Our Story

Dear Reader,

Our son, Daniel, is a wonderful 29-year-old with autism. He is handsome, thoughtful, and a joy to be around. But he also faces significant challenges. Over the years, we have worked closely with him, supporting him in every way possible. It became clear some time ago that for his long-term adult life, Daniel would need a high level of professional services.

We spent many years researching and exploring different options. My husband, Jonah, spoke with countless organizations and parents around the world, looking at a wide range of models. Ultimately, we decided that the best life for Daniel would be in a home close to us—one where he could live with peers, be supported 24/7, and still remain part of a community. We wanted him to be able to walk into town, go to the park, live alongside friends like his sister does, and continue striving for independence while enjoying a rich and fulfilling life.

After extensive searching, we found a house in our town—within walking distance of shops and parks, and a short drive to recreation and activities. We arranged for JSDD, an agency we knew and trusted, to manage the home. The house had room for four residents, and we carefully began bringing people together. Most important to us was that the staff understood their true role: to help Daniel and his housemates build independence and lead meaningful lives filled with enriching experiences.

In those early days, we struggled to find staff that fully embraced this vision. At the same time, we were looking into assisted living for Jonah’s father. While most places fell short of our expectations, we found one community that stood out. The staff were warm, engaged, and genuinely joyful—it felt like a happy place to be. When I asked the Executive Director how she found such exceptional people, she said, “We hire in all the usual ways, but we send every new hire through the Ritz-Carlton Leadership Training.”

That answer stayed with me, and I decided to attend the training myself. I was inspired by its focus on client service, relationships, and excellence, which resonated with my decadeslong background as a businessperson and attorney. Out of that inspiration grew The True Professional. I partnered with Dawn Townsend, a PhD, BCBA, who has led schools and day programs and consulted globally on these issues. Together, we worked directly with Daniel’s home to develop the DSPs and residential management.

Our first step was to define what good looks like. We created both qualitative and quantitative metrics—standards that could be assessed consistently and replicated. From there, we built a training model rooted in those metrics, focused on building strong relationships rather than simple transactions. We developed The 5CsTM, our proprietary framework for excellence in service quality that underscores everything we do as an organization.

This all became the foundation of The True Professional: raising the bar for direct support by blending evidence-based training with the principles of world-class service.

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Ellen Zimiles