FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Sept. 21, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CentralReach, the leading provider of autism and IDD Care software, today announced that it has established a Scientific Advisory Board consisting of six leading voices in autism and intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) care. With decades of combined experience, the Board will be responsible for providing CentralReach with insights and advice that will help improve the company’s current suite of solutions, spur new innovation, and contribute towards positive outcomes in the Autism and IDD Care space.

“The formation of CentralReach’s Scientific Advisory Board is something I’m extremely proud to announce as it reinforces our deep commitment to innovation and thought leadership with the Autism and IDD Care community at a time when the demand for services and the challenges of delivering those services are both at an all time high,” said CentralReach CEO Chris Sullens. “The team we have assembled represents some of the leading minds in the space, and I am confident that this collaboration will provide important insights that will help us unlock even more opportunities to fulfill our mission to provide the leading software solutions and services for the Autism and IDD Care industry.”

The Scientific Advisory Board includes:

• Rick Kubina Jr. Ph.D., BCBA-D, who will chair the board, has been a renowned leader in applied behavior analysis (ABA) for over 25 years. He currently serves as the Director of Research at CentralReach, helping the company in its mission to provide the leading clinical software for ABA and related behavioral health therapies. He is also a Professor of Special Education at The Pennsylvania State University, teaching the next generation of aspiring behavior analysts the concepts of behavior analysis and experimental design methods. Dr. Kubina joined the CentralReach team in 2018 when the company acquired Chartlytics, a real-time behavior change analytics software provider that Dr. Kubina co-founded four years prior.
• James W. Partington Ph.D., BCBA-D is a leading voice in the world of Autism and IDD Care assessments having authored and co-authored two of the most used and payor-recognized behavior analytics assessments – ABLLS-R® and AFLS®. Dr. Partington currently serves as Director of Research-CR Assessments of CentralReach, guiding CentralReach’s new assessments solution, CR Assessments, which offers a combined digital version of the ABLLS-R and AFLS assessments. Dr. Partington has been a licensed psychologist for over 45 years, providing language-based interventions for children with developmental disabilities, and serving as a leading provider of training and educational services in the industry.
• Leo Junquera has played an active role in the advancement of Autism and IDD Care through technology largely motivated by his son who is on the autism spectrum. Currently serving as Managing Director of Ernst & Young, leading the company’s Microsoft Alliance partnership, Junquera founded the Financial Services Autism Hackathon aiming to show how technology could transform autism services. As a former technology executive at Microsoft Corporation with experience driving cloud transformation and adoption, Junquera brings his vast technical knowledge to the Board.
• Summer Mingo, BCBA is a leading advocate for responsive, community-informed Autism and IDD Care services, and has been working toward building a neurodiversity paradigm into care and education. She is the Co-Founder of South Georgia Behavior Associates, a locally and clinically owned behavior analysis firm providing at-home and in-center ABA therapy services to children with autism ages one through 21. She is an active member of her local community empowering neurodiversity into all aspects of care. 
• Starlette (Star) M. Sharp, MS, with distinguished experience at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, has been a pivotal figure in the realm of science policy and education, recruiting diverse students into STEM, and contributing to the advancement of science education and research.
• Janet S. Twyman, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LBA-NY is a highly experienced thought leader and practitioner in the Pre-K-12 and higher education space. Currently, Dr. Twyman serves as the Founder and Chief Learning Scientist at Blast, a learning sciences company that creates and evaluates digital learning programs for K-12 and higher education, and Director of Innovation and Technology at the Center of Innovations in Learning. As a former preschool and elementary school teacher, principal, administrator, professor, and researcher, Dr. Twyman has experience in every facet of the education system, providing her with a unique perspective of the capabilities of virtual learning tools.

"From its very start, CentralReach was built by and for board certified behavior analysts (BCBAs) and so, I am proud to lend my voice and expertise to a company that values the voice of the customers they serve to deliver continuous improvement,” said Mingo. “I believe in the power of collaboration and its impact on innovation. By becoming a part of the advisory board, I hope to contribute my experience and knowledge to help contribute to the future of service provision, ensuring that practitioners have the tools they need to provide the best possible care to those we are in service of."

“CentralReach plays a critical role in driving the future of special education forward for individuals with autism and related IDDs.” Dr. Twyman continues, “I’m excited to explore the synergies between my expertise and CentralReach’s mission to empower learners, caregivers, teachers, and therapists through cutting-edge technologies.”


The Scientific Advisory Board will gather at the fifth annual CR Unite Autism and IDD Care Conference in New Orleans. The Board will also share their insights in a session titled, “Navigating the Headwinds and Tailwinds in Autism Therapy: Insights from CentralReach’s Scientific Advisory Board,” an interactive panel aiming to address the current landscape of autism therapy.

For more information on this session and to browse the full schedule for CR Unite, visit the event site. To learn more about CentralReach’s Scientific Advisory Board and its members, visit: centralreach.com/about/scientific-advisory-board/.

About CentralReach

CentralReach is the leading provider of Autism and IDD Care Software, providing the only complete, end-to-end software and services platform that helps children and adults diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and related intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) - and those who serve them - unlock potential, achieve better outcomes, and live more independent lives. With its roots in Applied Behavior Analysis, the company is revolutionizing how the lifelong journey of Autism and IDD Care is enabled at home, school, and work with powerful and intuitive solutions purpose-built for each care setting.

Trusted by more than 150,000 professionals globally, CentralReach is committed to ongoing product advancement, market-leading industry expertise, world-class client satisfaction, and support of the autism and IDD community to propel autism and IDD care into a new era of excellence. For more information, please visit CentralReach.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

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