Cris Marchionne Recognized for Uplifting Staten Island’s Disability Community
Cris Marchionne, Founder and Executive Director of Person Centered Care Services (PCCS), is one of Staten Island’s fiercest advocates for people with disabilities.
A lifelong Staten Island resident, Marchionne has been working with people with disabilities for most of her life. In 1990, Marchionne began working at Lifespire, an organization that champions and supports people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Lifespire aims to create a community that raises the standards of care for people with disabilities, helping people reach their goals of community involvement, meaningful employment, and independent living.
“When I got into this kind of work, I was 25 years old and working part-time at my uncle’s hardware store. I had no career direction at the time,” reminisces Marchionne. “One day at the store, I met someone who worked at Lifespire, and I was really intrigued by the organization’s mission. Following that conversation, I applied for a job at Lifespire, and soon after I began working there as a Direct Support Professional. I immediately fell in love with it.”
Shortly after starting at Lifespire, Marchionne was recognized for her dedication and quickly promoted to a management position, taking the lead on high-level projects. She continued to work with various other organizations, including the Cerebral Palsy Associations of New York State, for another ten years, earning invaluable experience interacting with people with disabilities on a day-to-day basis. However, Marchionne found herself wanting to do even more, and she dabbled with the idea of starting community-based organization.
“I figured out how to start a not-for-profit, and becoming incorporated as Person Centered Care Services was actually the easiest part of the process,” says Marchionne. “I was attending St. John’s University for my Bachelor’s in Psychology, and I was also working two full-time jobs in order to get PCCS off the ground; it was a lot of work for one person, but I eventually did it. We were incorporated in 2001, but it took me another five years to figure out how to provide services through the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities.”
PCCS officially launched in 2006 as a hub for services for people with disabilities, aiming to create social change within communities by supporting people with disabilities on their search for identity and acceptance. Marchionne began working out of her parents’ basement, which was unoccupied at the time, and started her outreach by approaching parents who were looking for services for their children. Following her immediate success, Marchionne was able to hire her first employee. The organization slowly grew, as word spread about the inclusive community that Marchionne was creating for people with disabilities, and PCCS soon became a trusted and well-known organization among Staten Islanders.
PCCS provides person-centered supports and services to people with disabilities and their families in the New York City area. From supports in education, employment, and housing to training, counseling, and advocacy initiatives, PCCS is at the forefront of continuing to expand opportunities for people with disabilities. The organization’s mission is to create equitable opportunities for people with developmental disabilities, and subsequently, a network of disability allies spread across communities near and far.
Today, PCCS operates out of a beautiful facility in Mariners Harbor and supports almost 1,000 people across the five boroughs, Long Island, and Putnam County with a staff of over 750 employees. In addition to serving people with disabilities through housing subsidies, counseling, and education and employment opportunities, PCCS also operates two intimate group homes on Staten Island, with only three residents in each home.
“We provide many different types of supports, but I think the most important service that we offer is allowing people with disabilities to live on their own, and if they can’t live on their own, then keeping them with their families,” emphasizes Marchionne. “As people age, they want to experience independent living, and I’m proud to say that we can help with that.”
As soon as PCCS began servicing people with disabilities on a full-time basis, Marchionne decided to further her knowledge by pursuing a higher education in disability studies. In 2012, she graduated from the CUNY School of Professional Studies with a Master’s in Disability Studies. Some years later, following the onset of the pandemic, Marchionne was presented with an opportunity to apply for a first-of-its-kind program at the College of Staten Island, a Doctor of Education (EdD) with a focus on community-based organizational leadership. Marchionne is in the program’s third cohort, with the first cohort expected to graduate in May 2024.
“Many of the people that I started with while working out of my parents’ house are in their 20s now, and they’re still receiving services today,” says Marchionne. “I love re-connecting with the people that I’ve supported and seeing how they’ve grown over time. The greatest gift in the world is being able to support another person.”
For her accomplishments, Cris Marchionne is being honored with a Louis R. Miller Business Leadership Award, which she will receive in the Not-for-Profit Businessperson category. The awards, which are presented by the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce and the Staten Island Advance, honor the memory of Louis R. Miller, a businessman and West Brighton resident who was also a community leader.
Marchionne was destined to work with people with disabilities, happily dedicating her life to advocating for others. In addition to representing PCCS, Marchionne is also deeply involved in the community in which she was born and raised, making herself available to anyone in need.
Marchionne is a member of Nonprofit Staten Island, the Staten Island Equity and Belonging Project, the Social Justice Task Force of the Reformed Church of Huguenot, and the New York City Public Health Corps Advisory Council. She is also a Community Ambassador for the Staten Island Community Organizations Active in Disaster, the President of the Staten Island Opportunities Alliance, and a former Chair of the Staten Island Disabilities Council. Marchionne is also a recipient of the Volunteers of America-Greater New York’s Spirit Leadership Award and the New York City Board of Education’s Together We Can Award.
“I don’t see myself as a community leader because this is just who I am,” says Marchionne. “I do this work because I love it, and I can only hope that I inspire others to do the same thing. I want to teach future generations so that the world will be a better place for people with disabilities.”
Questionnaire:
Current occupation and title: Founder and Executive Director of Person Centered Care Services, Inc.
Hometown: Willowbrook, Staten Island.
Past occupations and titles: Program Director at Volunteers of America-Greater New York, Quality Improvement Specialist at Cerebral Palsy Association of New York State, Residence Manager at Advocates for Services for the Blind/Multi-handicapped, and Assistant Residence Manager at Lifespire.
Community involvement: Member of Nonprofit Staten Island, the Staten Island Equity and Belonging Project, the Social Justice Task Force of the Reformed Church of Huguenot, and the New York City Public Health Corps Advisory Council. Community Ambassador for the Staten Island Community Organizations Active in Disaster, President of the Staten Island Opportunities Alliance, and former Chair of the Staten Island Disabilities Council.
Some of my life goals include: Traveling, learning to play the guitar, meeting Bruce Springsteen, writing a memoir focused on my own life struggles with identity as well as others, and the search for human justice.
The best part of my job: The people I work with and a shared mission for disability justice.
The most difficult part of my job: Obtaining funding and building better relationships with the government.
My life philosophy: I believe in collectivism; we are dependent on one another, and we have a responsibility to ourselves and one another.
I am most proud of: The connection with my family and friends, and the love, values, and beliefs that we share.
Something that no one knows about me: I only write with pencils and in books with no lines.
The quality I like best about myself: I am a curious person, I want to know the reason for everything!
Personal interests and hobbies: Music, art, specifically modern art. I am a Star Trek fan and have a collection of Star Trek artifacts, and I study the music and writing of Bruce Springsteen, as it is a guide in the work I do and in my personal life.
I laugh at: Corny jokes.
I am really good at: Organizing at home.
I admire: My mom and dad for the love they have for their family and for always putting me, my sisters, and their grandchildren first!
Some important things I would like you to know about me: I am a dedicated disability justice activist, I am in the process of completing a Doctorate in community-based leadership, I have worked with people with an intellectual disability for over 30 years, and I met Bruce Springsteen’s first manager Mike Appel, who is also a Staten Islander!