Grace Gengoux, Ph.D., BCBA-D, is a Clinical Professor, Director of the Autism Intervention Clinic, and the Associate Chair for Faculty Engagement and Well-being within Stanford University’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Gengoux is a licensed clinical psychologist with expertise in training parents to promote the healthy development of social skills in their children and manage challenging behavior using positive behavioral approaches. Dr. Gengoux has published peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters on treatments for autism. She has specialized training in Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT), having completed her doctoral studies under the mentorship of Drs. Robert and Lynn Koegel. Dr. Gengoux oversees the PRT program at Stanford and has completed multiple clinical trials evaluating the effects of PRT on the social-communication competence of young children. Dr. Gengoux has also written a book focused on professional well-being and practical strategies to promote resilience for providers of mental health care. Dr. Gengoux serves as Associate Editor for the Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions. Dr. Gengoux received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of California Santa Barbara and completed her clinical internship and postdoctoral fellowship at the Yale Child Study Center, before joining the Stanford University School of Medicine clinical faculty in 2010.

Dr. Ty Vernon is the Director of the Koegel Autism Center, an Associate Professor at UC Santa Barbara, a licensed psychologist, and a board-certified behavior analyst. His research focuses on the creation and implementation of neurodiversity-affirming, strength-based, and ecologically valid socialization interventions for autistic youth and adults. He has served as PI on multiple federally- and foundation-funded clinical trials and applied research projects focusing on improving social communication skills, relationships, and overall quality of life for individuals on the autism spectrum.

Jessica Suhrheinrich, Ph.D. is a Professor of Special Education at San Diego State University and an Investigator with the Child and Adolescent Services Research Center. Broadly, her research aims to improve community-based services for children with autism. Prior to attending graduate school in psychology, Dr. Suhrheinrich was also a classroom teacher. This experience shaped her interest in improving the quality of educational programming for children with autism and increasing teacher access to training in evidence-based interventions. Her current projects integrate implementation science and school-based services for students with autism. Dr. Suhrheinrich also coordinates research and evaluation activities for the California Autism Professional Training and Information Network (CAPTAIN).

Tanya Rego, MS, BCBA is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst who has been practicing in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) since 2016. She currently serves as a Certified Behavior Analyst at the Stanford Preschool Autism Lab (PAL) at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health, where she provides clinical oversight and mentorship to a team of Registered Behavior Technicians implementing Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT). Tanya is passionate about ethical ABA practices and is committed to empowering clients, caregivers, and providers through effective training, collaboration, and evidence-based care. 

Maria Victoria Bundang is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and graduate of the Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis from Pepperdine University. She has been working in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis since 2018.  She has experience working in home, school, telehealth, and center-based programs helping families and individuals with autism from early intervention to adulthood. In her current role, Maria serves as a BCBA for the Stanford Preschool Autism Lab (PAL) Program and supports a team of behavior technicians implemented Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) and other evidence-based treatments. She is interested in naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions, social skills, collaborative care, and clinical applications and program development of evidence-based treatments. 

Mendy Minjarez, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Dr. Minjarez is a licensed psychologist with specialization in assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of children with autism spectrum disorders. She is also the Director of the Applied Behavior Analysis Early Intervention Program at Seattle Children’s Autism Center, where she conducts clinical work, research, and training of future clinicians. She coauthored the book, Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorder, which was released in 2020. She has worked in the field of autism since 1995.

Dr. Lynn Kern Koegel is a Clinical Professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine and the Editor in Chief of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. She has been active in the development of programs to improve communication in children with autism, including the development of first words, grammatical structures, pragmatics, and social conversation. In addition to her published books and articles in the area of communication and language development, she has developed and published procedures and field manuals in the area of first words, initiations, self-management and functional analysis that are used in school districts and by parents throughout the United States, as well as translated in other major languages. Dr. Lynn Koegel is the author of Overcoming Autism and Growing Up on the Spectrum, published by Viking/Penguin and most recently Hidden Brilliance, published by Harper Wave with parent Claire LaZebnik. Lynn Koegel and her husband, Robert, are the developers of Pivotal Response Treatment which focuses on motivation. The Koegels have been the recipients of many awards, including the first annual Children’s Television Workshop Sesame Street Award for “Brightening the Lives of Children”, the first annual Autism Speaks award for “Science and Research”, and the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) award for Enduring Programmatic Contributions in Behavior Analysis. Dr. Lynn Koegel appeared on ABC’s hit show “Supernanny” working with a child with autism. Their work has also been showcased on ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, and the Discovery Channel.

Dr. Ferguson received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of California Santa Barbara and completed her clinical internship at the University of California Los Angeles, before joining Stanford as a postdoctoral fellow.  Dr. Ferguson's research focuses on advancing understanding of emotion regulation processes and distressing behaviors in autistic children to improve the quality of clinical care. Her work takes a comprehensive perspective, integrating methods from implementation science to improve interventions for underserved autistic populations, especially those with co-occurring intellectual disability. Additionally, Dr. Ferguson is working to develop the Strategies for Tolerating a Preference for Sameness (STEPS) program, a caregiver-mediated intervention for autistic children with and without co-occurring intellectual disability.

Brittany Koegel holds a PhD in Education with an emphasis in special education and developmental disabilities risk studies. She is CEO of Koegel Autism consultants in Santa Barbara, CA, and conducts research at Stanford University. She has published in the areas of socialization, communication and Pivotal Response Treatment. Brittany has conducted PRT training workshops throughout the United States, and more than twenty different foreign countries. She specializes in training teachers, parents, and professionals in Pivotal Response Treatment.

Chongying Wang, DPhil, BCBA-D, is Founding Director of the Autism Research Center and Professor of Clinical Psychology at Nankai University in China. She obtained her doctorate in experimental psychology from the University of Oxford, UK, and was a Fulbright Scholar at Stanford University, USA, and a visiting scholar at the Olga Tennison Autism Research Center (OTARC) at La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia. Her research focuses on early identification, social-cognitive development, and implementing evidence-based interventions for people with autism. In recognition of her contributions to community-based autism work, she received the INSAR Cultural Diversity Research Award in 2021. Dr. Wang is INSAR Global Senior Leader for Western Pacific Region.

Robert Koegel, PhD., is a Senior Researcher at Stanford University School of Medicine specializing in autism. He has published over 200 articles and books relating to the treatment and understanding of autism, and he is the founding editor of the Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions. Models of his procedures are used in public schools and in parent education programs throughout the world. His research is focused on language intervention, family support, and school integration. He has trained many health care and special education leaders in the United States and abroad. Robert and Lynn Koegel are the developers of Pivotal Response Treatment an empirically supported treatment for autism. They are the recipients of the first annual Children’s Television Workshop Sesame Street Award for “Brightening the Lives of Children," the first annual Autism Speaks award for “Science and Research,” and the International ABA award for “enduring programmatic contributions in behavior analysis.” The Koegels are current and past recipients of many federal, state, and private foundation grants and gifts for developing interventions and helping families with autism.