Centralized Safeguarding Committee Members

Meet the BlueSprig Centralized Safeguarding Committee

Kelly Bernard, M.Ed., BCBA, LABA
Vice President of Clinical Services
Alex Tomei, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA
Director of Clinical Standards
Timothy R. Vollmer, PhD, BCBA-D
Professor and Associate Chair of Psychology, University of Florida
Ashley Fuhrman, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Senior Vice President of Research and Innovation
Abby Brown, MS, BCBA
Director of Clinical Operations
Samantha Schultz, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA
Senior Director of Clinical Operations
Meredith Lasch, BCBA, SHRM-CP
Director of Clinical Operations
Megan Gianotti
Director of Clinical Operations
Regina Nastri
Center Administrator
Lauren Phillips, PhD, BCBA-D
Senior Director of Clinical Operations, Specialty Services
Landon Harrison (Cowan), Ph.D., BCBA-D
Clinical Director II, Severe Behavior
Katherine (Kat) Homen
Associate Clinical Director, Severe Behavior
Patrick Gray
Center Director
Anna Bentley, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA
Vice President of Operations
Brianna Kapel
Director of Clinical Operations
Jen Neely
Senior Clinical Director, Severe Behavior

Kelly Bernard, M.Ed., BCBA, LABA

Vice President of Clinical Services

As Vice President of Clinical Services at BlueSprig, Kelly Bernard is responsible for ensuring high-quality services for our clients and families by collaborating with the clinical and operations team to design, execute, train, and evaluate strategic clinical initiatives. Kelly brings over 20 years of experience working with children and adolescents across various settings including, early intervention, school, in-home, community, and center-based programs.

Kelly has been with Florida Autism Center and BlueSprig since 2018 as a Center Director and Associate Vice President of Clinical Services. She was awarded the 2019 Center of the Year for providing high-quality ABA services, staff training, and exceeding operational benchmarks. Before joining BlueSprig, Kelly worked as Clinical Supervisor and ABA staff trainer. Kelly worked in the public school system as a behavior specialist for nine years, providing ABA services to preschool and middle school students.

Kelly received her Bachelor’s in Psychology at Ashford University and Master’s in Special Education with a graduate-level certificate in ABA from Fitchburg State College. Kelly lives in Florida with her husband, Scott, two daughters, and three small crazy dogs. She loves being with her family, going to the theater, spending time at the beach, and traveling.

Ashley Fuhrman, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Senior Vice President of Research and Innovation

Dr. Ashley Fuhrman serves as the Senior Vice President of Research and Innovation at BlueSprig. In this role, she spearheads the development, implementation, and expansion of innovative clinical programs and services. She focuses on leveraging and contributing to cutting-edge research and emerging technologies to monitor, highlight, and improve patient outcomes. She is responsible for the oversight and growth of specialty clinic service offerings and enjoys working collaboratively to best serve patients. One of her primary passions is to increase access to high-quality severe behavior services. Her clinical and research interests involve improving existing assessment and treatment procedures as well as developing and improving clinician training surrounding the delivery of high-quality services.

Dr. Fuhrman received a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, a Master of Arts in applied behavior analysis from the University of Nebraska Omaha, and her Ph.D. at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Previously, Dr. Fuhrman worked at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Rutgers University Center for Autism Research, Education, and Services.

She has published over 30 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, is an Associate Editor for Behavior Analysis: Research and Practice, on the board of editors for The Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and Behavior Analysis in Practice and has served on the board of editors for the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

Ashley has a passion for evidence-based practice and expanding access to high-quality, specialized care. Ashley resides in Texas and, when not working, enjoys spending time with her husband and two sons.

Lauren Phillips, PhD, BCBA-D

Senior Director of Clinical Operations, Specialty Services

Dr. Lauren A. Phillips, Ph.D., BCBA-D (Board Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral), is a clinical leader and researcher specializing in the assessment and treatment of severe problem behavior. Since 2019, she has worked with The Behavior Center, part of the BlueSprig Pediatrics family of companies, progressing from Program Director to Senior Clinical Director and, most recently, to her current role as Senior Director of Clinical Operations for The Behavior Centers at BlueSprig Pediatrics. In this role, she oversees Severe Behavior Centers across Northern California, Colorado, Arizona, and Florida.

Dr. Phillips earned her Ph.D. in Applied Behavior Analysis from the University of Nebraska Medical Center. She has contributed extensively to the field through peer-reviewed publications in journals such as the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and Behavioral Interventions, and has collaborated with prominent researchers including Dr. Wayne Fisher and Dr. Dorothea Lerman. Her research addresses functional communication training, resistance to change in children with autism, and the use of coping skills such as diaphragmatic breathing to decrease escape-maintained aggression.

Her current areas of interest focus on improving outcomes in clinical practice for individuals with severe challenging behavior, expanding clinician training to better support this population, and developing systems to strengthen clinical quality, training, and outcomes for clients.

Dr. Phillips is an active member of the behavior analysis community, serving on the CalABA Public Policy Committee, presenting frequently at professional conferences, and serving as an ad hoc reviewer for prestigious behavioral journals.