
Virtual Training: The NADSP Frontline Supervisor – From Management to Leadership
The Frontline Supervisor (FLS) may face the most complex work in the human services world, involving many points of interaction with people. Whether it’s families, direct support professionals, supervisors, state regulators, peers, or most importantly, people supported – Frontline Supervisors confront a multitude of diverse perspectives and conflicting motivations, on top of seemingly unsurmountable workplace challenges. To deepen these difficulties, there is often inadequate training, insufficient resources, or fragmented support to empower Frontline Supervisors.
This training equips organizational Frontline Supervisors with the essential tools and skills for success. Participants will explore the full scope of their role—not just scheduling and time management, but also the deeper responsibilities of leading and supporting direct support professionals (DSPs).
While administrative tasks are important, effective supervisors in the intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) field must also serve as mentors, coaches, and leaders. This interactive three-hour session will guide participants in understanding their role as a coach, teacher, and mentor, using research-based content from the NADSP Frontline Supervisor Train-the-Trainer Curriculum.
Wednesday, June 25, 2025
12:00pm – 3:00pm ET
$89 per Non-Member Attendee
$79 per NADSP Member Attendee – Use your Member password to receive $10 off registration
Key Takeaways
- Gain a deeper understanding of the NADSP DSP Competencies and discover practical strategies for evaluating Direct Support Professionals through a competency-based lens.
- Examine how the NADSP Code of Ethics serves as a powerful tool for supervisors to lead with integrity, accountability, and person-centered values.
- Become familiar with the National Frontline Supervisor Competencies and how they can guide effective leadership and professional growth in human services.
Target Audience
DSPs, Managers, Supervisors, Administrators
Participate In This Training
Click the link below to register via JotForms. Once completed, a confirmation email will be sent to all attendees.
Presenters

Brian Gelb
Manager of Review Processes: E-Badge Academy
As Manager of Review Processes: E-Badge Academy, Brian will work alongside the E-Badge Academy team to lead the charge in refining and improving our testimonial review process
Biography
Brian Gelb, a resident of the Hudson Valley in New York. He has over twenty years of experience in the field of human services. Brian began his career as a direct support professional and grew his experience by becoming a staff development coordinator, trainer and recruiter for multiple agencies. His experience with the NADSP began over 5 years ago with becoming an instructor of the NADSP FLS curriculum by which he trained front line supervisors within a multi-agency partnership in the Hudson Valley.
Regardless of his varying roles throughout his twenty-year experience supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, his philosophy remains that his and all staff’s first allegiance is to the people we support.

John Raffaele
Director of Educational Services
John Raffaele is the Director of Educational Services for the NADSP. John is a Master Social Worker and a highly experienced professional adult educator and facilitator.
Biography
John’s graduate education is from Yeshiva University in New York City and State University of New York at New Paltz, NY. His career spans three decades and those years have been spent teaching direct support professionals and the people they support. Most of the people with whom he has worked and supported over the last 30 years are people with intellectual/developmental disabilities and at-risk youth, and people with chronic and terminal illnesses in home-care settings. Between 2001 and 2012 John worked as a Director of Training and Education for a developmental disabilities service provider in New York and gained notoriety consulting and teaching throughout the United States. John founded his own international direct support professional consulting company in 2012 and over the last several years, in contract with the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals and in close partnership with NADSP Executive Director Joseph Macbeth, has developed many exciting and informative training programs and helped propel the NADSP into national prominence. John became NADSP’s Director of Educational Services in December of 2016. John has educated tens of thousands of people in the NADSP Code of Ethics and Competencies and most recently, our Informed Decision Making curriculum and Frontline Supervisor Train the Trainer Curriculum.
Participate In This Training
Click the link below to register via JotForms. Once completed, a confirmation email will be sent to all attendees.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this training the same as the full day training?
No. The virtual training is a cost effective alternative for organizations and individuals to experience a new abbreviated version of the full day training. To learn more about the full day training, click here.
Can I purchase multiple registrations at once?
Yes, we have updated our registration to include multiple registrations. You can purchase up to 10 registrations at once.
What do I need for this training?
Will this training be recorded for those who cannot attend?
Will I receive a certificate for my attendance?
Yes. All registered attendees will receive a certificate at the conclusion of the training.
Will this training count towards my Accredited Training hours?
Will this webinar be closed captioned?
Yes. All attendees will have the option on their zoom screen to enable live captions. If an attendee requires a reasonable accommodation for this training, please email NADSP Office and Communications Manager, Nicole Dama at ndama@nadsp.org by June 20, 2025.
Who should I contact if I have additional questions?
If you have questions about registration, please email NADSP’s Chief Operating Officer, Desiree Loucks Baer at dloucksbaer@nadsp.org.