Former Employment Horizons CEO will help individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities navigate state services

Gov. Mikie Sherrill has appointed Lisa Montalbano to serve as New Jersey’s Ombudsman for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and their Families.

Montalbano will lead the state office that helps people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families find services, solve problems, and get connected with state programs and support.

“Lisa brings more than two decades of experience connecting individuals with disabilities and their families with opportunities,” Sherrill said in a statement. “I am confident that under her leadership, this Office will serve as an invaluable resource in ensuring New Jersey residents can connect with the State’s diverse array of supports and services.”

State law requires the ombudsperson to help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families get information, access state services, resolve problems, and raise concerns about issues affecting the disability community.

The office is also tasked with identifying systemic problems and recommending improvements, including issues involving residential programs and group homes for people with developmental disabilities. The previous ombudsman released a blistering report last year about failures in the state’s group homes, highlighting stories of widespread neglect and unchecked abuse, and calling out a system that he said protects itself while failing thousands of vulnerable residents

Montalbano most recently served as chief executive officer of Employment Horizons, a nonprofit that helps people with intellectual and developmental disabilities find jobs. She has spent more than 20 years working with people with disabilities and their families across New Jersey.

“I look forward to partnering with the Governor to ensure New Jerseyans with intellectual and developmental disabilities can access the tools and resources to thrive,” Montalbano said.