The IBCCES Board

 

At IBCCES, the goal of our board is to ensure the development and delivery of world class training and certification programs that will help improve the overall quality of care and education for individuals with cognitive disorders. The Board represents a wide range of the leading cognitive experts from all over the world, including BCBAs, researchers from the leading universities, state-level special education directors and business leaders, as well as clinicians in the fields mental health, SLPs, occupational therapists, and parents.

Meet The Board

Stephen ShoreStephen Shore, Ed.D, CAS

Professor At Adelphi University, Best-Selling Author, International Speaker, Autism Expert & Autistic Self-Advocate

Full Bio
Dr. Stephen Shore is one of the most respected speakers and voices for self-advocacy in the world. He is currently the President Emeritus of the Asperger’s Association of New England in the US and serves on the boards of several autism-related organizations. He is also a Professor at Adelphi University, where his research focuses on matching best practices to the needs of people with autism.

Diagnosed with strong autistic tendencies and Atypical Development when he was young, he was recommended to be in a residential institution as he was found to be unsuitable for outpatient treatment. With the support of his parents, teachers and his wife, Dr. Shore overcame the odds to become a University professor and an international consultant on issues faced by adults with autism. He also works with children with autism and has authored several books.

Stephen presents and consults internationally on adult issues pertinent to education, relationships, employment, advocacy, and disclosure. He has authored several books, including the critically acclaimed Understanding Autism for Dummies. He also released the DVD Living Along the Autism Spectrum: What It Means to Have Autism or Asperger Syndrome.

Dr. Shore is actively involved in the autism community and serves in several autism-related organizations, including:

  • Asperger’s Association of New England
  • Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee
  • Asperger Syndrome and High Functioning Autism Association,
  • United States Autism and Asperger Alliance, and is a
  • Autism Society of America (former board member)
  • Board of Directors for Unlocking Autism
  • Autism Services Association of Massachusetts
  • MAAP Services
  • The College Internship Program
  • KEEN Foundation.

JohnR-headshotJohn Robinson

CEO of Our Ability- The only disability-owned and operated business dedicated to connecting individuals with disabilities towards education and employment.

Full Bio
Our Ability’s President and CEO, John Robinson (@OurAbility_CEO) is dedicated to connecting individuals with disabilities towards employment through our emerging technologies. Our Ability is disability-owned and operated; committed to building employment opportunities through our job platforms and engagement.

  • In 2013, John Robinson is named one of ten White House (Obama) Champions of Change for Disability Employment
  • In 2015, Our Ability, Inc. is presented with the Business Excellence Award in Small Business by the New York Small Business Development Corp
  • In 2018, John Robinson is presented with the Chamber Champion Award in recognition of actions that have advanced the mission of the Capital Region (NY) Chamber
  • In 2023, Our Ability was recognized by the Zero Project as an Innovative Solution.

Dr Binu headshotDr. Binu George MBBS, FRCPCH(UK), Dual CCT(UK)

Paediatric Consultant (Paediatric Neuro-disability) & HOD, Child Development Department at N M C Royal Hospital in Abu Dhabi, UAE

Full Bio
Dr Binu is a Paediatric Consultant specializing in Paediatric Neurodisability with a special interest in early recognition of Autism and Developmental delays. He completed his General Paediatric and Highly Specialised Paediatric Neurodisability Grid training in the UK. He worked as a Paediatric Neurodisability Consultant in the UK before moving to Abu Dhabi, UAE.

He has been instrumental in setting up one of the first multi-disciplinary child development clinics in Abu Dhabi and was an advisor to the Crown Prince’s Court for all programs related to children and adults with disabilities.

He currently holds the position of Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Consultant for Abu Dhabi Health Services company SEHA. In addition to that, he serves as an appointed advisor to the Department of Health (DOH), Abu Dhabi, for all activities related to Children with Disabilities and is a member of the 14-member international advisory panel to the Early Childhood Authority in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. He is currently contributing to the structure and governance of countrywide Early Intervention Services for the children of Abu Dhabi.

He is pursuing a Global MBA degree with Manchester University UK and is also an honorary lecturer at the Emirates College of Advanced Education. He has worked as a researcher in the field of Autism in the ASD UK organization in Newcastle and is currently participating in various research projects on Autism in Abu Dhabi.

His passion is early intervention and parental support for families with children with developmental delays. He believes that his role as an advocate for the children and their families is the way he can serve society best.

Kerry headshotKerry Magro, Ph.D

Award-Winning Speaker, Best-Selling Author, Autism Entertainment Consultant, & Autism Self-Advocate

Full Bio
Dr. Kerry Magro is an award-winning disability advocate, best-selling author of 3 books, movie consultant of 2 autism films, and a non-profit founder that has given over 45 scholarships for students with autism for college. Magro was completely non-verbal until the age of two and a half and was diagnosed with autism at 4 years old.

These days, Magro travels around the country as a motivational speaker and disability advocate. His speeches have included two TEDx Talks. In 2014, he received accreditation from the National Speakers Association as one of the only professionally certified speakers with autism in the country. For almost a decade Magro has talked at hundreds of events about his journey on the autism spectrum. Those speaking engagements led to a stint in TV hosting his own local cable show called the “Different is Beautiful Show,” which focuses on people who overcome adversity. Kerry has recently started interviewing people for his new video series at A Special Community Of Love And Acceptance that highlights people with special needs, disease and those who have overcome obstacles in their lives.

For his efforts Magro has been featured in major media and worked with amazing brands including CBS News, Inside Edition, Upworthy, BBC News, HuffPost Live, HuffPost, American Express, J.P Morgan Chase, NBA.com and much more.

Lawana Jones

President & CEO, The Autism Council Disability Rights Advocate

Full Bio

Lawana Jones has dedicated her life advocating, supporting, and educating others on disability rights for children, young adults, and families living with Autism and other Special Needs for over 25 years. Lawana was recently honored as the 2020 NYS Woman of Distinction for the 56th Senate District by Senator Joseph E. Robach for her community efforts.
Lawana is a parent of a 31 year old female adult with Autism, and President & Chief Executive Officer of The Autism Council of Rochester, a Health & Human Service agency that she started over 15 years ago. Under her leadership, In February 2020, Jones led the agency in becoming the 1st IBCCES Certified Autism Center™ in Rochester, NY. Most notably, the agency also created and obtained the official trademark for the first every Autism-Friendly™ and Sensory-Friendly™ designation for towns, businesses and recreational venues and facilities in New York State. She has worked tirelessly in this effort to increase disability awareness in her community. Also in her tenure as a Certified Trainer, Jones has provided Autism Awareness training to over 600+ local professionals including nurses, teachers, administrators, first responder crews, and local law enforcement emergency response crisis team.
Jones has a BS degree from Nazareth College of Rochester, and MBA Certificate from William B. Simon School at the University of Rochester.
Starting In 2015, she partnered with local Leaders and leading businesses to successfully host the first Annual Specialized Employment Job & Career for individuals with Autism and other special needs. This annual event is also the 1st of its kind in Upstate New York. This out of the box thinking also garnered Lawana a 2016 International Autism Community Leadership Award at the World Autism Festival in Vancouver, British Columbia hosted by the Lenora & Charlie Collura Foundation.
Jones’ community efforts also garnered her a special invite to the Whitehouse by past President Barak Obama & Deputy Assistant Michael Strautmanis to attend the Inaugural World Autism Day Conference, along with 30 other Disability Advocates from across the United States.

Joseph Cheung MDJoseph Cheung, M.D.

Sleep Neurologist at Mayo Clinic

Full Bio

Joseph Cheung, M.D. is a sleep neurologist at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. He earned his medical degree from the University of Vermont, where he also obtained a Master of Science in neuroscience. He then completed his internal medicine internship and neurology residency at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis at Barnes Jewish Hospital. Dr. Cheung then completed his sleep medicine fellowship and a subsequent research fellowship at Stanford University. Dr. Cheung is a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in neurology and sleep medicine. Dr. Cheung has contributed to several clinical trial studies and has published more than 30 peer-reviewed journal articles.

Marc Garcia. headshotMarc Garcia

President And CEO, Visit Mesa

Full Bio
Marc Garcia is President and CEO of Visit Mesa, the destination management organization for the City of Mesa and the surrounding region. Immediately after joining the DMO in June 2012, Garcia prioritized a rebranding effort for the organization which included a corporate repositioning to Visit Mesa. In 2019, Garcia led the organization to become the nation’s first autism-certified destination marketing organization, an initiative that hits close to home as a father of a five-year-old son on the autism spectrum. This nationwide achievement sets Mesa aside as a leader in a burgeoning sector of the industry, ability travel. Visit Mesa has shepherded other Mesa businesses including the parks department, Chamber of Commerce and fire department and hospitality industry partners to achieve this same status on a larger quest to establish Mesa as the United State’s first-ever autism certified travel destination with IBCCES.
Under Garcia’s tenure, Visit Mesa has leveraged regional partner assets by working alongside leaders in the neighboring community of Queen Creek, the iconic attractions along the Apache Trail, and Arizona’s Native American enterprises to help expand the Mesa visitor experience. This destination positioning, trademarked as City Limitless®, established Visit Mesa as the visitor industry leader and steward for the Southeast Valley of Maricopa County. These regional partners are also embracing the autism awareness movement with Town of Queen Creek recently completing their certification.

Visit Mesa’s branding and marketing efforts have been nominated for several industry awards, including:
• Grand Pitch Award at the 2017 Arizona Governor’s Tourism Conference
• 2017 ESTO Destiny Award
• 2017 Best Idea at DMA West Education Summit
• Urban Innovations Award, 2014 Arizona Governor’s Tourism Conference
• Adrian Award by Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International, 2015

Garcia serves on the following boards:
• Board Chair of the Destination Marketing Association of the West (DMA West and DMA West Foundation)
• Travel Ability Advisory Board
• Arizona Lodging & Tourism Association
• Mesa United Way Board of Directors
• Mesa Sister Cities Board of Directors

IBCCES Welcomes Sharifa Yateem as a New Advisory Board MemberSharifa Yateem, MSc, BCBA

Founder of Sharifa Yateem Center for Rehabilitation and Sharifa Yateem Consulting in Abu Dhabi, UAE

Full Bio
Sharifa Yateem, MSc, BCBA, is an autistic expert and the first Emirati Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She is the founder of Sharifa Yateem Center for Rehabilitation and Sharifa Yateem Consulting in Abu Dhabi and a member of multiple professional organizations, including the Emirates Autism Society, Applied Behavior Analysis International, British Psychology Society, and Autism-Europe International Association. 

Sharifa Yateem was featured in numerous renowned magazines and was the primary host for a documentary VICE in collaboration with Mubadala and Special Olympics. She created her show called Bluen Spectrum which tackles different topics about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Sharifa also participated in making the autism documentary As One: The Autism Project to raise awareness about autism and how it impacts families in the UAE and is a consultant for an autism cartoon Pablo that helps raise autism awareness. In addition, Sharifa created Tokenat, a multi-language reward system app that is used to help autistic individuals stay motivated and enjoy doing work. 

Sharifa Yateem has been invited globally to voice autistic rights and promote evidence-based practices for autistic individuals and has been featured on different talk shows to spread autism and inclusion awareness around United Arab Emirates, Gulf Cooperation Council, and internationally. New York University invited her to give workshops on building life skills in autistic children and an introduction to applied behavior analysis. She was also invited as a guest speaker at various events by the UAE Embassy of Paris, the UAE Embassy in Berlin, Germany, the National Institute of Mental Health in Washington D.C., and the Ministry of Community Development of the United Arab Emirates. Today, She continues to give workshops in collaboration with different national and international universities, institutes, and colleges.

Kelly F Clark headshotKelly Flaherty Clark

Vice President Of Zoological Operations At Seaworld’s Discovery Cove; President, IMATA

Full Bio
Kelly Flaherty Clark is the Vice President of Zoological Operations at SeaWorld’s Discovery Cove, and the president of the International Marine Animal Trainers’ Association. Her responsibilities include managing the education and conservation initiatives, and overseeing the health, behavior modification, training, and enrichment for all of the animals, (dolphins, otters, marmosets and other small mammals, sharks, rays, fish and birds) at Discovery Cove. She has multifaceted care, training, and performing experience with animals ranging in size from small otters and birds to 12,000-pound killer whales, and has received several international marine animal training and husbandry awards. Ms. Flaherty Clark is a graduate of The Ohio State University, and has her masters in biology from Clemson University; she has been with SeaWorld for 32 years.

Pam Rollins headshotPamela R. Rollins, MS Ed.D., SLP

Professor

Full Bio
Pamela R Rollins, Professor, is a faculty member in the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at UTD/Callier Center for Communication Disorders. She obtained a bachelor’s degree, cum laude, from Boston University (1981), a Master’s of Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1983), and a Doctorate of Education from Harvard University (1994). Dr. Rollins has spent almost 40 years dedicated to understanding, identifying, and treating children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). She was a four-time gubernatorial appointee to the Texas Council for Autism and PDD during the Perry administration, founding director of UTD/Callier Center, Early CLASS preschool of children with ASD, and the lead author on Robokind’s Robots4Autism social skills curriculum.

Dr Rollins’ early research focused on the critical evaluation of language measures and developing new communication tools that could be used with typical children and children with ASD. She uses these tools to define social and communication processes necessary for the acquisition of joint attention and social communication. Her current research is translational, evaluating the efficacy and effectiveness of parent-mediated early interventions for children diagnosed with or suspected of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Erik BreadErik Beard

Managing Member / General Counsel, International Ride Training LLC; Creator Of ADA FAQ: Disability Training For The Attractions Industry

Full Bio

Erik H. Beard is a managing member and general counsel of International Ride Training where he oversees the company’s legal needs and also supports its amusement ride safety training, certification, auditing and accessibility programs including the International Ride Operator Certification program, the world’s only third-party certification of safety, efficiency, and professionalism for amusement ride operators. He has worked in the amusement industry for over twenty-five years. Erik began his career in 1992 working in ride operations for Cedar Fair Entertainment Company at Cedar Point and Worlds of Fun, where he spent six years as Manager of Ride Operations and Park Services. Erik also worked on the pre- opening operations team at Universal’s Islands of Adventure where he had direct responsibility for development of operating procedures for the Lost Continent and Jurassic Park islands and guided numerous attractions through construction, commissioning, and pre-opening training and testing.

After spending ten years in ride operations at the park level, Erik spent the next fifteen years serving the industry in a legal capacity. As a practicing attorney with two of the most sophisticated and well-regarded firms in the Northeast United States, Erik’s practice focused on product liability, amusement / leisure counseling and litigation, and general business litigation. He has represented and advised amusement parks, aquatic facilities, trade associations, and industry suppliers with respect to the Americans With Disabilities Act, amusement ride and aquatic safety matters, drowning investigation, operational best practices, and in amusement industry legislative and regulatory matters before the Connecticut Department of Public Safety and the Kansas Department of Labor.

Erik is a nationally recognized authority on the application of the Americans With Disabilities Act to the amusement park industry and is the creator of “ADA FAQ,” the nation’s only ADA compliance training program specifically devoted to increasing accessibility and accommodation of guests with disabilities at amusement parks and attractions by training front-line ride operators, lifeguards, and other park employees in the complexities of the ADA as applied to their unique business. Erik is a frequent speaker at amusement industry events and trade shows such as the IAAPA Expo, IAAPA Asia Expo, IAAPA Operators Forum, the World Waterpark Association trade show, the Ellis & Associates International Aquatic Safety School, and the International Ride Operator Safety School, among others. He serves on the Board of Directors of the New England Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions and on the North American Government Relations Sub-Committee of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions. Erik has published numerous articles and is quoted frequently on amusement industry safety, accessibility, and legal issues in such publications as the American Bar Association Franchise Law Journal, the George Mason University Civil Rights Law Journal, Funworld Magazine, Amusement Today, InPark Magazine, and Resort & Recreation Magazine. Erik also independently authors The Legal Roller Coaster, a blog specifically devoted to legal issues affecting the amusement and tourism industries (www.legalrollercoaster.com).

Erik graduated from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. with a Bachelor of Arts in 1995 and obtained his juris doctor, magna cum laude, from George Mason University School of Law in Arlington, Virginia in 2005. He currently resides in Avon, Connecticut.

Eric Rossen heashotEric Rossen, Ph.D., NCSP

Nationally Certified School Psychologist, Director of Professional Development & Standards For NASP

Full Bio

Eric Rossen, PhD, NCSP, is a nationally certified school psychologist and licensed psychologist in Maryland. He has experience working in public schools as well as in independent practice, and is currently the director of professional development and standards for the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). Dr. Rossen has published numerous manuscripts, three books, and presented nationally on issues related to school psychological practices, trauma, mental health, and school safety. He also has served as a college instructor and adjunct faculty at the University of Missouri and Prince George’s Community College in Maryland.

He has presented across the US and internationally, and published dozens of articles and book chapters related to school psychology, school safety, and trauma. He is most recently the editor of Supporting and Educating Traumatized Students: A Guide for School-Based Professionals, 2nd Edition, and co-author of the book Applying a Trauma- Informed Framework to The IEP Process: From Referral to Development.

Santa Barbara HeadshotAssemblyman Angelo Santabarbara

New York State Assemblyman, Disability Rights Advocate

Full Bio
Santabarbara’s devotion to helping and enriching his community combined with his passion for improving the lives of those with autism aligns with IBCCES’ mission to improve the overall quality of life for individuals with cognitive disorders. Santabarbara held public office as a county legislator for five years before being elected to the New York State Assembly in 2012. He has served on the Board of Directors for the Autism Society of the Greater Capital Region and was the recipient of the Autism Society of America’s Distinguished Leadership Award.

“It’s a distinct privilege for me to serve on this board and have this opportunity to contribute to their mission,” said Assemblyman Santabarbara. “People with disabilities and special needs should have every opportunity to pursue the life they want to live. Kids like my son Michael may the face unique challenges of autism; however, that shouldn’t prevent them from realizing the American Dream,” said Santabarbara. “As a state, we must do more to ensure these individuals are treated with respect and equality, and are given every opportunity to live healthy, independent lives and work towards their goals,” Santabarbara added. “This incredible opportunity to work with people from across the country on this important issue will strengthen our state on this important issue and gives all New Yorker’s with disabilities a stronger voice.”

Santabarbara has long been an advocate for disability rights and has championed legislation to protect and empower individuals with autism. He introduced Autism Action NY in 2016 with a mission to better help individuals with autism by increasing job opportunities, providing independent housing options, improving access to information, assisting in communication and creating a centralized location for services in New York State.[1] Santabarbara has already made great strides in achieving these goals. Earlier this year, he sponsored legislation to help law enforcement find people who have a tendency to wander, including people with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Alzheimer’s and other related conditions (A.1648). Last year, he authored and passed a law making a New York State Autism/Disability ID card available to families and individuals to use as a communication tool for emergency situations and interactions with law enforcement or first responders (Ch. 209 of 2018).

Martha Aki board memberMartha Aki

Consultant and past ECI Program Director, Katy Independent School District

Full Bio

Martha Aki is currently consulting after recently retiring as the Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) Program Director in Katy Independent School District in Katy Texas.  She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Special Education and Education of Deaf Students from Trinity University. Post graduate studies were completed at the University of Houston with an emphasis in Elementary Education.

Martha has been the with ECI (IDEA Part C) Program in Katy Independent School District for 28 years. In her 40 years as an educator, she has also been a Teacher of Students with Auditory Impairments, Teacher of the Early Childhood Special Education Program as well as a Kindergarten Teacher.

Ms. Aki has been a leader in innovative practices for children within ECI.  She along with her staff have developed a group coaching model with the parent, child and provider.  This model has been successful, especially for autistic children.  The Katy Program has hosted and assisted with the training and mentoring of other Texas ECI programs in the group model.  The Katy ISD ECI Program has been a recipient of five Katy ISD Education Foundation Grants.

In addition to her work with Katy Independent School District, Martha is also the Chair of the Texas Council of ECI Program Directors Consortia. This position allows Ms. Aki to coordinate the relationship between Texas ECI Program Directors and the Health and Human Services ECI Program State Staff. She also serves on the Katy Independent School District Special Education Leadership Team and Coordinates the Transition of Part C students to Part B programming in the Katy school district as well.  Ms. Aki is a member of the Division of Exceptional Children.  In addition, Ms. Aki represented the state of Texas as a Part C representative at the IDEA Data Center for State Analysis Plan for the United States.  She has also worked with various Texas Legislators and Texans Care for Children to move initiatives and new legislation benefiting the ECI child.

Community work includes acting as Board Chair of Little Peoples School, Katy First United Methodist Church, Member of the Katy Texas Area Mother’s Day Out Directors, along with various community volunteer opportunities.

Weinstein headshotLee Weinstein, D.M.D.,F.A.S.D.C.

President at Core Smiles Consulting; Former Special Needs Focused Pediatric Dentist

Full Bio
Dr. Lee Weinstein has been a practicing Pediatric dentistry for over 30 years, as well as an educator with over 15 years of experience. He recently sold his practice and is currently lecturing and doing consulting. Perviously was the Dental Director for the state of Arizona’s Medicaid program as well as a private practitioner, and has worked in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. During his time as the Dental Director he worked to improve and understand quality controls, fraud, waste, and abuse issues which are essential in today’s Medicaid world.The special needs community is one that is often overlooked and needs to be integrated in today’s practices. Education, forward thinking and compassion are key components in this ever-changing world. His experience as a Pediatric Dentist and lecturer ensures he can provide you with the tools to succeed and have a rewarding experience with his consulting company.

Brandy Killian headshotBrandy Killian, M.S., CAS

Licensed School Psychologist

Full Bio
As a licensed school psychologist and a Certified Autism Specialist, Brandy Killian believes in creating productive professional partnerships that lead to the improvement of education and care for children with Autism and other sensory processing disorders. Her academic and professional backgrounds have prepared her to anticipate and help to meet the needs of children with special needs for almost 15 years.

Prior to joining the board at the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) she spent 13 rewarding years working as a school psychologist at the Hamilton City School District. While there, Brandy worked tirelessly to help students succeed both academically and personally. She also developed strong leadership skills as she negotiated with key decision makers to implement meaningful assistance programs and to get students the treatment they needed to succeed.

Brandy’s education includes an undergraduate degree in Psychology and Master of Science Degree in School Psychology, which she earned at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Brandy Killian is also a Registered Medical Sales Representative who completed the NAMSR Medical Sales Training Program in 2013. This achievement, combined with her professional background in psychology and organizational leadership, provides her with the skills and ability to deliver consistent results for students with special needs.

Myron PincombMyron Pincomb

Board Chairman

Full Bio
Myron Pincomb has been the Board Chairman of the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) for over eight years. Since then, Myron’s innovative ideas have led the company to work with major attractions all over the globe to help make
them more accessible for autistic guests and those with other disabilities, including park design consultation, training, and certification.
Myron has served as an IAAPA committee member for the past three years to share his passion and knowledge on inclusion and accessibility in the amusement and attraction industry. He is also a member of the TSA Advisory Board to help improve travel accommodations for individuals with disabilities.
Myron’s background includes nearly 20 years of starting, building, and running highly successful companies in healthcare and educational technology. Each of his companies has revolutionized and left a lasting impact on the future of its respective industry.
Myron is also a trustee appointed by the Florida Governor to the Board of Trustees at the University of North Florida. As a trustee, Myron and his colleagues oversee an annual budget of over $200M and ensure 20,000+ students get the highest quality of education at an affordable price. UNF is consistently ranked as one of the top universities in the country by Forbes Magazine and US News.
The Board of Governors appointed Myron to lead the Online Learning Taskforce for the state of Florida. The taskforce's focuses on mapping out the future of online learning for Florida’s 12 Universities, 28 State Colleges, and nearly 4000 K-12 schools.

Mae Barker headshotMae Barker, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Clinical Director – Center For Autism & Related Disabilities (Former), Practitioner, UNF Professor

Full Bio
Dr. Mae Barker is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA-D) with over fifteen years of experience in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). She earned her doctorate in the Cognitive and Behavioral Sciences from The Florida State University in 2005 and obtained board certification in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) in 2002. Her past professional experiences include Clinical Director of the UF-Jacksonville Center for Autism and Related Disabilities, in-home behavior therapist, residential care staff, and school-based behavioral specialist. Since 2005, Dr. Barker has been an adjunct faculty member at the University of North Florida, teaching graduate coursework in Applied Behavior Analysis and Autism. She has published research on child safety, contributed to the professional literature on inclusion of students with autism, and developed a training CD to help teach parents how to play with their young children with ASD. At present, she provides ABA services to children, families, and school personnel through Florida Autism Consultants and Educational Services and Parent Training Solutions. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two young daughters, running, reading, and playing in the dirt.

Kevin C headshotKevin Custer

Founding Principal, Arc Capital Development, Investing In and Growing Education and Autism Related Companies

Full Bio
Kevin offers more than 25 years of experience in launching and growing successful education and disability companies. Custer is a founding principal of Arc Capital Development, a private equity and advisory firm that invests in and operates companies that serve school districts, health agencies, practicing professionals, students and parents. The products of his companies have been installed in more than 50 percent of the K-12 schools in the United States with over 10 million online users each week. Under his leadership he took a small Internet company public through a reverse-takeover of Canada’s seventh-fastest growing public company.

Mr. Custer serves as Board President of the Autism Society of Colorado as well as a member of the national board for the Autism Society of America. Additionally, Custer serves on Colorado’s statewide committee for Autism and Neuro-disabilities, Recently, Mr. Custer was the CEO of AutismPro, they provided online resource and training to help schools build the capability to educate children with Autism. In 2009 he participated in Colorado’s Autism Commission, which developed the state’s 10-year strategic plan for autism. He is recognized as an expert in building public and private partnership to serve the disability community.

Lida headshotLida Citroën

CEO & Founder, LIDA360, LLC

Full Bio
With over 20 years of experience, Lida Citroën is an international personal branding and reputation management expert. Her award-winning branding, marketing, and promotional solutions build the identities and reputations of global executives, entrepreneurs and military veterans. Lida was an active board member of the Autism Society of Colorado, a regular speaker at the IBCCES national conference, and is passionate about serving families with autism.

A popular TEDx Speaker  Lida regularly presents keynotes, seminars and programs to corporate teams globally. Her customized LinkedIn Learning courses teach professionals about personal branding, reputation management, reputation repair, job hunting, and military-to-civilian transition. She is a passionate supporter of the military, volunteering her time with veterans transitioning to civilian careers and works with employers to develop programs that focus on veteran hiring and engagement. Lida is a contributing writer to Entrepreneur.com and Military.com and the author of four books, “Reputation 360: Creating Power Through Personal Branding”, “Your Next Mission: A Personal Branding Guide For The Military-To-Civilian Transition”, “Engaging With Veteran Talent: A Quick And Practical Guide To Sourcing, Hiring, Onboarding, and Developing Veteran Employees”, and “Success After Service” (due October 2020).