In-Home Staff - Waypoint

Jessica Bowers

Founder and Executive Director - M. Ed., in Special Education, BCBA

Jessica Bowers Founder & Program Director

Jessica is a 15-year teaching veteran and curriculum developer, with experience developing individualized education goals for a wide range of learners. She never saw herself as a behavioral therapist, but then she became a mother-and that changed everything!

Jessica and her husband Gary were blessed with four sons, including one who was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at the age of four. Through her own experience navigating a special needs diagnosis, she became a passionate advocate for children who learn differently and their families. Her own experiences living with and loving a child with autism fueled her desire to bring compassionate behavioral solutions to other families like hers.

Jessica has spent the last ten years working with children with special needs in church, scouts, and educational settings. In her spare time, Jessica enjoys running, adventure travel, and embarrassing her teenagers.

About Jessica

Shelby Dorsey

Director of Clinical Services - M. Ed., in Special Education, BCBA

Shelby Dorsey

Shelby Dorsey is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst who is currently writing her dissertation as the final step in completing her Ph.D. in Special Education with an emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis at the University of Oklahoma.

Before pursuing her Ph.D., Shelby graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Education and a Master of Education in Counseling at Southwestern Oklahoma State University. Throughout her career, Shelby has worked as a Special Education teacher, an RBT, a BCBA, and has provided behavior analytic services as an in-home and center-based clinician. Shelby has also supported schools and non-profit organizations by bringing behavior analysis to staff and student training. Shelby works hard to provide meaningful, personalized services and collaborate with providers from other disciplines to give each client an individualized treatment plan.

Shelby's professional interests include cultural humility and competence in ABA, tele-supervision/tele-health, and providing rural areas with access to ABA therapy and training.

When Shelby is not working, she loves hanging out with her husband, Jalen, two daughters, Tatum and Violet, and her loving dachshund, Bam Bam. She also enjoys reading personal finance, business, and self-improvement books, tending to her house plants, and staying current on fashion trends.

About Shelby

Shannon Ash

BCBA

Shannon Ash-Program Manager

Shannon Ash graduated from the University of North Texas and has been working with children with autism for over ten years. She is an RBT and has has worked in homes, clinics, schools, and in the community with learners, ages 2-19 years old.

Shannon is a program manager for Waypoint, works directly with clients, as well as trains newly hired therapists and directs programming under the supervison of a BCBA. She is currently pursuing her masters degree at Arizona State University with the goal to graduate early 2020. Shannon plans to sit for the BCBA exam upon graduation.

Shannon is also a mom of four and enjoys hanging out with her husband and children, coffee, traveling, and boating in her spare time. She currently lives in north Fort Worth with her husband, children, some fish, and a beagle.

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About Shannon

Matthew Yordy

BCBA

Matthew Yordy

Matt graduated from the University of North Texas (UNT) with a Master’s degree in Education, specializing in Special Education and Autism Intervention. He is currently enrolled at the University of North Texas, working on his final course requirements and dissertation research to earn his Ph.D. in Educational Psychology, majoring in Human Development.

Matt has been employed in various positions over the past decade involving program development, service coordination, and delivery. In addition, he has held several administrative positions in public schools as a Behavioral Specialist, Autism Specialist, and Special Education Inclusion Coordinator. More recently, he has taught at the collegiate level at UNT and provided in-center ABA supports at a local Autism clinic. His employment experiences with ABA have centered around supporting children with emotional and behavioral difficulties, providing functional communication training, social skills, and parent/staff/educator training. In addition, his employment interests focus on in-home and parent/family support. Matt stresses the importance of building a partnership with the families he supports and promoting open communication that prioritizes needs and informs programming decisions.

Matt is an outdoor enthusiast and a bit of an adrenaline junkie. When not consumed with schooling or busy with work, he enjoys all lake activities. He lives right off Lake Lewisville, mountain biking, sky diving, primitive camping and backpacking, and snow skiing during the winter months. He has been married for eight years and has two fur babies, a one-year-old Siberian husky and an 11-year-old Alaskan malamute. He enjoys traveling and is always ready for an adventure.

About Matt

Caitlyn McEwin

BCBA

Caitlyn Malone

Caitlyn graduated with her undergraduate degree in Applied Behavior Analysis from the University of North Texas. She graduated with her master's degree in Human Services Psychology with a concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. During her time as a graduate student, she spent two years working with children with pediatric feeding disorders. Caitlyn has served this population in various clinical settings including centers and hospitals. Her passion is to serve her clients and ensure they reach their full potential.

In her spare time, Caitlyn enjoys spending time outdoors, traveling, and trying new coffee shops.

About Caitlyn

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Jordan Haefling

Director of Training - Behavioral Interventionist

Jordan Haefling- Program Manager, RBT

Jordan graduated from the University of Texas at Dallas with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Child Development. She began working in the field of ABA in 2004 and has now made it her passion.

While working on her degree, she became an active volunteer of the Global Autism Project, which trains professionals in other countries with minimal resources on the principles of ABA. To date, she has traveled to Kenya, Indonesia, India, and the Czech Republic and has taken on a leadership role within the organization.

Jordan currently lives in Fort Worth with her dog where she spends time at the dog park, finding the next best tacos, and has plans to purse her Master’s degree to become a BCBA.

About Jordan

Ashlyn Moore

Director of Training - Behavioral Interventionist - RBT

Ashlyn Moore-Registered Behavior Tech

Ashlyn has grown up around autism all her life, and began working as ABA therapist in August 2015 at the Kristin Farmer Autism Center. She has spent the last 2 years there working on a grant project bringing ABA teaching strategies into the homes of families who cannot otherwise access therapy.

Ashlyn plans to become a BCBA and eventually open her own private school for special populations.

Ashlyn lives in downtown Fort Worth, with her dog, cat, and bearded dragon. In her free time she likes playing sand volleyball, going to concerts, and finding new places to eat.

About Ashlyn

Lexie Smith

Behavioral Interventionist - RBT - Program Manager

Lexie

Lexie graduated from the University of North Texas in 2017 with a BA in Integrative Studies, focusing on Behavior Analysis, Anthropology, and Kinesiology. Currently, she is pursuing an MS in Behavior Analysis from UNT. She has been certified as an RBT since 2017 and has applied experience working in clinic, home, school, and community environments. Lexie is fluent in American Sign Language and loves to teach and learn new signs with others.

She loves being a Program Manager and RBT at Waypoint because of how much fun she has learning with her clients! Lexie enjoys cooking new recipes, antiquing, going to museums, and watching movies with her family in her free time.

About Lexie

Rae Blackman

Behavioral Interventionist - RBT - Program Manager

Rae Blackman-RBT

Rae graduated with honors from San Diego State University in 2017 with BAs in both Psychology and Gender Studies. Shortly after graduation, she moved to Dallas to teach 7th grade English. Wanting more for her diverse learners, she became an RBT at the start of 2019.

She loves what she does, because she is part of a wonderful team that makes the difference in the lives of children and their families.In her free time, Rae loves taking her two big pups to the lake, doing yoga, and dancing

About Rae

Stephanie Cran

Behavioral Interventionist - RBT

Stephanie Cran-Behavioral Therapist

Stephanie is a graduate student studying behavior analysis at University of North Texas. Her interest piqued five years ago when she interned at an after-school center for children diagnosed with ASD and related disabilities and has worked in the field ever since. Her passion for the field is driven by the happiness the whole family, especially the child, feels when behavior therapy improves any part of their day-to-day life.

If Stephanie is not filling the role of student or therapist, she’s in her garden, biking around with her dog, or attempting to tame her baby iguana.

About Stephanie

Aubrey Brennan

Behavioral Interventionist - RBT

Aubrey Brennan

Aubrey Brennan graduated with her Bachelor's degree from Tarleton State University in 2016. She was introduced to ABA in 2017 and has spent the last two years working as an RBT. Aubrey is continuing her education and is working on obtaining her Master’s degree and become a BCBA.

Aubrey has worked in multiple environments such as in-home, schools, clinics, and RTCs with children and adolescents from 2 – 18 years old. She wants to help children enjoy being children and watch them have fun and play while they are learning. Each family and child have their own goals that they are working on, and she enjoys helping them grow and succeed in their own ways.

Aubrey lives in Fort Worth with her two dogs, one cat, and her husband. She enjoys traveling, seeing new places, and learning about different cultures. She is also a huge foodie and loves finding new, fun, and delicious places to eat.

About Aubrey

Katherine Treff

Behavioral Interventionist - RBT

Katherine Treff-RBT

Katherine Treff graduated in 2019 with a degree from the University of North Texas in Behavior Analysis and a minor in Special Education.

During her time at the University of North Texas she was an Associate Interventionalist at the university affiliated autism clinic, and there developed skills that would later earn her a Registered Behavior Technician credential.

When discussing her work with others, Katherine describes watching the progression of her clients as being what makes it all worth it. Every step taken forward is a triumph, and there is so much celebration to be had while working with her kids.

In her spare time she loves listening to music, going hiking, and creating art prints that she sells at the Denton Community Market with her friends.

About Katherine

Katherine Vara

Behavioral Interventionist - RBT

Kat Vara

Katherine Vara graduated from The University of Texas at San Antonio with a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and a minor in Wellness. She has worked with children and young adults in various settings, including childcare, education, and ABA therapy. She has been working as a Registered Behavioral Therapist for two years with children ages 1-17 in-home, clinic, and school. Katherine has been safety trained to deal with behaviors that require practice to maintain the safety of the client and the therapist. In addition, she is well versed in naturally integrating programs throughout the day, making it feel less rigid.

Katherine was inspired by helping children that were overlooked in the traditional education system, which led her to the world of ABA. She is very passionate about making therapy fun for the whole family and getting everyone in the client’s life involved and excited when in the home setting, as it coincides with the family's comfort level. Being able to see progress through the use of graphs and clear data is something that has made the ABA field a great interest in Katherine’s career.

When Katherine isn’t working, you can find her hiking with her Great Dane lab mix, Abbey. On sunny days she enjoys sketching nature and wildlife images or reading her favorites from Shakespeare. Katherine is also experienced in reupholstering furniture and makes sure to see family frequently for weekend get-togethers. These simple pleasures make her life balanced and peaceful.

About Kat

Brittany Norman

Behavioral Interventionist - RBT

Brittany Norman

Brittany graduated from Texas A&M University in College Station with a Bachelor of Science in Sociology and a minor in Psychology. After graduating, Brittany began working for an ABA clinic and enjoyed learning about ABA practices and seeing the benefits of introducing ABA to clients and their families.

Brittany has experience using ABA in an academic setting as well as in-home and in-clinic. She loves learning about ABA theory and seeing how much simpler communication and growth can become when ABA is introduced.

About Brittany

Jasmine Brown

Behavioral Interventionist - RBT

Jasmine Brown

Jasmine received her Bachelor’s in Psychology in August of 2019 from Stephen F. Austin State University. While at SFA, Jasmine also studied sign language. She plans on continuing her education in the fall of 2021 with her Master’s in Educational Psychology.

Jasmine has a passion for children living in underprivileged communities and their quality of education. She has career goals of working for a school district as a Licensed Specialist in School Psychology. She has been working in the ABA field for one year and has plenty of experience with children and in childcare.

Jasmine has hopes of one day becoming the Superintendent for a school district. In her free time, she enjoys advocating for youth and volunteers for her church’s children’s ministry. Her hobbies include: dancing, working out, playing music instruments, and being an entrepreneur. She is excited about the opportunity to work with you all.

About Jasmine

Jodi Kaufman

Behavioral Interventionist - RBT

Jodi Kaufman

Jodi has a degree in Psychology with a minor in Elementary Education. Although she started her career in Human Resources, she found her true passion in ABA therapy and working with the special needs community. Jodi enjoys conducting in-home therapy, providing equine therapy & teaching life skills in a respite program.

She is super excited to have joined the amazing team at Waypoint to continue to make a difference in the lives of children with autism and provide compassionate support/education to their families.

Jodi lives in Flower Mound with her husband and two scruffy rescue pups. They have raised four boys together, but the nest is now empty, so she can't get enough energy from working with young children. When not at work, she enjoys all things outdoors, hiking, yoga, traveling and cooking.

About Jodi

Tiesha Cortez

Behavioral Interventionist - RBT

Tiesha Cortez

Tiesha Cortez is from Lubbock, Texas where she graduated from Estacado High School. She began her undergraduate degree in psychology at The University of Houston in Houston, Texas. In 2011 she transferred to The University of Texas at Arlington to complete her degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on psychology. Like many working college students, Tiesha accepted a job in customer service. After 8 years of customer service, she began to feel as though it was unfulfilling to continue not working in her passion, which is with children and young adults. Tiesha accepted a position as a behavior therapist in the field of ABA in October 2019. In January 2019 she became a Registered Behavior Technician. Tiesha has loved making the career change to behavior therapy and looks forward to every day that she can interact to help produce long term positive behavior changes with the clients she serves.

Away from Waypoint, Tiesha serves as a house mentor for young women, where she lives in home with the clients and her dog Seven. Tiesha enjoys taking road trips and being in the company of family and friends, creating great memories.

About Tiesha

Elizabeth Ash

Behavioral Interventionist - RBT

Elizabeth Ash-Behavior Technician

Elizabeth Ash has a passion for working with kids with autism. She started with Waypoint in May 2019 and she has plans to sit for the RBT exam in September of 2019. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family, listening to music, going out to eat, and reading.

About Elizabeth

Whitney Kreps

Behavioral Interventionist - RBT

Whitney Kreps

Whitney graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Sociology and a minor in Psychology from the University of North Texas, where she was also president of Alpha Kappa Delta Honor Society. Following graduation, she became certified in early childhood education - 6th grade and taught elementary school for several years. In 2015, Whitney became a registered behavior technician. She got into the field to improve the lives of individuals with autism through the proven method of Applied behavior analysis. She has worked with various clients, including verbal and non-verbal and in numerous settings such as clinical, school, in-home, and community-based.

When Whitney is not working, she enjoys spending time with her family. Whitney is a wife and mother to identical twin girls and a teenage son.

About Whitney

Annie Lucroy

Behavioral Interventionist - RBT

Annie Lucroy

Annie received her Bachelors Degree in Special education from East Carolina University. While attending East Carolina University, she worked at the Autism Society of North Carolina, where she first started in the field of ABA therapy. After college, Annie continued her education in ABA therapy and completed the qualifications to become a Registered Behavioral Technician. She has been a Behavioral Therapist for five years.

Annie truly believes that this field of work is a passion of hers. One of her favorite aspects of the job is watching the clients and their families grow, excel at their goals, and surpass expectations. Seeing her clients achieve new goals inspires her to continue her work in the field of ABA therapy.

Annie loves being outdoors with her family, including her husband, two sons, and dog. She loves gardening, traveling, trying new recipes, and a good Netflix binge.

About Annie

Hannah Bradner

Behavioral Interventionist

Hannah Bradner

Hannah graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in health science. She is currently a graduate student at Texas Woman’s University studying Special Education.

Hannah has always been interested in working with special education children but recently started getting involved in ABA. She loves seeing children grow and learn. She is inspired by how ready children are to start learning new skills.

Hannah loves spending time with her dog, family, and friends. She loves volunteering with Best Buddies and Special Olympics.

About Hannah

Katelyn Davis

Behavioral Interventionist - RBT

Katelyn Davis

Coming soon...

About Katelyn

Rejean Vanderveer

Behavioral Interventionist

Rejean Vanderveer

Coming soon...

About Reggie

Richard Haratine

Behavioral Interventionist - RBT

Richie Haratine

Richie Haratine graduated with a BFA in Acting from Florida Atlantic University. He also holds an MFA in Classical Acting for the Stage from the University of Delaware and is an active member of the Actors Equity Association. He has been teaching Drama at the university level for over 11 years. He is very excited to be a part of Waypoint as he pursues his RBT.

Touring as an actor throughout the United States performing and teaching live theatre to all ages, he loves the opportunity to listen and learn from each person he meets on stage and off. His acting training can be distilled by simply “listening and learning a person's special point of view.” ABA is an opportunity for deep and rich relationships to develop while providing opportunities for growth in the lives of amazing kids!

Richie also loves spending time with his four boys Elliot, Oliver, Isaac, Asher, and his wife, Megan! His favorite sport is tennis, and he loves sushi!

About Richie

Bailey Andrews

Behavioral Interventionist

Bailey Andrews

Bailey currently attends the University of North Texas, where she is studying Special Education. She plans to eventually go to Texas Woman's University to study Music Therapy. Bailey has been teaching children of all ages music since 2018. She became interested in ABA after studying Special Education and is currently working on her RBT certification. Bailey loves her job, and she loves to see each unique personality that every child has and help them learn and grow.

When Bailey isn't at work, she is at home hanging out with her pet rabbit Mando, jamming out to music, reading, or playing the oboe or piano.

About Bailey

Abdullah Faizal

Behavioral Interventionist

Abdullah Faizal

Coming soon...

About Abdullah

Allisen Hansen

Behavioral Interventionist - RBT

Allisen Hansen

Allie graduated from Northeastern Illinois University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Social Work. She is currently in grad school studying Special Education (emphasis on ABA) with plans to become a BCBA. Since her first job at 15, Allie has worked with adults and children with special needs in various settings. She has worked alongside ABA therapy but officially became an RBT in August 2021! Growing up with a sister with autism, Allie was always intrigued by how she interacted with the world. Her sibling played a significant role in finding her passion.

Differences inspire Allie. No child is the same, and she loves the uniqueness. The kids and families she works with always bring a smile to her face, which truly keeps her going. Being in this field reminds her to be present in the moment and appreciate all the ebbs and flows of life!

In her free time, Allie enjoys listening to 90s/2000s R&B, eating pad thai, and trying new hobbies (such as knitting and painting) with her 30-pound cat, King, and his cat brother, Louis Vuitton (aka Louie).

About Allie

Kiarra Simpson

Behavioral Interventionist - RBT

Kiarra Simpson

Coming soon...

About Kiarra

Joanne Lopez

Behavioral Interventionist - RBT

Joanne Lopez

Coming soon...

About Joanne

Roberto Moran

Behavioral Interventionist

Roberto Moran

Coming soon...

About Roberto

Ian Paterson

Behavioral Interventionist

Ian Paterson

Coming soon...

About Ian