Our Team
"Great things in business are never done by one person, they're done by a team of people." – Steve Jobs
Donna Kolsky
President
Donna Kolsky is President/Owner of AFG, Inc. and Life Care Associates. With 38 years of experience consulting in defense/plaintiff personal injury and matrimonial cases, she is well-recognized in her field. Her company has been instrumental in providing employability and life care consultation and reporting services for clients referred by attorneys, insurance companies and state agencies. She holds a Master’s of Arts Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from Seton Hall University and a Bachelors of Arts Degree in History from Douglass College. She is a nationally Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, Certified Disability Management Specialist and Certified Case Manager. Donna Kolsky is a seasoned vocational expert and has testified in multiple counties in the State of New Jersey, Rockland County, NY, the Manhattan Southern District Court and in the United States Supreme Court. She is affiliated with International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals (IARP).
Laurie Havassy
Vocational Employability Expert
Laurie Havassy is a Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist who has been with AFG, Inc. for over 25 years. She is court qualified as a vocational/employability specialist for defense, plaintiff, worker’s compensation, and personal injury cases in NJ, NY, and PA and has a total of over 30 years working in the public and private sector as a vocational rehabilitation counselor assisting individuals with disabilities in the workforce. She holds a Master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from the University of Arizona; and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Long Island University. She is a nationally Certified Rehabilitation Counselor; a licensed State of NJ Rehabilitation Counselor; and a Certified Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor with the U. S. Department of Labor, Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs.
Karen Cauthen
Vocational Employability Expert
Karen Cauthen is a Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist with AFG, Inc. since July 2015. She has over 38 years of experience working in the private and public sector in the field of vocational rehabilitation counseling and assisting individuals with various disabilities in reaching their fullest potential to return to work. She has conducted Vocational evaluations to determine employability, vocational counseling, exploration and rehabilitation planning through her work as a Rehabilitation Counselor which prepared her to be a Vocational Expert. Her responsibilities include conducting employability assessments for individuals involved in personal injury or matrimonial matters, preparing vocational reports for plaintiff/defense injury cases, career counseling, transferable skills analysis and labor market surveys. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania in 1974 and a Master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling at Hunter College of the City University of New York in 1978. Her current credentials include Certified Rehabilitation Counselor and State of New Jersey Licensed Rehabilitation Counselor. Her professional affiliations include National Rehabilitation Association (NRA), National Rehabilitation Counseling Association (NRCA) and International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals (IARP).
Katherine Murrell
Vocational Employability Expert
Katherine Murrell is a Vocational Employability Expert with AFG & Life Care Associates. She has worked in the field of Vocational Rehabilitation as a Counselor, Job Coach, Work Readiness Instructor and as a Youth Employment Instructor where she developed and implemented an Employment Skills curriculum on universal job readiness. She has experience conducting employability evaluations, preparing vocational reports, and performing transferable skills analysis and labor market surveys. She has worked for the Institute for Career Development in several aspects of vocational rehabilitation, facilitating career exploration and vocational development classes, providing individual vocational coaching, and preparing progress and final reports for New York’s state vocational agencies. She earned a Master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling at Hunter College of the City University of New York and a Bachelor’s degree from Post University in Connecticut. She is a nationally Certified Rehabilitation Counselor. She is a nationally Certified Rehabilitation Counselor. Her professional affiliations include International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals (IARP)
Kelley Sullivan
Vocational Employability Expert
Kelley Sullivan, the newest addition to our staff, is a Vocational Employability Expert with AFG & Life Care Associates. Kelley worked at Kessler Institute assessing individuals with spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries, determining their needs for proper adaptations and accommodations in the workplace. She worked at FEGS, Intensive Psychiatric Rehabilitation Treatment Program (IPRT-P) in the field of vocational rehabilitation, as a counselor, intake coordinator, recruiter, and cognitive remediation specialist. Kelley developed and implemented an employment skills curriculum on universal job readiness. Currently with AFG her responsibilities include; conducting employability assessments for individuals involved in personal injury or matrimonial matters, preparing vocational reports for plaintiff/defense injury cases, career counseling, transferable skills analysis and labor market research. She earned a Master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling at New York University and a Bachelor’s degree from Central Michigan University. She is a nationally Certified Rehabilitation Counselor. Her professional affiliations include International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals (IARP).
Professional Affiliations
Brain Injury Association of America (BIA):
http://www.biausa.org/Pages/home.html
Brain Injury Association of New Jersey:
http://www.bianj.org/
CMSA – Case Management Society of America
http://www.cmsa.org/
GANGI – Guardianship Association of NJ, Inc.
http://www.ganji.org/
IALCP – International Academy of Life Care Planners
http://www.rehabpro.org/sections/ialcp
IARP, New Jersey Chapter – International Association for Rehabilitation Professionals in the Private Sector
http://www.rehabpro.org/chapters/new-jersey
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International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals (IARP):http://www.RehabPro.org/
Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association (NORA):
http://www.nora.cc/
North American Brain Injury Society (NABIS):
http://www.nabis.org/
NGA – National Guardianship Association, Inc.
http://www.guardianship.org/
NRA – National Rehabilitation Association
http://www.nationalrehab.org/cwt/external/wcpages/index.aspx
NRCA – National Rehabilitation Counseling Association
http://nrca-net.org/