Scholarships, Education, & Support for Children With Special Needs in Our Community

OUR TEAM

Darren Jaffe
Darren JaffePresident
Darren Jaffe grew up in Oak Park attending elementary school through high school locally. He returned with his wife and son 13 years ago to raise his family. Since returning in 2007, his family has grown, in 2009 he welcomed his baby girl to the world. In addition to being the father of a baby girl he also became the father of a special needs child for the first time. His daughter was diagnosed with ASD at 18 months old. His son is active in band, sports, and the martial arts. His daughter enjoys going to gym, riding horseback and hanging with her big bro. They recently rescued a mixed breed dog and added a 5th member to the family.
He received his Master’s degree from Pepperdine. Darren spent 6 years as an elementary school teacher before shifting gears into the world of Design & Production. He spent the next 17 years working his way from the bottom up. He moved from being a coordinator, to a Producer and then to a Head of Production. He then transitioned to Director of Motion Graphics before settling into his role of Executive Producer. He has spent time at a number top level companies within the industry.
In addition to spending time with his family, playing soccer on weekends, and his career, Darren is a busy and active member of the community. Whether it is serving as a member of other non-profit entities or coaching youth soccer he is dedicated to serving the community he loves in any way he can.
Terri Hilliard
Terri HilliardVice President
Terri E. Hilliard, Esq. is the principal of Terri Hilliard, P.C. Estate Law and Mediation in Westlake Village, CA.  Her practice centers on advanced estate and business succession planning, asset protection, special needs trusts, and family protection planning for seniors.  She is also a private mediator focused on helping families, elders, individuals and businesses resolve disputes.
Winner of the 2017 Trail Blazer Award by the San Fernando Valley Business Journal and named in the Who’s Who in Professional Services by the Pacific Coast Business Times. She was named 2017 Favorite Attorney for East County by the Ventura County Star and also named the 2016 and 2017 10 Best Attorneys for Outstanding Service by the American Institute of Legal Counsel.  She is a member of the Moorpark Morning Rotary, Secretary of the Conejo Valley Estate Planning Council, Provisors, Wealth Counsel and Elder Counsel and active in various non-profit organizations focused on meeting the needs of senior and special needs families.
She is the Vice President and on the Governing Board for Pause4Kids, non-profit and a long-time Board Member of Senior Concerns of the Conejo, supporting special needs individuals, elders and their caregivers in her community. She created the successful Pro Bono Panel of Attorney program called “Legal Concerns” at Senior Concerns, where she lends her expertise in eldercare, estate planning and mediation, as well as planned giving. The 2018 Secretary and Board Member of the Conejo Valley Estate Planning Council.
She is a contributing author of a book entitled, “Protecting Your Legacy: What You Really Need to Know for the Second Half of Life” with a focus on family mediation and aging.  She is also a public speaker and panel moderator on a wide variety of subjects, including caring for seniors, Medi-Cal, long-term care, deed transfers upon death, divorce and estate planning, senior abuse and scams, purposeful estate planning, transition planning and conservatorships for special needs young adults, estate and financial planning, aging, strategies for health and wealth, planned giving, business succession planning, and politics and the special needs community.
Kathy Greco
Kathy GrecoBoard Member
Kathy has been a Board member since 2005. She has facilitated the P4k monthly parent advocacy-education meetings since joining the Board. She enjoys working with parents and feels blessed to be able to work for kids.
Kathy has been a practicing attorney since 1995, initially in civil litigation- employment law where she represented employees in wrongful termination, sexual harassment and employment discrimination matters. Since 2005 her practice has been focused on working with families, young adults and kids with special needs. She takes a pragmatic approach to working through the Special Education and Regional Center process.  She is passionate about her work.
Kathy is a Yankee fan, collector of vintage couture and mom to Mia the famous dog in Westlake that looks like a lion.  Often they are at the Target center where Mia greets her fan club.
Leslie Winer
Leslie WinerBoard Member
Leslie worked as a costume stylist in the television industry before turning her focus to raising her two girls. Realizing in preschool that her younger daughter had severe learning disabilities, she concentrated on educating herself in all aspects of special education and intervention. The journey provided experiences in diverse school settings, intervention modalities, collaborations with intervention providers, knowledge in assessment reports and a unique understanding of the K-12 educational experience for students with special needs. Leslie continues to utilize her experience by working with PAUSE4kids and assisting families in navigating the educational process.
Karen DarsaBoard Member
Karen has been a Board member since 2020. Prior to joining the Board, she attended P4k’s monthly parent advocacy-education meetings for several years. She joined the Board as she is very passionate about being involved with and helping the local special needs community.
Karen has worked in Market Research for over 20 years and held a variety of positions during this time. When she’s not working, she enjoys spending time with her family, watching reality TV, grabbing a drink at Starbucks, and relaxing at the beach.