Tracey Sheriff has served as the Chief Executive Officer for the Autism Society of North Carolina since May 2010. Tracey has more than 20 years of experience working to improve the lives of individuals with autism throughout their lifespans. He began his career working directly with children and adults with autism in residential and vocational settings through the University of North Carolina TEACCH program. Tracey joined the Autism Society of North Carolina in 1996 as a Community Services Coordinator and has since held a variety of positions with ever-increasing responsibilities, including Chief Operating Officer. Tracey received a Master of Science in Administration with a concentration in Health Services from Central Michigan University, and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Frostburg State University. He also earned a Certificate in Non-Profit Management from Duke University. Tracey lives in Garner with his wife and two sons.
Kerri Erb has had both regional and statewide responsibility for the development and implementation of quality enhancement, national accreditation with the Council on Quality Leadership, and other quality management processes for ASNC. Her educational background through the National Leadership Consortium on Developmental Disabilities, UNC-Wilmington’s Quality Enhancement for Nonprofit Organizations Program, and North Carolina State University’s Master of Public Administration program has provided her with a working knowledge of system design, implementation of best practices, outcomes design and measurement, data-driven management, and trends among Intellectual Disability and Development and autism-specific services. She is a member of the Intellectual Disability and Development Consortium, and provides expertise on direct service delivery, clinical and quality management, and the waiver implementation process.
Paul Wendler has been the Chief Financial Officer since 2007. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the State University of New York at Buffalo and subsequently completed all requirements to be a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York. After working for a number of years in both public and private accounting, including experience with large, as well as smaller privately held corporations, Paul relocated to the Raleigh area. He has since served in leadership roles with two large, nonprofit human services agencies. In his free time, Paul volunteers at his church, his homeowners’ association, and other smaller nonprofits. He also participates as a member of the American Institute of CPAs and the North Carolina Association of CPAs.
Kristy White started her career working with YMCAs across North Carolina to build youth and family programs and facilities. She joined the National Inclusion Project as President and Chief Operating Officer in May 2005, after serving as the Project’s Director of Programs. Under her leadership, the National Inclusion Project became the leader in the field of inclusion, contributed millions to inclusive programming across the country, and launched the cutting-edge inclusion models, Let’s ALL Play and Together We Make A Difference. Kristy joined the Autism Society of North Carolina in March 2012 because of her passion for improving the lives of individuals with autism and their families. She graduated from UNC-Wilmington, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Kristy resides in Wake Forest with her husband, Andrew, and their children.
Eb Roberts joined the Autism Society of North Carolina in January 2018. Prior to joining ASNC, she spent 20 years in the for-profit sector, working primarily in behavioral health hospital administration, counseling, and engaged in the practice of law. Her roots in autism began in college, working in group homes in the Charleston area and continued after graduate school, counseling teens and young adults with ASD. Eb holds a Juris Doctorate from Georgia State University College of Law, a Master’s in Counseling from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and a Bachelor’s in Psychology from The College of Charleston. She resides in Cary with her husband and two sons.
Kari Johnston began her career with the Autism Society of North Carolina in 1997, providing direct support services to several individuals with ASD in eastern North Carolina. She then became a Community Services Coordinator and, in 2000, opened the Greenville Services Office. During her tenure in the eastern region, Kari held numerous positions with increasing responsibility, including Eastern Regional Director. Under her leadership, the region expanded to serve more than 100 individuals with ASD throughout 12 counties, employed more than 180 staff providing direct support services, and operated two residential homes. Throughout this time, the eastern region earned a reputation for excellent clinical quality and built strong partnerships with area LMEs/MCOs. In 2014, Kari became the Director of Services and is responsible for the oversight of statewide direct support services to nearly 700 individuals with ASD served by more than 900 direct care and support staff in five regions across North Carolina. Kari attended Pennsylvania State University, where she received her bachelor’s degree in Rehabilitation Services. She resides in Clayton with her husband and four children.
Tim Ferreira has worked for the Autism Society of North Carolina for more than 15 years in a number of roles, including community and day program direct care work and advocacy, community services supervision and training, and positions that have strengthened and expanded ASNC’s quality management program. As the Director of Quality & Compliance, Tim directs the coordination of quality and compliance concerns across the state. As a family member of individuals with autism, he brings his personal experience along with this variety of professional experience to the table, keeping quality and the positive experiences of those we serve and employ at the forefront. Tim holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from North Carolina State University and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University and has completed the Advancing Strong Leadership in I/DD program through the National Leadership Consortium on Developmental Disabilities at the University of Delaware.
David Laxton began his career at the Autism Society of North Carolina in January 1995 and has worked in the autism field for over 30 years. Prior to ASNC, he worked for the TEACCH Autism Program at the University of North Carolina, as a member of the team that opened the Carolina Living and Learning Center, a unique farm and residential setting for adults with autism, and as a job coach, securing competitive employment for dozens of adults on the autism spectrum. David is the past chair of the Chapter Services Committee of the Autism Society of America where he provided strategic planning, branding, and leadership training. He is a member of the Public Relations Society of America and the American Marketing Association. David graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology.
Dave Lippard first worked for the Autism Society of North Carolina in the late 1980’s as Communications Manager and returned in 1999 as Director of IT after following a career path in information systems that spanned positions in software development/training, government, healthcare, and manufacturing. Dave received his Bachelor of Business Administration from Campbell University, a Master Certificate in Internet Marketing from the University of San Francisco and holds a variety of network engineer and operator certifications.
Jennifer Mahan has worked for the Autism Society of North Carolina since October of 2010. Her role includes legislative, grassroots, and one-on-one advocacy supporting ASNC’s public policy targets. Jennifer’s 30 years of experience in health and human services have focused on consumer advocacy, information and referral programs, and public policy related to developmental disabilities, mental health, addictive disease, health care, and low-income benefits programs. She has served as Chair of several statewide advocacy coalitions and currently chairs the Developmental Disability Consortium, 30 organizations advocating for the rights, opportunities and responsibilities, of individuals with developmental disabilities; and as co-chair of the Public Policy Committee of The Coalition, 40 organizations advocating for the needs of individuals across developmental disabilities, addictive disease, and mental health disorders.
Whitney has worked alongside individuals, families, and advocates in the autism community for over a decade. 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. Whitney has provided support and expertise across a variety of contexts, including home and community-based family coaching and consultation; supervision and implementation of comprehensive, intensive intervention programs, best-practice behavior analytic service-provision; workshop delivery and coaching for service providers and professionals; and collaboration with funders, advisory groups, and interdisciplinary teams. Whitney is honored to lead 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.
Kim Tizzard has worked for the Autism Society of North Carolina for almost 15 years. In that time, she has worked with well over 1,000 families regarding a variety of concerns including school issues, crisis situations, and developing positive strategies to overcome challenges in a variety of settings. In addition to her personal experience as the mother of a son with autism, Ms. Tizzard currently serves as the Director of Family Support. In her current role, she supports Autism Resource Specialists and Support Groups across the State. She advocates for a blended approach in teaching individuals with autism and understands the importance of structure for learning, attending, and independent skills. Ms. Tizzard has also worked as a classroom teacher in a self-contained classroom as well as in regular classrooms where children with disabilities were mainstreamed successfully. Kim has a Bachelor of Science in Public Relations.
David Yell began working in the autism field while in college, working summers at the Autism Society of North Carolina Summer Camp and in residential and classroom settings through the University of North Carolina TEACCH program. David joined the Autism Society of North Carolina full-time in May 1995 with the Summer Camp Program and as a Community Services Coordinator. David helped to oversee the construction and opening of Camp Royall in 1997 and served as Camp Royall Director until 2005. In 2005 he became Property Director overseeing properties across the state. David received a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University and has several facility-related certifications. David lives in Pittsboro with his wife and three children.
Together, we can help individuals with autism build fulfilling lives and contribute to their communities through their unique gifts.
