Dan O'Brien
Founder & CEO
Special Needs Services, LLC was formed in October of 2007 by Karen and Dan O'Brien. The company started with one client referral from the Division of Developmental Disabilities, which was Karen's niece, who has William's Syndrome. By the end of 2008 SNS was providing HCBS services to 20 Division Members with 20 Qualified Care Providers. In November 2014, SNS expanded into Employment Services for Division Members 16 years of age and older. Our goal is to integrate our members into the community through gainful employment in the hopes of facilitating a more independent lifestyle. In December 2019, we moved into our multi-activity workspace called "Studio Works", which gives individuals with developmental disabilities a place to work and have fun!
Demar Douglas
Art Director
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Lisa Hunemuller
Home and Community Based Services Manager
Lisa started on a new career path as an Office Manager in a Center Based Program in 2006, and quickly discovered her passion for helping people with disabilities and never looked back. Lisa joined the SNS team in 2008. She became a certified Article 9 Instructor in 2010 and started the Special Needs Services DTS Summer Program in 2013. Lisa is a compassionate and wonderful person to be around and is great at understanding the needs of our members.
Pathy Widner Xi
Office Manager
Pathy joined the SNS team in 2014 as a Care Provider. In 2019 she became the Office Manager while also leading HCBS in an administration capacity. She aspires to play a role in helping individuals with special needs develop the skills to succeed in all phases of life. Anyone who comes in contact with Pathy could immediately feel her joy for life, deep empathy, and affinity for excellence. She always contributes her competitive nature to her tenure as a professional swimmer for her home country Peru. During her spare time, she loves to spend quality time with family, travel to new places, and watching animated movies.
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Belinda Johnson
Adult Transition to Employment Program Director
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Nick Demott
GSE Program Manager and Adult Program Supervisor
Nick considers helping others succeed in life to be a passion of his. With a background in college access, Nick joined Special Needs Services in 2019 looking to expand his work to people with developmental disabilities. Nick sees the potential in everyone he works with and specializes the training that he gives them to cater to their individual needs and talents. He believes that every day is a fresh opportunity to make a difference in someone else’s life, and he carries that attitude with him to work every day.
Belinda Johnson
Program Director
Belinda joined SNS in April of 2021. She knew early on that helping those with disabilities was her passion in life. Belinda moved to Arizona in 2016 and her journey began. Her son was diagnosed in 2020 and began the path that led her to SNS. Belinda believes that knowledge is power. She has found a passion for teaching TTE to the members helping them find their power. With Belinda`s previous work qualifications, she is without a doubt the best at de-escalating any issues that the members might have. She is kind and caring to the point were everyone feels comfortable opening up to her. She truly is a great asset at our center.
As Program Director Belinda is in charge of making sure the building doesn`t burn down. Her role truly requires her to be a Jack of all trades. Her responsibilities range from making the TTE schedules, Vocational Rehabilitation, to regular having meetings/support coordinator meetings, to being a back-up coach, to interviewing new coaches, to planning big events for the program, and de-escalating. Belinda has responsibilities that aren`t well seen day to day, but when looking back at where we came from we all can certainty see a difference!
