Elise Tretola is the Vice President and COO of Allies, Inc. She has a diverse background which includes advocating and supporting people with special needs for the past twelve years. Prior to entering the social service field Elise owned a Homemade Pasta & Catering Company but was looking for a career change. After participating in a trip to Brazil to develop programs for street children through the Hamilton/Washington Rotary Elise knew that helping others was what she wanted to do. Shortly after the trip she took a job developing housing for people with developmental disabilities. When starting her career in housing development for people with disabilities she immediately fell in love with the people she was supporting.

In 1999 Elise joined Krystal Odell and started Allies, Inc. Allies is a national nonprofit with operations in New Jersey and Colorado serving over 1,700 people with disabilities. Since 1999, Allies, Inc. has enriched the lives of people with special needs by promoting their greater independence with dignity, respect and understanding.

As Chief Operating Officer Elise has enjoyed being active in all areas of the services they provide; residential, employment, transition, community integration, case management, and recreation to name just a few. Providing a vast array of quality services that offer people with disabilities an opportunity to lead fulfilling lives in the community has become a lifelong goal of Elise’s and she is thankful to have that chance through Allies.

In addition to her professional accomplishments Elise is a past Rotarian and recipient of the Paul Harris Award for the Hamilton/Washington Rotary, and was honored as Woman of the Year by Women Helping Women in 2009.