Notable Donation Advances Kinney Center

Thanks to generous support from Saint Joseph’s alumnus Daniel J. Hilferty ’78 and his wife Joan Pilot Hilferty, the Kinney Center for Autism Education and Support is positioned to have even greater success in its second decade. The couple provided a $2 million gift to the Kinney Center, which was supplemented by an additional contribution from Independence Health Group. Hilferty served as president and CEO of Independence through 2020.

“Supporting people with autism requires integrated behavioral and physical health care as well as social and educational support, and Joan and I are so proud that Saint Joseph’s and the Kinney Center are helping professionals and families pursue that goal,” Hilferty says.

The Kinney Center supports and serves individuals and families affected by autism, ultimately building a community where every person gets the guidance and care they need.

The support from these donors has ignited the establishment of an innovation fund meant to scaffold new research and clinical approaches that will support and further address the needs of those with autism. Saint Joseph’s is a known pioneer in the autism field — the University introduced the first major and minor in autism studies in the country, launched the ASPIRE program to support students on the spectrum, and opened the first autism break room in an NCAA Division I athletic arena.

Now, the Kinney Center will continue building on its renowned trailblazing reputation. “While our last 10 years have been about getting our clients with autism ready for the world, our next 10 years will be about getting the world ready for individuals with autism,” says Angus Murray, executive director of the Kinney Center.

Murray refers to the Center’s work over the past decade to develop educational programs for those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). One of the most notable initiatives is the Center’s transitional youth services, which works to provide support, education and guidance to people with autism spectrum disorder as they move through transitional periods and pursue meaningful positions in the workforce.

The development of transitional programs was bolstered in 2020 by a $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education. In 2021, the Center also started educating the educators — in classrooms, on college campuses and in communities.

“Our education of future autism professionals is a force multiplier of all of our programmatic initiatives,” Murray says. The University also partners with employers to offer insight on welcoming and supporting employees with autism, especially as it pertains to cultivating those employees’ talents, striving for more neurodiverse workforces and serving customers with autism in the best way possible.

The Kinney Center is zeroed in on improvement at all times — in their own programming, in their clients’ lives and in future educators and autism professionals. As the community’s trust in the Kinney Center grows stronger, the futures of the people they serve can only grow brighter.