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Meet Our Team

Brooklyn Autism Center is proud to offer the highest quality instruction using Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) for individuals with Autism.  Each of our instructors holds a Bachelor’s degree in related fields along with prior experience working with individuals with Autism.  The staff and classrooms are supervised throughout the day by Clinical Supervisors who have extensive backgrounds working with individuals with Autism and utilizing ABA.  All staff are overseen by our Directors who are Board Certified and Licensed Behavior Analysts in New York State.  

Julie Russell, M.S., BCBA, LBA-NY
Executive Director
Bio
Juliet Grillo, M.S., BCBA, LBA-NY
Clinical Director
Bio
Andrea Delgado, M.S., BCBA, LBA-NY
Director of Staff Training and Development
Bio
Taylor Gonzalez SHRM-CP
Associate Director of Operations
Bio
Sugly Ruano Estrada
Associate Director of School Services
Bio
Milagros Padilla M.S., BCBA, LBA-NY
Associate Clinical Director
Bio
Amanda Angad M.A., BCBA, LBA-NY
Associate Clinical Director
Bio
Sophie Bukenya, M.S., BCBA, LBA-NY
Associate Director of Staff Training
Bio
Brianne Hart, M.S., CCC-SLP

Board of Directors

Board President

Tom has extensive experience in both the non-profit and private sectors. He’s been involved with BAC for 10 years and is a very active member of the Brooklyn community where he lives and works. He is currently in a senior role at a Brooklyn based technology company. Tom also serves on the Board of Fast Feet NYC and manages a family foundation focused on helping charitable organizations across New York City and Charleston, South Carolina. He is an honors graduate of Lehigh University with degrees in International Relations and Economics.

Board Treasurer

Matt is a portfolio manager for the Financial Institutions Group within BlackRock’s Global Fixed Income platform. He manages corporate credit portfolios on behalf of global insurance clients.  Before moving to New York in 2011, Matt grew up in Scotland and earned a BA degree, with honors, in Business Economics from The University of Dundee. Matt also holds his FINRA series 7 and 63 certifications, and is a qualified Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA).  With teachers as parents, and a family member with autism, Matt has a true passion for working to provide educational opportunities for students with autism and is proud to be part of the BAC community.

Board Secretary

Dr. Anica Camela Mulzac is a licensed clinical psychologist with expertise in human behavior and group dynamics. As the Executive Clinical Director and Provost at Resilience Lab (www.resiliencelab.us), Dr. Anica leads the clinical director/supervisor team and spearheads the development of the Resilience Lab Institute for professional staff. Through her work with Race (+) Positive, LLC, Dr. Anica combines her passion for Race + Diversity with years of clinical training, research, and experience to help leaders and educators dismantle all expressions of racism, prejudice, and bias in their unique spheres of influence. Learn more about Dr. Anica’s work by visiting www.doctoranica.com

Alex is a Partner in PwC’s Deals Strategy practice focused on the Technology, Media, and Telecom (TMT) sectors. He leads commercial diligence and growth strategy work for operators and investors. He is passionate about New York City and is involved in the startup community and local charities. He received his B.A. from Brown University and has long been interested in ways to improve education through the role of data and technology. Several of Alex’s family members have spent their careers in child development and he has a family member with Autism – as such, he is honored to be part of the BAC and find his own ways to give back to the community. 

Rachel is currently in the Procurement Department at Johnson & Johnson. Rachel has always been interested in helping those with learning disabilities and volunteers every Friday at BAC. Rachel is the point of contact for the BAC Junior Board and is the liaison between the Junior Board and Board of Directors. The goal of the Junior Board is to bring awareness to the Autism community with fundraisers, local events as well as the BAC run that takes place in May. 

Jillian Forman is the Co-Founder, Chair and Executive Director of the 501(c)(3) non-profit Pawsability Dog Club Inc. After witnessing developmentally disabled family and friends “fall off the cliff” while transitioning into young adulthood, she set out to build an organization that could provide vocational training and meaningful employment opportunities for autistic adults. Pawsability reimagines the neighborhood doggy daycare as a non-profit building a community focused on uplifting their team, their neighbors and of course, their furry customers. Jillian is from New York City and received her B.S. from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.

Fernande Deguenon is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), and a former Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) trainee at BAC. She has served individuals with autism and their families in different capacities for over 15 years. She is passionate about helping individuals achieve their highest potential and enjoy meaningful lives. In her free time Fernande enjoys spending time with family and friends, running, reading, watching documentaries, and listening to podcasts.

Talia Orband is a LMSW originally from Binghamton, NY. After completing her Masters of Social Work education at Columbia University in 2014, Talia began her career serving elder abuse survivors in family court, and later transitioned to the criminal justice system. Talia is passionate and dedicated to advocating for others who cannot do it for themselves.

Advisory Board

Sydnee Jorgl is a parent of a child with Autism.  She is an advocate for the Autistic community and seeks to spread awareness and acceptance to our community and beyond.

M.S.Ed., S.A.S.

Randy Horowitz is the Associate Executive Director of Program Development for the Nassau Suffolk Services for Autism (NSSA). Randy started her career as a special education teacher in public school in Nassau County and then spent close to 20 years in a senior leadership position at a nonprofit organization serving children and adults with autism in NYC and Long Island. Randy has a Master of Science in Education from Queens College and a Certificate of School Administration and Supervision from the College of New Rochelle. Randy is currently a doctoral candidate in the educational leadership program at Concordia University. Randy is an adjunct Professor in the schools of education at Queens College, CUNY and SUNY Old Westbury.  Randy has presented at local, national and international conferences on topics relating to educating students with autism. Her particular areas of interest include preparing and supporting students with autism for integration into school and community activities. 

Psy.D., BCBA-D

Dr. Bridget A. Taylor is co-founder and Executive Director of Alpine Learning Group and is Senior Clinical Advisor for Rethink. Dr. Taylor has specialized in the education and treatment of children with autism for the past twenty-five years. She holds a Doctorate of Psychology from Rutgers University, and received her Master’s degree in Early Childhood Special Education from Columbia University. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and a Licensed Psychologist. She is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and serves on the editorial board of Behavioral Interventions. She is a member of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board and a Board Member of the Association for Science in Autism Treatment. She serves on the Autism Advisory Group for the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies and the Professional Advisory Board for the Association of Professional Behavior Analysts. Dr. Taylor is active in the autism research community and has published numerous articles and book chapters on effective interventions for autism. She is a national and international presenter and serves in an advisory capacity for autism education and treatment programs both locally and abroad. 

Rishi Chelminski is a NYS licensed, board certified behavior analyst. His training in Applied Behavior Analysis began at The University of Florida, under the supervision of Drs. Brian Iwata, Timothy Vollmer and Jesse Dallery. He earned his masters from Northeastern University while working at The New England Center for Children, where received extensive experience addressing very severe special needs. After moving to New York City, Rishi served as an adjunct lecturer at Queens College, and a Chancellor’s Fellow at CUNY. For five years he served as Director of Behavior Services at Services for the UnderServed, where he adapted ABA-based clinical practices to support adults living in OPWDD certified group homes and developmental centers. Regarding this work, he has presented extensively at The Association for Behavior Analysis International, New York Association for Behavior Analysis, and the NYS Association of Community and Residential Agencies. Currently, Rishi’s work focuses on preparing young adults with intellectual disabilities for the transition from school to managed care settings. He also collaborates with crisis intervention teams to address the mental health needs of typically-developing children and adults.

M.S., BCBA

Ms. Bloomer, a NYS licensed board certified behavior analyst, was trained and affiliated for ten years at the Children’s Unit for Treatment and Evaluation at SUNY Binghamton under the direction of Dr. Raymond Romanczyk. She is the founder and former Executive Director of the Crossroads School in New York and New England. Ms. Bloomer has done extensive work in the field of autism and applied behavior analysis, co-authoring and presenting at numerous conferences, nationally and internationally. She has consulted for schools in the United States, Ireland, Brazil and China.  In addition, she produced the training video series “Bridges” which has helped families and educators throughout the world. She recently was also the Clinical Director of PAAL, assistant director at the McCarton Upper School in Manhattan, adjunct lecturer at The Sage Colleges, and adjunct lecturer for Brooklyn College.  Currently Ms. Bloomer is the Chief Clinical Director for Peter Gerhardt Associates, LLC.  Ms. Bloomer is an approved TRICARE provider and consults with numerous families in the U.S. Military. Ms. Bloomer has been a member of the executive board for the New York State Association for Behavior Analysis (NYSABA) for approximately 15 years.  She previously has served in many positions including President, Member at Large, etc. Ms. Bloomer was a peer reviewer for the New York State Department of Health clinical practice guidelines for autism/pervasive developmental disorders.