The Center for Family Justice
Leadership + Board
Deb has spent more than 35 years in non-profit management, with extensive experience in strategic planning, fundraising, community mobilization and leadership and program development. Prior to joining The Center for Family Justice in 2007, she served as a CEO at various YMCAs in the region, leading four successful capital campaigns that resulted in the creation of a new YMCA, two renovations at different Ys, and most recently the remodeling The Center for Family Justice as it became the state’s first Family Justice Center in 2016.
Her tenure on the Town of Monroe’s Youth Commission in the 1990s led to her passion for strengthening youth programs that focused on after-school activities, in addition to implementing physical and well-being initiatives into these programs through the national YMCA. For a decade, she served as a faculty advisor with the national YMCA, writing curriculum and mainstreaming children with disabilities into physical educations programs in public schools throughout Connecticut.
She received a B.S. degree in Business Administration from Sacred Heart University; an M.S. degree in Exercise Physiology from Southern Connecticut State University; in addition to advanced studies in Special Education at Springfield College and Fundraising and Grant Writing Programs at New York University and the Grantsmanship Institute. Her awards include: Woman of Achievement in 1996 for the Eastern Field (YMCA of the USA); Woman of Distinction, Girl Scouts of America; Education Award from the Monroe Public Schools; Sacred Heart University Alumni Achievement Award in 2013. She and her husband, Jim, reside in Monroe, and have three adult daughters and six grandchildren. Her volunteer interests include being a public policy advocate for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation and the Spinal Muscular Atrophy Foundation and a volunteer for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Connecticut for the past 5 years.
Mark joined the CFJ leadership team in 2013 as Chief Financial and Administrative Officer. He is now semi-retired but is helping with Special Projects assigned by the CEO and works in conjunction with the CFJ leadership team. Mark has more than 40 years of experience with finance, accounting and operations. Prior to joining CFJ he spent 20 years with Pitney Bowes Management Services in Stamford. He is an Emeritus Board member of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation’s Connecticut Westchester Chapter, where he has served as past President and Treasurer. He is also on the Board of the Bridgeport Chamber of Commerce. Mark received a B.S. degree in Accounting and Business/Management from Sacred Heart University.
Billy Barrett
Director of Education, Engagement and Youth Empowerment Services
bbarrett@centerforfamilyjustice.org
Billy joined CFJ in July 2025, working as the Director of Education, Engagement and Youth Empowerment Services. In this role Billy provides leadership, management, and supervision to Pathways to HOPE, prevention education and community engagement activities.
Billy has 10 years of experience working as a Youth and Teen Director where he has guided and mentored youth and teens in Fairfield County. Experience includes managing after school programs, summer camps, sports programs, basketball leagues and youth committees. His passion is to provide the youth with new opportunities while teaching valuable lessons about helping the community.
He received a B.S degree in Marketing from Roger Williams University.
Kayte began her career at CFJ in 2007, working at Bridgeport’s Golden Hill Courthouse as a Family Violence Victim Advocate supporting family violence victims engaged with the criminal justice system. Kayte then supervised the criminal and civil court Family Violence Victim Advocates for four years before being chosen to lead CFJ’s Multidisciplinary Team.
In her current role, Kayte provides leadership to our Civil Legal, Court Advocacy, Crisis and Housing, and Domestic Violence, Sexual Violence, and Latine Community Services units. Kayte is the Director of CFJ’s Child Advocacy Center and coordinates the Greater Bridgeport Multidisciplinary Team.
She also teaches law enforcement professionals about the dynamics of domestic violence and frequently teaches cadets in the Bridgeport Police Academy. Kayte co-chairs the Executive Committee of the Greater Bridgeport Multidisciplinary Team.Kayte is also CFJ’s Lethality Assessment Program coordinator and has sat on the Task Force to Study the State’s Response to Minors Exposed to Domestic Violence. Kayte earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Criminal Justice from the University of New Haven. She has presented to a diverse array of audiences on topics such as domestic violence, sexual violence, the court system’s response to domestic violence, strangulation, and child abuse.
In 2017, Kayte was chosen as one of Westfair Communication’s “40 Under 40” honors recipients in Fairfield County. In 2023, she received the Connecticut Children’s Alliance MDT Hero Award.
James Masullo provides overall leadership for managing financial resources, tracking, and monitoring financial expenditures, and ensuring that financial spending is in line with agency budgets.
In conjunction with the President/CEO and management team, he is responsible for implementing short- and long-term strategies for managing and improving the overall financial health and systems of The Center. Mr. Masullo is accountable for all aspects of P & L and all analysis, forecasting, budgeting, and financial reporting. He has over 30 years of experience with finance, accounting, and operations. His career began with public accounting firm, Deloitte & Touche. That was followed by 16 years at Reed Elsevier/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt culminating with 9 years as CFO of Greenwood Publishing Group/Heinemann Publishing.
For the past 7 years, he has been Director of Finance & Operations at the Devereux Glenholme School. He joined The Center for Family Justice in February 2025. He holds a BBA in Accounting from Eastern Michigan University along with a Master of Public Health from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Paul has been part of CFJ’s team since 2003 as the lead technical expert on staff implementing solutions that help CFJ advance its mission forward. He has more than 18 years of experience in IT and over 15 years in operations management. As COO, he also has oversight of CFJ’s Direct Services Team, which provides crisis and supportive services to victims of domestic and sexual violence.
In addition, safety and security is a major priority for Paul and his team. In 2012 Paul launched CFJ’s first-ever Health and Safety Committee. This committee provides employees with a forum to discuss real safety challenges, strategies and solutions.
In 2015 he was recognized for his noteworthy leadership as a “40 Under 40” honoree by Westfair Communication’s Fairfield County Business Journal.
Board of Directors
CHAIRPERSON: Kristin Okesson
Connoisseur Media
Dianne Auger
The Glinda Group
Stacy Cascante
Monroe Police Department
Pamela J. Dale, Esq.
Law Office of Pamela Dale, L.L.C.
Matthew Devito
Yale New Haven Health
Suzanne Gorab
Community Leader
Andrea Kawakami
M&T Bank
TREASURER: Michael E. Lyngaas
Community Leader
Gary MacNamara
Sacred Heart University
VICE CHAIR: Adriana Mazza
Ion Bank
SECRETARY: Stephanie Moura
Hartford Healthcare
Josh Zabin
Ridgefield Public Schools, Director of Safety and Security
