Little Leaves is an organization of professionals who are passionate about working with children.
Our program is supervised by master’s and doctoral level Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) and delivered by highly-trained therapists. We believe that our children’s families and caregivers are integral members of the treatment team and we treat them that way.
Little Leaves knows that providing the highest quality services to your child requires a team effort, and that is how we work. Within Little Leaves, we have created a model for our professionals to collaborate on treatment approaches, share best practices, and continuously learn from each other. Your child will be supported not just by his or her immediate team, but also by the decades of experience and expertise of all of our clinicians, many of whom have studied and trained in the finest ABA programs in the world.
Interested in joining a team of dedicated professionals? Click here to view our current openings, roadmap for growth, and more.
Our Team By The Numbers
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Leadership Team
Bio
Marina Major, President, joined the founding team after 10 years with British Schools of America, a leading provider of British style international education based here in Washington DC. Ms. Major served as both its CFO and COO and was responsible for starting up four schools in the U.S. and assisting in the development of its international school. Ms. Major had oversight and responsibility for all BSA operations, spearheaded its expansion and multimilllion dollar construction projects and served on the school’s board of directors. Previously, she was Director of Administration and International Operations for Micro Analytics Inc., a leading logistics software developer and was responsible for company-wide operations at BT Office Products, where she worked directly for the executive board on corporate development initiatives. Ms. Major received a B.B.A. from the College of William and Mary, majoring in marketing with a minor in Spanish, holds a certificate in accounting from the University of Virginia, and is currently a CPA in the State of Virginia.
Marina Major
President
Bio
Amie Perl, SVP of Operations, has spent the better part of her career working for companies that change lives. Prior to joining Little Leaves, she served in various strategic and operational roles at Strayer University and Weightwatchers.com. She began her career in management consulting at The Boston Consulting Group where she worked with companies across a broad range of industries, and worked in finance at Goldman Sachs.
Amie has developed an expertise in and passion for helping families and providers navigate the challenges of insurance coverage for ABA and has been involved at the state and national levels. In recognition of her efforts, she was awarded the Provider Advocate of the Year award at the Autism Law Summit in 2021. Ms. Perl holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and graduated cum laude with a B.A. in applied mathematics from Harvard University.
Amie Perl
SVP of Operations
Bio
Heather Jennett, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LBA, Vice President of Clinical Services, is a licensed psychologist and Board Certified Behavior Analyst who has been working with individuals with autism and related disorders for over 20 years. Prior to working at Little Leaves, Dr. Jennett was a Senior Behavior Analyst on the Neurobehavioral Unit at the Kennedy Krieger Institute and held a faculty appointment at The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Dr. Jennett earned her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Rutgers University and, while there, worked at the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center in a variety of roles. She is a member of the Association for Behavior Analysis International and the Maryland Association for Behavior Analysis, and has presented her research at national and international conferences and published in peer review journals.
Heather Jennett, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LBA
Vice President of Clinical Services
Bio
R. Justin Boyd, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LBA, Regional Director (DC Metro) is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and licensed psychologist with over 15 years of experience working with children diagnosed with ASD and other neurodevelopmental disorders. Before joining Little Leaves, he served as a supervising psychologist with the Neurobehavioral Unit outpatient program at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. Dr. Boyd holds a M.S. in Special Education and a Ph.D. in School Psychology from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the American Psychological Association, Association for Behavior Analysis International, and Maryland Association for Behavior Analysis. His research has been presented at regional and national conferences and workshops and published in peer-reviewed journals.
R. Justin Boyd, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LBA
Regional Director (DC Metro)
Bio
Erin Camp, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LBA, Regional Director (Baltimore), is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst who has been working with individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities of all ages for over 15 years. Prior to joining Little Leaves, she directed ABA services in a community-based organization in Kansas City, MO. Dr. Camp holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of North Carolina-Wilmington and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Florida, and is a member of the Association for Behavior Analysis International and the Maryland Association for Behavior Analysis. Her research has been presented at regional and national conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals.
Erin Camp Ph.D., BCBA-D, LBA
Regional Director
Bio
Barbara Davis, Ph.D., BCBA-D, Regional Director (South Florida), is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst who has been working with individuals with intellectual disabilities for nearly 15 years. Barbara was previously the Little Leaves Regional Director for the DC Metro region before she and her family moved to the South Florida area in 2017. Since moving, she has served as the Clinical Director for two community-based residential programs serving children and adults with intellectual disabilities and severe problem behavior. Previously, she worked on the Neurobehavioral Unit at Kennedy Krieger Institute in various roles. Dr. Davis holds a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Florida, an M.A. in Applied Behavior Analysis, and a Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology – both from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She is a member of the Association for Behavior Analysis, International, Association for Professional Behavior Analysts, and the Florida Association of Behavior for Behavior Analysis. Her research has been presented at regional and national conferences and workshops and published in peer-reviewed journals.
Barbara Davis, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Regional Director
Bio
Kendra McDonald, M.A., BCBA, LBA, Regional Director, is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Licensed Behavior Analyst who has been working with children and adults with autism and related intellectual disabilities for over 15 years. Prior to working at Little Leaves, Kendra was the Director of Clinical Services for The Arc of Loudoun, overseeing development and implementation of behavior analysis at The Aurora School, Open Door Learning Center, and The Aurora Behavior Clinic. She earned her master’s degree in psychology at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Kendra has presented research with an emphasis on verbal behavior at national, state, and local conferences. She is a member of the Association for Behavior Analysis International and the Virginia Association for Behavior Analysis.
Kendra McDonald, M.A., BCBA, LBA, Regional Director
Bio
Jennifer Wade, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA, Regional Director (Richmond), is a Board Certified and Licensed Behavior Analyst who has worked with individuals ages 18 months to 21 years with intellectual or developmental disabilities for over 20 years. Prior to joining Little Leaves, Jen was the Assistant Director of Clinical Services for Next Steps Behavioral Centers, providing clinic-based, home-based, and community-based services. Over the years, she has worked in private ABA-based school environments and Virginia Commonwealth University – Autism Center for Excellence, in addition to operating her own business as an Educational and Behavioral Consultant. Jen has her B.A. in Psychology and Music from the College of William and Mary, her M.Ed. from Virginia Commonwealth University with a concentration in Early Childhood Special Education, and a post-graduate certificate in ABA from Penn State University. Jen is a member of the Association for Behavior Analysis International and the Association of Professional Behavior Analysts. She is currently serving as the treasurer for the Virginia Association for Behavior Analysis.
Jennifer Wade, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA, Regional Director
Bio
Jessica Garcia, M.A., BCBA, LBA, (Center Director at Columbia, MD) is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Licensed Behavior Analyst with over 10 years of experience working with children with autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities. Prior to joining the Little Leaves team, she was the Clinical Director for a center-based ABA program in North Carolina and previously worked at the Kennedy Krieger Institute’s Neurobehavioral inpatient and outpatient units. Jessica earned her B.S. in Psychology from Towson University, and her M.A. in Human Services Psychology with an emphasis in Behavior Analysis from the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
Bio
Amanda B. Link, M.A., BCBA, LBA, (Center Director at White Marsh, MD) is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Licensed Behavior Analyst who has been working with individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities for nearly 15 years. Before joining Little Leaves, she worked as the School Behavior Specialist for The Forbush Therapeutic Preschool at Towson, a nonpublic special education facility affiliated with Sheppard Pratt Health System. Amanda completed her M.A. in Clinical Psychology at Towson University before earning a post-graduate certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis from The University of North Texas.
Amanda’s clinical interests include using principles of behavior analysis to build flexible behavior repertoires and applying Acceptance and Commitment Training to the early intensive intervention service model. She is a member of the Maryland Association of Behavior Analysis.
Bio
Angela Malo, M.S., BCBA, LBA, (Center Director at Alexandria, VA) is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Licensed Behavior Analyst who has more than 8 years of experience working with children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and developmental disabilities. Prior to joining Little Leaves, she provided both center-based and home-based ABA services in Michigan. Additionally, she conducted diagnostic assessments specializing in ASD. Angela holds a B.S. in Experimental Psychology from the University of South Carolina, M.S. in General Clinical Psychology from Eastern Michigan University, and a post-graduate certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) from the Florida Institute of Technology.
Bio
Jess Poyer, M.S., BCBA, LBA, (Center Director at Germantown, MD)is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Licensed Behavior Analyst with over 8 years of experience working with individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder and other developmental disabilities. Before joining Little Leaves, she was an intern at the Virginia Institute of Autism and worked at the New England Center for Children (NECC). At NECC, she worked in both Massachusetts and Abu Dhabi with young adults in a residential program and preschoolers in a day program. Jess holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Virginia and an M.S. in Applied Behavior Analysis from Western New England University. She is a member of the Maryland Association of Behavior Analysis and the Association for Behavior Analysis International.
Bio
Maureen Rushton, M.A., BCBA, LBA (Center Director at Reston, VA) is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Licensed Behavior Analyst who specializes in working with children with Autism. She has worked in the area of early intervention for the past 15 years; providing services in school, home, and clinic settings. Prior to working at Little Leaves, she spent over 5 years as an ABA Program Supervisor at The Shafer Center, a non-public school for children with Autism located in Owings Mills, Maryland. For 2 years, Maureen served as a board member of the Baltimore Autism Society. Maureen holds a B.A. in Psychology and a B.S. in Biology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, completed her Graduate Certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis at The Pennsylvania State University, and earned her M.A. in Professional Behavior Analysis from Florida Institute of Technology. Maureen’s professional interests include the study and application of Organizational Behavioral Management (OBM) to increase staff performance in the workplace.
Bio
Jana Murgia, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA, (Center Director at Ashburn, VA) is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Licensed Behavior Analyst, and holds a Postgraduate Professional Teaching License for Special Education in the Commonwealth of Virginia. She has 15 years of experience working with children with Autism and other disabilities. Prior to working at Little Leaves, she worked for more than 8 years in both teaching and administrative capacities for Southeastern Cooperative Educational Programs, which supports students with Autism, intellectual disabilities, and behavioral challenges. Jana earned her B.A. in Psychology from American University and her M.Ed. from Cambridge College, concentrating in Special Education. She is a member of the Virginia Association for Behavior Analysis and the Association of Professional Behavior Analysts.
Bio
Bianca Vassare, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LBA, (Director of Home and Community Services) is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, a Licensed Behavior Analyst, and a member of Association for Behavior Analysis International. Prior to working at Little Leaves, she spent 5 years applying CABASÒ ABA methodology in school settings to enhance verbal behavior repertoires of children diagnosed with Autism and other developmental disabilities. In addition, she has presented at the Association for Behavior Analysis International annual conference. Bianca obtained her Ph.D. and 2 master’s degrees in Applied Behavior Analysis from Columbia University.
Bio
Abby Brown, M.A., BCBA, LBA, (Center Director at Silver Spring, MD) is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Licensed Behavior Analyst with over 10 years of experience working with children with autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities. Prior to joining the Little Leaves team, she worked at a behavior analyst at a clinic in Texas and previously worked at the Kennedy Krieger Institute’s Neurobehavioral Inpatient Unit. Abby earned her B.A. in Applied Behavior Science and Sociology from the University of Kansas and her M.A. in Human Services Psychology with an emphasis in Behavior Analysis from the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
Center-Based Staff
Serving Washington D.C., Virginia, Maryland and Florida