Director of Nursing
Daphne Damas is an experienced clinical professional with over 15 years working in the health care industry as a nurse. She began her career in the home care industry as a field Lambardi home care nurse. She has spent almost ten years providing services in the home care sector, training and educating nurses and home health aides, and over eight years working in the hospital, nursing home, and clinic settings. Her areas of competency include medical-surgical and family medicine in an ambulatory setting, which has sharpened her evaluation and treatment planning skills; as well as services to the adult population, providing telephone triage assessment, advisement, and education to patients.
Before joining the CABS team as the Director of Nursing, Ms. Damas, worked as the Director of Nursing for Elara Caring, overseeing, and setting up several new sites within that organization. She currently operates as a specialty nurse staff at Lenox Hill, Bellevue Hospital, and Down State Hospital. Before this, she worked as nurse and field Nurse Supervisor for Prime Home Care, Alpine Home Care, and Cold Spring Hills Home Care. She has also worked at Jamaica Hospital Center, North Shore LIJ, Region Care, Queens Long Island Medical Group, South Oaks Hospital, and The Smith Institute for Urology.
Daphne is a reliable, ethical health care provider with the ability to stay calm and use good judgment during a crisis. Daphne is a resident of Uniondale in Long Island for 23 years. She obtained her Associate Degree in Art from Nassau Community College and a BSN degree from Adelphi University and continues to engage in professional development training to strengthen her aptitude in the nursing area. Daphne enjoys physical activities, salsa, playing golf, and traveling.
Director of Corporate Strategy and Programs
Ms. Officer is an experienced professional with over 16 years working with mission-driven organizations, specifically with individuals with developmental disabilities. Over the years, through her volunteerism and professional work experience, she has sharpened her skills in programs and project management, care coordination, training & development, quality assurance and compliance, and customer service management.
Before joining CABS as its Director of Strategy and Corporate Programs, Contessa worked at Tri-County Care as a Regional Director for New York City and Long Island. Contessa began her career working with individuals with a developmental disability in 2005, working as an Education Specialist for individuals with autism. She then moved to Eden II Programs in Staten Island as a Program Manager in 2007. Contessa spent just over a year at this organization before working with the Consumer Advisory Board of OPWDD New York State as a Regional Assistant Director for Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island. Contessa began managing several employees in this role and expanded her activities and knowledge of mandated health, housing, recreation, and vocational opportunities programs for individuals with developmental disabilities. She continues to build her expertise as a strategic and operational specialist and is intentional about impacting the lives of underserved populations in New York.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Howard University in Communication and a Master of Science degree in Educational Counseling from the National University. Contessa also served in the Army National Guard as a Personnel Actions Specialist for six years. Contessa continues to volunteer in communities of New York, serving on the board of New York Junior League, and as a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., The New-York Historical Society Frederick Douglas Council, and is an Ambassador for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History. In 2014, she was recognized by the New York Junior League as a Woman to Watch.
