Aspire Staff

Maria Torgalski

Director of Quality Assurance and Corporate Compliance

Contact Maria - mtorgalski@aspirewny.org

2010

Summarize your primary responsibility in one to two sentences.
My primary responsibility is to foster in the Agency, a culture that is dedicated to quality and compliance.

How did your passion for helping people with disabilities come about?
My senior year in High School, I got a job as a lifeguard for an ARC in New Jersey. It was at this pool in Lumberton, NJ, that I was exposed to children and adults with developmental disabilities. I taught swim lessons to the babies and toddlers who attended the "Head Start" program during the day, and in the evening I enjoyed the company of families, and the men and women who lived in group homes. I soon realized that I had a passion for working with adults with developmental disabilities. I returned to this job every summer throughout my college career.

What is the most rewarding part of working at Aspire?
What I find most rewarding about working for Aspire of WNY is that I am afforded opportunities to collaborate and build relationships within the Agency and with other state and voluntary agencies throughout the state.

Do you have any words of encouragement for parents of individuals with disabilities?
We want you at the table.