Our Leadership
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The OwnersTommy and CamileWhen our son was diagnosed with autism, we struggled to find help for him - as many families do. We received advice from many sources, finally found the right ABA center for him, and began to see improvements. During the years while our son was in therapy, we began working in the ABA field. We saw a need in the community for an ABA clinic that was more family-focused; an ABA clinic that would fight to keep the child's best interest at heart while respecting the parents/guardians own unique perspective of what is best for their child. Bringing together our experience as parents and our knowledge of the ABA field, we knew we could advocate for individuals and families in a unique way. In 2014, we opened the doors to our ABA center, "Partners in Autism." We are your partner. This road is long and filled with ups and downs that we can understand. Having someone who will provide you with straight answers and efficient routes to services makes all the difference in the world.
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Director of OperationsAmanda HeraldAmanda has years of experience working with children and adults of all abilities. She loves connecting with clients and staff as she coaches, trains, advises, and works along-side them to help them discover, refine, and amplify their marketable skill-sets. Her commitment to making a positive impact led her to serve in a variety of settings including traditional classrooms, day and overnight camps, and therapy centers. She has experience as a classroom educator, ABA therapist, and program coordinator. She received her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Ball State University. At Partners in Autism, she has served as an ABA Clinical Director and Director of Employment Services before becoming Director of Operations. Amanda has also completed the Applied Behavior Analysis Course Series from Florida Institute of Technology, is a Safety Care Trainer, Benefit Information (BIN) Liaison, certified CPR instructor, and girl scout troop leader.
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Managing DirectorCourtnie DunkerCourtnie brings a unique combination of classroom and ABA therapy experience together with a dauntless passion for helping individuals reach their full potential. Her experiences at Purdue University Fort Wayne while earning a degree in elementary education kindled a determination to show that the life of every child can be improved and their natural skills cultivated through differential education. Courtnie first worked in special needs classrooms, and then moved to Partners in Autism to work more specifically with individuals with autism in the setting of a small local company utilizing specialized, one-on-one, data-driven approaches. After working as a behavior technician, she advanced to the role of Clinical Director and then later into Director of ABA Services before reaching her current position as Managing Director where she coordinates and advances each of our client services and other departments. Courtnie maintains her Elementary Teaching License to inform her role as the director of our Transitional Classroom and our Learning Center, two different styles of educational settings where she uses her unique insights and experience as a classroom teacher to prepare our clients for different learning environments.
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Director of Behavior Quality AssuranceLinzie Tuck
Linzie values the emphasis Partners in Autism places on working directly with clients' families to ensure that goals are attuned and meaningful. She also values the focus on data analysis that ABA uses to measure growth and inform therapy decisions. She earned a Bachelor of Science in psychology from Trine University and a master’s in Applied Behavior Analysis from Ball State University, where she also earned her Certificate in Autism Spectrum Disorders. She began working at Partners in Autism as a behavior technician. Through training offered within Partners in Autism, she earned Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) certification and then her Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) certification. Now as the Director of Behavior Quality Assurance, she helps staff cultivate their skills working with clients of all abilities. Linzie has gained additional training including Pyramid PECS Level 1, LAMP, Relational Frame Theory, Assessment and Treatment of Vocal Stereotypy, Ethics of Addressing Sexual Behaviors, Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACTraining) for sexual impulsivity, sexual abuse prevention trainings, and Positive Interventions to Enhance the Performance of Athletes (POINTE) training.
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Director of Behavior AnalysisKelly PhillipsKelly is energized by the personal growth of her clients She loves seeing this growth in-person and also through data analysis. She loves teaching others about the field of ABA and feels it is such an incredible tool to help an individual grow, learn, and succeed. She enjoys the opportunities she has to delve into ABA principles with her colleagues and collaborate on applying them to our clients’ programs in meaningful ways. Kelly began as a social worker and had a client with Autism - an experience which quickly steered her career path to the field of ABA. She has been in the field of ABA since 2015 starting as an RBT, then a trainer, and now a Behavior Analyst. Her Master's of Art in Applied Behavior Analysis with a concentration in Autism Spectrum Disorder comes from Ball State, and she is Pyramid PECS Level 1 certified.
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Director of Waiver ServicesMegan PerryMegan is passionate about connecting clients with resources and bridging gaps between services that are available in the community. She is especially passionate about mental health for individuals with autism. She started at Partners in Autism as a behavior technician in ABA therapy, bringing with her years of leadership experience in the service industry. She quickly fell in love with her new career, earned her Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) certification, and soon became Director of PAC Services. As the Director of PAC Services, she uses her experience and knowledge to help other families receive services that will best benefit them. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Park University in Missouri where she graduated summa cum laude.
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Director of Employment ServicesElizabeth Rayl
Liz finds fulfillment in being able to support others as they prepare for and acquire meaningful employment in integrated settings. She values the person centered approach of Partners in Autism and takes pride in watching clients grow in confidence and increase their self-advocacy skills. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Indiana Tech. Coming with experience as a teaching assistant in a special needs classroom, she began at Partners in Autism as a behavior technician and earned her Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) certificate. She moved to the role of Employment Specialist for two years before becoming Lead Employment Specialist and then Director of Employment Services. She is Benefit Information (BIN) certified and completed the National Certificate of Achievement in Employment Services course.
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Clinical Director - Lake AveConnor Barney
Connor has always had a passion for working with kids and originally pursued elementary education, but was quickly drawn to psychology and working with children with varying abilities. He thoroughly enjoys being part of the Partners in Autism family and is energized by being able to positively impact our community in such a direct way. He loves getting to hear from parents about successes their kids have outside of the clinic as well as being able to see successes in the clinic firsthand. He entered the disability field as a direct care provider and then became a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) before stepping into the Clinical Director role. He has a Bachelor of Science in psychology from Indiana Tech where he played hockey.
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Clinical Director - NorthcrestOlivia DuntenOlivia is committed to making a difference in people's lives. She finds the work at Partners in Autism fulfilling and rewarding as a creative outlet where she can continually grow and improve her skills as she strives to be a role model for her clients and staff. She is constantly exploring new ways to support clients, their families, and their staff all while making ABA a fun and enriching experience. She began working at Partners in Autism as a behavior technician before moving into the role of Clinical Director. She is currently working toward her Bachelor's in Psychology from Purdue Global and plans to enter a master's program after completion.
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