Our caring staff is experienced with helping families dealing with an autism diagnosis. To learn more about a staff member, simply click an image below.
Mea'Alofa Autism Support Center | 4016 Raintree Road, Suite 200A Chesapeake, VA 23321
phone: 757.465.3933 fax: 757.465.3944
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Christine has been providing ABA services to children on the autism spectrum since 1995. She received her bachelor’s degree with dual majors in Child Development and Psychology from Vanderbilt University. After graduating with high honors, she went on to receive her master’s degree in Early Childhood Special Education, also through Vanderbilt University. Christine has been a Board Certified Behavior Analyst since 2002 and became licensed by the Virginia Department of Medicine in 2012. After graduating, she spent a year as a special education teacher in public schools and then worked in various roles from consultant to clinical director of several autism organizations. In 2005, she started the Mea’Alofa Autism Support Center with co-founder, Keri Peko, to better meet the needs of families and children with autism in the Hampton Roads area. She has acted as the executive director of MASC since then. She is also the owner of CPABA Therapy. Since beginning her career working with children with autism, she has assisted hundreds of children along the autism spectrum and their families in both the United States and abroad. She is passionate about helping families, loves her amazing clients, and in her free time enjoys spending time with her son Jack and her pets.
Board Certified Behavior Analyst
michelleh@learnwithmasc.org
Michelle earned her Bachelor degree in Music Performance and Education from the University of Iowa in 2001. After teaching in public schools for several years she returned to the University of Iowa and graduated with a Masters of the Arts in Special Education in 2007. Since that time Michelle has worked with children with autism and various other disabilities in public and private schools as well as clinical settings in the United States and abroad. Michelle has been a BCBA since January 2013 and is licensed by the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Board of Medicine. She also serves as the Exceptional Kids Coordinator for a church in Richmond. Michelle lives in Portsmouth with her husband, two children and dog. When not working, she enjoys running, yoga, home improvement projects and going on adventures with her family.
A BCBA at Mea’Alofa Autism Support Center, Bonnie Bender has been working in the field of applied behavior analysis since 2010. Starting her journey as a behavior therapist, she received her BCaBA in 2013 and earned her Masters in Applied Behavior Analysis from Ball State University in 2019 along with her BCBA. Bonnie loves to spend time reading, traveling, camping and boating with her husband, two boys, dog and cat.
Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst
krystal@learnwithmasc.org
Krystal graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2011 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology and started working with children with Autism and other developmental delays soon after. She is currently working towards a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on Applied Behavior Analysis at Arizona State University. In her free time, Krystal enjoys spending time with her family, completing DIY projects around the house and traveling.
Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst
elizabeth@learnwithmasc.org
Beth Schiferl graduated from Liberty University in 2011 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology. She completed her certification as a BCaBA in 2014. She has worked with children with Autism and other developmental delays since 2007 and hopes to work towards her Master’s degree in the near future. In her free time, Beth enjoys spending time with her family, sports and being outdoors.
Registered Behavior Technician
Lily has been providing ABA services since 2005 first working with the Lovaas Early Intervention Institute in Ontario, CA. Lily joined the MASC family as soon as she moved to Virginia in 2009. She received her Bachelor’s in 2012 from the Culinary Institute of Virginia and in 2014 she received her Masters in Business from South University. Lily is currently working on her Master in Especial Education at Arizona State University and is looking forward to obtaining her BCBA in the near future. She has one son and spends all of her free time at Karate and soccer with him.
Registered Behavior Technician
Liz has been working with children with special needs since she was young and is truly passionate about what she does. Liz graduated from Old Dominion University with a Bachelor’s in Psychology in 2017. She has been certified as an RBT since April of 2015 and is currently pursuing her Master’s Degree in Special Education with a concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis from Ball State University.
Registered Behavior Technician
Destinee Romein graduated from Old Dominion University in December 2015 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology. She is currently pursuing her Master’s in Education from Liberty University. She received her RBT certification in June of 2015. In her free time she enjoys spending time with family and friends, and crafting.
Registered Behavior Technician
Clancey Page graduated from Virginia Wesleyan College with a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies and Spanish in 2013. She recently completed her Master’s in Special Education with a concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis. Her passion for working with children with Autism and other developmental delays comes from her nephew who teaches her something new every day. Clancey began providing ABA services in 2014 and plans to begin pursuing her certification as a BCBA in the near future. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her husband, family and friends or reading.
Registered Behavior Technician
Netta has worked for MASC for the past four years but has served in this field for 10 years. In 2018, She took on the role of Resource Director here at MASC. She serves both our current families and those in and around the Hampton Roads community. As Resource Director, she assists families in locating appropriate resources, including parent training, IEP assistance, advocacy and guidance for government assistance. She values the opportunity to meet and discuss how MASC can help families while they await direct ABA services.
Registered Behavior Technician
Joi has been working with children with autsim and developmental delays since 2009. She has been registered under the BACB as a behavior technician since 2017 and also has an Associate’s Degree in Applied Science.
With a background in human resources and the medical field, Michele has served as office manager at Mea’Alofa Autism Support Center since 2009. A native of Syracuse NY, Michele enjoys staying out of the cold and spending time with her family by the pool or at the beach.
Bethany has worked in the field of ABA since 2015. She received her undergraduate degree in Psychology from Huntington College in 2013 and her Masters in Special Education and Applied Behavior Analysis from George Mason University in 2016. Bethany has been a BCBA since 2017 and is also a certified Safety Care Trainer for the staff and families at MASC. Bethany is passionate about supporting children of all ages in their development of meaningful language and emotional regulation skills, as well as teaching staff and family members of clients crisis behavior intervention procedures. In her free time, Bethany enjoys traveling, working on home projects, and spending time with her family.
Shawnte is an RBT here at MASC. She has been in the field for almost two years and has her undergraduate degree in Applied Behavioral Science with a minor in Social and Criminal Justice. Shawnte recently completed her Master’s in Psychology at Ashford University and is currently pursuing her BCBA certification. For leisure, she enjoys spending time with family, reading, baking, cooking, and dancing.
Registered Behavior Technician
Ceci is in her second year as an RBT and loves this job. Her favorite part is getting to see the progress our kids make on a daily basis. She hopes to always work with kids and families, and then one day retire to devote her life to adopting dogs and searching for the world’s best barbecue.
Sarah has been working at MASC since 2014, as the Administrative Assistant. Since working at MASC she has gained a better understanding about autism and the impact it has on families. She hopes to help MASC achieve their vision by helping serve families in need and raising awareness in the community. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family, serving in her church, and listening to music.
Catherine is a BCBA here at MASC. She has been in the field of ABA for five years. She completed her undergraduate degree in Psychology at Christopher Newport University and her Master’s in Special Education at Ball State University. In her free time, she enjoys playing with her pets, baking, cooking and watching movies.
Trey earned his bachelor degrees in Psychology and Criminal Justice in 2018 from North Carolina Wesleyan College. Trey has been an RBT since May of 2019. In his free time, he likes to watch sports and spend time with family and friends.
Destini was born and raised in Virginia Beach, Virginia. She received her bachelors from Norfolk State University. Destini has been working with kids with special needs for the past 7 years and taught special education in Norfolk for two years. She decided to get more hands on with behavioral therapy and helping families succeed after working in the classroom and became a registered behavior technician in September 2017. Destini is really excited to be working with MASC and continuing her career goals!
Julia is pursuing a Bachelors of Science in Applied Psychology and Child Advocacy. She received her RBT in February of 2016. She plans on pursuing her Master’s Degree in Behavior Analysis once finished with her Bachelors program. She considers this field and working with children on the autism spectrum to be her passion. In her free time she enjoys crocheting, reading, and spending time with her husband.
Claire Laibstain is a BCBA at Mea’Alofa Autism Support Center. She passed her BCBA board exam in May 2021 and has been practicing ABA since 2017. Claire graduated from James Madison University with her Masters in Special Education. In her free time she loves running, being outside, and spending time with family and friends.
Jessica has been employed at Mea’Alofa Autism Support Center since August 2021. She has six years of childcare experience and five years as an administrative assistant. Jessica has an AAS in Administrative Support Technology and in heart ee time, loves to journal, read, and spend time with her family and friends.
BCBA, Sarah Myers, has been working in the field of applied behavior analysis for 7 years and developed a passion for serving this community after watching one of her three brothers grow up with Autism. Sarah graduated with her Masters in Special Education with a concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis from George Mason University. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and her dog, Rosie, as well as engaging in anything creative.
Megan earned her bachelor’s degree in speech language pathology in 2019, and her masters degree in special education with concentration in applied behavior analysis in the spring of 2022. Megan just became a BCaBA in November, and will be sitting for her BCBA exam in the beginning of 2023. In her free time she enjoys going on hikes, cooking and spending time with friends.
Sarah has been working with children with ASD since 2012 and specifically ABA services since September 2022. She is currently finishing her last semester for her Bachelor’s Degree in Special Education at ODU and plans to continue schooling for her Masters Degree to become a BCBA. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends at the beach, traveling, and hanging with her fur babies, Nala & Beau!
Siera earned her Bachelor’s degree in 2021 from Syracuse University. During College Siera spent her time mentoring young adults with developmental disabilities who participated in Inclusive U, Syracuse University’s higher education track for young adults with differing needs. She was also an active member of Delta Alpha Pi, an honor society for students with disabilities. Siera has been working in ABA for two years now. She is also pursuing a Masters degree in counseling through Northwestern University in order to increase access to Licensed Professional Counselors who are experienced in working with children and adolescents with ASD. In her free time, Siera enjoys reading, drawing, and spending time with her puppy Guinness.