Our Team
Laura Cwynar, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA, LBS
Founder/CEO
Board Certified Behavior Analyst
Laura Cwynar is a Behavior Analyst that has worked in the field of autism and special education for 10 years. Laura received her Master of Education degree from the University of Pittsburgh with a major in Early Intervention with a specialization in autism. During her studies at Pitt, Laura earned her ABA certificate and was a recipient of the Early Intervention/Autism Specialization Scholarship. Laura has worked in both the home setting and private day school setting in Pittsburgh as well as Northern Virginia. She has worked with a variety of learners ages 2-22. Laura has been a Board Certified Behavior Analyst with the BACB since 2009 and became a Virginia Licensed Behavior Analyst with the Board of Medicine in 2012. As of April 2015, she is also a Licensed Behavior Specialist with the Pennsylvania Board of Medicine. Laura has a Virginia teaching license in Early Childhood Special Education and a Pennsylvania Private Teaching Certification. Laura’s areas of expertise include Verbal Behavior, language development, problem behaviors, behavioral assessments, behavior plan development and implementation and data collection and analysis. Laura loves data! She sees it as a way of showing the successes of her clients and families that she works with. Laura is also passionate about disseminating ABA and enjoys teaching those around her about the positive impact of ABA.
Annie DeBaldo, M.Ed., BCBA, LBS
Clinical Director
Board Certified Behavior Analyst
Annie DeBaldo has been in the field of special education for 6 years. She is a graduate of West Virginia University with her Bachelors of Science degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology with a Certificate in Disability Studies. In August 2015, she began her Masters Degree at the University of Pittsburgh in the Early Intervention with Autism Specialization program where she also pursued her applied behavior analysis certificate. Annie sat for her Board Certified Behavior Analysis exam in August 2017 and passed on the first try. She also became a Licensed Behavior Specialist in Pennsylvania. Annie has been working for Allegheny Behavior Analysis Services, LLC since December 2016 and has loved seeing the company grow. In her spare time, Annie enjoys reading, riding her bike in parks, cooking, and exploring everything that Pittsburgh has to offer.
Jolynn Villena, M.Ed., BCBA, LBS
Professional Development Coordinator
Board Certified Behavior Analyst
Jolynn has worked for over 20 years as a Developmental Specialist in Early Intervention. She has provided services in individual’s homes as well as in the community. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Education with a dual certification in Special and Elementary Education from Slippery Rock University. Jolynn completed coursework with Pennsylvania State University and was certified as a BCaBA. Jolynn was enrolled at University of Pittsburgh where she earned her Masters of Education in Early Intervention with a specialization in autism. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and is a Licensed Behavior Specialist with Pennsylvania. She is also fluent in Spanish.
Kara Hafen, M.Ed., BCBA, LBS
Board Certified Behavior Analyst
Ethics Officer
Kara graduated from the Pennsylvania State University with her Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She went on to achieve her Master of Education degree from the University of Pittsburgh with a major in Early Intervention with a specialization in autism. During her studies at Pitt, Kara had multiple practicum experiences with a variety of learners ranging from birth to 21 years of age. She enjoyed applying her knowledge in both home and classroom settings and is excited to continue her education and knowledge of ABA practices. Kara is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and a Licensed Behavior Specialist.
Hannah Lawson, M.A., BCBA, LBS
Board Certified Behavior Analyst
Hannah graduated with an M.A. in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) with an Emphasis in Autism from Ball State University in the fall of 2019. She also graduated with a certificate in autism. Shortly thereafter Hannah became certified as a BCBA in February of 2020. Hannah has five years of experience working with children with autism in a variety of capacities and settings. She worked as an RBT for over two and a half years with Allegheny Behavior Analysis Services before transitioning into a BCBA role. In this role she gained extensive experience working with a wide range of clients aged 2-18. Hannah is the recipient of the 2019 Robert F. Steiner Special Education Memorial Scholarship, which is awarded to an ABAS employee who is pursuing the BCBA credential and who demonstrates a passion for ABA and special education. Hannah is dedicated to using a Verbal Behavior approach to help build language skills as well as decreasing problem behaviors by providing clients with alternative functional skills.
Dana H. Patenaude, M.Ed., BCBA, LBS
Board Certified Behavior Analyst
Diversity and Inclusion Specialist
Dana is a BCBA for us here at ABAS as of September! She has been working as an RBT at ABAS since January of 2019. Dana earned her Masters of Education in Early Intervention on an ABA track with an autism specialization from the University of Pittsburgh in December 2019. During her time in graduate school, she worked as an intern at UPMC in their LEND trainee program, where she worked on a multidisciplinary team collaborating with other professionals in multiple fields relating to disability studies to support local families. Dana enjoys playing with kitten and her puppy, reading and going on hikes with her boyfriend in her free time. She plans on continuing her career as a BCBA and supervising BCBA candidates with ABAS!
Cara Thomson, M.Ed., BCBA, LBS
Board Certified Behavior Analyst
Cara Thomson is a Pittsburgh native who grew up in the South Hills. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Saint Vincent College in 2017 and went on to complete a Masters in Education in Child Psychology from Duquesne University in 2019. Cara also completed a graduate certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis through The Pennsylvania State University. Cara joined the ABAS team in 2019 as an RBT and worked for about 2 years while accruing the supervised hours to sit for the BCBA exam. She is thrilled to continue her career working closely with children and families as a BCBA. Cara enjoys catching up with friends, reading, listening to music and podcasts, and cheering on Pittsburgh sports teams.
Doreen Schoppen
Office Manager
Doreen has been working in the Human Resource field for many years, most recently at a behavioral health rehabilitation services agency for the past six years. She attended Robert Morris University and has a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Business Administration. She also has experience working and volunteering with children. Doreen loves spending time with her family and friends and can usually be found attending one of her children’s activities.
Nicole Rauch
Registered Behavior Technician
My name is Nicole Rauch. I live in the South Hills with my husband, daughter, and son. When my daughter was four years old, she was diagnosed with PDD NOS which is now called Autism Spectrum Disorder. I wanted to become knowledgeable about ASD so that I could help my amazing daughter. What started out as a quest for knowledge quickly become a passion. Recently, I graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from Saint Leo University. For the past three years, I have been working in the school environment as a paraprofessional. I am excited to continue my education at California University of Pennsylvania where I will be working towards my M.Ed. in Applied Behavior Analysis with a concentration in Autism. My goal is to become a board certified in Behavior Analysis so that I can continue to support and empower children with autism and other special needs. In my free time, you can find me watching a movie, reading a good book, or doing a fun adventurous activity with my family.
Charity Maiure
Registered Behavior Technician
I graduated in 2005 from California University of PA with a Bachelor’s in Psychology. After graduating, I began working as a TSS. During my time as a TSS I worked with children with a range of diagnoses, specifically children with Autism. I then began working as a Counselor at a Residential Treatment Facility. At this facility I provided intensive therapy to 16-18 year old girls. I then moved on to work as a Family Based Therapist at a Community Mental Health Center. As a Family Based Therapist I worked as part of a team to provide treatment to at risk youth and their families. I am currently pursing my Master’s at California University of PA in Special Education-ABA. I am eager to begin as a RBT.
Eva Rybak
Registered Behavior Technician
Eva has nine years of experience working with children in daycares and family centers. After deciding to pursue a career where she could work with and help children on a more personal and individual level she applied to the University of Pittsburgh, where she is currently studying Early Intervention and Applied Behavior Analysis, with hopes to become a certified BCBA after graduation. In her free time, Eva enjoys listening to music and making art.
Casey Schick
Registered Behavior Technician
Casey graduated from Duquesne University in 2014 with her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. She went on to study School Psychology at the University of South Florida and graduated in 2017 with her Education Specialist degree. In 2018, Casey became a certified School Psychologist in the state of Pennsylvania and worked in multiple schools. However, she decided that she wanted to utilize the data collection and progress-monitoring skills she obtained in graduate school on a regular basis. As a result, she is eager to apply these skills as an RBT. Casey hopes to further her education and gain the experience needed to eventually become a BCBA.
Megan Hufford
Registered Behavior Technician
Megan Hufford graduated from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown Cum Laude with her Bachelors of Science in Early Childhood Education. Since then, Megan has obtained her Pennsylvania teaching license in grades PreK-4 and has taught PreKindergarten and PreK Counts for 4 years. During her teacher training program, Megan taught 4 th grade math, English language arts and social studies in special and general education settings. Currently Megan is pursuing her Masters Degree in Special Education, Pennsylvania Special Education teacher licensure grades PreK-8 and BCBA at Duquesne University. Megan is excited to be apart of the ABAS team and infuse what she knows about education into the role of a BT/RBT. Megan has called Pittsburgh home since 2006 when she moved from Southern California with her family. In her free time Megan enjoys exploring the city, going to Steeler games, cooking new reciepes for her family, and reading self-help/motivational books.
Addie Tyson
Registered Behavior Technician
Addie Tyson is currently a graduate level student at the University of Pittsburgh studying Early Intervention with a Specialization in Autism and Applied Behavior Analysis. She aims to take her boards to become a certified behavior analyst after graduation. Addie has seven years of work and volunteer experience working with children. In her free time, she enjoys reading and spending time with her family.
Rachel Taylor
Registered Behavior Technician
Rachel’s first involvement in applied behavior analysis services started during an internship at a clinic in January 2019. During her time as an intern she taught social skills groups to kids with autism, assisted in providing behavioral consultations to kids with autism, and assisted in providing treatment to kids with pediatric feeding disorders. Rachel graduated from West Chester University with a bachelors in psychology and a minor in autism education in August 2019. After graduation, she was hired by the clinic in which she interned and did behavioral consultations there until March 2020. Rachel than worked in an intensive residential unit for kids with autism which focused on functional communication training. She worked there until she started to pursue her masters in applied behavior analysis at the University of Pittsburgh in August 2020 and was hired at Allegheny Behavior Analysis Services in October 2020.
Keri Ufolla
Registered Behavior Technician
Keri graduated with a Masters in Applied Behavior Analysis (Autism Track) from California University of Pennsylvania in December 2019. She has four years experience working with children in a child care setting. Her goal is to become a BCBA and she is looking forward to learning more about the field of ABA. In her free time she loves having movie nights with her son.
Ashleigh Sidon
Registered Behavior Technician
My name is Ashleigh Sidon. I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in History from Wheeling Jesuit University in 2018. During my time at Wheeling Jesuit I was apart of the professional education department specializing in history and minoring in special education. This is where I was first exposed to ABA therapy. I have always had a passion for helping others. In my career i have been a behavior technician, a direct support professional for adults with disabilities, and a coach. As well as volunteering as a tutor and youth mentor. In my free time I enjoy hiking and traveling (when covid appropriate) with my boyfriend, as well as reading books and cooking.
Sammy Seymour
Registered Behavior Technician
Sammy Seymour graduated from Bethany College in West Virginia in May of 2020, with a Bachelors degree in Social Work and a minor in Special Education. She obtained her Registered Behavior Technician certification in 2019, and has since found so much joy in working with children and adults on the Autism Spectrum. She is originally from New Hampshire, and in her free time loves to garden, do yoga, and go for runs through her new home of Pittsburgh.
Jordan Bavitz
Behavior Technician
Jordan earned her Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Penn State in 2020. Following graduation, she worked at an intermediate special education school for 3rd-5th graders with emotional disorders where she assisted social skills groups and maintained behavioral challenges through positive behavior support plans. It was here that she found a love for the behavior field and moved to Pittsburgh to work as a behavior technician in private schools for children with low-functioning non-verbal autism. She is currently enrolled in graduate school at Penn State to earn her Master of Education in Special Education and Applied Behavior Analysis. She has a strong passion for all individuals on the spectrum as well as those with emotional disorders. She is thrilled to have the opportunity to grow professionally as being a part of ABAS!
Caroline McDevitt
Registered Behavior Technician
Caroline recently graduated from the University of South Carolina and has started school for her M.Ed in Applied Behavior Analysis at the University of Pittsburgh. She has worked as a RBT for the past year in Columbia, SC and has discovered a passion for working with children. She loves traveling, spending time outside, and is most excited to begin exploring the city of Pittsburgh!
Lauren Firanski
Behavior Technician
My name is Lauren Firanski. I am a Pittsburgh native who graduated from Robert Morris University in May 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice. Throughout high school and college, I was a figure skating and hockey coach based out of the Robert Morris Island Sports Center. It was through ice skating that I found a passion for working with children of all backgrounds. My goals in the future include going back to school to obtain my masters in relation to working with children on the Autism Spectrum. I aspire to one day work as a BCBA. Until that time comes, I am thrilled to start with ABA Services Pittsburgh as a RBT. In my free time I enjoy adventuring outside and staying active!
Carina Liberatore
Registered Behavior Technician
Carina graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2019 with a B.S. in Psychology and B.A. in Communication. While there, she worked in an inpatient psychiatric hospital for 4 years where she helped care for children & adolescents with various acute mental health diagnoses. This experience helped to shape her passion for the field and pushed her to begin pursuing her M.A. in Behavior Analysis Practice at the Florida Institute of Technology. Carina has been working as a RBT for a little over a year now. Originally from Delaware, she enjoys traveling, spending time with friends, and painting.