Project Staff:

Susan "Sue" Palko, M.Ed, BCBA, LBA

Autism Program Coordinator (Regions 1, 3, 6, & 8)

Susan Palko, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA, is a Region 1, 3, 6, & 8 Autism Program Coordinator. In her role, she supports regions 1, 3, 6, & 8 school divisions with training and technical assistance around evidence-based practices used with students with autism. She also coordinates the Communities of Leaders in Autism, which is a state-wide initiative implemented by VCU-ACE and the TTACs. Sue earned her B.S. in Education from California University of Pennsylvania and a Masters in Special Education from Virginia Commonwealth University. Sue has been in the field of education for 25 years. For the past 13 years, Sue has assisted school divisions across Virginia and nationally in coaching teachers, administrators, and paraprofessionals in Evidence-Based Practices to help improve services for students with ASD; additionally, she has facilitated division teams through the systems change process.

Taryn Traylor, Ph.D., BCBA, LBA

Assistant Professor

Taryn Traylor, Ph.D., BCBA, LBA, is an Assistant Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University's Rehabilitation Research and Training Center-Autism Center for Education. Dr. Traylor coordinates a statewide effort that provides a customized tiered professional development model across four Superintendent’s regions within the Commonwealth. Dr. Traylor has various experiences developing and executing state and local programming to improve outcomes for students with autism and developmental disabilities. Her professional career has focused on enhancing the implementation of evidence-based practices in the public school setting and coaching/training various professionals.

Meredith Eads, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA

Training and Technical Assistance Associate

Meredith Eads, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA has worked in the field of special education and autism since 2004. Meredith earned her B.S. in Psychology from Sweet Briar College and her M.Ed in Special Education from VCU. She currently provides training and technical assistance to school divisions in Region 1, supporting school teams to build their capacity to provide evidence-based instruction and behavioral supports to students with autism and related disabilities. Meredith has provided services to individuals with special needs through ABA in the home and community settings, public and private schools, and autism centers. She has trained and coached school division personnel in best practices for working with students with autism, and has taught Psychology through the Virginia Community College System. Meredith served as At-Large Representative from 2018-2020 for the Virginia Association for Behavior Analysis and helped to launch VABA’s DEIB initiative.

Kelly Ireson, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA

Training and Technical Assistance Associate

Kelly Ireson, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA, earned her undergraduate degree at Clemson University and her masters degree at Vanderbilt University, both in Special Education. She taught students with autism for 16 years in the public school setting before becoming the autism program manager for a Virginia public school division. During her time in the classroom, Kelly made sure her students were vital and valued members of the school community. Kelly has been a BCBA since 2015. She is passionate about dignity-based ABA, giving learners a voice, and the importance of public education.

Lauren Lenski, M.Ed.

Training and Technical Assistance Associate

Lauren Lenski earned her undergraduate degree from Radford University in Early Childhood Special Education and a Master's degree in Special Education K-12 General Curriculum. She started her career in Applied Behavior Analysis in a clinical setting providing wraparound in-home services in partnership with families and local school divisions. Ms. Lenski has also obtained her certification as a Registered Behavior Technician. Most recently, Lauren provided divisionwide consultative, coaching, and training support within the public school setting, designed to support the needs of students with autism and challenging behavior.

Kaylan Long, M.Ed, BCBA, LBA

Training and Technical Assistance Associate

Kaylan Long, M.Ed, BCBA, LBA, is a training and technical assistance associate at the Autism Center for Excellence (ACE). Ms. Long earned her Masters of Education in special education from Auburn University. She comes to ACE with experience as a special education teacher in two different states outside of Virginia. As a Licensed Behavior Analyst, Ms. Long has extensive district wide experience in providing coaching and training to various educational professionals within the public school setting on instructional and behavioral programming. Her passion is training others to provide trauma-informed, dignified, and values-based services to students with disabilities.

Geoff Loughrey, BCBA, LBA

Training and Technical Assistance Associate

Geoff Loughrey, BCBA, LBA, has worked in the field of applied behavior analysis for over 10 years and worked with individuals with Autism in various capacities for 17 years. His initial experience started at the Severe Behavior and Feeding Research clinic afflilated with Upstate Medical University. Since then, Geoff has worked in a variety of settings including: Private Day Schools, Home-Based Therapy, and Center-Based Therapy. Geoff has experience in clinical training, professional development/coaching, leadership training, and organizational analytics. He is passionate about providing quality supervision to aspiring behavior analysts.

Sarah McEntee, M.Ed., MSW, BCBA, LBA

Training and Technical Assistance Associate

Sarah McEntee, M.Ed., MSW, BCBA, LBA, is a training and technical assistance associate at the Autism Center for Education (ACE). She holds masters' degrees from George Mason University in special education and social work, with a concentration in social change. Prior to joining ACE, she worked in various leadership positions in clinic-based, home-based, and private day school settings within the ABA community. She also has experience working on federal contracts for the Children's Bureau and has a special interest in policy advancement. Her professional interests include delivering values-based interventions and developing and disseminating trainings to individuals new to the field of ABA.

Heather Womack, MS, BCaBA, LBA

Training and Technical Assistance Associate

Heather Womack, MS, BCaBA, LBA, is a training and technical assistance associate at the Autism Center for Excellence (ACE). Heather earned her BS in Elementary and Special Education from Grand Canyon University and a Master's in Applied Behavior Analysis. She comes to ACE with experience as an elementary and special education teacher, as well as being a countywide behavior specialist in a public school setting. Heather is very motivated and passionate about providing coaching and training to educators to provide individualized, trauma-informed, and evidence-based services to students with trauma and disabilities.