Nicole Van Zandt, COO

Position: Chief Operating Officer

As the COO of New Horizons Professional ABA Services Inc., Nicole is responsible for running all facets of the business. After making a career change in 2011 and leaving the home health care industry she joined New Horizons and quickly advanced to the position of COO. Having a son with developmental disabilities helped facilitate Nicole’s career change and has made her strong advocate for the special needs’ population. She currently resides in Northern Virginia with her husband, four children and her three fur babies.

RACHEL KINDALL

Position: Client Relations Manager

Rachel Kindall joined New Horizons in 2014. She handles client management for NHABA. She assists with the screening process, authorizations, and billing. Rachel lives in Middletown with her husband and son. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family and teaching Sunday school.

MICHAEL VAN ZANDT

Position: Office Manager

Michael Van Zandt has lived in Northern Virginia with his wife and children since 2000. He joined New Horizons in August of 2017 with 6 plus years of human resource management. He is an avid fisherman and enjoys spending time outdoors whenever possible.

STEPHANIE MERCIER COOKSEY, M.ED., BCBA, LBA

Position: Senior Behavior Analyst

Stephanie joined New Horizons Professional ABA Services in 2012. A Massachusetts native, she received her Master’s degree in Special Education from Saint Leo University in Florida and a Master’s Certificate in Behavioral Intervention in Autism from the University of Massachusetts Lowell in Massachusetts. She was a special education teacher, working with a variety of disabilities, before pursuing a career in behavior analysis. Stephanie received her Board Certification in 2009. She worked as a behavior analyst for several years and in 2013, she was promoted to Senior Behavior Analyst. Stephanie is enthusiastic and dedicated to working with children with disabilities, having first-hand experience growing up with a sibling on the Autism spectrum. Stephanie has worked as a home-based behavioral therapist, overseen home-based programs, supported behavior interventions in group homes, designed training protocols for ABA therapists and supervisors and has consulted with families and schools. She has experience with a variety of ages (2-70 years old) and disabilities.

TAYLOR FREEMAN, M.A., BCBA, LBA

Position: Director of Operations/ Senior Behavior Analyst

Taylor joined New Horizons Professional ABA Services in October 2015 and loves being able to work directly with clients and families every day. She received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Virginia Tech in 2013 where she worked as a research assistant in the Virginia Tech Autism Clinic. Taylor continued her education through Ball State University earning her Master of Arts in Applied Behavior Analysis and became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst in 2017.

ASHLEY UPDIKE, BCBA, LBA, CCC-SLP

Position: Senior Behavior Analyst/ SLP

Ashley joined New Horizons Professional ABA Services in June of 2016 and became a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) in January of 2020. Prior to becoming a BCBA, Ashley was a Registered Behavior Technician with NHABA. She received her Bachelors of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Radford University. Ashley received her Masters of Education in Special Education with a certificate in Applied Behavioral Analysis through George Mason University. Ashley also has a Master’s of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders from California State University Northridge and is dual licensed as a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP). She enjoys working with children of any age! In her spare time, Ashley enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter, two dogs, and family.

Bonnie Robson

Position: Central Reach Specialist

Bonnie graduated from Mary Washington College in 1992 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics and was awarded the license to teach Secondary Mathematics in 1993. She taught 14 years in Orange County Public Schools and 16 years in Culpeper County Public Schools. Bonnie finished her last nine years as the Secondary Literacy Coordinator working with teachers as an instructional coach and intervention coach and coordinator. She retired from teaching in 2023. Bonnie has two sons and two step-children. She and her husband are active in their church and love to travel.

Emily Shirley, M.A., BCBA, LBA

Position: Behavior Analyst

Emily obtained her undergraduate degree in Biology from Shenandoah University. She has her graduate degree in Applied Behavior Analysis from Ball State University. Emily became a behavior analyst in May 2024. Prior to becoming a BCBA, Emily was a registered behavior technician with New Horizons! In her free time she enjoys spending time with her two dogs and family!

TESS MAUZY, M.A.T, BCBA, LBA

Position: Behavior Analyst

Tess has worked with children and adults with disabilities for the vast majority of her career. She obtained her undergraduate degree from Old Dominion in Human Services and graduate degree from Liberty in Special Education. She completed her Behavior Analyst program from Florida Tech. Before becoming a BCBA Tess worked as a special education teacher. In her leisure time Tess enjoys spending time with her husband and pets.

Aylisa George, M.A., BCBA, LBA

Position: Behavior Analyst

Aylisa joined New Horizons Professional ABA Services in September 2023. She became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) in August 2017. Prior to becoming a BCBA, Aylisa worked as a Behavior Technician. Aylisa received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Redlands in Communicative Disorders. Aylisa has worked with clients from toddlers to adults. Aylisa was born and raised in California. She moved to Virginia with her family in July 2019. She is married and is a mother to four boys. In her spare time she loves to read and spend time with her family.

Ashlee Parks, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA

Position: Behavior Analyst

Ashlee attended James Madison University and is a proud double duke, earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in special education. She fell in love with ABA when looking for careers in the field of psychology. She has worked in public and private day schools in the Shenandoah Valley, in home and clinic settings providing ABA therapy. She earned her board certification in applied behavior analysis in April 2025.

Rachel Dinges, M.A.T., BCBA, LBA

Position: Behavior Analyst

Rachel attended James Madison University where she received both her Bachelors degree in Psychology with a concentration in Autism and her Masters degree in Early Childhood Special Education. After teaching in an inclusive preschool setting for 4 years, she returned to school and completed her coursework in Behavior Analysis. She enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband, their two children, and two dogs. Rachel and her family love to go camping, attend concerts together, and spend lots of time with her nieces and nephews.

Linda Freeman, M.S. CCC-SLP

Position: Speech Therapist

Linda has been a speech-language pathologist for more than twenty years, having spent the majority of that time working in public schools serving children from preschool through post-high. She is a double Duke, earning both a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degree at James Madison University. She spent six years as a clinical educator at JMU, training graduate students to become future SLP’s and acting as the director of their summer speech-language camp. Linda joined the New Horizons team in May of 2024. She loves being able to help children of all ages, while working closely with their families, to develop effective communication skills that support success at home, at school, and in the community. In her free time, Linda loves to travel, read, and spend time outdoors.

Amber Robinson, RBT

Position: Registered Behavior Technician

Amber has been an RBT for two years. Her favorite part of the job is teaching kids functional communication. It brings Amber joy when a child is able to communicate their wants and needs. Amber lives with her husband and five fur babies.

Talayia Newman, RBT

Position: Registered Behavior Technician

Talayia is a dedicated RBT who is deeply invested in supporting the learning, growth, and self-discovery of children with Autism. With two years of experience, she has refined her approach to focus on patience and positivity. Her ambition is to ‘Be the Change,’ ensuring that each session is an enjoyable, enriching, and successful experience.

Makensey Cox, RBT

Position: Registered Behavior Technician

Makensey is currently working on a degree in science. She has now been with the company three years as an RBT. She enjoys working and helping children learn valuable lessons in life. Her passions include family time, hiking, and sewing.

Cas Nicholson, RBT

Position: Registered Behavior Technician

Cas is an RBT who has been working in the ABA field for nearly two years and about twenty years of involvement with children and individuals on the autism spectrum. She’s committed to evidence-based, compassionate care and to disability advocacy. She actively volunteers in her local community to support inclusive opportunities. This spring she’ll begin graduate studies towards a masters in child psychology to deepen her clinical knowledge outside of work. Nature, her two cats and dogs keep her grounded and she can honestly say she loves what she does.

Jessie Wilt, RBT

Position: Registered Behavior Technician

Lara Neeley, BT

Position: Behavior Technician

Zoey Tennyson, Bt

Position: Behavior Technician

Kyleigh Castleberry, BT

Position: Behavior Technician

Junue Hernandez-Rojas, BT

Position: Behavior Technician

Tori mckee, bt

Position: Behavior Technician