SOUTHBOROUGH, Mass. - BostonChron -- The New England Center for Children^® (NECC^®), a global leader in education and research for children with autism, announced today its executive leadership succession plan. Founder and CEO Vincent Strully, Jr., who has served in that role for all of NECC's 45 years, will be succeeded by Dr. Jessica Sassi, PhD, BCBA-D, LABA, in 2023.

Dr. Sassi, NECC's former Clinical Director, is currently serving in an executive role for the organization. The long-term succession plan is staged over several years to prepare the executive team and NECC community for Mr. Strully's departure. Mr. Strully will work closely with Dr. Sassi in the interim to maximize the $110 million nonprofit's clinical and financial administration, program development, fundraising, and strategic planning.

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"Helping children with autism has been my life for more than 45 years. I have been privileged to work alongside our talented staff these many years. I am proud of the accomplishments NECC has achieved," said Mr. Strully. "The Board of Directors and all of us at NECC have every confidence that NECC will continue to be a leader in autism education under the capable stewardship of Dr. Sassi."

"I am excited and honored to lead NECC into the next generation," said Dr. Sassi.  "I look forward to working with Vinnie over the succession period to continue our strategic vision and innovation in autism education."

Dr. Sassi has more than 20 years of autism education and applied behavior analysis experience. She currently serves in an executive role but has previously held key roles at the organization as the former Clinical Director and as a Residential Program Director. Dr. Sassi is a member of the Clinical Adjunct Faculty in Behavior Analysis at Western New England University. She is widely published in academic journals, and is a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. graduate of the University of Florida.

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About The New England Center for Children

The New England Center for Children^® (NECC^®) is an award-winning autism education center and research institute. The Center provides comprehensive services to maximize independence: home-based, day, and residential programs, partner classrooms in public school systems, consulting services, the ACE^® ABA Software System (www.acenecc.org), teacher professional development, and research on educational best practices. NECC is based in Southborough, MA, and operates a center in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Learn more at www.necc.org.