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
Leadership Team
Bio
Steve DeVore, President of Little Leaves, has served in leadership roles spanning different sectors of healthcare and within organizations of various scale and structure. Steve has proven adept at helping organizations scale effectively and progressively, while in the process building and/or rebuilding functions, systems, and teams. Steve joins the company after serving as President and CEO of Pediatric Therapy Holdings Inc. (PTHI), whose Education Services business line provides specialized occupational, physical, and speech therapy to students in 115 school districts throughout Pennsylvania, and whose outpatient business line (formerly Theraplay, Inc.) operates facilities that provide pediatric occupational, physical, and speech therapies, among other services, to children throughout their 32 locations across four states. Steve was previously a board member for Hippo Veterinary Group in Arizona, where he served as an active advisor, coach, and mentor to the executive team to aid in their strategic growth and objectives. His previous experience includes serving as CEO for Kolmac Outpatient Recovery Centers, an addiction recovery business, as COO for Lightwave Dental, as Group Vice President for National Veterinary Associates, and as a Vice President with DaVita Healthcare Partners, Inc. Steve received his undergraduate business degree from Washington College and his M.B.A. from the New York Institute of Technology.
Steven DeVore
President
Bio
Dr. Ivy Chong, Chief Clinical Officer, joins the organization with 26 years’ experience working with individuals with autism and developmental disabilities. She received a doctorate from Western Michigan University in Behavior Analysis and received a post-doctoral MBA in Healthcare Management, from Florida Institute of Technology. Ivy previously served as Senior Vice President of Children’s Services at May Institute (2017 – 2023), overseeing the operations of home, school, and center-based services. From 2008 – 2017, Ivy served as the Director of Autism Services and Training at the Scott Center for Autism Treatment and Associate Professor in the College of Psychology and Liberal Arts at Florida Institute of Technology. Ivy is a licensed psychologist (FL, MI) and BCBA-D, specializing in the assessment and treatment of individuals with ASD and developmental disabilities. She maintains leadership roles on several advisory boards, holds adjunct appointments at Brock University, and UMass Lowell, and has presented at numerous conferences nationally and internationally. She has also served as a guest reviewer for Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Behavior Interventions, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, and Behavior Analysis in Practice.
Dr. Ivy Chong
Chief Clinical Officer
Bio
Barbara Davis, Ph.D., BCBA-D, Territory Vice President, 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
Territory Vice President
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
Bio
Lisa Guerrero, Ph.D., BCBA-D, Regional Director (South Florida) is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst who has been working with children with developmental disabilities for nearly 10 years. Dr. Guerrero specializes in the assessment and treatment of pediatric feeding disorders. Prior to working at Little Leaves, Dr. Guerrero worked at the Pediatric Feeding Disorders Intensive Program at Children’s Specialized Hospital and Rutgers University. Dr. Guerrero earned her Ph.D. in School Psychology at the University of Florida and completed her pre-doctoral internship and post-doctoral fellowship at the Munroe-Meyer Institute. She is a member of the Association for Behavior Analysis, International, and the Florida Association of Behavior Analysis. Her research has been presented at regional and national conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals.
Lisa Guerrero, Ph.D., BCBA-D, Regional Director
Bio
Larissa Reynolds, Ph.D., BCBA-D, Regional Director (Frederick), is a licensed psychologist and Board Certified Behavior Analyst who has been working with children with autism and related disorders for over 20 years. Prior to working at Little Leaves, Dr. Reynolds was the Clinical Director of the Intensive Early Intervention program at Community Services for Autistic Adults and Children. She specializes in the assessment and treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders and parent and staff training. Dr. Reynolds earned her doctorate in clinical psychology at Louisiana State University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Pediatric Feeding Clinic at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. She is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Association for Behavior Analysis International, and the Maryland Association for Analysis.
Larissa Reynolds, Ph.D., BCBA-D, 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
Maryland
Virginia
Florida
Serving Washington D.C., Virginia, Maryland and Florida