All Access - Annual

Dr. James Partington is the clinical director of Behavior Analysts, Inc. in Pleasant Hill, California. This psychological corporation provides a variety of educational services for children with autism or other developmental disabilities. Dr. Partington is a licensed psychologist and Board Certified Behavior Analyst with decades of experience. His expertise is in language intervention for children with language delays as a result of autism-related disorders. Dr. Partington received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Western Michigan University and his Ph.D. from Florida State University. He has taught courses in the psychology department at West Virginia University, in the education department at St. Mary's College, and in the counseling psychology program at the University of San Francisco. He has published several papers on teaching strategies for children with disabilities, and has co-authored with Dr. Mark L. Sundberg Teaching Language to Children With Autism or Other Developmental Disabilities and The Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills (The ABLLS): An Assessment, Curriculum Guide, and Skills Tracking System for Children With Autism or Other Developmental Disabilities.

Erin Lombard is currently a behavior consultant with over 12 years of experience working with children with autism and developmental disabilities in homes, schools, and center based programs. She was previously a certified Special Education teacher in Arizona. Along with providing consultation through SBSA, she also currently teaches graduate level Positive Behavior Support courses at Northern Arizona University.

Erin is originally from California where she finished her undergraduate degree in Child and Adolescent Studies from California State University, Fullerton. She obtained her master's degree in Special Education from the University of Phoenix. She completed her coursework in applied behavior analysis through the University of North Texas. She is currently working on her PhD in Psychology at Capella University.

Clinic Director at Step By Step Academy, a position she has held since 2009, where she previously served as Training and Behavior Plan Supervisor,Outreach and Training Coordinator, Program Supervisor/Outreach Support Technician and Behavior Technician.

Christine regularly publishes and presents at professional conferences on the topic of autism and behavioral support. Her areas of expertise include ABA, training, individual education plans (IEPs), treatment planning and behavior modification and behavior management. She has a BA in Psychology and minor in Sociology from Ohio State University. Now a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), Christine trained in Applied Behavior Analysis with the University of North Texas and is certified in Crisis Prevention.

Lynn M. Dudek is the Autism and Medical Rehabilitation Manager at Easter Seals Central and SE Ohio, Inc. and the owner of ASDSLP, LLC. She is a speech-language pathologist who has specialized in the treatment of autism spectrum disorder for close to 20 years. Lynn has presented at the local, state, and national level on topics regarding autism, communication and assessment. Her passion for advocacy, education, and effective treatment directs her professional and personal activities. 

Lynn recently completed coursework for completion of her BCBA. She currently serves on the Ohio Autism Coalition, the Autism Alliance and Advisory Board for speechpathology.com, and the National Autism Spokesperson Network.

Michele LaMarche is the co-founder of Special Learning, Inc. She is also the founder and Executive Director of Step By Step Academy (SBSA), a centre-based non-profit autism treatment centre in Columbus, Ohio. Ms. LaMarche has worked in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis for more than fifteen years, and she develops the ABA curricula used in SBSA's programs.

Ms. Cynthia Ring is a Licensed Social Worker and holds a B.S. in Psychology and a M.S.W. Cynthia is currently working on a Doctorate in Forensic Psychology. Cynthia plans to work on getting a BCBA in January of 2012. Current projects and interests include transitions to employment for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the criminal justice system, recidivism, functions of violent behavior/aggression, and sports and recreational programs for people with disabilities.

Cynthia is currently employed as a social worker and director of the day habilitation services at Step By Step Academy in Worthington, Ohio. She has been serving individuals with autism and their families since 2006.

Sarah Winningham, MA, BCBA is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst from Indiana. She received her Master?s degree in Special Education from Ball State University with certifications in Applied Behavior Analysis and Autism. Sarah has been working with students on the Autism Spectrum for almost 9 years. 

She has worked for three ABA centers as a therapist, trainer, clinical lead and clinical director. She is currently an adjunct member at Capella University teaching Master?s level ABA courses and developing Continuing Education and training materials for Special Learning.

Tamar Varnai, MA, BCBA is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst originally from New York. She received her Master's degree in Applied Behavior Analysis from Columbia University Teacher's College and has been working with students with special needs for over 10 years, specializing in working with children on the Autism Spectrum, as well as teaching language and social skills to students of all ages. Tamar is currently practicing in Europe and providing BCBA and ABA supervision services to families in the US via Skype.

Amanda Fishley, MA, BCBA, COBA is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Certified Ohio Behavior Analyst. She received her Master’s degree in Special Education/ABA from The Ohio State University. She has been working with in the field of ABA for over ten years.

She has experience working with children, adolescents and adults in school, home and mental health settings. These experiences have allowed her to work closely with parents, teachers, paraprofessionals, as well as mentoring and supervising behavior analysts. She is the Associate Director of Clinical Solutions for Special Learning, creating and presenting educational materials and promoting Special Learning’s mission to positively impact the special needs community.

Peter Gerhardt, Ed.D., is the Executive Director of the EPIC School in Paramus, NJ.  Dr. Gerhardt has more than 35 years’ experience utilizing the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis in support of adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorders in educational, employment, residential and community-based settings. He is the author or co-author on a number of articles and chapters on the needs of adolescents and adults with ASD and has presented nationally and internationally on this topic. 

Dr. Gerhardt serves as Chairman of the Scientific Council for the Organization for Autism Research and is on numerous professional advisory boards including the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies.  He received his doctorate from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey’s Graduate School of Education.

Melanie is a dually certified and licensed Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) and Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). She is the Clinic Director of the Speech Therapy Group and The Verbal ABA Clinic at STG. She received her Bachelors of Science degree in Communication Disorders and Masters in Speech Language Pathology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in 1999 and 2001, respectively. She also received her Masters of Education in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and Autism from Endicott College, where she is currently working towards her PhD in ABA.

Her clinics are private practices focus on the areas of verbal behavior and swallowing/feeding disorders.  Melanie’s main research interests include collaboration between speech pathology and behavior analysis, as well as verbal behavior, feeding disorders and organizational behavior management.

Dr. Syed is currently with Lehigh University’s Special Education Department as Professor of Practice and Clinical Director for Lehigh University Autism Services.  Previously, Dr. Syed was an Assistant Professor of Special Education at Manhattanville College.

Dr. Syed has over 10 years experience in the field of applied behavior analysis, general and special education, autism, and developmental disabilities as a classroom teacher, Special Education Itinerant Teacher, ABA home based therapist, and behavioral supervisor for center and home based services.  Dr. Syed has worked in early intervention, preschool, and school aged settings, as well as with adults.

In 2018, Dr. Syed was selected as a Top Tier International Partnership Discovery Fellow in the Inaugural Fellowship Class of the Global Autism Project, a nonprofit organization that provides training for local international practitioners in the utilization of evidence-based practices when working with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Her research interests lie in verbal behavior, ethical practices in behavior analysis, and the implementation of behavior analysis to curriculum and teaching. 

Dr. Ronald Brown, a noted expert on the topic of ADHD has served as the Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic (Health Affairs) at the University of North Texas System.

Dr. Brown completed his Ph.D. from Georgia State University and has been the past President of the Society of Pediatric Psychology and the Association of Psychologists of Academic Health Centers.

He is a board-certified clinical health psychologist and has been an active clinician, teacher, advocate and investigator. He served as a member of the Behavioral Medicine study section of the NIH and chaired several special panels at NIH. He currently serves as the Editor of Professional Psychology: Research and Practice.

Dr. Ronald Brown’s area of specialization includes behavioral sciences, pediatric psychology, attention deficit disorders, neuropsychology, psychopharmacology, learning disabilities and psychosocial oncology. 

Ann Beirne, MA, BCBA is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst with over two decades of experience working with individuals with autism spectrum disorder.

She has provided direct services to children and families in home environments, schools, and residential programs. Her work with this population has spanned the lifespan, including toddlers, young children, adolescents and adults with developmental disabilities.

Ms. Beirne is co-author of the textbook Understanding Ethics in Behavior Analysis:  Practical Applications available from Routledge Publishing in 2019.

Jennifer is a dually credentialed professional, licensed and certified as a Speech-Language Pathologist and Behavior Analyst (BCBA). She possesses expertise and advanced skills in teaching language to children on the autism spectrum. She has helped clients across the life span from Early Intervention, Preschool through School in both home and center-based settings. Over the past 10 years, she has successfully integrated strategies and techniques from both disciplines to support individuals with autism and their educational teams.

Julie is a dually credentialed Occupational Therapist and Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She started working with children on the autism spectrum in 1994 as a behavior technician. This sparked a passion for working with these amazing kids. Julie has served as a BCBA and/ or OT in home, center, and community based programs. She has also worked in private schools and consulted in public schools. She has a unique perspective encompassing her experiences as an OT, BCBA, and parent, and firmly believes in the importance of collaboration with families and multiple disciplines in order to help children achieve their full potential in all areas of their lives.

Arthur Channer

Mike E. Marroquin, PhD, BCBA-D, New York State Licensed Behavior Analyst

Franklin Square School District, New York

Dr. Michael “Mike” Marroquin, is an Autism graduate & undergraduate professor at Queens College (CUNY).  He also is a practicing consultant for families and school districts in New York. He is passionate about making behavior analysis accessible to students in public school settings.  He specializes in parent and staff training on the use of ABA methodologies in both home and school settings to provide students with a consistent set of expectations in both environments.

Dr. Mike currently Supervises BCBA® applicants and state licensure applicants in public school settings. As a behavior analyst, he uses ABA to teach behavior analysis in higher education, school and home.

Dr. Debbie Coehlo is a certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and Pediatric Mental Health Specialist with a Doctoral Degree in Family Sciences and Human Development. She is the Founder and Director of Juniper Pediatrics, a clinic modeled after John F Kennedy’s multidisciplinary system of care. Using a holistic, integrated care model, Juniper provides counseling, medication management and family therapy for children with ASD, ADHD and other childhood mental health disorders.

Dr. Coehlo completed her Master’s in Nursing with a specialty in parent- child nursing. She spent 10 years working at the Child Development Center at the University of Washington in the Genetics Clinic and Multidisciplinary Clinic. In 1999, she complete her Doctorate degree in Human Development and Family Studies. 

She continues to teach at the undergraduate and graduate level and had pursued research in the area of social networking, transitioning to out of home care for families, and child development. 

Dr. Coehlo is a co- editor for the 4th and 5th edition of Family Health Nursing (F.A. Dais, 2010/2013) and has published several journal articles in the areas of families choosing residential care, families in transition, family health nursing, and care of children with special health care needs.

Gina is an occupational therapist certified on the the national and state level. Gina has worked in outpatient clinics, schools, and the home environment.  She is certified in Ayres’ Sensory Integration and works with children and adults who experience sensory processing difficulties as a result of spectrum disorders, developmental delays, trauma, or other diagnoses.

Gina owns her own occupational therapy business and has worked on numerous multidisciplinary teams.   She currently provides occupational therapy services in the clinical environment and in the home environment; she collaborates with school personnel, too. She believes it is vital to involve the child’s “village” and hosts seasonal parent/caregiver nights to disseminate informative, fun, and pertinent information.

Ronnie Detrich, Ph.D., has been providing behavior analytic services for over 50 years. His work can be characterized as thorough-going behavior analysis drawing from the conceptual, experimental, and applied branches of our discipline.

In recent years, Ronnie’s work has focused on the challenges of achieving adequate levels of treatment integrity in large systems, the role of the evidence-based practice movement in behavior analysis, and the large-scale implementation of effective practices in public schools. He is a trustee of the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies and is on the editorial boards of Perspectives in Behavior Science and Exceptional Children. He serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Positive Behavior Intervention. Ronnie has also served on the editorial board of Behavior Analysis in Practice and was the Coordinator of ABAI’s Practice Board.

Dr. Shawn Kenyon, BCBA-D has been in the fields of Applied Behavior Analysis and Special Education since 1995. Throughout his career he has been a Program and Clinical Director in private schools as well as public schools and non-public special education schools in Massachusetts and California while also working and consulting nationally across several states and internationally in Brazil. In his current position, he directs behavioral services in the special education department for a large public school district in southern California.?

Dr. Kenyon is the founder and owner of a small behavioral consulting company, also located in southern California. He has been an instructor in the graduate program in Applied Behavior Analysis at Northeastern University, located in Boston MA., since 2007. Dr. Kenyon has also held faculty positions at Simmons University and Endicott College, both also located in Massachusetts and he currently serves as a reviewer for the journal Behavior Analysis in Practice.

Dr. Gilbert has been working with children, adolescents, and adults for almost ten years and has worked with infants and toddlers as an Infant Toddler Developmental Specialist (ITDS). She graduated from Florida International University with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and a minor in Behavior Analysis and Masters of Science degree from FIU in Education with a Mental Health Counseling minor. Dr. Gilbert obtained a second Masters of Science in Psychology from CAU. Dr. Gilbert obtained her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (PSY.D). She is fluent in English and Spanish and understands French.

Dr. Gilbert is deeply passionate about what she does as a professional and looks forward to using her expertise as well as gaining further experience in this field. She has extensive experience conducting behavior assessments and supervising clinicians as well as training parents, teachers and staff. Dr. Gilbert has presented on behavior analysis techniques at workshops, Parent-to-Parent trainings, internationally, UMCARD, various autism awareness events, private/public schools, charity events, and foster homes and shelters in both Spanish and English. Dr. Gilbert has co-authored articles in Parent with Special Needs magazine and has conducted RBT (Registered Behavior Technician) trainings as well as the 40-hour required Behavior Assistant training.

Additionally, Dr. Gilbert is an adjunct professor and teaches Applied Behavior Analysis courses at CAU and is an active member of the southern region Agency for Persons with Disabilities, Local Review Committee where along with the other members provides ongoing technical assistance and consultation as well as approvals for behavior plans presented by other analysts in her region.

Dr. Jenna Sage has worked in multiple capacities in the field of education for nearly 25 years.  She earned her Ph.D. in Special Education focusing on systems change processes and supporting students with emotional behavioral disorders.  Her primary work in the school system was Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports, Functional Behavior Assessment and Behavior Intervention Planning, Manifestation Determination, and Restorative Practices.  She held positions from paraprofessional, to classroom teacher, behavior specialist and resolution specialist.

In her current professional role, she is Dean of Career Readiness and Workforce Solutions for a national nonprofit healthcare educational institution.  In that position she supports the cross-departmental development of workforce and career engagement content, cultural and mental health initiatives, and authoring thought leadership communications. 

As a practicing Behavior Analyst, Her professional focus is helping practitioners apply the science of behavior pragmatically, meaningfully and with sustainability. Her two current publications, Happy Class: The Practical Guide to Classroom Management and Happy Student: The Practical Guide to Functional Behavior Assessment and Behavior Intervention Planning emphasize her ability to make ABA more accessible for educators.  Her most recent book, Manifesting Happy: How to Maintain Self-Care Amidst Challenging Behaviors and Challenging Times highlights how educators can use ABA to develop effective
self-care strategies. 

Dr. Lyre Fribourg is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst.  She balances her work schedule between her private practice in Los Angeles, California and a staff psychologist position at University of California, Los Angeles in the Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics clinic.  She enjoys working in an interdisciplinary team and values the collaboration with physicians when it comes to diagnosing and treating children.  She leads a parent group for newly diagnosed families of children with autism and provides group parenting classes to families of young children.  For more than 25 years, Dr. Fribourg has worked with children with neurodevelopmental disorders, and their families in homes, schools and communities.  Additionally, she has shown her commitment to educating other professionals in the field through professional development workshops about behavior management in schools and presenting at annual conventions for behavior analysts.  Outside of her practice, she loves spending time with her husband and children, who give her yet another perspective on the challenges that come with parenting children. 

Ms. Manya Ralkowski has been practicing in the field of applied behavior analysis for over 25 years. Her training began under direct education and training from consultants from the Lovaas Clinic in Los Angeles while completing her bachelor of arts in Communication Disorders with endorsements in special education and psychology at Western Washington University. Ms. Ralkowski continued her education and training with a master’s degree in Education from Lesley University and a graduate certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis from the University of Washington while working as an assistant teacher on the Project DATA grant at the Haring Center-Professional Training Unit. She also possesses a doctorate degree in Instructional Leadership.

Dr. Bailey received his PhD from the University of Kansas and is currently Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Florida State University where he was a member of the graduate faculty for 38-years and produced a record 63 PhDs. He is currently Director of the FSU Panama City Masters Program in Applied Behavior Analysis. 

Dr. Bailey has published over 100 peer-reviewed research articles, is a past editor of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, and is co-author of Research Methods in Applied Behavior Analysis, How Dogs Learn, Ethics for Behavior Analysts, 2nd Expanded Edition, How to Think Like a Behavior Analyst, and 25 Essential Skills and Strategies for Professional Behavior Analysts, all co-authored with Dr. Mary Burch.

Karen is the Founder and CEO of Special Learning. She started the company in 2010 after learning about the effectiveness of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) juxtaposed against the reality that over 95% of the world did not have access to ABA. As an entrepreneur with over 20 years of corporate experience, she started Special Learning to leverage existing and emerging technology to make quality ABA resources and services available to parents, educators and professionals around the world.

Karen’s entrepreneurial experience includes starting and growing a diversity retained executive search firm specializing in placing women and minority executives in leadership positions of Fortune 1,000 companies. Her investment banking background includes working with various venture capital and private equity companies to facilitate deal flow while representing CEOs of rapidly growing companies seeking to raise equity and debt capital for various middle market businesses and commercial real estate developers. Her corporate background includes various leadership and functional roles in Fortune 1,000 and middle market companies.  Her additional entrepreneurial activities include owning and operating high end boutique

She graduated with a Masters of Management degree from Kellogg Graduate School of Management of Northwestern University. She is a Certified Public Accountant and a recipient of the Elijah Watts Sells Award from the American Institute of Certified Public Accounts (AICPA), an award granted to less than top 5% of all CPA exam candidates.

Miranda Schehr is the Clinic Transition Director of Step by Step Academy. As a clinic transition director she directs the treatment plans of multiple clients through management, training and supervision of clinical staff. Before her involvement with SBSA she worked as an Intervention Specialist in Applied Behavioral Services, where she was responsible in the implementation of treatment of multiple clients and their families through teaching and training in the classroom and home environments.

She earned her Bachelor of Science in Mild-Moderate Special Education at Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH, completed a graduate coursework in Behavior Analysis in the University of North Texas, Denton TX; and she is anticipating the completion of her Masters of Education in Cognitive and Behavioral Disabilities in August 2012.

Jennifer LaLuzerne has been a Clinic Director at Step By Step Academy, Inc. since May 2011. Before that, she served as Program Manager and social worker, starting in 2008. At Step By Step, she is responsible for supervising Program Managers, their staff, and their caseloads, collaborating in the development and monitoring of treatment plans, behavior plans, and ongoing treatment integrity.

Jennifer has a Bachelor's Degree in social work from the University of Wisconsin - Madison, her Master's Degree in social work from The Ohio State University, and she is completing coursework towards her BCBA through the University of North Texas.