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

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Clinical Director

Board Certified Behavior Analyst

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Annie DeBaldo has bee 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

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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

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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

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Board Certified Behavior Analyst

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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

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Board Certified Behavior Analyst

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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! 

Alexa Catanzarite, M.Ed., BCBA, LBS

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Board Certified Behavior Analyst

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Alexa obtained a Bachelors of Arts degree in Psychology from Carlow University, followed by her Masters Degree in Applied Developmental Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh. Throughout her undergraduate and graduate coursework, Alexa worked among both adults and children within an inpatient psychiatric hospital. Following completion of her graduate coursework, Alexa transitioned into professional roles within partial hospitalization programs and behavioral health rehabilitation services, and obtained her Pennsylvania Behavior Specialist license. She returned to the University of Pittsburgh and completed her certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis and intensive practicum to prepare to sit for the Board Certified Behavior Analyst exam. During this time, Alexa began employment at Allegheny Behavioral Analysis Services as a Registered Behavior Technician. Alexa worked as a Registered Behavior Technician for 3 years before obtaining her Board Analyst Certification.

Doreen Schoppen

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Office Manager

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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

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Registered Behavior Technician

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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.

Cara Thomson

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Registered Behavior Technician

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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. She has worked with children in the home, academic and community setting, serving as a camp counselor at two area summer camps. Most recently, Cara supervised the direct care staff of children on the autism spectrum at an inclusive summer camp. She is working on earning the requisite supervised hours to sit for the BCBA exam. In her spare time, Cara enjoys catching up with friends and family, reading, listening to music and podcasts and cheering on the local sports teams. 

Eva Rybak

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Registered Behavior Technician

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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

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Registered Behavior Technician

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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

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Registered Behavior Technician

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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

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Registered Behavior Technician

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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

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Registered Behavior Technician

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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

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Registered Behavior Technician

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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

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Registered Behavior Technician

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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

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Registered Behavior Technician

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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.   
 

Tammi Barney

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Registered Behavior Technician

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Tammi Barney has worked with children in an educational setting for 10 years. She graduated from the Community College of Beaver County (Associate’s Degree in General Studies), Geneva College (Bachelor’s Degree in Human Services), and Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio (Master’s Degree in Education). During her college career she maintained a GPA of 3.8 (High Honors). She is certified in Student Assistance which focuses on children with barriers to learning. She was previously a Certified Nurse’s Assistant and has active certification in CPR/First Aid. She has participated in many Social Service Seminar’s including The Prevention Network, Beaver County Town Hall, PA Children and Youth Homeless Programs and Center for Safe Schools. She also worked as a Therapeutic Staff Support which focuses on behavioral issues with children as well as those on the Autistic Spectrum. She is currently an educational tutor in multiple subjects and skill sets. She has two wonderful adult children and has been married for 25 years. She is a sports mom and enjoys scrap booking, taking pictures, and family activities. She is passionate about children and learning! She is thrilled to be a part of ABA as a Registered Behavior Technician and looks forward to becoming a BCBA!   

Abby Myford

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Registered Behavior Technician

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Abby has always had a passion for helping individuals with special needs. During high school, she shadowed in an Autism support classroom, and all of those rewarding experiences led her to pursue a career in special education. Abby received her Bachelor of Science from Clarion University of Pennsylvania in May of 2020, and is currently working on completing her graduate level coursework in Applied Behavior Analysis at the University of Pittsburgh. Upon receiving her M.Ed in August, Abby plans to hit the books for her BCBA exam and become board certified by the end of the year! In her free time, she loves traveling to new places with her family (especially on cruises) and making unforgettable memories with her friends who she also considers to be family. Abby is thrilled to be working at ABAS, and can’t wait to make a difference in the lives of her clients!