Speaker Bios

Kristen Koba-Burdt, BCBA, LBA, CDP (she/her) obtained her certification as a Certified Diversity Professional (CDP®) and co-leads the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) special interest group (SIG) for the Council of Autism Service Providers (CASP). She is fortunate to call Hawaiʻi home, one of the most diverse states in the nation, and serves as the Director of Clinical Operations for BAYADA, a not-for-profit organization. Whether in an official capacity or of her own volition, Kristen has tirelessly dedicated numerous hours to advocacy and advancement of the field of applied behavior analysis. In 2019, Kristen received the Outstanding Sustained Advocacy Award at the Autism Law Summit for her efforts related to consumer access to services, supporting families in rural and underserved areas, and focusing on increasing provider knowledge related to autism policy. She is devoted to supporting underserved communities to access ABA, creating career opportunities for a diverse workforce, and continuing to learn and grow to enhance equity and inclusion in all facets of her work. As a multi-racial, first generation college graduate, much of her work focuses on increasing diversity in our workforce, improving equity within ABA organizations, and supporting advancement and career opportunities for behavior technicians to become behavior analysts and continue to advance into all areas of leadership.

Ivy Chong is a licensed psychologist and doctoral level board certified behavior analyst (BCBA-D) with 30 years of progressive experience serving individuals with autism and developmental disabilities. She serves as Chief Clinical Officer at Autism Care Partners where she oversees the clinical operations across diagnostics, ABA services, Speech and Occupational Therapy. She has led large-scale clinical operations and strategic initiatives across multi-site, multi-regional service organizations. She earned her doctorate in Behavior Analysis from Western Michigan University and later obtained an MBA in Healthcare Management from the Florida Institute of Technology. Ivy holds academic appointments at Brock University and University of Massachusetts Lowell, maintains leadership roles on several advisory boards, and has presented at numerous conferences internationally.

Rachael Coburn is a healthcare executive with nearly 30 years of experience in autism services, bringing a rare combination of clinical depth and business leadership to a rapidly evolving sector. As Executive Director of the Autism Commission on Quality (ACQ), she leads the organization’s strategy, growth, and operations, advancing accreditation as a national benchmark for quality and accountability in autism care. She is also leading the integration of the Behavioral Health Center of Excellence (BHCOE) into ACQ, aligning two of the most recognized accreditation frameworks in the field and building a unified approach to clinical quality, operational rigor, and accountability.

A former founder and CEO of a multi-site autism services organization, Rachael has firsthand experience building and scaling operations in a complex, high-growth, and increasingly regulated environment. Today, her work sits at the intersection of quality, compliance, and business strategy, helping providers, payers, policymakers, and investors understand how strong quality infrastructure can reduce risk, strengthen organizations, and support sustainable enterprise value.

Thea Davis, MS Ed, LABA (MA), BCBA, is a seasoned professional with over 20
years of experience in the field of autism and applied behavior analysis. As
the founder and former executive director of Autism Bridges, LLC, Thea
established a network of four service areas including clinic-based, home-
based, and school-based services in Bedford, NH, Portsmouth, NH, Methuen
MA, and Burlington, VT. Her leadership and dedication have positively
impacted the lives of thousands of individuals with autism spectrum disorder and their families.

As a mother of a child with autism, Thea's commitment to improving the lives of individuals with autism is both personal and professional. Her expertise in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy for children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum and other related disorders has led her to co-author and present dozens of presentations at ABAI, BABAT, NHABA, HABA, and the national Autism Law Summit.

Thea has a proven track record of leadership in the field of applied behavior analysis, having served as the founder and president of NHABA and as a founding member of Massachusetts Coalition of Applied Behavior Analysis (MassCAP), where she also served as the Director of member education. In the fall of 2022, she was appointed to serve on the Accreditation Committee for the Autism Commission on Quality (ACQ) and was invited to become a member of the Profession Practice Committee for the Berkshire Association for Behavior Analysis and Therapy (BABAT) in early 2023. Thea also served as a subject matter expert for the Council of Autism Service Providers'; Organizational Guidelines (CASP, 2022).

With her extensive experience and unwavering commitment to the field, Thea continues to drive meaningful change and progress in improving the lives of individuals with autism and their families.

Mariel Fernandez is the Vice President of Government Affairs at the Council of Autism Service Providers (CASP) and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) licensed in Texas. She earned her master’s degree in applied behavior analysis (ABA) from Auburn University in 2004. A passionate advocate for improved access to care, Mariel actively supports advocacy, public policy, and legislative initiatives at the state and federal levels. Mariel serves as the presiding officer of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) Behavior Analyst Advisory Board, and is the Past- President of the Texas Association for Behavior Analysis Public Policy Group (TxABA PPG). In these roles, she played a crucial part in the successful passage of behavior analyst licensure and the inclusion of autism services, including ABA, as part of the Texas Medicaid benefit. Mariel is the 2026 recipient of the APBA Jerry Shook award for her efforts to protect access to care for TRICARE and Medicaid beneficiaries across the country. Mariel continues to advocate for improved implementation of the autism services benefit to support access to medically necessary services.

Chanti Fritzsching Waters, EdD, BCBA-D, brings more than 32 years of experience in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), serving in home, school, residential, and community settings across local and multi-state service providers. Her career has been dedicated to advancing clinical excellence, meeting client and stakeholder needs, and achieving socially meaningful outcomes. She has partnered with clinical and administrative teams to establish organizational goals and uphold high clinical standards. Dr. Waters earned an MS in ABA Psychology from California State University, Stanislaus, and an Education Specialist degree and Doctor of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of West Florida. A Board Certified Behavior Analyst since 2002, she has expertise in early intensive behavioral intervention, clinician training and supervision, and curriculum development. As Vice President of Clinical and Regulatory Affairs at ABS Kids, Dr. Waters oversees clinical quality initiatives and documentation standards, influences training and development, and supports public policy efforts. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Association of Professional Behavior Analysts (APBA) as Secretary, as a representative on the ABA Coding Coalition, and a member of the Standards Committee of the Autism Commission on Quality.

Ashley Fuhrman, Ph.D., BCBA-D is the Senior Vice President of Research and Innovation at BlueSprig Pediatrics, where she leads the development, implementation, and expansion of specialty service offerings and leverages and contributes to cutting-edge research and emerging technologies to monitor and improve patient outcomes. She earned an M.A. in applied behavior analysis from the University of Nebraska Omaha, and her Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska Medical Center, where she later worked before joining the Rutgers University Center for Autism Research, Education, and Services. She has presented and published extensively on ABA interventions for people with autism and severe behavior disorders, currently serves as an Associate Editor for Behavior Analysis: Research and Practice, and has served on the board of editors for several behavior-analytic journals.

Julie Kornack is Chief Government and Payor Relations Officer at the Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD) where she works to preserve and expand access to applied behavior analysis (ABA). She is the lead author of Science Over Cynicism: The Race to Preserve Best-Practice Applied Behavior Analysis and Preventing Insurance Denials of Applied Behavior Analysis Treatment Based on Misuse of Medically Unlikely Edits, along with other peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. She co-founded and serves on the board of directors of the National Coalition for Access to Autism Services, through which she worked with the U.S. Department of Labor to prompt enforcement of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act as it applies to the ABA benefit. She co-chaired Hillary for America's Disability Policy Health Care Task Force, co-authored the Democratic National Committee's Disability Primer for Democratic Candidates, and has served on the state task forces that implemented the Medicaid ABA benefit in California, Michigan, and Oregon.

Will Martin is a behavior analyst and a certified Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) Trainer who serves as the Head of ESDM Implementation at Soar Autism Center. Dedicated to bridging the gap between research and community practice, Will leads the clinical training and design required to scale high quality, insurance-funded, interdisciplinary ESDM therapy. He built his clinical foundation at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he served as an Assistant in Pediatrics and Assistant Clinical Director, acting as key personnel on a multi-site clinical trial evaluating early intensive behavioral interventions.

Will is also a leading voice in autism healthcare policy in Colorado. Serving as a Board Member and the Public Policy Chair for the Colorado Association for Behavior Analysis (COABA), he works directly with the state Medicaid committee and legislators to protect essential funding and work toward equitable access to care.  Will played a pivotal role in passing Colorado House Bill 26-1425, which establishes a comprehensive oversight framework for behavior analysis in the state, including both facility and professional licensure. 

Will holds a Master of Education in Early Intervention from the University of Pittsburgh. He speaks frequently at national conferences, on treatment fidelity, interdisciplinary care and the critical role of applied behavior analysis organizations in public policy advocacy. 

Eileen Mendes has worked in the human services field for more than two decades, serving in leadership positions at center-based programs, special education schools, and residential programs. In these roles, she has supported initiatives related to risk, compliance, licensing, accreditation, and related performance improvement initiatives.

As states enacted autism insurance legislation, Eileen helped programs and families navigate legal and regulatory changes. Her areas of expertise risk management, state, and federal compliance, quality improvement, licensing and accreditation activities, operational excellence, and trauma-informed care.

Eileen was a founding member of the Massachusetts Coalition of ABA Providers (MassCAP), previously served as vice chair of the ACQ Standards Committee, and currently serves as Chair of the Professional Practice Committee of BABAT (Massachusetts Professionals in Behavior Analysis) and Member-at-Large of the New Hampshire Association for Behavior Analysis (NHABA).

Jenna is licensed to practice law in Maryland and is a member of the Maryland State Bar Association. In her early career she spent 5 years in the metro DC area, working for medical non-profits learning the ins and outs of the regulatory process.  Following that, she spent 10 years as the Director of Operations for a large non-profit ABA organization in Michigan where she also served as the interim Executive Director.  In 2013, she founded Minton Healthcare Strategies, now known as Proactive Strategies, LLC (PS) who specializes in guiding clients through Medicare and Medicaid regulatory processes.  Specifically, we focus on the development of Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) Codes which are used to report medical, surgical, and diagnostic procedures and services.  PS also assists in valuing medical services through the American Medical Association's process (the AMA Relative Update Committee).  Clients we work with include: applied behavior analysis provider organizations and coalitions, medical specialty societies, and virtual technology companies.  We also support ABA provider organizations with audit, contracting, and claims processing issues.  In 2023 we grew our team to five and we look forward to what the future holds. 

Allyson Moore, MS, BCBA, LMFT is the Chief Professional Standards Officer for the Center for Applied Behavior Analysis (CABA). She collaborates with leadership team members in developing and implementing clinical best practices. Allyson served as President and Past President for the Association of Professional Behavior Analysts (APBA), currently serving as an advisor and on the ABA Coding Coalition as principal representative of APBA. She is a member of the Council of Autism Service Providers (CASP) special interest groups of Documentation, Multispecialty Practices, and California Advocacy, and serves as chair of CASP's Client Outcomes SIG. She has extensive experience serving individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other neurodevelopmental and mental disorders, as well as working in coordination and collaboration with primary caregivers, stakeholders, and other related public and private agencies.

Leslie is a licensed attorney, working as a criminal prosecutor in South Carolina since 2010.  Leslie's work spans a variety of crimes, from low-level misdemeanors to homicide cases, and requires involvement in prosecution from arrest through disposition, including trials.  Prior to working in South Carolina, Leslie spent two years as a law clerk to the late Patrick J. Duggan, Federal District Court Judge in the Eastern District of Michigan.  Leslie graduated summa cum laude from the Ave Maria School of Law in 2008 after having obtained a bachelor's in chemistry summa cum laude from Northern Arizona University in 2005.  Leslie is licensed to practice in North and South Carolina and is a former member of the Michigan Bar.

Dan Unumb is an attorney and founder of the Autism Legal Resource Center. Mr. Unumb previously served as the founding Executive Director of the Autism Speaks Legal Resource Center, where he worked to secure improved insurance and Medicaid coverage for individuals with autism in over 40 states.

He has worked with federal and state regulators to secure improved guidance and enforcement on autism-related issues and has filed amicus briefs on autism legal issues in state and federal appeals courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. He is co-author of the law school casebook “Autism and the Law” and has presented on legal topics pertaining to autism at numerous national conferences and trainings.

Mr. Unumb is also co-founder of the Autism Academy of South Carolina, a treatment facility providing state-of-the-art care to children on the autism spectrum. He has served on the supporting board for the Greenwood Genetics Center and is a board member of Ascendigo, in Aspen, Colorado, which provides challenging recreational activities to children and adults with autism as well as community living support. Mr. Unumb has litigated cases in federal and state courts across the country in private practice in Boston, Washington, D.C., and Charleston and as an attorney with the United States Department of Justice.

Lorri is a lawyer, professor, mother of three boys, and an internationally renowned autism advocate. She began her legal career clerking for a federal judge in Charleston, South Carolina, and then moved to Washington, D.C. to practice law with the United States Department of Justice, where she met the dashing Dan Unumb. She enjoyed a fulfilling career as an appellate litigator, arguing immigration cases in U.S. Circuit Courts all over the country. After two academic stints at law schools in D.C. (George Washington) and Charleston, Lorri began teaching advocacy at the Department of Justice’s National Advocacy Center. She also hosted an award winning weekly television show called “The Law with Professor Lorri.” Following her firstborn son’s diagnosis with autism, Lorri began working in autism advocacy as a volunteer, writing ground-breaking autism insurance legislation for South Carolina (“Ryan’s Law”) that passed in 2007 and served as the catalyst for the national movement toward autism insurance reform. In recognition of Ryan’s Law, Lorri was awarded the Autism Society of America 2008 Parents of the Year Award (along with Dan). She was then recruited by the New York-based nonprofit Autism Speaks to lead State Government Affairs. Lorri has testified more than 100 times on health insurance issues in legislatures and parliaments around the world. For her efforts, Lorri received the NASCAR Betty Jane France Humanitarian of the Year award and was featured in Town & Country Magazine as a Longines “Women Who Make a Difference” recipient. Lorri also served as a Commissioner for the South Carolina Department of Disabilities & Special Needs, which administers the state’s HCBS waivers serving individuals with developmental disabilities. She and Dan founded the Autism Academy of South Carolina (recently rebranded “The Unumb Center for Neurodevelopment”), a nonprofit ABA center and diagnostic clinic. Together, they also wrote the first-ever comprehensive textbook on autism legal issues called “Autism and the Law,” and Lorri developed & taught a course by the same name at GW Law School. Lorri is the founder of the Autism Law Summit. She is also a former world-champion clogger and first-runner up in her 4th grade spelling bee.

Rebecca has been working in our field of ABA since 2001 in clinic, community, home and school settings. From 2005-2014 she helped start and grow the ABA program at Tustin Unified School District in Orange County, CA to 80+ staff and 120+ students. In 2022, Rebecca was elected Treasurer on the COABA (Colorado Association for Behavior Analysis) Executive Board. She is a member of the team which helped draft the bill for Medically Necessary Treatment in Schools and successfully helped lobby for its passage. She is on the Public Policy Committee advocating for Medicaid provision enhancement and assists on the Professional Development Committee with the goal of providing educational webinars to Colorado clinicians for improving the quality of services in the state. Rebecca was appointed to the Advisory Board for Therapy Brands with the intent to improve ABA practice management and data collection systems to meet the needs of ABA clinicians. She co-chairs a Special Interest Group for the Council of Autism Service Providers for Therapy Brands users to gather data on what providers need from their software platform. She is passionate about representing providers across the U.S. as one universal voice.