ABA & AS Faculty & Staff

Amanda Cash, PhD, BCBA-D, LBA
Adjunct Faculty Member – SOE

Amanda has a Ph.D. in applied behavior analysis from The Chicago School where her research focused on effective and efficient instructional practices for children and adults. Additionally, she has a master’s degree in special education, a post-graduate certificate in special education leadership, and an undergraduate degree in theatre. Amanda’s clinical experience includes work in school and adult service settings, and she has a specific interest in the transition between these settings as individuals age. Amanda lives in Roanoke, VA and enjoys hiking with her husband and her dog in her free time.

Anika Costa, MSEd, BCBA
Adjunct Faculty Member – SOE

Anika Costa has over 20 years of experience in education and behavioral science as a teacher, trainer, coach, supervisor, mentor, and consultant. She obtained a post-graduate certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis from Stony Brook University in 2010, after earning her M.S. in Education from C.W. Post University in 2002 and her B.S. in Communicative Disorders from the University of Central Florida in 1997. Anika is the founder and president of The Operant Teacher, LLC, a behavior analytic consulting firm that offers training, coaching, and instructional design services to individuals, groups, and organizations in educational, private, and community-based agencies. She is also a best-selling author and United States Ambassador for The World Behavior Analysis Day Alliance (WBADA).

Christine “Christy” Evanko, MBA, BCBA, LBA
Adjunct Faculty Member – SOE

Christy Evanko, MBA, BCBA, LBA has over a decade of experience as a behavior analyst.  She owned and operated Snowflakes ABA in Virginia where she engaged in private practice with children and adults with autism, developmental and intellectual delays, and Tourette Syndrome as well as providing consulting services.  She served as the Executive Director for the Virginia Association for Behavior Analysis and has lobbied and advocated for the profession of applied behavior analysis.  Currently, she teaches ethics at Mary Baldwin University and is the treasurer for the B F Skinner foundation.  Christy is the Director of Human Resources and Operations at Motivity, a data collection software company.  In her spare time, Christy is involved in the timing of swim meets and volunteers with her church.  She lives with her husband and three children.

Paul “Paulie” Gavoni, EdD, BCBA
Adjunct Faculty Member – SOE

Dr. Paul Gavoni is a behavior analyst who is passionate about applying Organizational Behavior Management (OBM) strategies to lead and help other leaders establish positive and engaging environments that unlock behavior and unleash potential. He is a Wall Street Journal and USA TODAY best-selling author who hosts the Crisis in Education, Thoughts & Rants of a Behavior Scientist, and World Behavior Analysis Day Podcasts. He is a director at the Professional Crisis Management Association, founder of Heart & Science Consulting, co-founder of The Behavioral Toolbox, and a Board Member of The World Behavior Analysis Day Alliance. Beyond his work in education and human services, Dr. Gavoni is a former Golden Gloves Heavyweight Champion and highly respected striking coach in combat sports. Coach “Paulie Gloves,” as he is known in the Mixed Martial Arts community, has trained world champions and UFC vets using technologies rooted in ABA.

Kathryn Glodowski, PhD, BCBA-D
Director of Clinical Education & Assistant Professor of ABA
Academic Advisor – Graduate Students

Dr. Glodowski started working with people with disabilities as a peer tutor in high school and fell in love with the science of behavior as an undergraduate student. Since then, she has worked in many settings (e.g., camp, group home, private school, clinic) to help improve the quality of life for others with various disabilities (e.g., traumatic brain injury, down syndrome, autism). Dr. Glodowski firmly believes behavior analysis can be applied in all areas of society if we learn how to better collaborate across disciplines. In her free time, Dr. Glodowski enjoys anything outdoors and/or with good food.

Veronica Howard, PhD, BCBA-D

Associate Professor of ABA
Academic Advisor – Graduate Students

Veronica is a board-certified behavior analyst. Their research interests vary widely, including organizational behavior management (especially in under-resourced environments), distance-delivered teaching and training modalities, gamification, social justice, accessibility, and equity, diversity, and inclusion. Their hobbies include video games, copyright law, and hiking with their favorite sidekick, Ursa. Veronica is a founding member of the Alaska Association for Behavior Analysis and the Open Educational Resources (OER) Special Interest Group (SIG).

Stephanie Mitchell-Gregory, EdD
Adjunct Faculty Member – SOE

Stephanie earned her B.S. in Liberal Studies with a teaching certification from Bridgewater College. She obtained an M.Ed. in Special Education and a Post Graduate Certificate in Educational Leadership from JMU. She also holds an EdS Degree in Special Education and a EdD from National University. Stephanie has over 20 years of educational experience. Her experience includes teaching both regular education and special education in the Shenandoah Valley, working as a Division I learning specialist, educational consultant, assistant principal, Director of Accessibility Services and is currently the Principal and Director of Education at the Commonwealth Center for Children & Adolescents, an acute inpatient psychiatric hospital.

Barbara J. Kaminski, PhD, BCBA-D
Adjunct Faculty Member – SOE

Dr. Barbara Kaminski has over 30 years of experience as a behavior analyst. She received her Ph.D. in Psychology from the Behavior Analysis Training Program at West Virginia University, focusing on the experimental analysis of behavior and organizational behavior management. She has worked and published extensively in behavioral pharmacology, exploring the relationship between biological, neurological, and behavioral factors in drug use and abuse. Dr. Kaminski is the Clinical Director of an agency that provides ABA therapy services. She is passionate about professional development for young and in-training clinicians, is actively involved in developing problem-solving strategies for values-informed ethical decision-making, and is dedicated to the contextually-based application of behavioral principles. In her “spare” time, Dr. Kaminski is on the Board of Directors and volunteers for a local non-profit theatre company in Northern Virginia whose mission is the inclusion of performers and crew of all abilities.

Megan Sullivan Kirby, PhD, BCBA
Adjunct Faculty Member – SOE

Megan S. Kirby (she/her/hers) holds a doctorate in Behavioral & Community Sciences from the University of South Florida and master’s in special education from the University of Virginia. Dr. Kirby’s research focuses on assessing comprehension and scaling effective oral language interventions using culturally responsive practices and using single-case experimental design methodology to disseminate impacts of such programs to reduce educational and social disparities among marginalized and under resourced communities (e.g., children displaced due to war, climate change, etc.). She is the Director of Dissemination and Implementation Programs for Language Dynamics Group and an implementation scientist working with the Glazer Children’s Museum in Tampa, FL. She has published work in a variety of peer-reviewed journals and textbooks, to include the APA Handbook of Research Methods in Psychology, Behavior Analysis in Practice, Behavior and Social Issues, Perspectives on Behavior Science, Reading & Writing Quarterly, and Journal of School Psychology.

Dylan Markham, MA, BCBA, LBA
Adjunct Faculty Member – SOE

A. Dylan Markham is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Licensed in the state of Virginia since 2015. He graduated from James Madison University with his Masters degree in the Psychological Sciences Clinical Concentration. He completed his course sequence through the University of North Texas online program. Dylan has worked in the field of autism and other developmental disabilities for roughly a decade and a half, and has a strong interest in Organizational Behavior Management. He helped to improve the frequency of data entry by front-line staff into Excel databases. He works at a private day placement for children with autism as a classroom supervisor. He achieved the rank of Yondan (fourth degree black belt) in karate and enjoys spending time with his wife and two children in Staunton, Virginia.

Craig Marrer, PhD, BCBA-D, LBA
Adjunct Faculty Member – SOE

Craig Marrer is a board-certified and licensed Behavior Analyst in the state of Virginia. Dr. Marrer has experience working with individuals across the lifespan including early intervention services for young children with diagnosed with developmental disabilities, adults diagnosed with intellectual disability, traumatic brain injury, major mental illness, and older adults diagnosed with dementia processes. Dr. Marrer currently works as a BCBA for the Richmond City Public School district.

Brian Phelps, MEd, BCBA, LBA
Adjunct Faculty Member – SOE

Brian Phelps is a behaviorist who loves helping people. He attended the L. Douglas Wilder School of Public Affairs at VCU and earned a BA in Political Science.  Brian attended the University of Richmond and earned a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. A few years later he studied behavior at the Florida Institute of Technology. Since 2001 Brain has held various positions ranging from being a one to one, teacher, case manager and director. Currently, Brian is a Behavior Analyst at the Department of Behavior Health and Developmental Services.

Rachel Potter, EdD, BCBA-D, LBA, IBA
Director of Applied Behavior Analysis & Autism Studies
Professor of Behavior Analysis & Education
Academic Advisor – Graduate & Non-Degree Students

Dr. Rachel Potter is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, and licensed as a teacher (general and special education), administrator, and school superintendent.  Dr. Potter has experience as an academic administrator in higher education, associate professor, school-based administrator (in juvenile justice and in a traditional public school setting), central office special education administrator, and special education teacher.  She is the parent of two children, one of whom is on the autism spectrum. Dr. Potter volunteers with an organization called Autism on the Seas, both on their advisory board and as a staff member.  She also serves on the Professional Advisory Board of the International Behavior Analyst Organization. She has prior experience training service dogs and is a past president of the Board of Directors for Service Dogs of Virginia. Her academic degrees are from the College of William & Mary and the University of Virginia.

Amanda Randall, EdD, BCBA-D, LBA
Adjunct Faculty Member – SOE

Dr. Amanda A. Randall is a Virginia and North Carolina LBA who works with schools, families, and organizations to improve the lives and outcomes of individuals with disabilities. She is the Clinical Director at Aces for Autism NC. Dr. Randall received her doctorate in Special Ed from WVU, where here research and studies centered on ABA, social skill development, adult ed, and autism. Previously, she worked at JMU for the VA Dept of Ed’s Training and Technical Assistance Center (T/TAC). Her primary interests are autism, transition, functional skills, self-determination, program development, and support services for diverse families.  Dr. Randall is a proud NC native and ECU graduate and is most passionate about supporting individuals with disabilities to live happy and socially fulfilling lives in their community. 

Ryan Sain, PhD
Associate Professor of ABA
Academic Advisor – Graduate Students

Ryan Sain received his PhD from Washington State University during the Behavior Analysis days. He has since worked internationally doing university development all over Africa and Afghanistan. He served as Assistant Professor at Eastern Washington University for several years before moving into the private sector. He was the Operations Specialist at Northwest Autism Center where he did OBM work in an ABA setting. He is active in all things behavior analysis – but especially in the dissemination of the science and the development of open educational resources through PsychCore, a company he co-founded. He also co-founded the ABAI-OER Special Interest Group. As a genuine ABA, EAB, and OBM nerd you can distract him on many topics – notably self-management, and OBM. His deepest love for the field though comes in teaching the content.

Ashleigh Spencer, MEd, BCBA, LBA
Adjunct Faculty Member – SOE

Ashleigh Spencer is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst, licensed to practice in the state of Virginia. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from James Madison University in 2013. Ashleigh then attended Mary Baldwin for her MEd, concentrating in Applied Behavior Analysis. Ashleigh has experience working with individuals with a variety of diagnoses including Autism, ADHD, OCD, Down Syndrome, genetic disorders, and other Developmental Delays. Currently, she is the Regional Manager of ABA Services at Spectrum Transformation Group which serves children and families in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, both in the home and in a Learning and Development Center. For fun, Ashleigh enjoys watching movies with her husband and kids and home renovation shows.

Kristina Turner, MSEd, BCBA, LBA
Adjunct Faculty Member – SOE

Kristina is a graduate of the College of William and Mary and Temple University, where she received a master’s degree in Applied Behavior

Analysis. Kristina has been practicing as a BCBA in Virginia since 2013, in homes, centers, private schools, and group homes, and is now also licensed as a Behavior Analyst in New York to provide telehealth parent support. Kristina believes to serve an individual, you have to serve the whole family and keep trauma-informed practice at the forefront of each decision. Kristina is the owner of Trauma Informed Behavior Analysis and provides trainings to other provider and consultation services in adult group homes and supported living.  Kristina is a native of Staunton, Va and now resides outside of Richmond.

Lori Wall, BS, MEd
Director of Operations/Applied Behavior Analysis & Autism Studies
Academic Advisor – AS&ABA majors, ABA minors, dual-degree Bachelor’s/MS students

After spending ten years as a special education teacher in public education, Lori Wall became a member of the MBU family as the Field Placement Coordinator in 2013, and later as the Autism Studies Program Coordinator in 2018. She transitioned into the role of Director of Operations/ABA&AS in 2021 and also serves as an Adjunct Instructor. After graduating with a BS in Interdisciplinary Liberal Studies with a minor in special education from JMU,  Ms. Wall began her career as a high-needs special education teacher at the elementary and then the middle school level.  She later transitioned to Early Childhood Special Education where she was a regional program teacher for 2-5-year-olds with Autism. She received a MEd in Early Childhood Special Education from JMU and has taken graduate courses in ABA. Ms. Wall’s passion in life is helping others fulfill their potential as teachers, especially with an emphasis for educating individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder.