Aldridge Palay is . . .
Kevin Aldridge
Kevin Aldridge is a founding partner of the Aldridge Palay Group.
Mr. Aldridge earned his bachelor’s degree in philosophy and religion from Judson University in 1981, and a master’s degree in philosophical theology and ethics from Northern Seminary in 1984.
Mr. Aldridge ran operations for a subsidiary of a nationally-based developmental disabilities service provider. Mr. Aldridge also served for four years as Assistant Deputy Director of policy and strategic direction for the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities.
Mr. Aldridge developed and implemented a community assessment and planning initiative for autism in Kentucky, and co-authored a series of policy briefs on health and disabilities for the Health Policy Institute of Ohio. He has also worked with agencies on a variety of management development topics, organizational evaluation and change initiatives.
Mr. Aldridge lectured for several years on policy, social justice, organizational and community change, strategic planning, and research at the Ohio State University College of Social Work master’s program. He has consulted internationally for Fortune 100 companies in change management and team organization.
Mr. Aldridge currently serves on the board of directors for the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio (COHHIO) and Creative Housing/Creative Innovations, Inc., a provider of housing for people with disabilities.
His book, The Way Forward, Implementing Trauma Responsive Care for Intellectual and Developmental Disability Professionals was published by NADD Press, in 2023.
*Lara Palay
Lara Palay is a founding partner of Aldridge Palay Group.
Ms. Palay received her bachelor’s degree in English from the Ohio State University in 1991, and her master’s degree in clinical social work, also from the Ohio State University, in 1998. She is an independently licensed social worker, supervisor, and psychotherapist, with 30 years’ experience working with adolescents, adults, and families. She has also practiced privately for twenty years specializing in trauma and grief, with expertise in treating families dealing with pediatric cancer.
For three years, Ms. Palay served as the Project Manager for the Mental Illness/Developmental Disabilities Coordinating Center of Excellence (MIDD CCOE) for the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities.
Ms. Palay speaks widely in the US and internationally on mental illness and developmental disabilities, with a particular focus on trauma, burnout and self-care, grief and loss, and meaning. She lectured for ten years on clinical social work for the Ohio State University College of Social Work master’s program. She is the author of numerous articles, and co-authored a series of policy briefs for the Health Policy Institute of Ohio. Ms. Palay also co-authored a series of articles for London newspaper City A.M. about psychological principles in international relations.
Her book, The Way Through: Trauma Responsive Care for Intellectual and Developmental Disability Professionals, was published by NADD Press in 2022.
* Photo by Jen Hearn, Jen Hearn Photography, Cleveland, Ohio, USA