Meet Some of our Specialists

Here at EPCC, we pride ourselves on working with the greatest professionals in the field of education. We also play a key role in placing special education professionals throughout school districts and charter schools in California. As experts at staffing solutions, we work in conjunction and contract with numerous school districts in the state. We accomplish this by providing professional outreach and educational services, and by fostering collaborative relationships with schools. At EPCC, you can rest assured your student or child will be in the best hands with a licensed and qualified professional. Check out the bios below and get familiar with these friendly faces.

Brent

Brent Cooper, Ed.S., M.A., Licensed Educational Psychologist

CEO & President
Director of Student Support Services and Staffing Solutions

Brent is the proud Founder of EPCC and a Licensed Educational Psychologist. Brent specializes in conducting psychological-educational evaluations for students to help to identify underlying issues and understanding students’ learning profiles to be successful, independent learners. Brent provides insight into the strengths and weaknesses of learners, as well as establishes ways to alleviate problem areas, thus ensuring successful educational experiences and developing independent learners through his findings. He is an advocate for early intervention, calling it the key to success for an individual living with learning or behavioral differences. Brent’s specialty areas include learning disorders, attention deficits & hyperactivity, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Emotional Disturbances, Other Health Impairments, psychological and educational assessments of children, and working with adolescents and young adults with a focus on cognitive disorders.

Brent enjoys spending time with his wife of 16 years, 2 children, 4 French Bulldogs, having fun, learning, travel, culture, surfing, exercising, and connecting with people in meaningful ways. His 10-year-old daughter Grace is a talented musician and artist, while his 14-year-old son Charlie is the #1 Junior Ranked Wheelchair Tennis player in the country who will be traveling to Italy for the World Cup games in October 2021.

Alicia

Alicia Paoletta, Ed.S., School Psychologist

EPCC Student Services and Support Director

In addition to being an administrator, Alicia is a School Psychologist and has her Master’s in School Psychology from California State University at San Bernardino. She also has earned two Bachelor’s of Arts Degrees from the University of California at Riverside in Sociology and Administrative Studies. Since completing her Master’s in 2019 she has added the ability to testing children and adults for Special Education and evaluating how others learn.  Alicia has worked with a large range of students with a number of disabilities.  Alicia’s success in her field is matched by her compassion for all of the students she works with to find ways to foster their ability to learn in another way.   For the last 5 years, she has played a huge part in the success of EPCC, with in-depth knowledge of our center, programs, specialists, therapists and developing evaluation plans. Her position as a liaison allows her to professionally communicate with our teams. Parents and teams just love her and she is a true gem!

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Cassandra Hall, M.A., PPS, School Psychologist

EPCC Student Services and Support Director

Cassandra has dedicated her career to helping children and young adults achieve success. She started as an Instructional Assistant for students with severe disabilities and quickly found her passion. After receiving her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from The University of California, Riverside she enrolled in a School Psychology program. During this time, she worked as a substitute teacher with students in kindergarten through high school and enjoyed broadening her understanding of the teaching and learning process.

In 2010, Cassandra earned a Master of Arts in Educational Psychology with a Pupil Personnel Services Credential in School Psychology from Azusa Pacific University. She began her career as a School Psychologist in Temecula, CA. She enjoyed the fast paced and dynamic environment that a school district had to offer. Students and adults respond positively to Cassandra. She is always thorough, concise, and sensitive. After four years working within a school district, Cassandra decided to pursue another dream to travel and she moved overseas to Sydney, Australia. Not wanting, however, to ignore her passion for youth, she acquired her registration to practice as a Psychologist and worked with young adults who were struggling with drug and alcohol addictions and comorbid mental health issues. It was in this role that Cassandra realized the importance of multi-dimensional approaches to engage and create rapport with young people. These approaches include such things as the creation of welcoming and safe spaces, inclusion of young people in decision-making, providing for social and cultural diversity and collaboration with those who care most for the young person.

After two years in Sydney, Cassandra accepted an opportunity to work within an International Baccalaureate school in Munich, Germany. With 75% of the students from international families, Cassandra was able to grow in her appreciation for diversity of culture and language. A decision to move back to California gave Cassandra an opportunity to work within a school district in San Diego and apply her multidimensional approaches to support students. Cassandra joined the multi-tiered systems of support team within her school and became a leader in strengthening pre-referral services. She achieved specific behavior intervention training and supported her special education team in conducting data driven observations and interventions. With her education and years of varied experience with children and young adults Cassandra brings a fresh perspective to EPCC. Today, Cassandra continues to support students as they strive to succeed academically, behaviorally, socially and emotionally.

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Patricia M Kerrigan, PhD

Educational Consultant

Patricia M Kerrigan, PhD is the Founder of Foundation ThinkAgain and is an Educational Consultant for El Paseo Children's Center. With an extensive background in special education and educational psychology, she is currently a cognitive and school intervention specialist for the division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and Pediatric Neurosurgery at UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital. Dr. Kerrigan served as a special education teacher for a pediatric psychiatric unit at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, and also at the Neuropsychiatric Institute and Hospital at UCLA. She earned her Master’s degree in School Administration/Special Education from National-Louis University in Evanston, Illinois, and her Doctorate in Psychological Studies in Education/Special Education from UCLA.

Her primary interest of study is the developmental effects of acquired brain injury on the ability to learn. She counsels children as they go through cancer and brain tumor treatment, continually monitors their cognitive, academic and social functioning, and helps them to successfully re-integrate back into school following treatment. Through her work at UCLA, she discovered pediatric cancer patients were suffering newly acquired cognitive, motor and sensory deficits following treatment. Services in schools are limited in their ability to address and remediate these disorders, and therapies to treat these disabilities are either denied by medical insurance, or insufficiently covered. Foundation Think Again was created to fill this gap in services, so these children can now get the therapies they need in order to successfully get back to school, back to their friends, free of their cancer, and free from disabling conditions that prevented them from living successful lives "after" cancer.

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Joseph Rubio, Ed.S., M.A., Licensed Educational Psychologist

Lead Psychologist

Joseph has a unique background that brings a constellation of expertise to the field of school based mental health, and school psychology. He was a Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff for over 7 years before embarking on a career as a school psychologist. In 2011, Joseph earned a Master’s of Arts in Educational Psychology, and an Education Specialists degree in School Psychology fromChapman University. Currently, he is in his 3rd year of study at Chapman University in pursuit of his Doctorate of Philosophy degree in Education with an emphasis in School Psychology. He also holds a California license to practice as a Licensed Educational Psychologist since 2014. His assignments as a school psychologist include working with youth in the LA County Juvenile Halls, and various K-12 public school districts. As a school psychologist, Joseph was instrumental in creating a district level crisis response team, and promoting a standard model for suicide risk assessment and school threat assessment.

In 2017, Joseph was recognized for his work as a school psychologist by the California Association of School Psychologists (CASP). During the annual conference, CASP presented him with the Nadine M. Lambert Outstanding School Psychologist of the Year Award -Region 5. Joseph also has experience as a Program Administrator of Mental Health for a medium-sized school district in LA County, where he managed a robust mental health program made up of school-based therapists, behavior specialists, and community-based mental health agency contract clinicians. In addition to his work in the public school system, Joseph has presented information and current research on a wide variety of topics to local and national audiences. His expertise in school-based mental health provides the El Paseo team with a valuable resource when working with families who have children experiencing social-emotional challenges.

Ms. Karin

Karin Jinbo

M.A.School Psychologist
MLS Legal Studies and Conflict Resolution

Karin brings with her to EPCC decades of experience in education at a variety of school site and district level positions. She holds California credentials in Administrative Services and PPS: School Psychology.   Karin found her passion for Education in college when a friend shared her excitement and stories from Special Education student teaching experiences.  Karin’s college career began with a Bachelor of Science in Special Education from the University of Connecticut (Go Huskies!).  She has achieved Master of Legal Studies with a dual emphasis in Employment Law and Conflict Resolution from Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law (Forks Up!).  She also holds Master of Arts in Education-Pupil Personnel Services for School Psychology and Master of Arts in Education with an emphasis in Second Language Acquisition.

In her various positions, she was instrumental as an Administrator in developing and implementing transition plans from AB3632 services to AB114 bringing mental health services to students with IEPs as well as developing and implementing suicide prevention and intervention programs and protocols. Karin has also served as a lead on district mental health crisis response teams.  She is a national trainer for the NASP PREPaRE Curriculum and is able to support district teams in their mental health crisis response protocols.  Karin also serves on the California Autism Professional Training and Implementation Network (CAPTAIN) Leadership Team. CAPTAIN is a multiagency network developed to support the understanding and use of Evidence Based Practices for individuals affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder across the state.

In an effort to remain a lifelong learner and scientist-practitioner, Karin has spoken at various conferences including National Association of School Psychologist, Advancing School Mental Health (National Center for School Mental Health), California School Mental Wellness Conference, and California ABA.  She has lectured at Touro University and University of Phoenix.  Karin prides herself on staying abreast of the latest research and evidence-based practices in the field of School Psychology, School Based Mental Health, and Social-Emotional Learning within the school setting.  As an educator at heart, she enjoys seeing students and staff grow and learn through instruction, guidance, coaching, and life experiences.

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Kelly Hannum

M.Ed. PPS
School Psychologist and an Educationally Related Mental Health Service Coordinator

Kelly completed her bachelor's degree in Human Development and immediately stepped into a career in education. Kelly worked as a paraprofessional and substitute teacher while she obtained her Master's Degree in Education. After graduation she received dual PPS credentials in School Psychology and School Counseling. Kelly has worked in a number of districts with a variety of social and economically diverse communities. As a School Psychologist and an Educationally Related Mental Health Service Coordinator, her professional experience is wide-reaching. Kelly has worked with preschool to high school aged students who struggle with learning, social and emotional, as well as developmental disabilities. She has had great success through hard work, data collection, assessment, and academic learning interventions when working with students and staff. She has worked extensively on response to intervention, academic intervention, and facilitating problem-solving teams.Kelly's primary professional focus over more than a decade has been in social, emotional, and behavioral learning and supports. She specializes in working with students with emotional disturbances, conducting one-on-one counseling, consulting with parents to support their student’s behavioral needs, mental health supports for students and their families, as well as behavioral intervention supports. Kelly has assisted in developing models to increase access to mental health services for students and families within their local districts through community partnerships. Along with assisting students she has been a mentor and supervisor to interns that are pursuing a career in school psychology. Kelly is a Crisis Prevention and Intervention (CPI) trainer providing instruction and training to administration and staff members. Kelly works diligently with students, staff, and their families to implement the most appropriate educational plan for all children.

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Ali Duerks

M.A. LEP #4000
Early Childhood and Preschool Psychologist

Ali Duerks has been a school psychologist specializing in early childhood and preschool for 10+ years. Ali holds a Master’s Degree in Educational Psychology and a Pupil Personnel Service (PPS) Credential as a School Psychologist. She is also a California Licensed Educational Psychologist (LEP Lic #4000). She is currently working on a PsyD. in Educational Psychology and is a doctoral candidate for May 2021. Ali is also a Past President and current Treasurer for the Riverside Association of School Psychologists (RASP), and the Region VI Representative for the California Association of School Psychologists (CASP).  In 2017, she was the recipient of the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) Recognition Award for the region for going above and beyond in service of students with disabilities. Ali has served preschool, elementary, and high school families and spent the majority of her career working with the early childhood population. Her goal is to continue to provide comprehensive evaluations, meaningful consultations to students and their families, to develop close connections between organizations, and to support professionals and local agencies.

Ms. Laura

Laura Garcia

Board of Behavioral Sciences (LMFT 91060)
Licensed Marriage Family Therapist

Laura is a bilingual (Spanish-speaking) Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (LMFT 91060) who has extensive experience working with children and families.  Laura earned a Master of Arts in Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy from Chapman University in 2012. And earned her license in 2015. She has 6 years of experience working as a school-based Educationally Related Mental Health Services (ERMHS) therapist helping students with mental health needs and providing support to parents and teachers to help students achieve academic success.  She started her career working with young children as an Early Intervention Specialist, providing in-home support to parents with children ages 0-3 with disabilities or developmental delays. Using prevention and early intervention, she focuses on helping parents with parenting skills. Laura has received extensive training in trauma informed care, parent education, treating behavior issues at home and at school, ADHD and Autism. She is also an Accredited Provider for the evidence-based programs, Triple P, Positive Parenting Program and Cognitive Behavior Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS). Laura is very passionate about working with children and teens, including those with special needs and emotional/behavioral challenges, with a strong focus on supporting parents in order to foster the most effective change.

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Carolyn Nunziato

M.A.
Educational Specialist

Carolyn Nunziato is an Educational Specialist with 13 years of experience in middle school and high school classrooms. After graduating with a BA in Psychology, she earned her Masters from St. Johns University in Queens, New York in Secondary Education with a concentration in Mathematics. Carolyn then taught middle school math in New York City for 2 years. After moving to California in 2010, she worked as an Academic Intervention Specialist for High School Math classes, and served as a statewide assessment curriculum coordinator for multiple schools within the district. Throughout the course of this role, Carolyn was driven to earn a second degree and teaching credential in Special Education (mild-moderate), where she spent 4 years developing and running a self-contained program for students with emotional disabilities. For the past 5 years, Carolyn continued working in the special education field, working in both middle and high school settings, working with students on a variety of different academic levels whom qualified under multiple different disabilities. Carolyn continues working hard, teaching to her students’ unique needs and developing differentiated and effective accommodations that individually allow students to be successful.

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Heather Cooper

M.A.
Educational Therapist/Director of Virtual Educational Therapy and Tutoring Services

Heather has been an Educational Therapist for over 20 years helping students with learning differences understand their unique learning style and shows them how to use their abilities and gifts both in and outside of school. Heather earned her Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature from the University of California, Los Angeles, and her Master’s Degree in Special Education with a Specification in Educational Therapy from California State University, Northridge. In addition to her private practice, Heather has worked with El Paseo Children’s Center for the past 15 years and has launched their Virtual Educational Therapy and Tutoring Services Program. She has also worked as an educational therapist, reading specialist, and resource teacher in several independent schools in and around the Los Angeles area. Additionally, she is a member of the Council for Exceptional Children, The International Dyslexia Association, and Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Heather enjoys working with students of all ages, from elementary school through college. She not only helps individuals find success in their learning but enhances their self-esteem as well.

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Dr. Kelly Paolisso

DPT, Ed.S, PT
School Psychologist & Physical Therapist 

Dr. Kelly Paolisso is a licensed Physical Therapist and School Psychologist in the state of California. She has experience treating a variety of different patient populations from birth to 100+ years of age. In her seven years as a physical therapist, she has worked with babies and toddlers in the home setting, elementary and secondary students in the school setting and young adults to geriatrics in the acute rehab setting. In addition to obtaining a doctorate degree in physical therapy, she has sixteen years of experience as a school psychologist.  With the unique combination of skill sets, she has a solid understanding of developmental progression which gives her the ability to look beyond just the physical needs of patients. Her professional experiences in both fields gives her the expertise needed to communicate effectively with people of all ages. Whether you have a baby you cannot get to crawl or walk, have a child who needs help developing gross motor skills or need help rehabilitating after an illness, she is able to assist you.

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Eleonora Magri

MA BCBA
Board Certified Behavior Analyst, BCBA

EleonoraMagri is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She obtained her undergraduate and master degree in Psychology. She is trilingual (English/Spanish/Italian). In 2009 she discovered her passion for the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA), working as a behavior therapist for a child with autism. This led to a 10-year journey, building, managing and leading the Palm Desert branch for California Psychcare, as Director of Clinical Services. Her focus has been delivering in home and at school behavioral services to children and individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities while coaching parents, teachers and supervising/mentoring staff. Eleonora is passionate about helping others, empowering parents/teachers, and giving children an opportunity to learn, thrive and reach their full potential.

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Amelia Sheehan

Board Certified Behavior Analyst, BCBA

Amelia Sheehan has been a Behavior Specialist for the last 7 years, working with students of all ages experiencing a wide range of learning and developmental disabilities. As a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Amelia has helped families thoroughly understand and manage challenging behaviors such as non-compliance, tantrums, aggressions, property destruction, self-injury, and a wide range of diverse self-stimulatory behaviors common among children and adults with disabilities. Amelia holds both a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute and a Master’s Degree in Teaching with an Emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis from National University. These dual degrees have given Amelia a wide range of psychotherapeutic and behavioral tools to utilize when working with her students. She has spent the last 10 years assessing and designing treatment plans for students with Autism and other developmental disorders in the home and school settings, as well as providing one on one counseling to children and adults. She has a passion for helping her students “find their voice” and effectively communicate their wants and needs, in lieu of relying on challenging behaviors. Amelia takes a holistic approach when working with her students, understanding the importance of considering every angle of a student’s life in order to determine what might be keeping them from engaging in positive relationships with others and reaching their full potential. Amelia has deep compassion for her families struggling with behavioral challenges and loves to help troubleshoot new ways in understanding and approaching these behaviors, with the ultimate goal being to help the whole family achieve a greater a quality of life.

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Artemisa Torres

Board Certified Behavior Analyst, BCBA

Artemisa Torres is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). She started as a behavior therapist in 2009 with a private ABA agency where she provided ABA support for students in k-12 public schools as well as provided ABA therapy in the home setting. As a therapist, Artemisa was directly responsible for direct behavior intervention and parent training. In 2011, Artemisa became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She spent the next four years conducting Functional Behavioral Assessments, developing behavior intervention programs, collaborating with public school staff as well as regional center personnel, supervising behavior interventionists, providing clinical supervision for BCBA trainees and ultimately developing and conducting behavior training's for all clinical staff in the agency. In 2015, Artemisa started working exclusively as a Behavior Specialist for public schools. Artemisa currently provides support for students starting from preschool through adult transition programs. She continues to conduct Functional Behavior Assessments, develops behavior intervention plans, provides consultation and training for all school staff and collaborates with student families and private providers. Artemisa is passionate about decreasing student challenging behavior so that these behaviors do not impede the student’s learning or the learning of other students. She is dedicated to ensuring that student’s can access their education in the school setting.

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Shanna Hottinger

RN, BSN, PHN
Credentialed School Nurse

Shanna Hottinger is one of our credentialed School Nurses here at El Paseo Children’s Center and has earned a Bachelors in Nursing degree as well as is a Public Health Nurse. She graduated from California State San Bernardino where she completed the Bachelor’s Program.  She then went on to complete the School Nurse Credential program from California State Fullerton.  She has over 15 years’ experience in the field of nursing and 8 in the subspecialty of school nursing.  Shanna has worked with a range of patients and students ranging in ages from 88 years of age to 8 months.  Given the fact that she has worked with the all of the age spans, it gives her more critical thinking skills to help our students with the in-person and virtual needs they require. As the world is changing so are the needs of our students and Shanna is an “outside of the box” thinker and has been very successful with our medically challenging students while using the nurturing heart that nurses are known for. She has been the Director of Nurses for EPCC for the last 5 years where she assists with completing Emergency Care Plans and Health Assessments.  The health assessments include, but are not limited to, a vision and hearing, oral assessment, birth history and medial update from parent or guardian.  She has 2 children that she enjoys hiking with and going to the river/beach with any free time she gets.

Ms. Nadia

Nadia Rojas

MSN, RN, PHN
Credentialed School Nurse

Nadia Rojas is one of our Registered Credentialed School Nurses. She is an experienced community health, pediatric, and floor nurse dedicated to restoring and preserving the health of the children and surrounding community. Nadia has experience in both the medical and educational environments.; she currently retains a School Nurse Services Credential through the Commission on Teacher Credentialing and is a certified School Audiometrist. She obtained her Master’s Degree in Nursing from Azusa Pacific University and also graduated from California State University, San Bernardino with a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing and Public Health Nursing. Her background experience includes working with a variety of ages, ranging from birth through geriatrics in the fields of Cardiac Telemetry, Home Health Care Services, District Nursing, and Special Education Nursing. She currently conducts health assessments including vision and hearing screenings through El Paseo Children’s Center for students who require an Individualized Education Plan for school. Her goal is to encourage healthy living and promote disease prevention in the school and community setting while attending to those with complex, urgent, and non-emergent medical needs. As you can see, she has a firm foundation in health care, and would like to continue to expand her practice for the benefit of our youth’s future. She believes working for education services as a health care provider will allow her to continue this journey for health and wellness.

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Ashley Albers

OTR/L
Occupational Therapist

Ashley Albers is our Occupational Therapist.  She holds her master’s degree from the University of Puget Sound.  She has more than ten years of practice across hospitals, sensory integration clinics, private/public/residential schools, distance learning educational models, as well as private practice.  She has specific expertise in sensory integration, autism, motor planning, spelling or typing to communicate, and floortime.  She works with all ages aligning her practice to emphasize what skills will mobilize a student’s independence and maximize their engagement in the learning process.  Her therapies are often embedded within science lessons or exploratory processes to emphasize a student’s impact on their world, keeping the picture big.  Ashley is also a foster mom, OT mentor, and a toy evaluator providing recommendations during holiday seasons for students with unique needs. Her joy for learning is quickly shared with her clients.

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Monique Nguyen

OTR/L
Occupational Therapist

Monique Nguyen is from the Orange County area and earned her Master's Degree in Occupational Therapy from Stanbridge University. She has many years of experience in the school-based setting, pediatric clinic setting, as well as the home health setting. Monique earned her bachelor’s degree in finance from California State University, Fullerton. After she earned her bachelor's degree, she discovered her passion for helping kids with special needs through volunteering. She is currently serving students in low-income areas, collaborating with parents and teachers through distance learning.

Monique provides OT assessments and services to our students, in both home environments using virtual methods as well has face to face for her local students.

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Teresa Williams

MA CCC
Speech Language Pathologist

Teresa is a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist, who started with El Paseo in 2019.  She has more than 7 years of experience in school, medical and private practice settings in Speech Therapy and over 27 years total in education. In addition to her Master’s Degree from Eastern Illinois University in Communication Sciences and Disorders, she holds a Master’s Degree in Special Education.  Her specialty areas are childhood stuttering, phonological and articulation, pragmatic and social language delays and auditory processing disorders.  When not at work she enjoys being outdoors; whether it’s gardening, fishing and/or hiking with her family. She also enjoys traveling and trying different foods with her husband, Andre.

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Kelly Dunn

MA MS
Assistive Technology & Augmentative Alternative Communication Specialist

Kelly Dunn is our Assistive Technology (AT) Specialist and Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC) Specialist from San Diego, Ca. Kelly has earned two Master’s Degrees in Speech Pathology and Education, two teaching credentials in Special Instructions (mild to mod and mod to severe) and Multiple Subject, and is also currently obtaining her Doctorate in Education Degree with an emphasis in Technology from North Central University. She now has over ten years of experience working as an AT and AAC Specialist and has a true passion for helping people. Kelly works with a large range of students with a number of disabilities, from vision impairment, speech and language needs, auditory impairments, OT needs, PT limitations, academic struggles, and more. Kelly also works with a wide range of ages of students, from early childhood interventions to Adult Transition settings, she works with all age ranges. Kelly’s success in her field is not overlooked as she is truly pioneering her field as she is changing students’ lives for the better.

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Diana Cadigan

MED, LSLS Cert. A.V. Ed
Deaf/Hard of Hearing Specialist

Diana Cadigan is our Deaf/Hard of Hearing Specialist.  Diana has earned two Master’s Degrees in the Education of the Deaf and in Administrative Services.  She has an Educational Specialist Credential for Deaf/Hard of Hearing, an Administrative Services Credential, and is a Listening and Spoken Language Certified Auditory-Verbal Educator (LSLS Cert. A.V.Ed.).  Diana has been in the field of Deaf Education for 14 years.  She has also served as a Listening and Spoken Language mentor for Teachers of the Deaf who are candidates for Listening and Spoken Language Certification.  Diana is currently a DHH Specialist/Itinerant Teacher for a large local public-school district.  She works with 14 schools providing support for students with hearing loss as well as their classroom teachers and school administrators to ensure accessibility in all academic programs.

Diana has taught preschool, transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, and fifth-grade special day classes for Deaf and Hard of Hearing students who are learning to listen and speak. She has provided Auditory Verbal Therapy to newly implanted (Cochlear Implant) infants and school-aged children, new listeners (newly amplified) and their families.

Diana was an adjunct professor for the University of San Diego as well as Mount St. Mary’s University in conjunction with the John Tracy Clinic from 2010-2018 where she taught the graduate-level course, “Elementary Curriculum for Students with Hearing Loss 5-22,” which prepared the graduate students for their student teaching assignments.  Diana Cadigan is a leader in the field of Deaf Education and a consummate professional who is always continuing her professional growth and development to enhance her instruction and leadership skills.

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Kasey Galik

MA, APE
Adapted Physical Education Specialist

Kasey Galik is our Adapted Physical Education Specialist from San Diego, California. She has earned her master's degree, in Movement Therapy from UCLA and a bachelor's degree in Dance from UCR. Galik has also attained her CLEAR/CLAD teaching credential, in Physical Education and Adapted Physical Education, at Cal State San Bernardino. Kasey Galik has over 20 years of experience in teaching Adapted P.E. Throughout her teaching career, she has inspired countless students, through educating others concerning ability awareness. In order to stimulate inspiration, she establishes a personal connection, as she shares the story of her learning disability as well as her physical loss. Several years ago Kasey Galik experienced a tragic boating accident, causing the amputation of her left arm. Ultimately, her challenges gave here the empathetic desire to help and relate to others with disabilities. She believes that your challenges make you stronger. Galik has had the opportunity to present at several adapted physical education conferences, on a national level. She conversed on topics to promote inclusion not only in the physical education environment but more importantly across the community. Throughout her enriched career, she has merited several honors: 2018, Adapted P.E. Teacher of the year for San Diego County, 2012, Crystal Apple award for Carmel Valley Middle School, 2011, Inspiration Teacher of the month for San Diego County, 2011, Top ten Teachers of the year for San Diego County, 2010, Teacher of the year for the San Dieguito Union High School District, 2010, Teacher of the year for Carmel Valley Middle School, 2007, North Coastal Council Parent Teacher Association Award for Outstanding Program Development for my Adapted Physical Education program, 2006, Nominated for Disney Teacher of the Year. 2000, Awarded the Governor's Council Physical Fitness award for improving the lives of individuals with disabilities. Kasey has worked with students in adapted PE ranging from pre-K all the way to adult transition. Kasey Galik aims to help her “handi-capable” students improve their physical, emotional, and cognitive abilities, through the use of movement!

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Jennifer O'Donnell

MA
Special Education Specialist

Jenn O’Donnell is our Special Education Specialist for students with disabilities from Indio, CA.  Jenn has a Master’s Degrees in Special Education and a teaching credential in Special Education (mod to severe). She currently has 16 years of experience working as a Special Education Teacher and also 8 years as an in-home tutor for grades K-5. Jenn is compassionate and really enjoys working with children, especially those with special needs. Jenn excels at differentiation, making sure to provide instruction that is accessible to students with a wide range of abilities. She works with students who have a cognitive impairment, physical disabilities, and learning challenges. Jenn is also proficient at distance-learning technologies. She is currently getting certified for Google Level I and will soon complete training for Level II certification.

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Raudel Perez

MED
Special Education Specialist

Raudel Perez is our Special Education Teacher from Los Angeles, Ca. Raudel has earned two teaching credentials in (mod to severe) and Multiple Subject BCLAD and is currently completing his Master’s Degree in Education with an emphasis on Special Education from Cal State University, Los Angeles. Raudel currently holds an authorization on Autism Spectrum Disorder, and English Learners' authorization and authorization to conduct educational assessments. He currently has twenty years’ experience working as a Special Education Teacher and Resource Specialist. Raudel has always been passionate about working with students with a variety of disabilities and second language learners. He believes in planning and instructing each subject area using a wide variety of teaching aids, motivational and implementation strategies to engage students in active learning. Raudel is always striving to make a difference in every child’s learning experience.

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Elizabeth Vasquez

MeD
Special Education Specialist

Elizabeth Vasquez is our Special Education teacher from Fullerton, Ca.  Elizabeth has earned two teaching credentials in (mild to mod) and Multiple Subject and a Master’s Degree in Education with emphasis on Special Education and Curriculum and Instruction.  Elizabeth currently holds an authorization on Autism Spectrum Disorder, and English Learners authorization and an authorization to conduct educational assessments. She has ten years of experience working with students, teachers, and administrators with IEP’s, curriculum development, and pathways for students with special needs and at-risk youth.  She is passionate about making a difference in the development of a student and helping them strive for a better future.

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Evelyn Sofia Rivera

Evelyn Sofia Rivera is a locally known artist whose passions include teaching children, mental health and expression through the arts. She has been an after school art teacher for Coachella Valley Unified School District for 4 years and a Visual and Performing Arts Teacher at CVUSD for 3 years. She also has a strong background in teaching special needs students. She will obtain her Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology in the Spring of 2020 and is pursuing a Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy with an emphasis in Art Therapy. Her ultimate goal is to be an Art Therapist here in the Coachella Valley and help people understand the value of mental health through the arts. Her art is about expressing the times and sharing space with local community members.