Douglas Moes is a licensed clinical psychologist and Board Certified Behavior Analyst specializing in the treatment of autism and severe behavior disorders. He received his Ph.D. from UCSB, where he developed expertise in both Pivotal Response Training and Positive Behavior Support methodologies.

Dr. Moes has obtained extensive training in the diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of autism and emotional behavioral disorders. He completed a pre-doctoral internship at the Kennedy Krieger Institute at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and completed postdoctoral fellowships at UCSF and the Neuropsychiatric Institute at UCLA.

Dr. Moes has published numerous research articles and has presented and trained at conferences and workshops throughout the country. Over the past ten years Dr. Moes has served children and families in both community and residential treatment settings. He resides in Ventura with his wife and two young children.

Dr. Moes is enthusiastic about serving his community by partnering with schools and regional centers to provide quality services to children and families in the Tri Counties.

Michelle Coulter has over ten years of experience in the field of Autism. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst with a master's degree in Communication Disorders and a Clinical Rehabilitation credential.

Michelle has extensive experience in both school and agency settings. In two districts she developed and designed the first classrooms and ABA programs specifically for children with Autism. In the agency setting, she specialized in Early Intervention services and worked with over one hundred families and children with autism.

Michelle has specialized training in a wide variety of approaches including; Pivotal Response Training (PRT), Discrete Trial Training (DTT), Picture Exchange Communication System ( PECS ), and Integrated Play Groups (IPG). Her research has focused on establishing initial diagnostic criterion for differentiating children with Autism from children with Hearing Impairments and the Impact of Parent Education on Social PRT skills.

Michelle has presented many local conferences and presented at number of workshops. Michelle is Ventura County resident and a proud mother of three children.

Faye Carter received her Ph.D in Education from the Joint Doctoral program from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and California State University, Fullerton (CSUF) with an emphasis in Special Education. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) with over 13 years of experience working with children with autism. Her expertise includes early intervention, parent education and support, clinical supervision, consultation, and staff development.

Dr. Carter's research interests include approaches to teaching social skills, sibling relationships when one sibling has a disability and video modeling. Dr. Carter has presented her research and conducted trainings at numerous national conferences. Her research has also been published in journals and book chapters. Dr. Carter has served on the Legislative Blue Ribbon Commission on Autism, on its Task Force on Early Identification and Intervention.

Quy Neel is a licensed Clinical Psychologist who received her Ph.D. in combined counseling/clinical/school psychology with an emphasis in clinical psychology from UCSB, where she specialized in autism spectrum disorders and gained expertise in Pivotal Response Training, the Picture Exchange Communication System, and Positive Behavior Support.

Dr. Neel also has training and experience with diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of emotional and disruptive behavior disorders. She completed a pre-doctoral internship at the USC/Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles (University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities) where she completed additional training in therapy for children and families, psychodiagnostic assessment, a specialty rotation in Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), and the interdisciplinary Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) program.

Dr. Neel completed her postdoctoral training at Child Abuse Listening and Mediation (CALM) in Santa Barbara where she completed her certification in Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) and participated in the Great Beginnings program. Dr. Neel is published in autism research areas such as imitation, PRT, and parent education, and has presented at several national conferences.

Dr. Neel resides in the Santa Barbara area with her husband and enjoys the opportunity to serve her community through partnerships with the regional center and looks forward to expanding partnerships with other community members.

Kristi Moes is licensed by the State of California as a Clinical Social Worker. Kristi earned her graduate degree in Social Work from the University of Southern California where she pursued a concentration in Mental Health studies. Kristi's post masters experience includes extensive training in the assessment and treatment of various mental health related disorders including severe emotional behavioral disorders. In addition to her background in mental health, Kristi possesses expertise in the use of Positive Behavioral Support methodologies in the treatment of autism and related disorders. Prior to receiving her graduate degree, Kristi worked at the Kennedy Krieger Institute at the John's Hopkins University School of Medicine where she received specialized training in Applied Behavior Analysis for the treatment of severe behavior disorders.

Kristi has also worked as a behavioral analyst conducting parent education and direct intervention for children with autism in home and school settings. For the past eleven years, Kristi has counseled individuals, families, and couples in the Ventura County community. She has worked as a counselor in both the public and private sector, including Child Protective Services and County Mental Health.

Kristi is passionate about providing individuals and families with the supportive services needed to help them overcome life's challenges, including those associated with raising a child with special needs.

Michelle Wenzel, is a board certified behavioral analyst who received her Bachelor's degree in Psychology from California State University, Northridge where her main focus of study was in the areas of child development and child psychology. She has over six years of experience working with children with development disabilities and over four years of experience working specifically with children with Autism. She has extensive formal training in Applied Behavior Analysis which includes the areas of Discrete Trial Teaching, Pivotal Response Training, Positive Behavior Supports, and Functional Analysis Assessments. She has also completed her Master's degree in Counseling including coursework with an emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis.

As a Clinical Manager, Michelle develops programs and collaborates with therapists on implementation of programming designed for individuals with Autism and other developmental disorders for a variety of ages. In addition, she is currently providing school consultation regarding behavior management and behavior training in the Conejo Valley School District.

Nicolette Nefdt Gonzalez received her Ph.D. in Special Education, Disabilities and Risk Studies at UCSB, where she specialized in autism spectrum disorders and gained expertise in Pivotal Response Training and Positive Behavior Support. Dr. Nefdt spent three years as one of the project managers of the County Funded First STEP program. During this time she received training and experience with diagnosis and assessment of children with autism spectrum disorders and children with language delays and worked closely with Pediatricians and community agencies for comprehensive service delivery for families in need.

Following her graduate career Dr. Nefdt spent a year managing the Ventura County Branch of the Koegel Autism Center where she provided training and supervision for families in home and school based programs.

Dr. Nefdt has taught in the Special Education Teacher Credentialing program at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and continues to pursue research in this area. Dr. Nefdt is published in autism research areas such as PRT, parent education and service delivery models, and has presented at several national conferences. She has also participated in the international dissemination of Pivotal Response Treatment.

Dr. Nefdt resides in the Ventura area and aims to provide effective support and education for families and children affected by autism while also adding to the development of the science of the field.

Ariella Parker has extensive experience in early language development and social communication skills in children with autism. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and received her Ph.D from UCSB where she developed expertise in both Pivotal Response Treatment and Positive Behavioral Support methodologies. She also has specialized training in various other ABA approaches including Discrete Trial Teaching (DTT), and The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS).

Ariella has conducted workshops for parents and professionals and has consulted in classroom settings, training paraprofessionals in ABA and creating individualized behavior plans for students. Her research has focused on reducing over selective responding in early language development and using behavioral momentum within the PRT methodology to promote functional and spontaneous language skills in young children with autism.

Ariella continues to present her research at both national and local conferences. She currently resides in Ventura with her family.

Maria Wynne is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst who has been in the field of special education for the past 11 years. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Georgia focusing on Applied Behavior Analysis and Autism, Learning Disabilities, and Educational Administration and Policy. While she was working on her doctorate in Georgia, Maria was a member of the steering committee for Effective Behavioral and Instructional Supports (EBIS) with Georgia's state Department of Education. She also taught Positive Behavioral Supports for Young Children with Challenging Behaviors and Instructional Methods courses at the University of Georgia. She worked at the Northwest Center of Applied Behavior Analysis conducting functional analyses while completing her master's degree in special education at Gonzaga University.

In addition to being a behavior analyst, Maria has a great interest in teaching early literacy as she conducted research examining the construct validity of two literacy assessments to contribute data to the Reading First Initiative for the No Child Left Behind Act. Maria continues to integrate her knowledge of the relationship between problem behavior and academic failure with her work consulting in the school system. She currently resides in Ojai, California, where she is happy to be back near her hometown of Los Angeles.

Wendi Sims is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) with over 9 years of experience working with children with autism. Wendi received her Master's Degree in Applied Behavior Analysis and her Bachelor's Degree in Child Development from California State University, Los Angeles.

She spent over 3 years as the Assistant Principal of a non-public school specializing in children on the autism spectrum. She has conducted trainings and workshops on various topics related to Applied Behavior Analysis to school staff and parents. She has had extensive training and experience in various methodologies such as Discrete Trial Teaching, Pivotal Response Training, and Positive Behavior Support. She specializes in early intervention and programming for children under the age of five.

Mayu Fujiwara is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst who received her Bachelor's degree in Psychology and Biology from University of California, San Diego where she was a research assistant at the Autism Lab under Dr. Schreibman and Dr. Whalen. She received her Master's degree from California State University, Los Angeles in Counseling with emphasis in Behavior Intervention Case Management.

Mayu has over ten years of experience working with children with autism and children with developmental disabilities. She has extensive experience and training in designing, implementing, and overseeing behavioral intervention programs, as well as providing consultation support in the school and community setting. She also has experience providing support to the families of children with autism through parent education.

She is a member of professional organizations (CalABA, ABAI, JABA) and attends national conferences regularly to further her knowledge. Mayu has also presented at conferences. She is fluent in Japanese and has great appreciation for various cultural influences on ABA services in the home, school, and community. (She currently resides in the San Fernando Valley with her husband and twin boys.)

Lindsey has a master's degree in Special Education with an emphasis Applied Behavior Analysis, and is also a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Lindsey received her bachelor of science degree in Biopsychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), where she worked as an undergraduate clinician at the Koegel Autism Center. In her two years at the Koegel Autism Center, Lindsey received extensive training in effective delivery of Pivotal Response Treatment and also worked as a research assistant. During her senior year at UCSB, Lindsey worked as a behavioral therapist for STAR. After graduating from UCSB, Lindsey began her master's program at the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle, where she studied under Dr. Ilene Schwartz.

While at UW, Lindsey completed her practicum for her master's program at the Haring Center for Applied Research and Training in Education, at the Experimental Education Unit (EEU), an inclusive early childhood center providing research-based educational services to families and children with and without disabilities from birth to kindergarten. At the EEU, Lindsey worked as an integral part of the IEP team in three separate classrooms � an inclusive preschool classroom, an infant/toddler classroom, and the Project DATA classroom (an extended day program for children with autism). After graduating from UW, Lindsey moved back to San Luis Obispo, where she grew up, and has been working for STAR out of the San Luis Obispo office since. Lindsey first became interested in working with children with special needs in high school, after volunteering as a counselor at Camp Hapitok, a therapeutic summer camp for children with communication disorders, run by the San Luis Obispo County Office of Education.

Lindsey is excited to be living in her hometown and supporting families and children in the community.

Scott Revlin is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst who began working with children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders while an undergraduate at UCLA. Mr. Revlin worked closely with Dr. O. Ivar Lovaas, serving as the Assistant Director of Clinical Services at the Lovaas Institute for Early Intervention, as Lovaas' research and teaching assistant, and as a lecturer at UCLA. Mr. Revlin had the sad honor of coauthoring Lovaas' final publication in 2006.

Mr. Revlin received his MA in Psychology at Pepperdine University, and has presented at conferences and universities throughout California on the topics of behavioral theory, behavioral treatment of individuals with autism, and how to train school aides to facilitate inclusion. His current research interests are maximizing the effects of reinforcement, and the use of video modeling in social skills development. He has worked with countless children and families over the last 15 years, and is proud to have helped train therapists and supervisors who are now providing effective treatment to children around the world. He resides in Ventura County with his wife.

Meredith Hagan is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst with over 10 years experience working with children with autism. She has a Master's degree in Special Education with a Specialization in Applied Behavior Analysis.

Meredith has extensive training in various methodologies of ABA, including Discrete Trial Training, Pivotal Response Treatment and Positive Behavior Support. Throughout her career, Meredith has supported children with autism in various settings through various organizations. She has provided in-home and school support to students and consultation to parents and school personnel. After working as a behavior therapist and subsequent program supervisor for a non-public agency in Los Angeles, Meredith served as a Behavior Specialist for Westwood school district outside Boston, MA. While at Westwood, Meredith oversaw over 60 students with a primary focus on conducting Functional Behavior Assessments, developing Behavior Support Plans for the school and home settings, and training staff and family member on implementation.

In addition, Meredith worked at an international school in Trieste, Italy developing a Special Education Program to support children of various cultural backgrounds succeed in an international setting. Her work there included staff trainings on functions of behavior, behavior support plans, and various methodologies in ABA, as well as working with students and families on how to best support their progress in classroom and home settings.

Meredith has also presented research at ABA conferences and is a member of several professional ABA organizations. She is thrilled to be part of the STAR team and continues to enhance her professional development by attending conferences and seminars in ABA.