Liz received a bachelor of arts in intensive psychology from UC Santa Cruz in 2008 and started in the field of ABA as a behavior technician in 2009. She worked as a Junior Therapist with STE from 2012-2013 and then served in the Peace Corps from 2010-2012 as a health educator volunteer in Moldova. Following her time in the Peace Corps, Liz received Masters of Arts in Applied Behavior Analysis from Westfield State in Massachusetts in 2015 and became a board certified behavior analyst in November 2015.
Nicole graduated from Gonzaga University with a Bachelor's degree in Communications and Italian Studies. She has interned for a variety of companies in the past six years, taking on roles in HR, PR, communications, and marketing. Her experiences working with a local non-profit led her to strongly value mission-driven organizations that seek to change the world for the better.
When she isn't in-office, Nicole often spends her time backpacking, trail-running, playing rugby, and watching baseball.
Danielle started in the field of ABA as a behavior technician in 2011. She quickly fell in love with the field after seeing the positive impact ABA services had on her clients and their families. Danielle received her Masters of Arts in Psychology from San Diego State University and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She has experience with a wide range of ages and abilities, and strives to help every client reach their goals. Danielle is passionate about providing high quality ABA services, caregiver training, and creating effective treatment plans for all her clients. She aims to make ABA services a fun and rewarding experience for staff, families, and clients.
Natalie Aihara graduated from California State University of East Bay with a Bachelors in Psychology in 2012. In 2017, she completed her Masters in Education with Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) coursework from Arizona State University. With 5 years of field experience, Natalie has worked across multiple agencies as a behavioral technician providing ABA services to individuals with developmental disabilities from 2 to 17 years. She has experience working within home, school, and community environments. She is also a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.
Yadira "Yadi" Martinez-Garcia graduated from San Francisco State University with her Bachelor of Arts in Communicative Disorders in 2011. She received her Master of Education from Arizona State University in 2014. Yadi has been working with children with developmental disabilities since 2009 ages 2 to 16 including home, community, and school settings. Yadi is currently pursuing her Board Certification in Behavior Analysis (BCBA).
Yadi enjoys collaborating with families, behavior technicians, members of the Training Team and Clinical Directors, and appreciates how behavior technicians continuously implement feedback, grow, and always ask ways they can improve to provide the best services for their kiddos.
Kelly has been working with children and adolescents with autism and other developmental disabilities since 2005. Her experience comprises school, home, clinic, and community settings. Kelly earned a Master of Science degree in Applied Behavior Analysis and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.
Caitlin graduated from University of California, Santa Cruz with Bachelors of Arts in History and Psychology. During her studies, she interned at Gateway School, serving as an aide for school age children with learning difficulties. She then worked with adults with developmental disabilities as a Direct Support Professional in Santa Cruz, CA, before moving to Berkeley and becoming a Behavior Technician at STE Consultants. Caitlin integrates her background and experience to assist clients as Client Services Coordinator.
Kajza is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst who completed her undergraduate with a major in Human Services and a minor in Social Services. After entering work as a behavior technician, she immediately knew that she wanted to pursue a lifelong career in behavior analysis and obtained her graduate degree in Psychology with an emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis. Since 2006, she has worked with children and adults with developmental delays and disabilities ranging from 5 months to 72 years of age. Prior to joining STE, Kajza worked as a Clinical Director overseeing services for over 200 children and adults with developmental disabilities. Additionally, she has a variety of experience including school based intervention, in-home intensive services, in-home and clinic based early intervention, community vocational services, multi-disciplinary developmental evaluations and intervention, and caregiver consultation.
Deena Rice started employment with STE Consultants 5 years ago. Prior to her employment with STE, she worked in a school district setting. In the past 7 years, she has worked with individuals with developmental disabilities from the age of 18 months to 22 years. Her experience includes; in home, school settings, and out in the community. On her off time, she is an avid softball player, coach, and female youth mentor.
"The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled."
Amanda was initially trained in ABA for children affected by Autism Spectrum Disorders at Rutgers University, Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center. After moving to Los Angeles, her interest in ABA continued where she worked as a behavioral interventionist while earning a Masters in Child Development at California State University of Los Angeles and completing her Behavior Analysis Certification course work with Florida Institute of Technology. Her focus has been to increase access to quality ABA services across at-risk communities through a variety of programs, including full-inclusion, social skills, adaptive skills, and intensive intervention programs. She relocated to the Bay Area and joined STE Consultants in the summer of 2017.
Holly is a Southern California native who graduated with her bachelors degree in Art Education from the California State University of Los Angeles. Prior to her 5 years of working in the field of ABA she provided in-home living assistance for adults with differing needs. She is finishing up her coursework for her masters in ABA in order to sit for the board, with the determination to become a BCBA.
Erin got her Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and took additional coursework in ABA at Sacramento State University. During her undergrad, Erin volunteered for Head Start and an after school program for children diagnosed with Autism and other developmental disabilities. She started working at STE as a technician in 2011. Erin completed her Master's in Professional Behavior Analysis at Florida Institute of Technology and became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst in 2018. Erin typically works with children that are 2-13 years old and has experience in home and school settings.
Lauren attended the University of California Berkeley where she earned a B.A. in Psychology. Following her undergraduate coursework at Cal, she spent two years as a behavior technician and lead therapist at STE working with children ages 2-10. Her time at STE solidified her interest in a career in Applied Behavior Analysis and she moved to the Northeast to attend Western New England University and work at the New England Center for Children. While at NECC, Lauren worked in the residential program for adolescents and adults with autism and related disabilities while completing the M.S in ABA program. Her master’s thesis was on evaluating the use of redirection procedures in the treatment of socially inappropriate behavior and she gained additional experience in the assessment and treatment of challenging behavior spanning multiple topographies and functions. Lauren is also a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.
Kizamu "Kiz" Hikida graduated from California State University East Bay in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts in Human Development. Since 2008, he has worked with children with developmental disabilities from the ages of 18 months to 15 years in home, community, and school settings.
Rachel Joined STE Consultants on December 2014 after moving to San Francisco from Tel Aviv, Israel.
Rachel graduated from Bar-Ilan University in Israel with a M.A. in Special Education.
She has been working with individuals with developmental disabilities and ASD since 2010. In Israel, she worked in home programs and Special Ed Pre-schools. Rachel is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.
Crystal has worked directly with children with autism at STE since 2012 and has been an active member of STE's Ethics Committee and Leadership Council for several years. She earned her Bachelor's at UCLA in 2011 and her MA in Professional Behavior Analysis through Florida Institute of Technology's hybrid program. She is very excited continue her path of providing quality ABA services to children with developmental delays to create meaningful social and behavioral outcomes.
Maricela Garcia-Plascencia has been a member of the Training Team since the beginning of 2015, and has also provided support for staff for over a year. Maricela joined the STE Consultants team upon graduating from the University of California, Davis with a Master of Science in Child Development in 2012. Maricela is fluent in Spanish. Maricela derives tremendous joy from seeing staff’s continual improvement in program implementation, which has a huge impact for the clients and families we serve. Maricela is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.
Michelle has been working with children and adults with a variety of developmental disabilities since 2007. Her experiences range from independent living facilities, acute care, school facilities, and in-home intensive services. Michelle received her B.A. in Psychology from U.C. Santa Cruz in 2008. She received her M.A. in Special Education with an emphasis in the Moderate/ Severe population and also received certification in the Autism Spectrum program at San Francisco State University in 2013. Michelle is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.
Melissa Thompson, M.S., BCBA is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst who began working with individuals with developmental disabilities in 2004. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley in 2006 and her Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis from Auburn University in 2012. Melissa works with individuals with developmental disabilities ages 16 months to 21 years, supporting families, therapeutic, and educational teams in homes, schools, and community settings. As Director of Clinical Operations, Melissa is dedicated to guiding the Clinical and Training Teams in providing evidence-based, quality ABA services that ultimately improve clients' and their families' quality of life. Melissa has a breadth of professional experience in the areas of parent, staff and teacher training; toilet training for children and young adults; early intervention; assessing and reducing problematic behavior, and improving communication and social skills.
Jenelle attended Eastern Michigan University where she received her B.A. in Psychology. She completed her masters in Applied Behavior Analysis at Florida Institute of Technology where she conducted research on rates of skill acquisition with children whom had been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. She has been working in the field of ABA since 2009. Her experience includes in-home intensive services, clinic based services, full-inclusion model preschool services, telecommunication health, and school facilities. Jenelle is also a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.
Nirupa Fenn graduated from Texas A & M University, Commerce with a B.S. in Psychology and Counseling. She received her Masters in Psychology with a concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis from the University of the Pacific. Nirupa has been working with a range of individuals in various settings for the past 6 years. Her experience includes working in group homes for children with emotional disorders, residential care facilities for individuals with mental illness, crisis homes for individuals with developmental disabilities, schools, homes, and community re-entry programs.
Michelle has been working with children and adults with disabilities since 2004. Her experiences are in in-home intensive services, school-based consultation, and hospital settings. Michelle received a B.A. in Political Science and Sociology and M.S.W. with a specialization in health from U.C. Berkeley. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.
"Krista became a Certified Massage Therapist and Health Educator in 2006 from the National Holistic Institute and is actively pursuing a degree in Health Education. She joined the STE Administrative Team in 2012, transitioned into our Human Resources Department in Dec. 2014, and as of 2017, is the Site Coordinator for STE's first Center located in the Oakland area! Krista oversees and facilitates the operational functions of our Center, while providing support to our teams and promoting engagement and social activities for our clients in the center-based environment."
Sarah knew that Applied Behavior Analysis was what she wanted to do for a career as an undergraduate at Gonzaga University. Sarah completed her Masters Degree in Special Education at San Francisco State University with an emphasis on vocational education for adults with developmental disabilities in 2001. Sarah became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst™ in 2004, the same year she founded STE Consultants. In addition to her work at STE Consultants, Sarah is very involved with practice management and public policy issues related to ABA services. Sarah has led workshops and served on numerous panels at regional and national conferences focused on practitioner issues and health insurance reform. Sarah has guest lectured at San Francisco State University, has trained special educators and behavior analysts internationally and frequently travels around the US to provide consultative support to ABA business owners.
Sarah is the President of the California Association for Behavior Analysis (CalABA) - www.calaba.org. Sarah is the Vice-President of the Council of Autism Service Providers - www.casproviders.org.
Gina graduated as a member of the Smittcamp Family Honors College with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Communicative Disorders and Deaf Studies from California State University, Fresno. She then earned a M.A. in Psychology with an option in Applied Behavior Analysis. Her experiences include clinic-based services for children with autism, in-home intensive services for individuals with varying diagnoses, in-home consultation for adults with disabilities and their care providers, and school-based consultation. Gina is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.
