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Shay lives on the Connecticut shoreline with her husband, three boys, and two dogs. You can often find them at soccer, karate, skiing, hanging out with friends or traveling.
Shay holds 2 degrees in Early Childhood/Special Education, and a degree in Education Leadership.
She has worked as an early childhood teacher in special education and inclusive settings, and as an education consultant. She has provided training and professional development for teachers, and coached teachers in the classroom.
Her passion is improving the lives of children and families and supporting them in difficult times.
Having moved from Manhattan to Connecticut over 30 years ago, Jeff lives in Wilton where he and his wife raise their two kids. They also have two dogs, nine chickens, and a lot of eggs.
When he’s not working, Jeff is either chauffeuring his kids around, or tinkering and fixing things in their home. If time permits he also just might be found playing tennis.
Jeff is an entrepreneur with over 35 years of experience in finance, private equity, venture capital, hedge funds, and investment banking.
Jeff pursued an MBA at the New York University Stern School of Business and earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Florida.
While working as an educational consultant, Shay witnessed how frustrating it was for special needs families to find and access the services that their children required. They were struggling through reams of paper forms for each program and had to find fax machines, scanners, and printers in order to complete and submit the applications. The documents that the families accumulated were often stored in boxes or milk crates.
Shay also began to identify challenges for her own children and ended up down the same path that she had witnessed other families travel. She had always been an advocate for families and children, but now she needed to advocate for her own.
If there were only a system that would modernize and simplify the way that caregivers could access the network of services available to them. When she noticed that every family she encountered had a smartphone, she realized there could be a way. In that moment, Elea was born.
In honor of Shay's oldest son's St. Patrick’s Day birthday (a lucky feat for an Irish family), the birth of Elea is celebrated on March 17.
Elea comes from the ancient Greek embodiment of compassion, mercy, and clemency - Eleos. Eleos even had her very own temple in Athens, where people would turn for refuge. Quite fascinating, isn't it?
Now, as caregivers, we really resonate with Eleos! We show kindness and compassion every single day while caring for our children. But it's not just about compassion. Eleos also stands for the strength and resilience we tap into when faced with adversity - something we can all relate to as parents of children with developmental disabilities.
Each day brings its own challenges, but our unwavering commitment to our children and our love for them helps us meet these head-on. And just like the ancient Greeks who sought relief and support in the temple of Eleos, we too seek resources and assistance that can help us in our amazing, yet demanding roles as caregivers.
So, let's continue this journey together, offering and receiving support, embracing the spirit of Eleos, and celebrating the love and resilience in our caregiving community!
