FREEHOLD, NJ – July 14, 2025 – Collaborative Support Programs of New Jersey (CSPNJ) is celebrating its employees following a month of numerous awards granted to its team members by professional organizations across the state. In conjunction with highlighting specific individuals from its over 360 staff, CSPNJ commends the hard work, dedication, and passion that its entire team builds in the peer community.

At the New Jersey Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies (NJAMHAA) IT Project Conference, CSPNJ’s Management Information Systems Coordinator Pedro Toscano-Salinas received an Excellence in Technology Award. Pedro was recognized for his innovative contributions and dedication to improving CSPNJ’s service tracking.

Additionally, seven CSPNJ employees were recognized at the New Jersey Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association Spring Conference. They have been recognized for their dedication to peer support and meeting individuals where they are at to help achieve their needs:

“We are so grateful to have such strong and compassionate leaders in our community,” shared Anne Smullen Thieling, CSPNJ COO. “We strive to create an environment where everyone feels valued and empowered.” At CSPNJ’s annual Employee Appreciation Event, four Keeping our Values Alive champions were recognized. Employees are nominated anonymously by peers for exemplifying the agency's core values in and outside of their work. This year’s KOVA champions are Gianna Sanchez, Center Manager for Moving Forward Community Wellness Center (Middlesex County); Serena Zuppardo, Advocacy Coordinator; Marge Kulesza, Clinical Plan Coordinator; and Kayla Wonoski, HR Recruiter.

All of these individual accolades follow the milestone of CSPNJ being named a Philadelphia Inquirer Top Workplace for the first time this year. This ranking resulted from CSPNJ’s fall 2024 Energage employee engagement survey, which found that 90% of employees feel that their role at CSPNJ and in the community is meaningful. CSPNJ has participated in conducting employee satisfaction surveys in years prior, having been named New Jersey Top Workplace twice.

July 2025 now marks CSPNJ’s 40th anniversary of operations. To commemorate this milestone, CSPNJ encourages supporters to donate directly or take advantage of the sale on its online apparel store throughout the month (www.bonfire.com/store/collaborative-support-programs-of-new-jersey). As a nonprofit, CSPNJ depends on private, corporate, and public funding, many of which face uncertainty. Supporters help CSPNJ stay strong and responsive. For more information about CSPNJ, please contact Chelsea Triano at ctriano@cspnj.org or 732-443-0680.

A statewide behavioral health agency incorporated in 1984, CSPNJ has established itself as a respected innovator of housing, Community Wellness Centers, employment, and economic development services that promote the wellness and recovery of people with the lived experience of behavioral health conditions. Starting with just three drop-in centers to what is now a statewide network of programs, CSPNJ is a nationally recognized leader in the design and delivery of wellness and recovery-oriented services, offering opportunities for people to live, learn, and work in the community of their choice. CSPNJ is celebrating its 40th year of operations in 2025, having provided supportive housing and community wellness centers for decades, respite and homelessness services for over 10 years, and outreach services for the past 5 years. CSPNJ is a HUD-approved Public Housing Agency that provides mainstream and CoC housing vouchers for over 20 years. For more information about CSPNJ, visit www.cspnj.org.