Facilitators of Groups and Activities

Shari Coon-Retelle – Parents of Adults Support Group Facilitator
Shari has a BS in Rehabilitation Counseling and works as a certified American Sign Language interpreter. She is the parent of two young adults, one is a Transgender son who is Autistic. Shari provides support around having a child with commonly coexisting identities.

Brenda Dater, MPH, MSW – Parents of Children & Teens Support Group Facilitator
Brenda is the Executive Director of AANE and author of Parenting Without Panic. She is the mom of three, her eldest is an Autistic Transgender woman who is currently in graduate school. Brenda has facilitated support groups for over 20 years and enjoys creating a supportive community for parents.

David Duval – Adult Social Group Facilitator – Pizza & Game Night
David earned his BS in Communications/Media from Fitchburg State College in 1996. He began as a participant at pizza & game nights and now runs the group. He enjoys collecting music CDs of all genres, attending concerts, and skiing during the winter months.

Brian Eckelman – Adult Social Group Facilitator – Dungeons & Dragons
Brian was first exposed to D&D at camp and instantly fell in love with it. He’s played in numerous campaigns spanning 3rd to 5th editions with plenty of homebrew thrown in. He enjoys the world-building aspect of the game and has led several D&D campaigns including a multi-year adventure.

Allison Evans – Teen & Adult Workshop Facilitator
Allie is a Doctorate of Occupational Therapy student at Boston University. She was drawn to OT for its holistic view of health and wellbeing and the therapeutic use of meaningful activities as interventions. She is originally from Cincinnati and studied public health at The Ohio State University.

Allie Everest- Adult Social Group Facilitator
Allie (she/they) is a Neurodiverse teacher, artist, explorer, and thinker. She believes in creating and nurturing communities where Autistic people can be their authentic selves. She is also a lover of nature and enjoys many forms of art creation including ice tie dye, calligraphy, and sewing clothing.

Jay Eveson-Egler, BA – Autistic Parents Support Group Facilitator
Jay (they/them) is an Autistic self-advocate and parent. They have a depth of knowledge of LGBTQ+ issues in the autistic community. They have experience founding and facilitating Neurodiverse peer support groups and is an adviser with the Neurodiverse Students Association at Mount Holyoke.

Leslie Feinberg – Families of Adults Support Group Facilitator
Leslie is the NY Resource & Referral Specialist at AANE and founded Supporting Our Young Adults Network (SOYAN) which she created to meet the needs of parents in the community whose children utilize NYS self-directed services so they may lead a self-determined life.

Christa Flanagan, M.Ed  – Adult and Parent of Adults Support Group Facilitator
Christa is a Consultation Specialist and LifeMAP Coach at AANE. Her experience advising college students and their families through higher education has given her the insight needed to support individuals in working toward their personal, educational, and independent living goals. 

Mina Fonze – Adult Support Group Facilitator
Mina Fonze is an Administrative Coordinator and Facilitation Specialist at AANE. She facilitates support groups for women and femmes. Mina was diagnosed Autistic later in life and enjoys reading, cooking, all things pop culture, and listening to new music.

Olive Gallop – Adult Social Group, Social Event, and Support Group Facilitator
Olive is an Autistic Trans woman and a Facilitation Specialist at AANE. She is a published author on the intersectionality of autism, gender, and sexuality. Olive is also an artist and musician and is knowledgeable about how artistic expression can help those on the spectrum. 

Dena Gassner, MSW, Ph.D. Candidate – Adult Women Support Group Facilitator
Dena is an adjunct at Towson University in Health Sciences. She is an appointed member of the Review Board for the Autism Intervention Research Network in Physical Health (AIR-P) and is a member of the AIR-P Gender, Sexuality, and Healthcare Node with UCLA.

Stephanie Goodner – Adult Book Group Facilitator – Book Club
Stephanie is a long-time book connoisseur and enjoys connecting with other avid readers when she co-facilitates the AANE Book Club for Adults, which meets on the second Tuesday of each month. 

Brandy Haberer – Adult Workshop Facilitator
Brandy is the social media and community manager at Hiki App. She attended the University of North Ga and Toccoa Falls College, majoring in Psychology. She and her husband Matt have a podcast and called, “The Chronic Couple” where they share their perspective both being autistic adults.  

Thomas Hall – Adult Meetup Group Facilitator – Science & Technology Discussion
Thomas holds a BSEE in Electrical Engineering and an MS in Nutrition and Biochemistry. He is a retired Professor of Electrical Engineering Technology as well as an instructor of Computer Science for a bit. Thomas received his diagnosis a few years ago though he always knew he was different.

Nick Haslam – Adult Social Group Facilitator – Dungeons & Dragons
Nicholas is the LifeMAP Administrative Assistant at AANE and also co-facilitates the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Interest Series and was first introduced to DnD over 20 years ago, but has been campaigning for the last five years. As a player, he favors gish characters.

Becca Lory Hector – Adult Support Group Facilitator
Becca is the Director of Training at AANE and was diagnosed as an adult. She has since become a dynamic autism advocate, consultant, speaker, and author. Her international, grant-approved, virtual course Self Defined Living: A Path to a Quality Autistic Life helps improve the lives of Autistics.

Yesica Hickey – Facilitadora de grupos de apoyo para padres de niños y adolescentes
Yesica es especialista en apoyo y servicios de AANE. Es madre de un hijo adulto joven autista. Yesica es maestra de educación especial, obtuvo su Certificación de Especialista en Autismo y es Especialista Cognitiva Certificada por la Junta IBCCS.

Laura Graham Holmes, Ph.D. – Adult Workshop Facilitator
Laura is a psychologist and professor at CUNY Hunter College Silberman School of Social Work. She specializes in co-designing and co-facilitating classes for Autistic adults on topics like healthy relationships, LGBTQ+ affirming therapy, and substance use.

Trish Huff, MSW, LICSW – Adult Social Events and Support Group Facilitator
Trish has a private practice in Western Mass. Trish began her work with AANE by facilitating support groups for adults and serving as a community liaison. She co-led the start-up and administration of a local chapter and provided presentations on autism for the community and local educators.

Bonnie Kaplan – Families of Adults Support Group Facilitator
Bonnie stays at the cutting edge of valuable resources, services, and research by attending many conferences and presentations. She enjoys learning and sharing the latest information with support group members.

Jodi Kaplan, MS, MBA – Teen Support Group Facilitator
Jodi is a special education teacher, an experienced teen support group facilitator, and a mom to a Neurodivergent son. She was on the Board of Directors of AHA, which merged with AANE in 2019.

Jasper LaFleur, BA – Adult Social Group Facilitator – Dungeons & Dragons
Jasper (they/he) is a Neurodivergent self-advocate, passionate nerd, and potentially three goblins in a trenchcoat. They are a founding member of the Mount Holyoke College Neurodiverse Students Association where they fostered peer-to-peer networks and advocated for accessibility on campus.

Robert Lagos – Adult Support Group Facilitator
Robert holds a BS degree from UCLA and is a computer programmer analyst and statistician. He is a presenter and has mentored Autistic teens and young adults. Robert is also a co-author with Wilma Wake and Eric Endlich of the book, Older Adults: The Lost Generation.

Karen Lean – Adult Workshop Facilitator
Karen has been contributing to the AANE community as a volunteer, artist, and speaker for many years. She currently serves on the AANE Board of Directors and helps with strategic planning. Since she was diagnosed at age 32, she has thrived in a healthcare IT job and healed emotionally.

Aaron Levinger – Adult Social Group Facilitator- Team Trivia
Aaron is an Administrative Coordinator at AANE. He has spoken for the Understanding Our Differences program in addition to speaking to many groups of students and other audiences. In 2013, Aaron was given the Katie Lynch Memorial Award as Speaker of the Year.

Kate Libby, MPS – Adult Social Group Facilitator – Cooking Workshop
Kate is a certified AANE LifeMAP Coach and the founder of Kate Libby Coaching. She provides individualized support to young adults who are seeking to enrich their lives, achieve their goals, and define what success looks like on their own terms.

Toby Liebowitz – Adult and Parent of Adults Support Group Facilitator
Toby is a retired special educator. She facilitates support groups for Autistic adults as well as their parents. She has members of her extended family with Autistic profiles. Besides baking and reading, she enjoys supporting others in sharing their challenges and successes with each other.

Allyson Linehan – Adult and Parent of Adults Support Group Facilitator
Allyson is a Consultation & Coaching Specialist and a LifeMAP Coach at AANE. Allyson has worked over 30 years in the human service field and has a Masters in Pastoral Counseling from Boston University. She enjoys helping clients achieve their goals and dreams.

Stephanie Loo, M.Ed. – Parents of Teens & Young Adults Support Group Facilitator
Stephanie is the Senior Family Support Specialist at AANE and offers her expertise through Parent Coaching. She initiated the AANE/NESCA Transition Roundtable, which resulted in programming focused on transition planning and preparing teens for college.

Katy MacRae, LCSW – Adult Support Group Facilitator
Katy is a Neurodivergent therapist who specializes in using creative arts therapies for clients. She also works for Yale University and Yale New Haven Hospital, where she has developed ways of adapting CBT and DBT therapies to Neurodivergent populations.

Linda Manning, MBA – Adult and Parent of Adults Social Events and Support Group Facilitator
Linda has a background as a special education consultant and also works at a non-profit organization serving seniors and individuals with disabilities. She is the parent of four young men, two who are neurodiverse, and two who are neurotypical.

Katie McLean, LICSW, – Adult Social Events Facilitator – Outdoor Enthusiasts Club
Katie is originally from New York and moved to Boston 7 years ago to pursue her Master’s Degree in Social Work. She is currently a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker and works full-time as a Geriatric Social Worker.

Grace Myhill, MSW – Neurodiverse Couples Support Group Facilitator
Grace is the Director of Couples and Partners Services and of The Neurodiverse Couples Institute at AANE. She specializes in working with neurodiverse couples who encounter difficult or unfulfilling relationship dynamics.

Stephen Nadel, Ed.D., MSW, LICSW – Adult Social Events and Support Group Facilitator
Stephen is the Clinical Team Leader at the Natick, MA office of DCS Mental Health and also practices at Harbor Counseling. His personal experience with his 22-year-old Autistic son with has been his inspiration and has led him to discover his own Aspie characteristics.

Nisha Narvekar, MA, Ph.D. Candidate – Adult Support Group Facilitator
Nisha is LifeMAP coach and she enjoys a rich experience from working with a diverse set of clients. While in India, Nisha worked with underprivileged children at a high risk of HIV, using dance therapy for group counseling and creating HIV awareness.

Anastasia O’Melveny – Adults Support Group Facilitator
Anastasia is an artist and leads the AANE Artists Collaborative. She facilitates the Support Group for Adults Over 50.

Judith Omidvaran – Families of Adults Support Group Facilitator
Judy founded the Westchester County Autism Advisory Committee in 2009 to inform elected officials, policymakers, government agency management, and law enforcement of the needs of Autistic adults. The committee meets regularly with the Department of Community Mental Health leadership.

Pam Palmucci, MSW, LCSW – Parent of Children & Teens Support Group Facilitator
Pam received her Master of Social Work from Simmons University and received certification from the Federation for Children with Special Needs Parent Consulting Training. She is a consultant to Boston Medical Center’s Autism Friendly Initiative and the proud mother of three, her youngest is Autistic.

Nancy Parker, MSW, LICSW – Parent of Children & Teens Support Group Facilitator
Nancy is a Senior Manager of Individual and Family Services at AANE. She has worked as a counselor in hospitals, colleges, and prisons, and created mental health training programs for children with mental health issues. Nancy first connected with AANE when her daughter was diagnosed in 2006.

George Pelc – Adult Support Group Facilitator
George is a LifeMAP Coach at AANE and has been working with Autistic individuals for more than 26 years. He is a very empathetic person who highly values the ability to connect with the individuals he works with.

Emmett Perkins – Adult Support Group Facilitator
Emmett is a proud Autistic and Transgender individual. Using his own lived experience, he co-facilitates two of AANE’s open support groups for adults. He loves dogs and helping others.

Branden Plank – Adult Support Group Facilitator
Branden is an experienced facilitator who has been leading support groups for over a decade. Branden is Autistic and his warm and welcoming nature has made him a trusted friend and mentor to many of his group members.

Dawn Prince-Hughes, Ph.D. – Adult Social Group Facilitator – Journaling Workshop
Dawn is an interdisciplinary anthropologist with a background in primatology and marginalized cultures. She has been an autism community advocate for over two decades and has written about her experiences on the autism spectrum in Songs of the Gorilla Nation. 

Erica Rémi – Adult Support Group Facilitator
Erica is the Director of Development at AANE. She has gained extensive knowledge about autism through working with neurodiverse colleagues, building relationships with AANE community members, and parenting an Autistic child.

Marcia Robinson, M.Ed., CAGS – Grandparent Support Group Facilitator
Marcia is a LifeMAP Coach at AANE. As a school psychologist who practiced in several MA school districts, she uses her expertise to embrace the grandparents of Autistic individuals. Marcia offers a balance of information, support, as well as strategies for successful family experiences.

Marilyn Rosenberg – Parent of Children & Teens Support Group Facilitator
Marilyn is a clinical and educational psychologist, who has experience working in both clinical and school settings. She has provided support around anxiety, eating disorders, the psychological aspects of cancer, depression, social problems, attention deficit disorder, and learning disabilities.

Elena Rossen, M.Ed. – Teen Social/Support Group Facilitator
Elena (they/she) is a LifeMAP coach at AANE with experience as an educator, across a range of subject areas and settings. They have a deep passion for creating spaces that celebrate neurodiversity and supporting individuals in accessing the tools and skills they need to reach their full potential.

Emily Rothman, ScD – Adult Workshop Facilitator
Emily is a Professor at Boston University School of Public Health. She co-authored a curriculum for teenagers and has experience teaching healthy relationships classes to Autistic students with mental health challenges. Dr. Rothman has appeared on The Today Show, NPR, CNN, and Teen Vogue.

Bruce Sabian, LMHC – Fathers Support Group Facilitator
Bruce is the owner and director of Academy MetroWest, a children’s group therapy program. Bruce runs weekly social skills groups and provides individual counseling and executive function coaching services and also works as a consultant and trainer with schools and organizations.

Patricia Schissel, LMSW – Adults, Families, and Couples/Partners Support Group Facilitator
Pat is the NY Director at AANE. She was adjunct faculty at Adelphi University and at C.W. Post Long Island University and has served on numerous national committees and boards. Pat has played an instrumental role in the founding of innovative new programs that have achieved national renown.

Rachel Semple – Teen & Adult Workshop Facilitator
Rachel is a Doctorate of Occupational Therapy student at Boston University. She is from northern California and attended California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo as an undergrad in psychology, biology, and child development.

Leslie Sickels, LCSW – Couples/Partners Support Group Facilitator
Leslie is a clinical social worker at Spectrum Services in NY. She specializes in working with neurodiverse couples, Autistic individuals, and neurotypical partners. Much of Leslie’s work also focuses on gender, sexuality, and sex as they relate to the unique concerns of Autistic individuals.

Maxfield Sparrow – Adult Support Group Facilitator
Max is a non-binary/metagender middle-aged Autistic writer, self-advocate, and Direct Support Professional (DSP). Most recently, Max edited the poetry and essay anthology Spectrums: Autistic Transgender People in Their Own Words.

Matt Terlaga – Adult Social Group Facilitator
Matt is 37 years old but wasn’t officially diagnosed until he was 25. Matt has been with AANE for over 10 years as a speaker, a Simpatico mentor, and through the encouragement of some of the staff, the co-facilitator of CineSpeak, an in-person film and TV discussion group.

Kelly Urban, LMHC – Adult Support Group Facilitator
Kelly is a Senior Manager of Individual and Family Services and a LifeMAP Coach at AANE. She worked at McLean Hospital using DBT to teach women emotion regulation tools and other life skills to move forward in their lives. Kelly helps navigate what autism means for individuals and their loved ones.

Sharon Velek – Adult Support Group Facilitator
Sharon works professionally with dogs and with people with physical and emotional disabilities. She is an experienced and respected public speaker, writer, and teacher in her field. She started realizing she might be on the autism spectrum in 2013 at the age of 43.

Liliana Valvano – Adult Workshop Facilitator
Liliana is a social worker and long-time disability justice community organizer. She specializes in helping people at the intersection of LGBTQ+ and Autistic identities to celebrate and advocate for themselves.

Ilia Walsh, MSEd, MBA – Adult Support Group Facilitator
Ilia is the Director of Individual and Family Services at AANE and the creator of the Autism In Real Life Podcast. She has over 25 years of experience through training, education, and support and is also a registered yoga teacher. Ilia is a mom of two young adults, one of which is Autistic.