Dr. Michelle “Shelly” Wold, BCBA
Founder and Executive Director of Positive Pathways
Dr. Michelle “Shelly” Wold, BCBA
Founder and Executive Director of Positive Pathways
As the Executive Director of Positive Pathways, Shelly is committed to providing every child with a unique experience that fosters the development of new skills in fun and exciting ways. She is deeply passionate about working with children and takes great steps to honor each child’s unique strengths and abilities. Since 2005, Shelly has worked with children on the autism spectrum in neuropsychological research, early autism assessment, and in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), bringing a fresh perspective to early intervention services.
At Positive Pathways, Shelly passionately leads the team of behavior analysts, clinical supervisors, and RBTs with cutting-edge clinical training and meaningful supervision, to provide the highest quality of services for our clients. She encourages and empowers the team to grow, develop, and thrive while creating a bold vision for the future.
Shelly is also the President of the non-profit, Spectrum Strategies, a cause near and dear to her heart. Spectrum Strategies provides community support to families of children with autism through sibling support groups and a dog matching placement program.
Shelly received her M.A. in Clinical Psychology at the Wright Institute in Berkeley, C.A. in 2012, and her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology (Psy.D) in the spring of 2017. She completed her certification as an Assistant Behavior Analyst in 2010 and became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst in 2012.
BCBA certificate no. 1-12-12595.
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Luke Wold
Director of Operations
Luke Wold
Director of Operations
Luke originally held the position of Practice Manager when starting at Positive Pathways in 2014. He provided support to the staff through the means of HR, payroll, and recruitment.
Quickly, this position grew into a Director of Operations role where Luke’s responsibilities extended beyond running the “back end” of the agency. He has become an integral part of the growth and development of Positive Pathways. Collaborating with Shelly, Luke has helped to develop a business growth plan, marketing plan, and branding.
Luke works diligently to ensure that Positive Pathways experiences stable and healthy growth while always maintaining the quality and integrity that Shelly and her team have created.
“It’s a position I never knew I was prepared for until I had the chance to step up. I’m proud to be a part of an agency that has such deep roots in caring for people, kids, and community.” –Luke
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Jacelyn Mendes, M.A. BCBA
Director of Clinical Operations
Jacelyn Mendes, M.A. BCBA
Director of Clinical Operations
Jacelyn is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst who is devoted to working with children of all needs. She received her B.A. at California State University Chico in Communication Sciences and Disorders, and later her M.A. from Notre Dame de Namur University in Special Education with a focus on children with moderate to severe disabilities. Jacelyn has been working in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis since 2011, specializing in early intervention cases designed for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, as well as other developmental disabilities. She has experience creating and implementing both in-home and school-based programs tailored to meet a child’s unique and individual needs. She is passionate about the field of Applied Behavior Analysis, as well as teaching fundamental skills, and facilitating the growth of the children she serves.
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Taylour Ganster, M.S. BCBA
Director of Clinical Operations
Taylour Ganster, M.S. BCBA
Director of Clinical Operations
Taylour has known from a young age that working with children was her passion. In 2010, she began working in the field as a social group facilitator for teens with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It was at this time that she knew working with children with disabilities was where she was meant to be. Taylour has been working in the field of ABA since 2012 following various roles where she has experience collaborating with therapists, service providers, families and teachers offering behavioral support for children with disruptive, self-injurious and aggressive behaviors. An important focus for Taylour as a clinician is early intervention using play based and natural environment teaching through the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM). It is with this naturalistic approach that Taylour feels young children thrive and can reach their highest potential. Taylour obtained her Masters in Psychology and Applied Behavior Analysis in 2016 and is now a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA).
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Deja Kassof
Director of Office Administration
Deja Kassof
Director of Office Administration
Deja is the product of the East Bay Area and loves working in the community where she grew up. As a young child, Deja faced many obstacles that have compelled her to dedicate much of her professional and personal time to serving children who deal with unique challenges.
Before starting at Positive Pathways, Deja received her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology at San Francisco State University. Throughout her schooling, Deja participated in internships and grassroots community-based organizing which nurtured her passion for helping people.
Deja began her career with Positive Pathways in 2018 as an Administrative Assistant serving valued families and staff in the Alameda County region. Her ability to fight for client rights and simultaneously connect them with the most qualified staff earned her a promotion to Director of Office Administration. In this role, Deja remains a possible contact person for families across all regions while also overseeing office staff and regulating administrative policies. Deja enjoys connecting with every staff and family member working with Positive Pathways. She hopes to aid in making personal experiences with Positive Pathways as positive as possible.
“I love that Positive Pathways allows me to work in an administrative capacity while also affirming my desire to create sustainable connections with our families, staff, and local communities.””
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Behavior Analysts
Julie Pantaleon, MA BCBA
Senior Behavior Analyst
Julie Pantaleon, MA BCBA
Senior Behavior Analyst
Julie grew up wanting to teach and work with children. And in many ways, her work in the field of ABA reminds her of a therapeutic teacher. She received her B.A. degree in Psychology from UC Davis and began working as an early intervention specialist. She thoroughly enjoyed working with children during their toddler years; and after 3 years, returned to school with the intent to continue to expand her skills and grow as a therapist.
Julie received her M.A. degree in Clinical Psychology from Argosy University, with an emphasis in family therapy. Her practicum and internship placements honed her perspective to view clients as part of larger familial and cultural systems. For close to a decade, Julie has found that children and adolescents progress well when parents, caregivers, siblings, peers, teachers, and community service providers are included in their treatment plans. In addition, she tends to approach her work with her kiddos with an attachment-based emphasis, working to build a trusting and predictable relationship with the family system that she’s entering into.
As an adolescent, when Julie’s family emigrated to the U.S., she became acutely aware of the challenges that come with communicating with others when there are language barriers and cultural differences. Both her personal experiences and professional training helped to develop her desire to teach children, support their families, and continually learn from others. She diligently strives to support children in acquiring crucial communicative and coping skills needed for them to express their needs and share their joys. “It is my hope to be a part of their journey, as they learn, to the best of their abilities, how to adapt and navigate our diverse neuro-typical worlds.”
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Megan Wilhelmy, M.Ed. BCBA
Behavior Analyst
Megan Wilhelmy, M.Ed. BCBA
Behavior Analyst
Megan graduated with her M.Ed from Arizona State University & is a Behavior Analyst supervising and training clinical supervisors and RBTs in homes and at our Oakland center. She earned a B.S.W. in Social Work from The University of Akron, Ohio, and shortly after earned her LSW. After graduating in 2013 she served as an AmeriCorps VISTA member for Oakland Unified School District in Oakland, California. Early in her career, she developed programming to help raise awareness of human trafficking among teens in Cleveland, OH. She has experience in the field of adoption and foster care where she worked in respite as well as designing and implementing life skills programs for foster youth. She has worked as a Behavioral Technician with children on the spectrum for the past few years prior to becoming a supervisor and is passionate about early intervention cases. With this accumulated experience she specializes in working with non-verbal clients and is driven to teach them the skills necessary to succeed in the world around them. She continues to work in-line with her values of ensuring all have access to her services by working with low-income clients in and around Oakland, California.
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Linda Vang, M.Ed. BCBA
Clinical Director, Contra Costa
Linda Vang, M.Ed. BCBA
Clinical Director, Contra Costa
The interest of working with individuals with special needs began at a young age for Linda. In elementary school, Linda frequently volunteered to help the special education teacher in the classroom and got the opportunity to help her peers who had special needs. In junior high and high school, Linda continued to volunteer and work with special education teachers and students with special needs through school organizations.
Linda graduated from the University of California, Davis in June 2013 with a double major in Psychology and Sociology and quickly found herself in the Applied Behavior Analysis field soon after graduation. Linda has been a dedicated Behavior Therapist for 4 years and enjoyed working 1:1 with various clients and families. Linda received her Master of Education in Applied Behavior Analysis with Arizona State University in August 2018 and obtain her BCBA credential in February 2019
Linda has experience working with children, ages 2-16 years old, in various settings such as home, school, and community. Currently, as the Clinical Director of Contra Costa, Linda enjoys leading the team to ensure the highest quality of care for our clients, supporting behavior technicians’ growth, and collaborating with parents and service providers.
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Elizabeth de la Garza, M.Ed. BCBA
Behavior Analyst
Elizabeth “Betsy” de la Garza, M.Ed. BCBA
Behavior Analyst
Betsy describes herself as an observer, who has always had an innate curiosity about how others view the world. While during her undergraduate studies, she received a Bachelor of Science in Consumer Science and Merchandising, she chose a career change and entered into the field of behavior analysis in 2013. Betsy first started as a direct therapist and then quickly advanced to an Assistant Clinical Supervisor, Clinical Supervisor and is now a BCBA. She received her BCBA through Arizona State University. She looks forward to deepening her skills in working with children and their families. Betsy works with some of our Spanish speaking families and loves early intervention work as well as working with older children using social skills programming.
BCBA certificate no. 1-19-36045
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Nissa-Belle Vidal, M.Ed. BCBA
Behavior Analyst and Community Behavior Consultant
Nissa-Belle Vidal, M.Ed. BCBA
Behavior Analyst and Community Behavior Consultant
Nissa-Belle began working with children at the age of 16 as a dance instructor. As she continued teaching dance, she had the opportunity to work with a special needs classroom to create a flexible, needs-based dance program for a high school Phys. Ed. class. She loved the idea of inclusion within art, community, and extracurricular programs, and decided that this was a goal to work towards. Nissa-Belle received her B.A. from San Francisco State University in Child Development with a focus on Youth Work Outside of School. Shortly after, she began working with Positive Pathways and fell in love with ABA, and working with those with autism and their families. Nissa-Belle received her M.Ed. in ABA from Arizona State University and BCBA in November of 2019 and became board certified in December of 2019. In her role as Community Behavior Consultant, Nissa works with schools, neurodiverse families, organizations, and groups to disseminate behavior analysis and teach the foundations of ABA to improve behavior, all while using trauma-informed ABA and ACT-based approaches.
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Alyssa Youngquist, MA BCBA
Director of Training
Alyssa Youngquist, MA BCBA
Director of Training
Alyssa has always had an interest in helping others and has found her passion working with youth. She obtained a Bachelor’s degree in psychology at Long Beach State and her M.A. in developmental psychology at San Francisco State University. During this time, she gained experiences in the field with a variety of age groups from pre-schoolers to young adults, ranging in developmental abilities. With each experience, she becomes increasingly more passionate about finding success for each individual by addressing their unique needs using a strength-based approach. Currently, Alyssa is working to further her work in the field of ABA, particularly with the younger kiddos in early intervention.
BCBA certificate no. 1-19-36588
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Lydia Wattigny, MA
Behavior Analyst
Lydia Wattigny, MA
Behavior Analyst
From an early age, Lydia knew that she wanted to have some sort of career working with children. She spent many of her summers working at different activity camps for young children. She received her B.S. degree in Psychology from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette where she completed an internship as an early intervention specialist. When the internship was completed, she returned to school with the intent to continue to expand upon her skills in ABA and grow as a professional.
Lydia received her M.A. degree in Applied Developmental Psychology from George Mason University. She completed her practicum at an early intervention clinic for kids with developmental disabilities in Lafayette, La and became certified as a Behavior Analyst. She is very passionate about working closely with parents, other therapy providers, and community members to help create the most inclusive and effective treatment plans. She is excited to continue working and growing in the field of ABA.
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Office Team
Travis
Client Relations Manager
Travis
Client Relations Manager
Our Client Relations Manager, Travis, loves working for and with our Positive Pathways families to get them the care that they need. Working with clients and staff alike, he transitioned from a therapist to our office team. This has provided him with a unique, well-rounded perspective of what we do, experiencing both direct therapy and all of the behind-the-scenes work. He is passionate about helping those in need and advocating on the client’s behalf. Travis is proud to be a central part of the Positive Pathways team and to work alongside them providing his indispensable service.
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Larry
Billing/AR Manager
Larry
Billing/AR Manager
Larry joined the Positive Pathways team in late 2019, continuing his ten-plus-year career in medical billing and account management, with the last four years focused on ABA.
Larry prides himself on the ability to assist in the navigation of the US health care system, for clients and business associates alike.
Leaving Ohio for California decades ago, Larry’s salt-of-the-earth work ethic and fierce determination are a boon to the Positive Pathways team and our clients, assuring a smooth flow of the largely “behind the scenes” financial operations.
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Lexi Silva
NPA Tech
Lexi Silva
NPA Tech
Lexi started working in disability services in 2016 as an assistant at San Jose State University’s disability center for students. She aided in providing accommodations to students and gained professional service skills through teaching them how to navigate SJSU’s disability database. After receiving her B.S. in Psychology, Lexi gained hands-on ABA experience working as a behavior technician.Through these experiences, Lexi quickly discovered she was devoted to helping others.
As an NPA Technician, Lexi makes daily schedule changes for staff and handles various administrative tasks. This position has allowed Lexi to pursue making a difference behind-the-scenes and she looks forward to continuing her knowledge and growth within this role.
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Contact Us
We invite you to reach out if you’d like to learn more about the services we provide. Contact Positive Pathways at 650.260.4670 to speak to a member of our staff today.
