Katherine is founder and director of Advances Learning Center. She has a Master of Arts degree in Behavior Disorders and Applied Behavior Analysis from Columbia University Teachers College and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She has taught in both private and public schools at pre-school and elementary levels and has provided educational consultation services to public schools and home programs. Her interest in social skill development originated in graduate school, where she did her thesis on using self-management to increase peer interaction. She has taught undergraduate behavior analysis courses at Northeastern University and graduate level courses at Simmons College and has provided parent training through the May Institute. She is a member of the Association for Behavior Analysis and the International Society for Behaviorology, and is past president of the Greater Boston Association for Behavior Analysis. To contact Katherine Johnson via email:  kjohnson@advancesonline.com

Katie received her Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from University of San Diego and is currently a graduate student in the Simmons College Applied Behavior Analysis program. She joined the Advances team in July of 2009. Before coming to Advances, Katie was a mental health specialist and shift supervisor on the Kennedy Hope Academy unit at Franciscan Children’s Hospital, where she taught children with developmental delays and challenging behaviors and trained and oversaw staff. Katie has worked with children with severe challenging behaviors, autism spectrum disorders, developmental disabilities, neurological disorders, and psychiatric illnesses between the ages of 2 and 20. To contact Katie Carey via email:  katie.carey@advancesonline.com

Brenda joins Advances with a wealth of human resources expertise from mission driven organizations which serve the best interests of children. Most recently, Brenda has worked in human resources for such notable organizations as Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and Children’s Hospital, Boston. Brenda’s career in human resources began at the Home for Little Wanderers, where she served as Employment Manager. Brenda also created and managed the staffing function at the world renowned Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where she served as Staffing Manager for many years. Brenda has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Early Childhood Education. Brenda can be contacted at jobs@advancesonline.com

John is a program manager and group leader at Advances. John started at Advances Learning Center in October of 2007. He has been in the field of behavior analysis since 2001. John has provided ABA services to students in the home, and both the public and private school settings. Before working at Advances, John worked in a private school for children with autism as a consulting ABA instructor. He has experience working with children with autism, PDD-NOS, Asperger’s Syndrome and traumatic brain injury. John has worked with children from the ages of 3-15. He has received extensive training in applied behavior analysis throughout his career. To contact John Briggs via email: john.briggs@advancesonline.com.

Jill has a Masters of Science degree in Behavioral Education from Simmons College and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She has worked as an ABA instructor, program manager and consultant in both public and private school settings, as well as in home programs. She is a member of the Association for Behavior Analysis, and the Greater Boston Association for Behavior Analysis. To contact Jill Norrgard via email:  jill.norrgard@advancesonline.com

Libby is the Parent and Staff Trainer at Advances and also teaches social skills groups. She is a Board Certified Associate Behavior Analyst (BCABA), has been teaching children using Applied Behavior Analysis since 1998, and has been leading social skills groups since 2002. She has worked with children with autism, PDD-NOS, attention-deficit disorder and Asperger's Syndrome. She has provided one-to-one instruction in childrens’ homes and has classroom experience as well. In addition, Ms. Adams has completed the Therapist Training Program at the May Institute and holds a bachelor's degree in Linguistics from Boston University. To contact Libby Adams via email:  libby.adams@advancesonline.com

Ms. Blankenship has a Masters of Science degree in Behavioral Education and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She has worked as an ABA instructor, Program Mananger and consultant in private home programs and in school settings. She has worked at Advances Learning Center since 2002 and has been a social skills group leader since 2005. She has experience with typically developing children, children with autism, PDD-NOS, ADD/ADHD and Asperger's Syndrome. Ms. Blankenship is a member of the Association of Behavior Analysis and obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in psychology with a focus in education. To contact Jennifer Blankenship via email:  jenny.blankenship@advancesonline.com

Kate has a Masters of Science degree in Applied Behavior Analysis from Northeastern University, and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Kate started at Advances Learning Center in September of 2008. As a full time consultant, Kate provides school and home based consultation for children and their families in several school districts. Prior to working at Advances, Kate was an ABA instructor and case manager at a residential school for children with autism for three years, where she worked in both the residential and day-school settings. She spent 4 years working in an integrated pre-school setting, and also spent time in a private ABA preschool. Kate received her Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Connecticut College. To contact Kate Bowsza via email kate.bowsza@advancesonline.com.