Dr. Lauren C. Solotar Named President of May Institute

01/7/13

Randolph, Mass. – May Institute’s Board of Trustees has announced that its Chief Executive Officer, Lauren C. Solotar, Ph.D., ABPP, has been named President of the organization as well. She succeeds Dr. Walter P. Christian, who has retired after 35 years.
 
May Institute is a nonprofit organization that provides educational, rehabilitative, and behavioral health services to thousands of individuals with special needs and their families every year. It established one of the first schools in the country to serve children with autism in the 1950s, and is now one of the largest organizations of its kind in the country.
 
“Dr. Solotar is the ideal individual to provide the bold leadership May Institute needs at this time,” said Dr. Don Ricciato, Chairman of the Institute’s Board of Trustees. “She has the right combination of expertise, experience, enthusiasm, and business acumen that will ensure the organization continues to grow and thrive as we begin a new chapter of our remarkable history.”
 
“With the solid foundation of the Institute and its Board to support me, and a talented team of over 2,000 employees beside me, I am excited to move the organization forward,” said Dr. Solotar. “And, I will work tirelessly to ensure that we fulfill our primary mission – providing the best services possible to the individuals we serve.”
 
According to Dr. Solotar, her new senior executive team – which includes new Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer Debra Blair, M.B.A., CMA, CPA, and Chief Operating Officer Ralph B. Sperry, Ph.D., ABPP – has begun work on a three-year strategic plan that includes a number of new programs and initiatives.
 
Dr. Solotar began her career at May Institute in 1996 as Chief Psychologist and Vice President of Clinical Services. In 2001, she was promoted to Senior Vice President of Behavioral Health Services and was responsible for the operation and clinical service delivery of ambulatory behavioral health and rehabilitation services. In 2010, Dr. Solotar became Chief Clinical Officer. In that role, she provided clinical oversight for all of May Institute’s programs and centers and oversaw the organization’s clinical leadership, in addition to a number of other responsibilities.
 
She has been the organization’s Chief Executive Officer for the past year, working with Dr. Christian, the Institute’s senior executives, and its Board of Trustees to effect a smooth and seamless transition of leadership.
 
A licensed psychologist, Dr. Solotar is also board certified in clinical psychology (ABPP). She received her doctorate from the University of New York at Albany, State University of New York, where she was the recipient of the University's Award for Excellence. She completed her internship at the Albany Psychology Internship Consortium. She has held a faculty appointment at Tufts University School of Medicine, and was formerly the Chief Psychologist at Tufts New England Medical Center.
 
Dr. Solotar is an expert in cognitive and dialectical behavior therapies, and has specialized in the treatment of eating and anxiety disorders. She has extensive experience working with children and adolescents. Her research has been published in professional journals including Behavior Therapy and Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, and she has written a chapter in the Child Behavior Therapy Casebook.
 
About May Institute

May Institute is a national nonprofit organization that provides educational, rehabilitative, and behavioral healthcare services to individuals with autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities, brain injury, cognitive disabilities, and behavioral needs. The Institute also provides training and consultation services to professionals, organizations, and public school systems. At nearly 200 service locations across the country, Institute staff members work to create new and more effective ways to meet the special needs of individuals and families across the lifespan. For more information, call 800.778.7601 or visit www.mayinstitute.org.