Meet the ABA Centers of America Team

Board Certified Behavior Analyst Emily Santagati leads our efforts in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Therapy. Having earned her Master’s in Education—Applied Behavior Analysis from Endicott College in Massachusetts, Emily has dedicated her entire career to helping individuals with developmental disabilities achieve their goals. As a client-centered behavior analyst, Emily is passionate about working with families. “I believe in compassionate, client-centered care,” says Emily. “I am simply a teacher helping clients navigate any challenges they face. I believe in working alongside a client and supporting them as they advocate for themselves.”

As Chief Operating Officer, Michael is responsible for managing the vision, strategy, and processes that positively impact our clients and team members. He implements all business plans, tracks progress on goals, and manages company assets on a day-to-day basis. Michael holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin. Over the past 24 years, Michael has honed his leadership skills and unique managing style at several nationally recognized healthcare organizations.

As Clinical Director of our Braintree center, Cassie oversees our team of BCBAs and RBTs and monitors the needs and progress of our clients. Cassie earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Bradley University and a Master’s degree in Applied Behavior Analysis from Northeastern University. Since 2004, Cassie has worked for several respected ABA therapy agencies in various settings, including residential, in-home, and center-based services.

As Clinical Director for our Bedford, NH region, Brian provides ongoing training, support, supervision, and clinical oversight for BCBAs and RBTs. He is developing our Adult Services Division, where we will help those who have aged out of services. Brian earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Allegheny College and a Master’s in Applied Behavior Analysis from Northeastern University. In his 10 years in the autism treatment field, Brian has worked in all settings, including clinics, public schools, private schools and in-home services and has worked with people from early intervention through adulthood.

As Clinical Director for our New Hampshire location, Larissa is responsible for empowering our team of BCBAs and RBTs to deliver excellent ABA therapy services. She also develops and runs our parent/caregiver training programs, where she helps parents find ways to communicate with their children. Larissa is a dual-certified Board Certified Behavior Analyst–Doctoral and a speech-language pathologist, as well as a certified teacher. She earned her Doctorate in Intellectual Disabilities and Autism from Columbia University and has dedicated the past 20 years to working with individuals with a variety of developmental disabilities and their families.

As Regional Director of ABA Centers of America, Jay manages all facility operations and procedures and develops strategies to best serve our clients and community. Jay has a Bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences from Kaplan University and a Master’s in Healthcare Administration from Purdue University. He serves as an Adjunct Professor in laboratory science at Mount Wachusett Community College. Jay has served in various roles in the healthcare field for more than 20 years, including hospital management. He enjoys coaching community youth basketball and soccer.

As Executive Director of our Nashua, NH clinic, Nicole provides the support and direction necessary for our operations and team members to bring hope to clients and their families. No stranger to leadership situations, Nicole is a Gulf War Navy veteran and recipient of the Humanitarian Service Medal. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Social Work (Magna Cum Laude) from Salem State University. Nicole has spent more than 20 years in social work, supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

As Executive Director of our Salem, New Hampshire region, Sarah Glidden works with our families to ensure they receive the best treatment, which includes developing and maintaining a happy and healthy workplace for our team members. Having been our Lead RBT, Sarah developed a passion for leadership and transitioned into her current role. She is a Registered Behavior Technician and spent several years coaching athletes for the Special Olympics.

Cassandra is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst in our Bedford, NH, region with more than eight years’ experience working with children with disabilities. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, a Master’s in Development and Child Psychology, and a post-graduate degree in Applied Behavior Analysis. Cassandra started her career as a Registered Behavior Technician and found her passion for making a difference in society matched well with ABA career goals.

Kelsey is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst with more than six years’ experience working with children with autism in clinic, school, and in-home settings. Starting her career as a Registered Behavior Technician, Kelsey earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Franklin Pierce University and a Master’s in Applied Behavior Analysis from Ball State University. Kelsey enjoys teaching verbal behavior skills, which include vocal and non-vocal communication.

Julie is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Licensed Behavior Analyst (MA). She is a 2010 Graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Boston, where she earned her Masters in Education and Applied Behavior Analysis. She specializes in Performance Management and Behavioral Skills Training and has dedicated her career to staff development. Her work on BST has been presented at BABAT, ABAI, and APBA. When she isn’t working, she loves being at the beach with her husband, 4 girls, and Golden Retriever.

Janelle has worked as a behavior analyst in various director roles, including schools, home-based services, and center-based services.  Janelle specializes in skill acquisition, verbal behavior, and organizational development. Janelle was drawn to ABA Centers of America because she believes that compassionate care and empathy need to be integrated daily throughout all experiences so that everyone can be a part of a collaborative team for the best outcomes for all individuals involved in the learning and therapy processes. This all starts with quality staff training and communication. Outside of work, Janelle thoroughly enjoys spending time with her family and children and listening to podcasts to learn new things!

Christina has been with ABA Centers since March 2021, where she began as a Registered Behavior Technician, Lead Registered Behavior Technician, and Board Certified Behavior Analyst Apprentice. She is currently completing her Masters Degree in Applied Behavior Analysis with a focus on Organizational Behavior Management. Christina has a passion for training staff, specifically utilizing Behavior Skills Training. She enjoys meeting with new staff as they begin their onboarding process, along with continuing to support them while developing their clinical skill sets to further assist clients. When Christina is not working or in school, she enjoys spending time with her husband and is preparing for her first child!

Based in the Braintree, MA Training Center, Brandon Mottolo serves as Regional Training Coordinator for ABA Centers of America. Brandon is a Registered Behavior Technician and has worked in the ABA field for four years, with three and a half years of experience as a trainer. A graduate of Fitchburg State University with a degree in Human Services, Brandon is passionate about the education of gender identity and sexual orientation.

As VP of Team Member Experience, Katie works as a strategic business partner to all divisions and offices, building processes and helping to drive the organization’s high-performance culture. She has a double Bachelor’s degree in English and Philosophy and a Master’s in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix. Katie has been in human resources for more than 20 years and has specialized in health care for more than 10 years.