WORLD PARTNERS IN AUTISM

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Home: Welcome

OUR MISSION

WPA is a unique collaboration of parents, professionals and community members who provide quality support, training, and programming that is accessible to all for children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Home: Who We Are

“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see”

Mark Twain

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THE CORE TEAM

Everyone is brilliant with a touch of ASD.

ANNA MARIE

President

An Alumni of the City University of New York, Anna Marie is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and Licensed Behavior Analyst (LBA) in the state of New York. She is the co-founder and the clinical director of A Friend Face, an applied behavior analysis company with clinics in Staten island, Brooklyn, and Bayonne and home services throughout the 5 boroughs and Hudson County, NJ, and most recently, South Florida. A Friendly Face works with several collaborating universities and serves as a practicum teaching site for future behavior analysts. Anna Marie has been an educator for two decades, with over 15 years of experience servicing children with developmental disabilities and their families; she provides ABA training to pediatricians and neurologists and mentorship to teachers, related service therapists, and behavior clinicians in the field. She was featured in a New York City Emmy-Award Winning Spanish Documentary on Autism and was honored as a Top Woman in Business in Staten Island, New York of 2014. She is passionate about providing support for families with children on the Autism Spectrum, not only in New York, but all around the globe. She states, "This isn't a profession for me. I really do feel that it/s my calling, my purpose in life, to help families with kids on the spectrum or any disabilities that can be supported with behavior analysis. And it's been my vision from day one to bring this support globally. Every day, I'm honored to work in a field I'm passionate about, alongside professionals I truly respect and have come to love."

DR ISABELLA BARCELOS

Neuropediatrician

Dr. Isabella Barcelos is a Pediatrician, Child Neurologist and Neurogeneticist from Brazil. She was the 2018/2019 Fellow from the North American Mitochondrial Disease Consortium (NAMDC) rotating in the neuroscience department of UCSD, CHOP and Columbia. She is currently a Postdoc in moleclar biology at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and has writen and reviewed numerous studies and publications. Isabella's biggest passion, however, is in autism. As a pediatric neurologist, Dr. Barcelos is an autism expert and a diagnositician, and dedicates her time regularly providing autism education to doctors, teachers, therapists, and more importantly, parents. Her ultimate vision is to provide her service for the autism community in a global humanitarian scale, particularly in countries with little to no resources.

JENNIFER COVELLI-SMITH

Board Certified Behavioral Analyst

Jennifer is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and Licensed Behavior Analyst (LBA) practicing in New York City and an alumna of the City University of New York, Hunter College where she currently serves as an adjunct faculty member in the Applied Behavior Analysis graduate program. Originally an aspiring creative writer from Florida, Jennifer first discovered her passion for working with individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Applied Behavior Analysis by pure accident (or possibly destiny). Her first role in the field was working as a paraprofessional for a child with ASD in a special education classroom in Brooklyn, New York who she watched learn to communicate and interact with his peers and family members in a meaningful way through ABA. Since then, Jennifer has gone on to work with hundreds of children in New York City schools, private clinics, home-based services, and social skills groups over the past 10 years. In addition to teaching at Hunter College, she continues to provide consultation and training to teachers and other professionals in local schools and professional mentorship for aspiring behavior analysts. Jennifer is passionate about connecting to other cultures through good food, shared experiences, and the collective pursuit of seeking a more equitable world for children with ASD and their families. She is dedicating her work with World Partners in Autism to the memory of her mother, Cheri Wallace, a nurse and a lifetime champion of global health care rights who didn’t have the chance to see her mission fulfilled.

VENUS MARTZ

CEO

Venus Martz received her Bachelors of Arts in Communication from Lindenwood University, located in St. Louis, Missouri. For over 10 years, she has been a marketing and communication professional, managing projects from early design and planning stages, through implementation, with positive impact and measurable results. She is an expert in creating successful campaigns and events with specific goals and objectives, targeted at multiple audiences for different organizations including private corporations and non-profit organizations. She is the current president and CEO for the Greater North County Chamber of Commerce located in St. Louis, MO. During this last year, Martz made sure that the Chamber funneled useful information to small businesses impacted by the COVID-19; making sure that grants and SBA funding was accessible to those most impacted by the pandemic. During this time, the Chamber was able to hold safe and socially distanced events that exceeding budget expectations, making the Greater North County Chamber financially stable in spite of the Coronavirus. A philanthropist and dedicated community member, Martz currently sits on the Board of Directors for North Count Inc., Valley Industries, St. Martin’s Child Care Center, The Emerson YMCA, and Walter’s Walk. She has volunteered for organizations such as the Saint Louis Crisis Nursery, BJC Christian Hospital, the USO, and sits on the City of Florissant’s Economic Development Council. She was awarded one of North County Inc.’s 30 Leaders in Their Thirties in 2017; and was named Small Business Monthly’s Top 100 St. Louisans to Know To Succeed in Business in 2018.
Venus lives in St. Louis with her two beautiful kids, Kyrstiana and Kaleb and their dog, Milo. In her spare time, she loves to travel, eat new foods and read books. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your path” Proverbs 3:5-6

MICHELLE KORN

Occupational Therapist

Michelle is a Board Certified Behavior Analysist (BCBA) and Licensed Behavior Analyst (LBA) in New York. She is also an Occupational Therapist (OTR/L). While working as a special educator in New York City, Michelle fell in love with working with individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder. In an effort to find ways to help improve their independence and function in daily life, she began her journey into Applied Behavior Analysis. She has worked with clients and their families in home-based services and social skills groups. She believes that the smallest step toward reaching their goals is a huge success to clients and the people who love them, which continues to drive her passion for working with this population. Michelle has been involved in prior service learning work, traveling to Morocco and Spain to develop programs implementing aspects of occupational therapy, treatment, and education to clients, families, and staff in orphanages, factories, shelters, and nursing homes. Although she has taken on many roles one thing has remained constant: her love for working with children. Michelle is excited to be a part of the World Partners in Autism team and make a lasting impact on the lives of those living with ASD and their families.