Please welcome ASCEND`s new board members

 Please welcome ASCEND’s new board members! These five individuals joined the board of directors in the Spring of 2015. Steven Glazier, MA, is a psychologist who has been working with individuals with developmental, emotional, and behavioral challenges for 30 years. Since 1995, he has been in private practice, specializing in treating individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Steve has served on the faculty of Widener University’s Early Childhood Mental Health Program and the boards of the Philadelphia Preschool Early Intervention Autism Committee and the Delaware Valley Chapter of the World Association for Infant Mental Health. Currently, he is a Faculty member of Profectum Academy, an international agency dedicated to training professionals who work with special needs, and is designated an “Expert Practitioner” by the Interdisciplinary Council on Developmental and Learning Disorders. In his spare time, Steve directs the Cheltenham Little League’s Challenger Program for children with special needs and spends time with his wife, three teenage children, and four pets. Karen Myers received a late diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome (AS) just a few years ago. Now in her 50s, Karen has taken an intense interest in AS and educates herself by absorbing every bit of information she can find. She’s an avid reader, attends presentations, and connects with other individuals in ASD self-­‐advocacy groups. Karen’s particular area of interest is the female presentation of AS, and how this differs from the more commonly understood male presentation. Her professional career spans over 30 years in the areas of management, training and scheduling. She is currently employed full-­‐time as a project manager and is a part-­‐time artist and photographer. Karen has an adult daughter and resides with her husband in Chester County, PA. Ginger S. Rowan, MS, is a marriage and family therapist (MFT) with over 15 years of experience working with children with developmental differences. MFTs look at families systemically and focus on how what happens to one person affects everyone else in the family, even across generations. Treatment of the individual can, and often does, include family members. In 2008, Ginger established the nonprofit Let’s Go Play, Inc., based in Media, as a way to provide social skills groups at a reduced cost. Ginger’s two sons have worked with her at Let’s Go Play, originally starting off with Lego building and then expanding to incorporate Pokemon and The Age of Heroes, a live-­‐action role play game. In 2014, with a 10-­‐year background as a behavior specialist, she received her behavioral specialist license in PA. Ginger has served as an adjunct professor for LaSalle University’s Autism Certificate Program and devotes time to Laurel House, a shelter for victims of domestic violence. She lives in Newtown Square with her husband and enjoys painting, cooking and travel. Bob Schmus, LSW, is a young adult who was diagnosed with Asperger’s at the age of 10. Bob currently works as a program counselor at Albert “Bo” Robinson Assessment and Treatment Center in Trenton, NJ, counseling the corrections population. In his spare time, he is a volunteer speaker at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Reach for the Future program, helping adolescents on the spectrum transition to adulthood. Bob also serves as a Drexel University Autism Institute advisory board member and as a member of its community workgroup. Bob earned his BS in Social Work from Concordia College of New York in 2011 and an MSW degree in 2012 from the University of Pennsylvania. He is a Licensed Social Worker (LSW) in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and is working towards attaining his LCSW license. Will La Valle, PsyD, oversees the BHRS program, assessment services, clinical training, and the autism center (scheduled to open soon) at Interact in Roxborough, PA. Interact serves all populations but specializes in autism services. Will's goal has been to initiate innovative autism services—including full-­‐battery autism assessments (i.e., ADOS-­‐2) in conjunction with educational testing—at reduced costs to make them accessible for all people, regardless of financial constraints. Will earned his PsyD in clinical psychology at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine where he currently teaches as an adjunct professor in the doctoral program. Will, his wife, son, and dog reside in North Wales, PA.