Board of Directors

He received his PhD in clinical psychology from Rutgers University in 1993. Dr. Celiberti has served on a number of advisory boards and special interest groups in the field of autism, applied behavior analysis, and early childhood education, and been an active participant in local fundraising initiatives to support after school programming for economically disadvantaged children. He works in private practice and provides consultation to public and private schools and agencies in underserved areas. He has authored several articles in professional journals and presents frequently at regional, national, and international conferences. In prior positions, Dr. Celiberti taught courses related to applied behavior analysis (ABA) at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, supervised individuals pursuing BCBA certifications, and conducted research in the areas of ABA, family intervention, and autism.

Dr. Larsson is a member of the Clinical Faculty in the Psychology Department at the University of Minnesota, where he teaches classes in Applied Behavior Analysis and in Autism. He is currently a board member of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board and the Autism Recovery Foundation. He is the honorary President of the Fundaçion Planeta Imaginario in Barcelona, Spain. Dr. Larsson served as Associate Research Director of the NIMH Multi-site Replication Study of the UCLA Young Autism Project. He has supervised intensive early intervention services since 1983 and has consulted with over 250 programs and governmental agencies world-wide, particularly on the issues involved in insurance coverage of accountable ABA services. In Minnesota, he authored a law for Medicaid coverage of intensive early intervention for autism. He participated in the development of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board Guidelines for Health Plan Coverage of Applied Behavior Analysis Treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorder. In 2013 he received the Provider of the Year Award from Autism Speaks in Washington, DC. and the Jerry Shook Leadership Award from the California Association for Behavior Analysis (CalABA).

Her involvement with ASAT began with commencement and subsequent completion of the Externship program. She is the parent of two children, including an adult daughter with autism, and she has been an active member of multiple organizations that support the dissemination of science-based treatments for autism.

Upon return to Canada, Dr. Freeman spent 14 years advocating for the rights of children with autism to be included in the government funded health care system for autism treatment.

She is a consultant in private practice based in New York, and has provided consultation to schools, agencies, and home programs for children and adults on the autism spectrum for 20 years. She has completed the course requirements for a PhD in Clinical Psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute and is completing her dissertation. She presents on a variety of topics such as managing challenging behaviors, using visual supports, team dynamics, and social skill development at conferences regionally, nationally, and internationally. Ruth is Past-President of the Autism Special Interest Group (SIG) of the Association of Behavior Analysis International.

She worked hand in hand with the team at her son’s preschool. She has used her software skills, innovative thinking and her commitment to her son to develop and carry out an unrelenting path forward for him. Her level of involvement and commitment to science-based treatment has sustained over the years.

Different Roads to Learning and DRL Books were created to meet the need for ABA products in the autism community. A pioneer in online business as well as autism education, Julie was able to source products that would help young students with language and shape their positive behavior. In 2011, the company was mentored by a partnership of UBS and the Clinton Economic Opportunity Initiative. The mentoring programs helped to create Apps for children on the autism spectrum. In the autism community, she was presented the Robert Ambrey Award from Eden II in 2007. The Elija Foundation honored her for her company’s work in autism with the “Chariot Award� in November of 2008. She has been honored with the Martin Luther King Jr.: “I Have a Dream Award� by Governor George Pataki. In 2015, she received the Clara Lemlich Award for lifelong social activism. In May of 2009-2015 she was chair of the Eden II and Genesis Foundation Board, an agency that works to educate and serve over 300 individuals diagnosed with autism. Julie is active in many Japanese American organizations from US Japan Council to local networks. She was elected to the Board of Governors at the Japanese American National Museum in 2015.

She holds a Doctorate of Psychology from Rutgers University. For the past 20 years, Dr. Fried has specialized in the diagnosis, education and treatment of children with ASD and other disorders impacting behavior, learning, socialization and communication. In prior positions, she led the start-up and management of ABA programs for children with ASD. Dr Fried serves on the Illinois Autism Task Force, an advisory body to the Secretary of the Illinois Department of Human Services. She is a member of the Illinois Psychological Association, American Psychological Association, Association for Behavior Analysis International, and Association of Professional Behavior Analysts.

She also oversees BCBA and BCaBA training experiences. In addition to serving as a presenter at state and national conferences, including the Organization for Autism Research (OAR), Commonwealth Autism Service (CAS), and Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) Peggy was selected as an autism expert for the “how-to� website monkeysee.com. Peggy has been on the board of ASAT since 2010 and serves on the Public Relations Committee.

Originally from Boston, Massachusetts, Erin currently lives in the beautiful city of Melbourne, Australia. She is a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Education at Monash University, where she coordinates the Master’s of Education in Applied Behaviour Analysis course sequence. Prior to joining the Faculty at Monash, Erin held various clinic appointments at internationally-recognised organisations providing applied behaviour analytic education and treatment to children with autism and related conditions, including the New England Center for Children (Boston and Abu Dhabi) and the Lizard Centre (Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide Australia).

Erin obtained her PhD in Behaviour Analysis from Western New England University in 2012. She specialises in the design and delivery of early intensive behavioural intervention (EIBI) and in functional assessment and treatment of severe behaviours of concern. Her approach to EIBI and behavioural treatment is skill-based; designing individualised programs that focus on teaching functional and fundamental life skills, including communication, learning to learn and listening skills, social responsiveness, play and leisure, and toleration. She is passionate about making sure every child has access to appropriate, evidence-based supports to help build their functional independence. Erin is an avid animal lover and enjoys spending time with her two rescue dogs, Frank the Tank and Bentley, when not busy at work.

The majority of her experience has been with Crossroads Center for Children located in Schenectady, New York. Crossroads Center for Children is a private, non-profit school serving children age two to 12 years that utilizes the treatment philosophy of applied behavior analysis. Carolyn has filled many roles within this agency including teaching assistant, research assistant, consultant to public schools, and ultimately, Clinical Director. At this time Carolyn oversees all behavior analysts working at the Center and the Clinic, which provides insurance based ABA services to families in their homes or community.

Carolyn received her undergraduate degree in Psychology and Environmental Science from Queens College in 2002. Shortly thereafter, she began pursuing a Master of Arts degree in Community Psychology from Sage Graduate School. In conjunction with taking courses to complete the Master of Arts degree, she also took courses through Sage Graduate School to fulfill requirements to sit for the board certification in behavior analysis exam. She completed her Master of Arts degree in Community Psychology in 2004 and became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst in 2005. In 2008 she completed a Master of Science degree in Educational Psychology and Methodology from the State University of New York at Albany. In 2014 she attained her NYS license in applied behavior analysis.

She has had the opportunity to conduct and present research at various state and national conferences including the New York State Association for Behavior Analysis, the Association for Behavior Analysis International, and Behavior Analysis and Developmental Disabilities. One research projects has resulted in a professional publication. Carolyn has been volunteering for ASAT for approximately five years.

Dr. Weiss has worked in the field of ABA and Autism for over 30 years. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Rutgers University in 1990 and she became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst in 2000. She previously worked for 16 years at the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center at Rutgers University, where she served as Director of Research and Training and as Clinical Director. Her clinical and research interests center on defining best practice ABA techniques, exploring ways to enhance the ethical conduct of practitioners, evaluating the impact of ABA in learners with autism, teaching social skills to learners with autism, training staff to be optimally effective at instruction, and maximizing family members’ expertise and adaptation. She serves on the Scientific Council of the Organization for Autism Research, is on the Professional Advisory Board of Autism New Jersey, is a regular reviewer for a variety of professional journals, and is a frequent member of service committees for the Behavior Analyst Certification Board. She is also a Past President of the Autism Special Interest Group of the Association for Behavior Analysis International, a former member of the Board of the Association for Professional Behavior Analysts, and a former Vice President of the Board of Trustees for Autism New Jersey.

Beverley participated on two legal steering committees for judgments which helped children access treatment dollars, and access trained Special Education Assistants.

Beverley has been the Director of Families for Early Autism Treatment since 2010 This means she has done new parent intake, spoken to parents on Advocacy in the School System, and been a resource for parents, teachers and family members.

Coming soon.

He holds a BA in political science and economics from Queens College and an MBA from Fordham University. He was a former financial services executive and Adjunct Assistant Professor of business at St. John’s Graduate School of Business having taught numerous courses and summer seminars to graduate business students. Over the last 20 years, he has worked with several non-profit organizations

Tristram Smith was a Board Member of ASAT since 2006 and Chair of the Scientific Review Committee. He was the Haggerty-Friedman Professor of Developmental/Behavioral Pediatric Research at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC), where he led federally funded studies comparing the efficacy of different interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder. He was also a clinician in URMC’s Community Consultation Program, serving students with ASD and other intellectual disabilities in schools and other agencies. His commitment to the study and treatment of children with ASD began in 1982, when he had the opportunity to volunteer as a buddy for an adult with autism who lived near his college. This experience inspired him to apply to graduate school at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he studied clinical psychology and worked as a therapist and researcher with O. Ivar Lovaas, PhD, in the UCLA Young Autism Project. Before moving to Rochester in 2000, he directed clinics for children with autism and their families in the states of California, Iowa, and Washington. He had authored or coauthored several of the most widely-cited studies on treatment outcomes for children with ASD.

Please read our collection of heartfelt tributes to our beloved colleague published in the Fall 2018 issue of Science in Autism Treatment