Jennifer began working with individuals with exceptionalities as a kid when she volunteered and later worked at the Russell Home. The Russell Home is a group home for adults and children with varying physical, developmental, and intellectual disabilities. This began her life-long pursuit to help others.

Initially intending to teach the deaf and hard of hearing, Jennifer began pursuing a degree in Exceptional Education. She changed course and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Central Florida in 2001. As part of her internship, she worked as an educational counselor at a residential camp in upstate New York. During her first summer she met a 9-year-old girl with Asperger’s Syndrome. Jennifer knew very little about autism at the time but spent the entire session working closely with this child and her entire life changed course.

After that summer, Jennifer returned to Florida intent on working with children with autism spectrum disorders. She found Threshold’s Childhood Development Center and was lucky enough to be intensely trained and to work under Dr. Patrick McGreevy. As a 1:1 behavior trainer for students with severe behavioral issues, she learned to provide instruction on skill acquisition and implement behavior techniques to decrease maladaptive behaviors. While her time at Threshold’s CDC was relatively short, those experiences shaped her future. Autism and behavior became her passions.

Jennifer began teaching at Princeton House Charter School where she taught students with varying disabilities and significant behavior challenges. After 2 years teaching in a charter school setting, she transitioned to Orange County Public Schools. During Jennifer’s 10 years with OCPS, she taught at multiple schools as a self-contained classroom teacher, dean, and behavior specialist. She was also lucky enough to assist in developing programs at 2 different schools as ASD units were opened. Jennifer had an intense desire to be an extraordinary teacher and worked diligently to exceed the needs of her students and their parents. In recognition of her efforts, she was chosen as a model classroom by OCPS Associate Superintendent, Dr. Ana Diaz, and a classroom demonstration site for the University of Central Florida.

Jennifer was chosen as part of the first cohort of Project ASD at UCF and was lucky enough to earn a grant for her entire graduate degree. Focused coursework and field experiences increased her knowledge as an educator, and she earned her MA degree in Exceptional Education with a focus on autism spectrum disorders in 2006. She then completed the coursework and board exams to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Jennifer also has an International Behavior Analyst credential.

Since leaving the classroom and focusing on ABA full-time, Jennifer has worked with individuals in group homes, schools, daycares, and family homes. In 2019, she opened her own agency so she could ensure family needs were the focus and decisions were based on the needs of each individual. She’s passionate about teaching functional communication skills, independence, school readiness skills, and meeting all these needs in the natural environment.

When she’s not working, Jennifer enjoys traveling and spending time with her therapy dog, Amelia.