Alumni Spotlight

Christopher Manente

RC '07, Graduate School of Education '08, PhD '14

Christopher Manente is the executive director for the Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services. He is a Rutgers College Graduate of 2007, and has also graduated from the Graduate School of Education in 2008 with his masters before achieving his PhD in 2014. The following text has been edited for clarity and space; for the full interview see the video above.

Jordan Cohen: All right. Thank you everybody for joining us for our alumni spotlight with Dr. Christopher Manente. He is the Executive Director for Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services. He’s also a professor at Rutgers and is a three time Rutgers alumnus. Rutgers College class of 2007, class of 2008 with the Graduate School of Education, as well as a PhD from Rutgers in 2014. Dr. Manente, thank you so much for joining us.

Christopher Manente: Hi Jordan. Thank you so much for having me. I have to tell you, it is such an honor to be featured in this way. As you said, I am a three-time alum of Rutgers and I absolutely bleed scarlet as they say. I love it here at Rutgers, it’s home for me.

How did you end up at Rutgers? Was Rutgers your first choice? Did you have a tour or family member that went here?

Christopher: Yes, honestly, I never thought about going anywhere else. I’m a New Jersey native, I’ve lived here all my life except for a brief stint when I was on active duty in the United States Army and stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. I separated from active duty in December and started at Rutgers that next month in January. That was the plan, was to come back home to New Jersey and go to Rutgers and figure out what I was going to do with the rest of my life.

That’s awesome. You joined Rutgers in 2003, it would be, right?

Christopher: It was January 2005.

January 2005! Did you do education beforehand?

Christopher: Yes, I was actually fortunate. I was one of the first cohorts in what was then called the eArmyU Program where they were just starting this new idea of virtual instruction where soldiers could start going to college online while deployed overseas or stationed at the base, so I had done a few courses while still on active duty and then transferred to Rutgers, like I said, in January the month after I separated after doing four and a half years, two combat tours stationed with 101st Airborne.

It sounds like 2007 and 2014, you’ve certainly made up for those two years that you were off-campus. When you came to Rutgers, did you join any veteran’s organizations? Were you involved on campus?

Christopher: Yes, that’s a great question. Honestly, there really wasn’t much in terms of veteran support programs that existed. Not like now. Now Rutgers is known as one of the most vet-friendly universities on the planet. We have a beautiful veteran’s house, of course, led by Ann Treadaway, and this great population and community of veteran students here. So I do try to be involved as much as possible in mentoring those vet students and even helping them with their career aspirations and try and make sure that they get all of the supports that I wish I had way back in 2005 when I landed here. You pointed out that I started in 2005 as an undergraduate student in psychology. I graduated in 2007, and then a year later was able to graduate with my master’s degree in education.

Then a short six years later I had a PhD. I think that’s really representative of one of the wonderful things about Rutgers is really there’s never-ending opportunity for people who have a plan and have a vision. You can take as long as you like, well, maybe not as long as you like, but you can take your time getting a degree and pursuing an education or a career or Rutgers gives you– for people who are really definitive on what they want to do, they give you opportunities to really fast track your education and that’s what I did when I came off active duty. I knew that I wanted to get my education and get down to work as fast as possible and Rutgers afforded me that chance.

Let’s talk about that– you said you had a plan. Was where you are now in the plan, or is this something that came along the way?

Christopher: Not at all. I definitely didn’t know that I would be doing exactly what I’m doing now when I started at Rutgers. My plan coming off active duty as again, I was a Sergeant in the infantry whose job was very different than the job I’m doing now. I knew I wanted to shift focus a little bit from security and weapons systems, and strategy and combat operations. When I was on active duty, one of the things that I ended up really enjoying about my experience was the opportunity to mentor new soldiers who were coming in. Again, I was a Sergeant, so in charge of a team of people, and I learned on active duty that I like the active teaching.

I liked helping other people learn and so I knew I wanted to do that, and so when I came to Rutgers, I pursued an undergraduate degree in psychology, and then gradually, in a systematic way, all of the opportunities and experiences I had at Rutgers, really shaped who I am today, professionally speaking, and that really all started with me just naively signing up for a little undergraduate psychology course called Field Work In Autism where as an undergraduate psychology student, I went and worked at the Douglass Developmental Disability Center, which also exists here at Rutgers. Actually the first university-based school for children with autism that was ever created is right here at Rutgers. That was really my start on this particular path which has resulted in me helping in the creation and development of our beautiful center and leading that initiative.

You mentioned opportunities and experiences as an undergrad. Were there any clubs or student orgs that you got involved in?

Christopher: Yes, I was a nontraditional student and was commuting quite a bid so I didn’t really have the opportunity but that was one of the things that I sacrificed truthfully. Maybe if I had a regret, which I don’t, I think now that I am in the business of helping other people, like get the most out of their Rutgers experience while they’re here, I sometimes do think what it would’ve been to live on campus and have the opportunity to play club sports, or be involved with clubs. I tried to walk on the wrestling team after I got off active duty and actually had a really good shot but when I went to the academic advisor, I was given a real crossroads. I would either have to extend my undergraduate education by a year because I wouldn’t be able to take the 21 credits a semester that I was enrolled in or just keep on the path that I was on and get my undergraduate degree in two years and I chose the expedited route.

You mentioned you went from an undergrad, you work at the Douglass Developmental Disability Center, and then you went to elementary and special education, then you went and got your PhD in education. Was there something driving you towards further degrees? Was there a goal in mind or was it just “Hey, that’s next.”

Christopher: Once I landed at Rutgers and started having these experiences and my path became more and more defined, it became clear pretty quickly that I wanted to teach at the university level. That would be where I would be able to have the most impact and help the most people. We often talk about the trainer model being the most effective way to help the most people. Whereas you’re not necessarily the person directly educating students or supporting people, but you’re training teams of folks who then go out and teach 20 people on their own.

That was what that large-scale impact and the ability to help people who really needed help at the university level, really spoke to me. Again, I really enjoyed being at Rutgers. In my mind, honestly, not that there’s ever any guarantees in any field, but my pie in the sky dream job was, and still is frankly to be faculty in some respect at Rutgers where I’d be able to teach college-level students how to be excellent practitioners in their chosen field.

Let’s follow that thread. You graduate from Rutgers in 2007, you graduate again in 2008 and you get your PhD in 2014. Now we’re about eight years later, and you are the Director of the Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services. First of all, just for people, folks who are watching and may not know what that is? Do you want to give a quick synopsis of what the Center does and what it does and who’s involved?

Christopher: Yes, absolutely. I just want to mention one really critical experience and milestone that was in between there. When I graduated in 2008 with my master’s degree in education and duly certified as an elementary education teacher and special education teacher, I was actually fortunate to then get a full-time job at the Douglass Developmental Disability Center where it all started a few years prior, coordinating and overseeing their adult program that had existed already for about 15, 20 years. What that afforded me, I think maybe probably still a little-known treasure and secret at Rutgers, is that all full-time staff at Rutgers get full tuition remission as a part of their fringe benefit.

I was fortunate enough to get this job when I had my masters degree in 2008 running the Douglass adult program, and that allowed me the ability to then pursue additional education because, again, come from a very working-class family, didn’t have disposable income for a college. That was one of the primary reasons I went right to the military is that the army provided me funding to then go to school. Again, it’s really been Rutgers and being involved with Rutgers, employed at Rutgers, my education at Rutgers, that has continually supported my advancement professionally and personally just as a human being.

I oversaw that program here at Rutgers until 2014, when I finished my Ph.D. and I left just for a very brief period and took a tenure track job at another small university until 2016, when a colleague reached out and said, “Hey they’re posting this role for the inaugural executive director of this brand new center that Rutgers is working to create focused explicitly on the needs of adults on the spectrum, aged 21 plus.”

For those people watching and listening, who don’t already know, the majority of work, educational work, clinical work, system supports, any focus whatsoever, in terms of outcomes and quality of life, as it pertains to autism has historically been focused almost exclusively on children in school environments, and really, adults on the spectrum as a population of people really aren’t succeeding in our society to the same extent as other classes of citizens. There’s such a great need that existed for an organization that focus just on that, that didn’t split its focus between school and kids and some adults.

So when that opportunity came up I honestly felt like life, fate, destiny was calling, it was something I had to pursue, even though in truth the idea of building a center at Rutgers from the ground up with this huge impact, and on a big scale was a little intimidating, but I felt like it was a calling that I had to answer and I applied for the job and was fortunate enough to be the person selected. In August 2016, we went about the business of building the Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services and so today we have three different units and programs that are operating under the RCAAS.

We have our SCALE program that’s supporting community access through leisure and employment. We currently have 20 adults on the spectrum in that program and that program is dedicated to helping with every aspect of adult life and helping people in the program succeed in, again, really having a meaningful life, whatever that means for each individual. We have folks that are employed in every aspect of the university life. Dining, the libraries, we have folks employed in athletics, at the golf course and our job is basically to help people realize their dreams for their life and adulthood.

Then we have a second program called the College Support Program. This is a program that is designed specifically to support artistic undergraduate students at Rutgers. Again, these are students who, in many cases are academically gifted, as you know Rutgers is an extraordinarily selective school. These are folks who get in on their own academic volition and are usually very talented in their discipline of interest and we help each one of those students on the spectrum, get the most out of their Rutgers college experience while they’re with us on campus.

Then our third program that is currently operating is our psychological services clinic. That provides desperately needed diagnostic evaluations for adults. These are people who have made it to adulthood who were never actually formally diagnosed as having autism but with all the heightened awareness surrounding ASD these days, more and more people are learning about what being a person on the spectrum is like, and maybe waking up to the idea that, ‘wow, those are challenges or issues that I might face in my day to day, it might be worth me exploring whether that’s a part of my identity or not.’

Again, really innovative and that there aren’t a whole lot of places that are doing that work. Each one of our programs do more than just help people with autism succeed. We also have equal commitments to training Rutgers University students, whether they’re neurodivergent or neurotypical in how to be effective practitioners in supporting people with autism because it’s an area of practice that is so desperately needed that a lot of people don’t even know about.

Then we also have a commitment to publishing research disseminating all of the effective strategies and approaches that we’ve identified that work for helping people on the spectrum succeed in all contexts of adult life. All of those programs, I’m so proud to say, currently work out of our brand new community center, which we just constructed on Rutgers campus on Douglass Campus specifically, right at the intersection of Nichol and Dudley Road.

I definitely want to say that out loud because we built this beautiful new space as a public space for the entire Rutgers campus community. If anyone watching and listening happens to be in our neighborhood, please stop by, knock on the door. We have awesome pinball machines, and billiard area, and a video game like an E-Sports video game space, lots of cool amenities that I’m sure most of the viewers would really enjoy.

“That is really just the beautiful thing about Rutgers, no matter what your identity is, what your preferences, your passions, there’s just an infinite number of ways to stay connected to our community.”

Chris, it sounds like an incredible space and an incredible program. What are some functions of it that are big points of pride for you that you put your own personal experience into or maybe something that you noticed and said, “Hey, this is something that can be done better? Hey, this is something that it was a current practice that needs to be changed?”

Christopher: I love that question. There’s so much that comes to mind, but I’ll focus on a few things that stick out. When I was working with a number of teams of engineers, architects, designers to design this space, I really wanted to draw upon my experience as a three-time alum, as that commuting student who is non-traditional, where I was actually coming from Pennsylvania every day just over from Morrisville, and I would get here early in the morning, and a lot of my classes were spaced out. Sometimes I’d have hours in between.

There weren’t always good spaces on campus that I would have available to me, where I could get some work done or have a meal, or just blow off some steam and engage in some recreation and so in my mind, I wanted to design this space in a way that their students who were in a similar position who just needed a home base, or a hub, while they’re on campus, in between all their classes, or even after class or on the weekends, could come and congregate and engage socially and just generally be safe, comfortable, and have a good time.

Again, when designing the space, I didn’t want it to be something that was specific to any one group or population of people. Certainly, didn’t want to design it in a way where it was just for people with autism, but just wanted to design it to be universally appealing for all of the Rutgers Community. That is probably the biggest thing that I’m proud of, of our community center is essentially one of the most beautiful new student centers on campus that also happens to serve this population of students, staff, and hopefully faculty who have a need.

More in lines of in terms of programs, in terms of experiences for the students themselves, is there anything that you’ve changed for practices perspective?

Christopher: Absolutely. I think programmatically speaking most existing programs usually would build a building, and then everything that would happen in the program would happen in that building. Our program tosses that tradition model on its side. Our building’s gorgeous. It has great amenities, but it remains just a hub for us. Our program really, truly exists in every way throughout Rutgers Campus and throughout our community. That is really a huge evolution in how we support people with autism being included into every aspect of community life. Again, instead of us being siloed or segregated and separated from the rest of the community and enjoying our own little beautiful space, we’ve built a beautiful space where we’re opening our front doors and welcoming everyone in almost like a reverse inclusion model, which again, it’s not what’s typical. Typically, you would build a space, you would have most of your program operations happen within those four walls. Then you might push out into the community in little ways.

Again, we very much designed this building in our program to make sure that there is no barrier between the threshold of our building and the rest of the community. It’s all a part of the community. It flows seamlessly in and out of our front doors where nobody feels they’re othered or different, or other than the differences that they want to have celebrated. The aspects of their identity that they want to be loud and proud about.

How do you stay connected to folks that you met at Rutgers or friends that you made and the community that you’ve gained?

Christopher: Definitely on Facebook. Messenger is a wonderful tool. It’s funny, some of my closest classmates and colleagues, they all work at Rutgers. [laughs] There’s really this core group of my classmates from the Graduate School of Education and even in my doctoral study in educational psychology, we’re now all a bunch of supervisors, leaders, administrators working in our own individual disciplines. Pre-pandemic, we did more in-person stuff. The Rutgers club is always definitely, a good spot for that. Then definitely also through athletics, love attending football games with classmates and colleagues. I’m a Rutgers wrestling season ticket holder.

I take my kids to Rutgers wrestling every match. That is really just the beautiful thing about Rutgers, is no matter what your identity is, what your preferences, your passions, there’s just an infinite number of ways to stay connected to our community. Some people speak to the vastness of Rutgers as a shortcoming sometimes. I can’t relate to that, I see it as just a true strength because no matter who you are, there’s something for you here at Rutgers.

Perfect. Chris, thank you so much for your time. We really appreciate it and we look forward to taking a tour of the Center for Adult Autism.

Oh, it’s my pleasure, Jordan. Thank you so much for having me and our doors are open. My friend, you just let me know when you’re in the neighborhood.

Pre-register here to be notified when a time and date for our tour of the Rutgers Center For Adult Autism is set!

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