ABA & Clinical Services

Whitney has worked alongside individuals, families, and advocates in the autism community for over a decade. Within her work, Whitney has been afforded the opportunity to provide support and gain expertise across a variety of contexts, including home and community-based family coaching and consultation; supervision and implementation of comprehensive, intensive intervention programs, rooted in the principles of contemporary, best-practice behavior analytic service-provision; workshop delivery and coaching for service providers and professionals; and collaboration with relevant stakeholders such as funders, advisory groups, and interdisciplinary teams. Whitney completed her graduate work at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, where she received training to become a board certified behavior analyst (BCBA) and licensed psychological associate (LPA). Whitney joined the ASNC Clinical Team in 2014 and worked alongside senior clinical leadership to build the LifeLong Interventions program, which is where her clinical focus remains today. Whitney is honored to assist in leading a team of talented, compassionate professionals as they carry out meaningful and impactful work across the state, supporting individuals and families in their homes and communities. wluffman@autismsociety-nc.org

In her current role as the Associate Clinical Director at ASNC, she provides consultation to families and professionals across North Carolina. She leads external training projects for the organization and delivers presentations, workshops and ongoing coaching to school systems, service providers, and other stakeholder groups. She has extensive experience implementing and overseeing programs that emphasize the integration of evidence-based practices in intervention for neurodiverse children and adolescents. Louise has received intensive training in such naturalistic models as ESDM and PRT. Louise also served as the content director for the National Institutes of Health-funded JobTIPS project, a web-based resource for neurodiverse adolescents and adults who struggle to obtain and maintain competitive employment. She received her PhD in Curriculum and Instruction at North Carolina State University (NCSU), with a concentration in Special Education. Current areas of focus include equity in education and behavioral intervention, social emotional learning, naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions, organization-wide DEI initiatives, culturally responsive service provision, and scaling up the implementation of evidence-based practices across organizations, schools and systems. Louise has been privileged to work in this field since 1998. lsouthern@autismsociety-nc.org

Jessica began working with people Autism Spectrum Disorder and developmental disabilities in 1995 as direct support staff. She earned her B.A. in Psychology from the University at Albany and later received her M.A. and Ph.D. in Psychology from Louisiana State University with a concentration in autism and developmental disabilities. While in graduate school, Jessica focused her research on challenging behaviors, autism symptoms in adults, and early identification of autism in toddlers. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, with rotations focused on severe behavioral challenges and feeding disorders. Prior to ASNC, Jessica spent four years at Murdoch Developmental Center as psychologist for the specialized programs STARS and BART, which served individuals with developmental disabilities, co-occurring mental health diagnoses, and severe behavioral challenges.

Dr. Myers was Clinical Director from January 2013 – April 2023. He earned his master’s and Ph.D. degrees from Utah State University in 1978 and 1981, respectively. He worked at Murdoch Developmental Center in Butner, NC, as Psychologist, Director of Psychology, Director of Professional Services, Director of Programming, and for the last eight years of his career there, as Facility Director. While there, he oversaw the development of the specialized programs PATH, BART, STARS, and TRACK, which have effectively served many individuals with development disabilities (including autism) and severe behavioral challenges. After retiring from state employment, Dr. Myers was most pleased to join ASNC. As the only recipient of both the TEACCH Award and the Fred Keller Award for Excellence in Behavior Analysis, Aleck is well-suited to lead our Clinical Program. amyers@autismsociety-nc.org

Jenna joined ASNC in January 2022 as an Integrated Care Professional and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). She has a Bachelor’s in Psychology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and received her MSW from UNC Chapel Hill in 2011. Jenna has worked for almost 9 years in the NC Managed Care Organization (MCO) system and she maintains a robust knowledge and understanding of the service system for those with IDD, ASD, TBI, and mental health diagnoses. Jenna most recently worked at the TEACCH Autism Program where she provided psychotherapy utilizing CBT, DBT, ESDM, and Structured TEACCHing evidence-based practices for clients across the lifespan. She also previously worked for ASNC as a Direct Care Professional in the community as well as at the Creative Living Day Program.  Jenna is excited to support the Clinical Team to ensure ASNC participants and families across the State are able to meet their goals and lead fulfilling lives.

Jessica has worked with individuals with autism since 2008, beginning her journey as a direct support staff working in an early-intervention program in Fredericksburg, Virginia. In 2013, she received Board Certification as an Assistant Behavior Analyst and continued to work with individuals across a range of ages in multiple settings including home, clinic, and school. As an Assistant Behavior Analyst, Jessica gained experience conducting assessments, developing treatment programs, supervising and training behavior technicians, and collaborating with multi-disciplinary teams to ensure consistency across providers. After moving to the Asheville area in 2015, Jessica joined ASNC as a qualified professional. In this role, Jessica supervised service provision for adolescents and adults on the spectrum. Additionally, Jessica assisted the Asheville clinical team with behavioral consultation to include development, implementation, and monitoring of behavior support plans for individuals receiving community-based services. Jessica received her Master’s in Professional Behavior Analysis from the Florida Institute of Technology in 2020 and shortly thereafter earned her BCBA. Jessica is excited to continue her journey with ASNC and is honored to join the Lifelong Interventions Program in Asheville.

Matt has been part of the ASNC Clinical team since  2014. Matt began his work with people with autism in 2008 with ASNC’s Camp Mountain Adventure, which gave him a passion for working with people with ASD. Matt is happy to be back in the mountains of North Carolina and at the Autism Society. He earned his master’s degree in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis from UNC-Wilmington in 2013. Following school, Matt gained experience working across the age range in a variety of settings, including early intervention in homes and clinics, developmental centers, schools, homes, and the community. He has a background in assisting with challenging behaviors and skill development. In his current role at ASNC, Matt provides behavioral consultation in the Asheville region.

Alana is a Behavior Analyst with a Masters of Arts in Teaching with a concentration in Special Education from UNC Charlotte. She gained her passion for autism when she began working with children in college in 2003. After graduation, she taught in a self-contained classroom for students with autism for five years in the Charlotte Mecklenburg School district prior to accepting a position working for their central office on the autism team in 2012. In this role, she supported students with autism ages 4-22 in all educational settings with varying ranges of abilities and functioning in 82 schools. In 2013, Alana began her coursework at Florida Institute of Technology in Behavior Analysis and was certified as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst in 2016. She began consulting as a BCBA in August 2016; her responsibilities included conducting assessments and writing and implementing treatment plans for skill acquisition and reduction of maladaptive behaviors. Alana joined the ASNC Clinical team in 2017, providing LifeLong Intervention services in the Charlotte area; now she has moved to the Asheville area.

Erica graduated from Salem College with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology and earned her Master’s Degree in Applied Behavior Analysis from Columbia University, Teachers College. Erica began her career at the Mariposa School for Children with Autism where she served as both an instructor and a Program Coordinator for social skills programs and afterschool one-on-one programs that used the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis. She also developed a track-out program for students with autism and other developmental delays. While pursuing her master’s, Erica worked full-time in a self-contained preschool classroom and an inclusion first-grade classroom that employed behavior analytic principles. In 2013, Erica began working at the Carolina Center for ABA and Autism Treatment as a consultant and later as the Director of Training and Staff Development. During this time, Erica worked with graduate students seeking the BCBA credential. In 2016, Erica joined the Autism Society of North Carolina. As a part of her role, Erica leads several LLI cases and assists in the design and implementation of training initiatives and onboarding for the department’s Registered Behavior Technicians.

Merlin began her work with individuals with developmental disabilities in 2011 at a small private school in St. Petersburg Florida. There, she worked as a behavior therapist while working towards becoming a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Upon graduating from the University of South Florida in 2015 with a degree in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling, she became the clinical supervisor at a new campus, focusing on increasing independent living skills with teenagers. After five years working in private schools, she became a private contractor working independently in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. Here she worked with individuals from 2 to 19 years of age with a variety of diagnosis and medical needs. Merlin moved to Raleigh, North Carolina in September of 2018 to join the team at ASNC. Since then, she has worked with families to develop programs to improve communication, social, leisure skills and independence with daily living.  In her role, Merlin also develops and delivers workshops and webinars to families and professionals. Merlin is passionate about increasing access to resources and supports to families, and delivering training to professionals to promote culturally responsive service provision. Merlin comenzó su trabajo con personas con discapacidades en el 2011 en una escuela privada en St. Petersburg, Florida. Allí, trabajó como terapeuta mientras estudiava para convertirse en una analista de comportamiento certificada (BCBA pro sus siglas en ingles). Después de graduarse de la Universidad del Sur de Florida en 2015 con un título en Rehabilitación y Consejería de Salud Mental, se convirtió en la supervisora clínica en una escuela privada, trabajando con adolescentes. Después de cinco años trabajando en escuelas privadas, se convirtió en una contratista y trabajaba en el area de Tampa Bay en Florida. Aquí trabajó con personas de 2 a 19 años de edad con una variedad de diagnósticos y necesidades médicas. Merlin se mudó a Raleigh, Carolina del Norte en septiembre de 2018 para unirse al equipo de ASNC. Desde entonces, ha trabajado con las familias para ayudar a desarrollar programas para mejorar la comunicación, las habilidades sociales, de ocio y la independencia con la vida diaria. También ha trabajado para presentar y desarrollar materiales de entrenamiento para familias y la comunidad. A Merlin le apasiona aumentar el acceso al apoyo y los servicios a las familias y proporcionar entrenamiento a otros profesionales para que puedan proporcionar servicios culturalmente apropiados.

Lesley joined the Clinical Department in  2018 but has been working for the Autism Society of North Carolina at Camp Royall since 2006, most recently as the Program Director. Lesley is honored to have worked closely with so many campers and families through her years at Camp Royall, in an environment that prioritizes fun while allowing campers to grow and providing families with much needed respite. Lesley is from Scotland and moved to America to work full-time at Camp Royall in 2010. Lesley obtained her certification as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst in 2015. She received her master’s degree in Social Work and Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Edinburgh. Lesley has worked with individuals on the spectrum of all ages since 2004, in residential, recreation, home, and classroom settings. Lesley is passionate about supporting individuals with autism and their families to lead full and fulfilling lives.

Alyssa joined the ASNC LifeLong Interventions team in 2016 as a Registered Behavior Technician and became a Clinical Professional in 2017 after obtaining certification as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Alyssa earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Developmental Psychology from Framingham State University and completed her Master of Education degree in Foundations in Behavior Analysis from the University of Cincinnati. Alyssa has worked with individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities since 2011 across residential, classroom, clinic, and in-home settings. She also has experience working as a special education teacher for Johnston County Schools and as a developmental therapist for Cornerstone Family Services, teaching communication, skill acquisition, and behavior reduction goals to children ages birth through three with developmental delays. Alyssa is passionate about working with individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families, and she is excited to be part of ASNC’s LifeLong Interventions program in the Triangle.

Anna joined the ASNC Clinical team in 2021. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Appalachian State University and earned her Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis from UNC Wilmington. Anna completed a clinical internship and post-graduate work at the Center for Pediatric Behavioral Health in Wilmington. During this time, she gained experience in the areas of severe challenging behavior and pediatric feeding disorders. Additionally, Anna provided consultative services to increase self-management of daily activities including medical, nighttime, and toileting routines. Anna conducted assessments, developed behavioral interventions, provided caregiver training, and consulted with local medical professionals to improve the experience of medical appointments for patients with autism. She also has experience providing in-home ABA therapy to individuals from 3 to 20 years of age. Anna is so excited to collaborate with people with autism and their families as part of the ASNC team!

Anne has been working with individuals with special needs since 1999, first as a direct care provider and later as a supervisor. She completed her clinical internship at J. Iverson Riddle Developmental Center and earned her master’s degree in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis at UNC Wilmington in 2007. After completing her graduate training, Anne worked as a Behavior Analyst for The May Institute’s Southeast Regional Autism Center in Georgia before returning to North Carolina in 2009 to establish the May Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders in Jacksonville, NC. In her role as Clinical Director at the May Center, she established a relationship with local supports at Camp Lejeune and Cherry Point; assisted in marketing and grant writing; conducted assessments and developed treatment plans and behavior plans; provided trainings to families and community supports; recruited, hired, and trained new staff; supervised interns and direct support staff; oversaw scheduling, productivity, and insurance authorizations; and provided direct in-home therapy to children diagnosed with autism whose families were stationed at Camp Lejeune and Cherry Point.  In 2014, she moved to Baltimore, Maryland and worked as an ABA Program Supervisor at The Shafer Center, a non-public school for children with autism. Anne joined the ASNC Clinical team in 2020 and is so excited to be back in North Carolina providing services to children, adults, and families in the Triangle region.

Yolanda has worked with individuals with autism since 2016, beginning her journey as a behavior specialist in Louisville, KY. Yolanda finished her Master of Education in Counseling Psychology at the University of Louisville in 2012 and her PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision from the University of Louisville in August of 2016. In 2019, she received her Board Certification in Behavior Analysis. Yolanda has experience working with children and adults with autism, traumatic brain injury and other conditions in a variety of settings including home, clinic, community, and school. In particular, Yolanda has extensive experience coaching teachers and administrators in school-based settings to implement behavioral interventions. Yolanda joined ASNC in 2021 and is excited to serve families and individuals in the Triangle region.

Maggie joined the ASNC Clinical team in 2017 and has worked with individuals with autism since 2008. She received her master’s in Human Services Psychology with a concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in 2013. While pursuing her master’s, she worked at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, MD, in the Pediatric Feeding Disorders Unit, where she gained valuable experience in the assessment and treatment of problem behavior, as well as parent training. Maggie is passionate about creating evidence-based programming that improves the lives of individuals with ASD and their families and is honored to provide LifeLong Interventions in the Triangle region.

Tanya has been a Psychological Associate for ASNC since 2011. She earned her B.A. in Psychology from UNC-Chapel Hill and her M.A. in Clinical Psychology from NC Central University. Tanya began her career at Murdoch Developmental Center, where she gained experience in writing and monitoring behavior intervention plans using the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis. Over the past 25 years, she has worked for a variety of agencies including Shigley Family Psychological Services, Autism Services, Inc., and the TEACCH Program. In these settings, she provided psychological consultation to group homes for adults with autism, conducted assessments of young children with developmental disabilities, led structured teaching sessions for families with children or adults with autism, and consulted to classrooms serving students with autism. Tanya currently works for ASNC and the TEACCH Program Carolina Living and Learning Center (CLLC). She especially enjoys working directly with individuals with autism and collaborating with their families.

Lindsay graduated from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington with a B.A. in Psychology in 2013 and earned her M.A. in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis from UNCW in 2017. During her time as an undergraduate, she was exposed to the field of behavior analysis while conducting research focusing on the treatment of pediatric feeding disorders. Her graduate research focused on increasing physical activity in children. She joined the ASNC team as a Clinical Intern in 2017 and became a Clinical Professional in 2018 after becoming a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Through all of these opportunities, she gained experience in assessment and treatment, writing behavior plans, parent training, and data collection/analysis. She is passionate about working with individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder and is thrilled to be a part of the ASNC team.

Jim began his career in the field of developmental disabilities in 1975 while completing his B.A. in Psychology at SUNY Binghamton. He earned his Ph.D. from West Virginia University in 1984. Jim has worked as psychologist at J. Iverson Riddle Developmental Center in Morganton, NC, and then as Director of Psychology Services at Murdoch Developmental Center. During his career, Jim established and served the North Carolina Association for Behavior Analysis (NCABA) and co-authored several publications on staff training and management, teaching adaptive skills, and reducing interfering behavior in individuals diagnosed with intellectual disability. Upon his retirement from the state of North Carolina in 2013, he expanded his work in the field of autism and behavior analysis, adding his professional skills to ASNC’s Clinical Department.

Lea earned her master’s degree in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) in 2016, and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) as well as a Licensed Psychological Associate (LPA). Prior to joining the ASNC Clinical team in 2018, she worked at the May Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders, a nonprofit organization in Jacksonville, NC. Lea is passionate about encouraging autism acceptance, inclusion, and allyship in the Wilmington community. As part of the Wilmington team, she provides in-home and in-clinic ABA services, consultative behavior support planning, and runs Social Connection groups. In her clinical work, her primary goal is to provide mediation to families and support to clients using kind, trauma-informed, and evidence-based practices that create long-term outcomes and meaningful successes in the areas that are most critical.

Rachel is a behavior analyst (BCBA) and licensed psychological associate (LPA) that has been part of the clinical team at the Autism Society of North Carolina (ASNC) since June of 2017. She has worked with individuals on the spectrum for more than 20 years and received her master’s degree in Psychology with a concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis from UNC Wilmington in 2010. Before joining the ASNC team, Rachel served as a clinician and subsequently as a director of programming for the May Center for ABA in Jacksonville, NC from 2010-2017. While she loved working with military families and a strong team in Jacksonville, Rachel was excited to transition to a role working closer to her home and family alongside the passionate and empowering clinicians at ASNC to assist in building a clinical program at their Wilmington office.  Rachel has supported individuals in home-based, school-based, and clinic settings, and loves working collaboratively with families to help the individuals that she serves to build skills that promote safety, empowerment, independence, and most of all happiness. More recently, Rachel led the clinical team in Wilmington in building clinic-based services that promote school readiness for young children with autism.

Caroline earned an M.A. in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis in 2018 from UNC-Wilmington. Caroline completed her graduate internship in the Severe Behavior Program at the Center for Pediatric Behavioral Health, during which she gained experience implementing functional behavior assessments and function-based treatments for children and adolescents who engaged in severe challenging behavior. After completing her graduate training, Caroline became a Behavior Analyst at the May Center for ABA Services in Jacksonville, NC, where she was responsible for conducting assessments to assess client progress with developmental milestones; writing and implementing treatment plans to help clients progress with communication, attending, safety skills, activities of daily living, and social skills; conducting functional behavior assessments and developing behavior support plans; supervising and training Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs); and providing parent consultation. Caroline has experience working with individuals in home, school, clinic, and telehealth settings. Caroline joined the ASNC Clinical team in 2021 and is very excited to provide support for the Wilmington community.

Melissa has been with ASNC since 2015. She earned her B.A. in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Upon graduation, she worked as the coordinator of a group home for adults with autism. She gained experience in the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis by providing one-on-one therapy as a senior instructor at the Mariposa School for Children with Autism. She then worked in an autism classroom at Wake County Public Schools before joining ASNC’s LifeLong Interventions program as a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT). In this position, she provided intensive in-home behavioral therapy for both adults and children with autism and assisted in training incoming RBTs. In 2016, she presented a poster at the NC Association for Applied Behavior Analysis conference that analyzed treatment efficacy for adults on the spectrum and was awarded for having the Best Professional Level poster. Melissa accepted the role of Clinical Intake Coordinator in January 2017 and is excited to assist and connect with families seeking clinical services.