Meet The Team

Joseph has over twenty years of experience working with people with autism, developmental disabilities, and challenging behaviors. He has extensive experience with crisis management and safely managing challenging behaviors, including training others how to do so. Joseph earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the State University of New York at Albany and his Master of Arts degree in Psychology from Long Island University in Brooklyn. Joseph is also a former graduate professor of ABA at Long Island University. Joseph is a firm believer that therapy should be highly individualized, taking every facet of the client's and family's life into consideration. He has always had a passion to help people achieve their goals through high quality therapy based on the principles of ABA. Joseph founded Compass ABA Therapy on this premise of maintaining high clinical quality and excellence.

Danielle is a New York Licensed Behavior Analyst with fifteen years of experience. She received her BCBA certification in 2015. Danielle holds a Master of Professional Studies degree in General Education and Special Education from Manhattanville College and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish from the State University of New York at New Paltz. She has been working with children with autism and other developmental disabilities since 2007. Danielle was introduced to the principles of ABA at the start of her career through the Carbone Clinic. She has worked in both school and home-based settings. Danielle is extremely passionate about the field of ABA and loves teaching the science!

Irena has been in the ABA and special education field since 2013. She earned her Bachelors Degree in Communications and Culture from the City University of New York and her Masters Degree in Education with concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis from Arizona State University. Irena also holds a graduate certificate in Forensic Psychology from Grand Canyon University and is a Registered Behavior Technician. She has worked as a special education teacher, an ABA therapist and an administrator within educational and law enforcement settings. Irena is also fluent in Croatian, Serbian and Bosnian. She held multiple roles within Compass ABA, starting as Administrative Assistant and moving up to Regional Coordinator and then to Director of Operations. She enjoys being a part of the ABA field and witnessing how effective ABA is for individuals with autism spectrum disorder and how much value and progress quality therapy can provide.

Jaira is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst providing supervision and ABA therapy to children diagnosed with autism and with multiple disabilities at Compass ABA. She holds a master’s degree in Exceptional Student Education with a concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis from University of West Florida and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from University of North Florida. She has been working with children since 2015 and working with children diagnosed with autism and other developmental disabilities since 2020. She also has experience with providing services at clinics, in home, in the community, and at school. Jaira also served in the United States Marine Corps Reserves. Jaira was born and raised in the Philippines. She is fluent in English and Tagalog and takes pride in being able to provide quality ABA services to the Asian community. She hopes to continuously spread the positive value that ABA services have to offer to children and their families.

Maya received her BCBA certification in 2022. She holds a Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis from Northeastern University and Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the State University of New York at New Paltz. Maya first entered the field of ABA through Island Therapy Solutions located in St. Croix, USVI. There she received extensive training as well as a multicultural experience. Since then, she has worked in home, school, and clinic-based settings. Maya is most passionate about applying a multicultural, compassionate, and progressive approach with her clients. Maya hopes to contribute to create positive changes in the field of ABA.

Kishana has been in the ABA field for 4 years now. She recently graduated with her Master’s of Science in Psychology concentrating in ABA in 2023. Throughout this journey, Kishana worked as a Behavior Technician, Special Education Teacher, and Behavior Intervention Specialist. She is currently in the process of sitting for her exams to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Kishana is very passionate about helping people reach their full potential through positive behavior interventions and helping individuals of all ages with disabilities reach their goals.

Somairy has been in the ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) field for over four years now. She graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Mental Health from Ramapo College of NJ in 2012. Throughout her ABA career, she worked as a Scheduling/Staffing Coordinator, Behavior Technician, Recruiting Coordinator, Senior Talent Advisor and now Manager of Talent & Culture. She has a deep passion and empathy towards understanding, advocating for, and servicing our communities. She believes that the impact of her work is threefold: first, she changes the life of an individual by placing them in their dream job; second, she supports the children and families living with autism; and third, she can effectively impact the success of Compass ABA's goals. She enjoys building connections with candidates and seeing them succeed in their careers. In her spare time, she enjoys exploring different restaurants, finding new parks to go for walks with her dog, shopping, reading, listening to podcasts, and spending time with her loved ones.

Jennifer graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology with a minor in American Sign Language. With a passion for making a positive impact, she has dedicated the last ten years to supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities through ABA. Jennifer began her career as a paraprofessional and has since held various roles, including respite/habilitation provider and lead Registered Behavior Technician (RBT). In her current role as Senior Talent and Training Specialist, she guides our talent team and emphasizes the importance of recruiting dedicated Behavior Technicians who are passionate about making a positive impact. Additionally, she is devoted to enhancing our training programs to ensure these team members transition successfully into the field while also nurturing and advancing the growth of our talent team. Outside of her professional endeavors, she enjoys spending time with her German Shepherd, Luna; taking sunset walks to appreciate the beauty of the Arizona sky, traveling to new places, and immersing herself in all things Disney.

Ashley graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and also minored in Elementary and Special Education. She has worked with Compass ABA since the beginning, initially working as a Behavior Technician for about two and a half years. Ashley is deeply committed to helping others and providing essential services to those in need. She believes in the transformative power of ABA therapy and is dedicated to contributing to Compass ABA's mission of delivering high-quality, individualized care. Outside of work, Ashley enjoys exploring new places, whether it's discovering a new restaurant or taking a weekend trip. She is passionate about community service and often participates in local volunteer activities. In her downtime, Ashley loves spending quality time with her family (all four pets included!) and friends, reading, yoga, and hiking.

Victoria graduated from Seton Hall University with a Bachelor's degree in Social and Behavioral Sciences with a minor in Allied Health. She always knew that she wanted to make a positive impact in people's lives, specifically those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Victoria began her career journey with Compass ABA as a Behavior Technician. This was her introduction to the world of ABA and she has remained passionate about it ever since. As part of the Talent Acquisition team, Victoria works to identify compassionate candidates to fill open positions throughout the company. Beyond the professional realm, Victoria finds joy in dancing, making music, and traveling the world.

Brittney was born and raised in Las Cruces, New Mexico. After pursuing her dream of playing college softball, she began a new journey working in the special needs field in 2009 as a personal support provider in Arizona. Over the past 13 years, Brittney has worked with clients in schools, daycare facilities, community settings, ABA centers, and in their homes. She has held a variety of roles, including Lead Tutor, Senior Therapist, and Regional Coordinator. Brittney likes being part of a team and believes that as ABA providers, we are the client's team. In her free time, Brittney enjoys playing with her three kids and spending time with her husband and family.

Larisa graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Language and Literature in 2012. After 12 years of teaching various age groups from preschool students to adult learners, both in general education and those with special needs, she joined Compass ABA as a Regional Coordinator. She enjoys her role and strives to bring positive outcomes for individuals and families by finding the best match for each of them to provide ABA therapy. Larisa is also fluent in Bosnian, Serbian and Croatian and outside of her role she enjoys reading and travelling with her family.

Carmen earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from Lehman College in New York. She successfully worked in the corporate sector for sixteen years. Carmen then pursued a second career in Applied Behavior Analysis and completed her studies at the University of North Texas. Carmen has been working with children with autism, developmental disabilities, and challenging behaviors since 2012 in a school setting. Carmen is fluent in Spanish and has worked extensively with the Latino community. She believes ABA can help each client work on skills that will help them become more independent and successful.

Rocio began her career journey with Compass ABA as a Community Outreach Specialist. In this role, she works with families in local communities to ensure our ABA therapy services are accessible and tailored to each family’s unique and diverse needs. Rocio is fluent in Spanish and has an educational background in Business Management, Psychology, and Sociology. In addition to her professional endeavors, she has also served as a girls’ soccer coach in Argentina, where she enjoyed instilling values such as teamwork, perseverance, and determination.

Kristel earned her Bachelor's degree in Human Development from Colorado State University and her Master's degree in Human Resource Management from Southern New Hampshire University. When she began working in ABA ten years ago, she quickly realized that the field that would allow her to fulfill her dream of always working to help others. Kristel is fluent in Spanish and is very excited to play a key role in supporting the Hispanic community at Compass ABA.

Cassandra joined Compass ABA as the Administrative Assistant after spending over 10 years in customer service and administrative roles. She is extremely passionate about helping children and has volunteered many hours in her children's schools. Cassandra is committed to assisting families of kids with autism identify and fulfill their needs. In her spare time Cassandra enjoys skiing, camping and spending time with her family and friends.