For five decades, we have been training the next generation of autism educators and researchers. Thousands of NECC staff alumni have gone on to change the lives of children with autism by bringing autism services to those in need of them throughout the world.
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Alumni Stories
Diana Parry-Cruwys, PhD, BCBA-D, LABA, has built a career of dedication and growth, shaped by her 15 years at The New England Center for Children (NECC). Now an associate professor of applied behavior analysis (ABA) at Regis College, she credits NECC with shaping her as an educator and leader.
“Before NECC, I knew I wanted to work with individuals with disabilities,” she shared. “When I arrived, it just felt right. Learning about behavior analysis was like seeing the world in a way that always made sense to me.”
Parry-Cruwys joined NECC in 2002 as a Level 2 teacher in Adult Services, progressing through roles until becoming assistant director of the Home-Based Program, supporting early intervention for children under three. Her experience was both professionally and academically transformative.
“I did a lot of my growing up at NECC,” she reflected. “The opportunities—working with students, developing leadership skills—were invaluable.”
While working full-time, she earned her Master of ABA from Northeastern University and later her PhD from Western New England University. Now, as a professor, she focuses on training the next generation of behavior analysts.
“Generational shifts happen quickly in our field,” she explained. “I want to ensure new analysts are prepared to move it forward.”
Committed to giving back, she frequently returns to NECC as a guest speaker, ensuring staff receive the same foundational knowledge she did.
“NECC was more than a workplace—it was a community where I found my purpose,” she said.
Christine Pellerin, MSEd, BCBA, LABA, has found her perfect job. As program coordinator for the RISE (Reaching Independence through Supported Employment) program in Shrewsbury, she helps students aged 18-22 gain the skills needed for independence. She credits her 12 years at NECC—in residential, vocational, and international roles—with preparing her for this opportunity.
“This position allows me to take all my skills from the vocational department and my education experience from NECC and meld them together,” she says.
Pellerin joined NECC right after college, earning her master’s from Simmons University and her BCBA through Western New England University. She worked as a lead teacher and program specialist in Abu Dhabi before returning to NECC’s vocational department for six years.
In 2022, Shrewsbury launched RISE to serve its growing 18-22 student population. Housed in a renovated downtown building, the program includes learning spaces and Maple & Main, a retail store where students gain hands-on job skills like customer service, inventory management, and cash register operation.
“The goal is for students to develop transferable skills for future employment and connect with their community,” Pellerin explains. Students also helped plan and open the store, learning skills like screen printing and woodworking.
Pellerin credits NECC for shaping her career. “It taught me the skills I use every day with this transition population,” she says.
RISE now has 10 staff, including three NECC alumni, demonstrating NECC’s lasting impact on careers in special education.
Lise Menard Smith beams with pride when speaking about her son, Connor Tomlinson, a star of Netflix’s Love on the Spectrum – US. His journey seeking love has touched viewers, thanks to his charm and the unwavering support of his mother.
Lise’s path to this moment has been shaped by her experiences, including her time at NECC in 1996. “It was a formative time for me, working with children with autism,” she said. Her brief tenure at NECC profoundly influenced her, preparing her for the challenges ahead.
After moving to multiple states, Lise became a stay-at-home mother. She noticed early signs of autism in Connor but struggled to get a diagnosis. Her persistence paid off when he was diagnosed at five. With proper support, Connor thrived.
Years later, after watching Love on the Spectrum – Australia, Connor admitted to feeling lonely, prompting his brother to reach out to the show’s director. This led to Connor joining the second US season.
Since the show’s release, life has been a whirlwind. Connor has gained a following, participated in Special Olympics, and is working with Easter Seals. The family is now developing a foundation to support vocational opportunities for autistic individuals.
Reflecting on her journey, Lise credits NECC for shaping her path. “I was meant to be here,” she said. “Who better to be his mom than me?”
Mary-Kate Carey, PhD, BCBA-D, LABA, has used her experience at NECC to fuel her career. After working as a teacher in the residential program and a program specialist in the Home-based program, she returned to her hometown of Birmingham, AL, where she now plays a key role in autism research and services.
Since 2018, Carey has worked at Glenwood, Inc., a nonprofit providing services for individuals with autism. She initially led the early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) program, which served 20 children with 37.5 hours of one-on-one ABA therapy per week. Drawing on her NECC experience, she implemented a consultative model integrating behavior analysts, speech-language pathologists, and occupational therapists.
After nearly three years, Carey transitioned to a research-focused role, working to strengthen Alabama’s scientist-practitioner model. Recognizing a gap in the state’s research infrastructure, she helped establish a review committee to approve independent research protocols. This initiative, launched in 2021, ensures ethical research practices while expanding autism studies beyond universities.
Carey credits NECC for shaping her scientific mindset. “NECC taught me to be excited about questioning things, learning from mistakes, and always striving to grow.”
Her impact spans NECC, Glenwood, and the broader autism research community. Through her leadership in research infrastructure, she continues to advance the field and improve services for individuals with autism.
Jescah Apamo-Gannon’s, PhD, MSEd, BCBA, journey to NECC began with a Google search. With an undergraduate degree from the University of Nairobi in her native Kenya, she sought a career in special education. Discovering NECC set her on a path that recently led to her appointment as chair of the Graduate Program in Severe Disabilities at Fitchburg State University.
Drawn to NECC’s graduate programs and hands-on experience, Apamo-Gannon spent six years there, progressing from teacher to education coordinator while earning her master’s from Simmons University and an advanced diploma in behavior analysis from Northeastern University.
After NECC, she taught for eight years while completing an advanced education leadership program at Harvard. She then became a special education administrator for five years and earned a doctorate in behavior analysis from Simmons. Today, as a tenure-track assistant professor, she is shaping the next generation of educators and behavior analysts.
“The skillset I learned at NECC, I wanted to pass along,” she says.
Beyond academia, Apamo-Gannon gives back through educational boards, private consultation, and pro bono training for schools in Kenya, where ABA training is scarce.
“There isn’t a day that passes without thinking about how much I learned at NECC,” she reflects. “My professional network is mainly from NECC, and I am always indebted to the experience and connections it provided.”
Like many NECC staff alumni, Stacy Warner, BCBA, LABA, arrived as a novice in behavior analysis and special education but left as an expert. She first learned about NECC while studying biology at St. Anselm College. After graduating in 2010, she joined NECC as a level 1 teacher, eager to explore applied behavior analysis (ABA) and its impact on children with autism.
Six years later, armed with a graduate degree from Western New England University and a BCBA certification, Warner sought to make a broader impact. She moved to New York, spending two and a half years working in Brooklyn for a home-based agency before transitioning to her current role.
Since 2019, Warner has been a senior behavior analyst at ELIJA Transition Programs and Services (ELIJA TPS) on Long Island. This adult program provides long-term, scientifically driven support, emphasizing vocational, life, cognitive, and social skills, as well as community integration. The goal is to help individuals with autism live and work as independently as possible.
“A lot of adult programs don’t use ABA,” Warner explains. “Helping them become independent, teaching vocational skills, and watching them land jobs and succeed is incredibly rewarding.”
From her start at NECC to her work at ELIJA TPS, Warner’s journey highlights the transformative power of ABA in supporting individuals with autism at every stage of life.
Many NECC staff alumni go on to become leaders in autism services and applied behavior analysis (ABA). Few have done so as successfully as Atli Magnusson, MS, BCBA. After working at NECC from 1999-2005, Magnusson returned to his native Iceland, where he has made a lasting impact on autism education.
In 2017, Magnusson and two colleagues founded Arnarskóli, a school for children with autism and developmental disabilities that applies ABA principles to student learning. Arnarskóli also plays a key role in Iceland’s autism community by collaborating with Reykjavík University to provide ABA master’s students with hands-on training. A research partnership is also in development.
“The school we started is basically a replication of The New England Center model, specifically the day school,” Magnusson explains. “The experience I had at NECC shaped what we’ve done so far and will continue to guide us.”
Beyond serving students, Arnarskóli is pioneering autism services in Iceland. It is the first school in the country to train all teachers in ABA. By preparing educators and graduate students, Magnusson aims to transform Iceland’s special education landscape.
“At NECC, I saw how school districts evolved. When I arrived, few behavior analysts worked in public schools. By the time I left in 2005, BCBAs were in nearly every district. That’s our goal in Iceland—to train professionals who will bring ABA expertise into school systems and improve education for children with developmental disabilities.”
While working at NECC, Jeff Steimer, BCBA, was already planning his future. “I had details written down in a notepad of how I would structure a center similar to NECC,” he recalls.
Now, Steimer is a leader in applied behavior analysis (ABA) services for children with autism in Georgia. After graduating from Spring Hill College in 2007, he and his wife moved north so he could work at NECC and pursue a graduate degree. Despite the initial shock of New England winters, he quickly embraced the experience, working across multiple programs while earning his BCBA certification from Western New England University.
Steimer’s dream was to bring ABA services to his home state, but insurance barriers in Georgia made that impossible in 2013. Instead, he worked with autism programs in Tennessee and North Carolina until 2020, when Georgia finally expanded insurance coverage. He then joined Hearts and Hands Therapy Services, helping to integrate ABA into their pediatric clinics. Under his leadership, the organization has expanded to two locations, with plans for a third.
Steimer credits NECC for shaping his career. “NECC taught me so much about helping children with autism and using research-based principles to change lives.” He also founded an NECC alumni network with nearly 600 members, helping former staff stay connected. Through his work, he continues to make a lasting impact on children with autism and the broader NECC community.
When Keira Moore, PhD, MSEd, BCBA, arrived at NECC as an undergraduate intern, she had no experience with autism but was eager to learn.
“My first day, I was really nervous because I had never even met a child with autism before,” she recalls. “But by the end of that day, I knew this was exactly what I wanted to do with my life.”
Moore’s journey in applied behavior analysis (ABA) began with that internship and led to a career impacting hundreds of children with autism. After graduating from Hamilton College in 2006 with a psychology/education degree, she returned to NECC, where she worked as a teacher and researcher while earning her master’s at Northeastern University. She later helped launch a home-based program in Natick, consulted with agencies, and completed her doctorate at Western New England University in 2015.
In 2016, Moore took a break from her career to decompress—and found a new passion: flying trapeze. What began as a temporary leave turned into four years of performing and teaching trapeze worldwide.
Despite this shift, Moore remained connected to ABA, eventually founding Moore Behavioral Consulting to assess and treat sleep problems in children with autism. She also teaches in the Regis College master’s program.
“I owe a lot of my success to what I learned at NECC,” Moore says. “Everywhere I’ve worked, people know about NECC and the great work that happens there.”
Diana Hill, MSEd, is one of many NECC alumni who have brought their expertise to public schools. After graduating from UMass Amherst in 2005 and working as a paraprofessional for three years, she joined NECC as a residential teacher in 2008.
Over the next three years, Hill became a leader on her team, mentoring new staff while earning her master’s from Simmons University. In 2011, she transitioned to public education, beginning her special education career at Wilmington (MA) High School.
For over a decade, Hill has developed a post-graduation program to help students with autism build essential life skills, including travel training, purchasing, and job readiness. Seeing her students grow keeps her motivated.
“The most rewarding part of this field is being with the students and celebrating their progress, both big and small. That is what keeps me going every day.”
Hill credits NECC for giving her the skills and experience to create effective programming. Her time in the Simmons graduate program and as a teacher shaped her ability to support her students’ success.
While she loves her current role, Hill fondly remembers the relationships she built at NECC.
“You don’t find a team anywhere else like you have at NECC. I really miss the relationships I made there, but the memories will stay with me forever.”
Even as she continues to impact students’ lives in Wilmington, her NECC experience remains a cornerstone of her career.