Vincent Strully, Jr.

As Chief Executive Officer and Founder of The New England Center for Children^® (NECC^®), Vincent Strully, Jr. directs all aspects of clinical and financial administration, program development, fundraising, facility design, and strategic planning. 

Mr. Strully has 45 years of experience working with children and adults with autism and related disorders.  He grew up in Fair Lawn, New Jersey and is a graduate of Newark Academy (1965) and Hamilton College (1969).  In 1975, Mr. Strully and colleagues established the first NECC program with $30,000 in start-up funds at the Taunton State Hospital. 

NECC is an internationally recognized leader in autism intervention, research, and professional development.  In addition to NECC’s national awards (2000, 2005), the Center achieved a $450,000 challenge grant from The Kresge Foundation to complete a $5M Capital Campaign (2007) to build the Michael S. Dukakis Aquatic Center at NECC.  In 2007, NECC signed a long-term agreement with The Health Authority of Abu Dhabi to create a comprehensive center in the United Arab Emirates. A $10M Capital Campaign (2015) for The John and Diane Kim Autism Institute is complete. The 33,000 SF building was finished in the fall of 2016. Following completion of The John and Diane Kim Autism Institute, the new Dillon Arledge Student Center was completed in spring 2017.  

NECC researchers have published over 250 studies in peer-reviewed academic journals and presented more than two thousand papers at professional conferences around the world. Since 1987, more than 1,300 NECC employees have completed a master’s degree in one of the on-site programs funded by the Center. In 2007, NECC established an on-site PhD program in Behavior Analysis with Western New England University. 

In 2005, Mr. Strully received the Alumni Achievement Award from his high school alma mater, Newark Academy. This award is presented to a graduate who has distinguished himself in his field of endeavor, whether in the professions, public life, the business world, or the arts.  In 2007, Mr. Strully was named Ernst & Young’s Social Entrepreneur of the Year^® for New England. He was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Western New England University in 2009. Mr. Strully received the Nonprofit Business Leader of the Year award from Worcester Business Journal in 2017 and a Lifetime Achievement Award from NonProfit PRO. Mr. Strully is also a member of the Association for Behavior Analysis International, Massachusetts Autism Commission, the Attorney General’s Disability Rights Advisory Committee, and Council of Autism Service Providers.