach that recognizes the multidimensional and often complex needs of children, adolescents, and young adults. With more than 25 years of experience in behavioral health programs, Amy is passionate about providing high quality, specialized services across the continuum of programs offered at Foundations and is honored to serve as the CEO.

Amy earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Slippery Rock University and her Master of Arts degree from Drexel University (formerly MCP Hahnemann University), and is a licensed professional counselor.

Dr John Abulu
Chief Medical Officer

Dr John Abulu joined the medical staff at FBH on October 10, 2006 as the Chief Medical Officer. He is presently the Attending Physician of the Residential Treatment Facility in Foundations. Dr Abulu completed his Child and Adolescent training at SUNY Downstate, Brooklyn NY in 2011. He is Board Certified in Psychiatry and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN). Dr. Abulu is a member of the American Medical Association.

Dr. Erin Perry
Chief Clinical Officer

Dr. Erin Perry received her Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice at the Pennsylvania State University, her Master of Social Work at Temple University, and her Doctorate of Social Work from the University of Southern California. Dr. Perry has worked in behavioral health serving children and families for twenty years, and has extensive experience in behavioral health crisis and acute service settings. Dr. Perry has held progressive leadership positions in behavioral health where she has worked to improve clinical quality and efficiency of operations, and has a passion for education and training. Dr. Perry focused her doctoral studies on improving understanding of the impact of trauma on child and adolescent behavioral concerns to achieve improved outcomes.

Donna Putignano
Senior Director of Behavioral Services

Donna Putignano joined Foundations Behavioral Health in 2018 as the Senior Director of Behavior Services. As a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), Donna brings more than 12 years of experience working with children, adolescents and young adults who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and co-occurring psychiatric diagnosis. She has provided program development, consultation and leadership across in-home, educational, group home, and residential programs specializing in the treatment of severe problem behavior, including aggression and self-injury. She works with teams across all of Foundations’ programs to promote best practices and clinical integrity, and is passionate about supporting kids, their parents and treatment teams, in achieving their highest potential with trauma informed and practical interventions.

Donna earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Thomas Edison State College, her Master of Science in Clinical Psychology from Capella University, and her Post Master’s Certification in Applied Behavior Analysis from The Pennsylvania State University.

Sheba Farvardin, LCSW
Director of Admissions

Sheba is a licensed clinical social worker who holds a Bachelors of Arts in psychology and social sciences from Penn State University, and a master’s degree in Social Work from Temple University. She also has professional training in Strengths Based Leadership from Temple University and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy from Byrn Mawr College. She has almost 10 years of experience in behavioral health and social work settings including, community in-home intensive therapy, residential, and inpatient treatment. She has served in a variety of roles in the organization since she started in 2017 including Lead Therapist for Residential treatment, Admissions Coordinator, and Director of Social Work and Inpatient Clinical Services.

Frank McNally
Chief Financial Officer

Frank joined Foundations Behavioral Health’s leadership team in 2021. He is an accomplished financial professional with over 12 years of experience in healthcare finance. Frank earned his bachelor’s degree in Finance from Pennsylvania State University. Prior to FBH, he served as Controller at Chestnut Hill and Brandywine Hospitals. Frank is honored to help support the FBH team in providing the highest quality of care for their patients.

Jon Lyford
Director of Business Development

Jon Lyford is a Licensed Professional Counselor who holds a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Temple University and Master’s degrees in psychology Holy Family University. Jon also has a graduate certificate in Applied Behavioral Analysis from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Since joining the team at Foundations Behavioral Health in 2012, Jon has held multiple roles including Primary Therapist, Behavior Therapist, Campus Supervisor, Utilization and Review Director, Admissions Director, and is currently the Director of Business Development. In this current role, Jon works to increase access to educational, residential, and behavioral health services to community members in need. We strive to provide exceptional care to our community, including the complex needs of the child and adolescent neurodiverse population.

Paul Cavanaugh
Director of HR

Paul received his Bachelors in Health Services Administration from Providence College, a Masters of Arts in Hospital Administration form the George Washington University and a post masters certificate in Human Resource Management from Villanova University. Paul has worked in hospital and human resources management in various inpatient settings and has been with Foundations since 2015.

Steve Cuthbertson
Director of Plant Operations

Steve has been employed at Foundations Behavioral Health since September 2014, overseeing departments, including Information Technology, Procurement, Transportation and dietary. His primary responsibilities is to ensure the facilities provide a safe and inviting space for the treatment programs to be effective and meet all licensing and safety standards. Steve is a member of the NFPA for over 8 years and Steve holds a B.S. from Messiah College.

Christina Berry, BSL
Director of Risk Management

Christina is a Licensed Behavior Specialist who holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from LaSalle University and a Master’s Degree in Forensic Psychology from Argosy University. Christina has 15 years experience in behavioral health including juvenile detention, foster care, community based services, and residential treatment. Since her start at Foundations in 2014 she has served several roles within the BHRS department as Behavior Specialist and Clinical Supervisor, before joining the compliance/risk team in 2018, and most recently as the Director of Risk Management.

Steve Detweiler
Executive Director of Education Services

Steve Detweiler is the Executive Director of Education Services at Foundations Behavioral Health (FBH). Steve holds a Master of Science degree in Special Education and, prior to becoming an administrator, taught both general and special education in urban, suburban, and rural settings in public and private schools at the primary and secondary levels. He earned certificates from the Commonwealth of PA for teaching and as a Director of Education, from three leadership programs, three crisis prevention/intervention programs, and as a Facilitator for Restorative Practices. He oversees the educational services for over 500 children and adolescents with special needs in a network of 4 private day schools, a residential program, and three acute inpatient behavioral health hospital programs. FBH education services work with over 75 public school districts and Charter Schools from eight states. Steve has been an integral part of the program development, formalization of curriculum, policy & procedure development, licensing, and national accreditation for all the FBH schools and education programs. Additionally, Steve has helped develop and currently oversees LifeWorks Schools, including a private licensed academic middle and high school for students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). He has 12 years of Senior Management team experience and is a member of the Council for Exceptional Children as well as the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Steve also has over ten years’ experience on the Board of Directors for non-profit organizations that support children with special needs in his community. Steve also has 13 years of experience as a contracted high school soccer coach.

Paul D’Amore
Director of Education

Paul D’Amore is the Director of Education for Foundations Behavioral Health’s LifeWorks System. In this position, he is responsible for the oversight of the day to day operations, staffing, supervision of building administrators, curriculum & instruction, accreditation, and performance improvement. He has experience as a teacher and building principal in grades 1 through 12. Since 2006, he has been an adjunct professor at Immaculata University teaching both English and Research courses. Currently, Paul is a doctoral student at Texas Tech University enrolled in the Ph.D. program in Educational Leadership Policy.

Candy Cohen
Director of Intake

Candy Cohen is the Director of Intake for the LifeWorks Schools, supported by Rachel Coldsmith-Willis, Intake Coordinator. Ms. Cohen has been a school counselor since 1998 and has been at LifeWorks since 2005, as a school counselor, Assistant Director, Interim Director and currently Director of Intake. Ms. Cohen oversees the admissions process for all LifeWorks Day School students which involves receiving referrals from numerous districts in many counties and several states, reviewing the paperwork, scheduling and conducting intakes and tours for families and students, coordination of care and making decisions regarding acceptance. The Intake Department assists the Supervisor of Special Education in the Residential student admission process. Ms. Cohen serves as a lead liaison to all Local Education Agency Representatives. She holds certificates in UHS Leadership Excellence as well as Foundations Leadership Academy.

Jesse Menarde
Clinical Director of Schools

Jesse Menarde has been working in the mental health field for the past 20 years. He received his Master of Science in Counseling from West Virginia University and completed additional course work in Counseling Psychology from Temple University. Jesse has worked in outpatient, partial hospitalization, BHRS, inpatient and residential treatment facilities. He is currently the Clinical Director of Schools for Foundations Behavioral Health’s LifeWorks System. In this position, he is responsible for the oversight of the counselors and behavior managers across the system, clinical programing, crisis management trainings and the overall clinical well-being of all the students. Jesse has been a trainer of Handle with Care and Verbal De-escalation for the past fourteen years and became a master trainer (training other trainers) in 2018. He also has completed his certification as an Olweus Bulling Prevention Program trainer. Finally, since 2004 Jesse owns a private practice where he works with adolescence and adults specializing in trauma interventions.