Autism Ambassador

Since 2008, Dana has worked in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). She is currently a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst, residing in Southern California and has worked in various settings including: school districts, nonpublic agencies and insurance companies. During her time working for various funders she worked as a Senior Care Manager, coordinating care for members receiving ABA services nationwide. Dana has extensive experience presenting at national conferences such as CAL ABA discussing insurance-based services and medical necessity criteria within the ABA industry. She is personally connected to the special need’s community by her life experiences with her autistic younger sister. She strives to connect these experiences that have encouraged her to advocate for insurance-based services for her into adulthood, as well as, job skills training, and regional center-based services. Demonstrating her commitment to give back, she has worked on innovative ways to assist families with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as well as providing education to them on what additional services they should be seeking under various funding avenues. She believes that families, providers, and all funding sources should be able to work collaboratively together to obtain best outcomes for individuals with ASD and other developmental disabilities. Dana’s goal is to continue to bridge the gap between families, ABA providers, and funders by education and research driven decisions. It is her belief that all providers and funders should be held to higher standards so that all individuals on the spectrum can achieve best outcomes. Dana is committed to helping families acquire appropriate services for their children while raising awareness and understanding for the autism community.