Our Team
Administration









JESSE A. KUSHNER, M.ED., CEO
Position: Founder/CEO
Thirty-Eight years of experience working as a Special Education teacher, assistant principal and a Director of Education for children with Intellectual, multiple disabilities, emotional disabilities, and Autism. Established Professional Education and Respite Service in April of 2005 out of the need to make a stronger connection and establish consistency between home and school. As the business grew, Mr. Kushner saw an immediate need for in home ABA therapy thus in August of 2014 the company became New Horizons Professional ABA Services to clearly define the major service being provided to children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and other Developmental Disabilities.

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

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, designed training protocols for ABA therapists and supervisors and has consulted with families and schools. She has experience using the VB-MAPP, ABLLS and the AFLS. Stephanie’s interests include PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System), Functional Communication Training, Discrete Trial Training, and Activities of Daily Living.

BROOKE FAY, M.ED., BCBA, LBA
Position: Clinical Director
Brooke joined New Horizons Professional ABA Services in 2014. She received her B.S. and M.Ed. in Special Education from the University of Maryland, and prior to becoming a BCBA she taught high school and middle school special education in both Maryland and Oklahoma. Brooke holds an Applied Behavior Analysis Certificate from the Florida Institute of Technology and became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst in 2015. She was promoted to a Senior Behavior Analyst for NHABA in 2016. Although the majority of Brooke’s teaching background was with high school students, since becoming a BCBA she has primarily worked with children ages two through eight and enjoys working with clients of all ages. Brooke is dedicated to working with her clients and their families to help them achieve their goals and feels very fortunate to be working in a field that can facilitate life-changing results.

TAYLOR FREEMAN, M.A., BCBA, LBA
Position: Senior BCBA
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, M.S., BCBA, LBA
Position: Assistant Senior BCBA
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.
Our Team
Board Certified Behavior Analysts




TINA DITTMER, M.S., BCBA, LBA
Position: Behavior Analyst
Tina has lived in Northern Virginia since 2001. She is a career switcher having spent over 15 years working in the field of operations and organizational development for large corporations. When her son was born in 2006, she wanted a change. Tina went back to school and earned her Masters Degree in Human Development from Pacific Oaks College. She began her journey toward a BCBA certificate in 2013, when she joined New Horizons Professional ABA Services Inc. She became a BCBA in 2016. She has since utilized her experience with her Autistic/ADHD and continuing education to help other families. “I enjoy working with the wonderful families I have met and hope to provide the best services possible for all the children in my care.”

SARAH REYNOLDS, M.ED., BCBA, LBA
Position: Behavior Analyst
Sarah Reynolds joined New Horizons Professional ABA Services in July 2015. Prior to joining New Horizons Sarah worked as a Special Education Resource teacher for children in grades K-3 grade with Developmental Disabilities for 3 years including students with Autism, Downs Syndrome, Fetal Alcohol, emotional disabilities, ADHD, and learning disabilities. During her first year of teaching Sarah met a student with Asperger’s Syndrome who changed the course of her teaching career and life. Attending his graduation from high school where he received a regular education diploma was one of the highlights of her career. She worked as a self-contained Autism teacher focusing on children in Kindergarten thru second grade for 13 years in Warren and Loudoun Counties in Virginia. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Latin and Elementary Education as well as a Masters in Special Education from the College of William and Mary. She received a post Graduate certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis from Penn. State. Sarah became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst in 2008.

TIANA CRUZ, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA
Position: Behavior Analyst
Tiana Cruz joined New Horizons in April 2017, and in the same year received her RBT certification. In 2021 she received her Board-Certified Behavior Analyst certification. She has experience working with individuals ranging in age from 2 – 21 years old and specializes in the care of children with autism. Tia enjoys working with children and young adults to mitigate problem behavior while teaching appropriate, functional replacement behaviors. “I take pride in their accomplishments. Every person learns and responds differently, and I believe it’s important to be able to adapt to each person’s needs and to meet children where they are in their development.”
Tia received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a concentration in special education from James Madison University in 2015. She holds a graduate certificate in Autism from Regent University (2018). In 2020 she received her Master’s in Special Education with a graduate certificate in applied behavior analysis, and in 2021 became a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst. She is truly dedicated to her profession, the care of children and their families.

TESS MAUZY, M.A.T, BCBA, LBA
Position: Behavior Analyst
Tess obtained her undergraduate degree in Human Services from Old Dominion University. She has her graduate degree in Special Education K-12 from Liberty University. She later completed Florida Tech’s ABA program. Over the past 12 years Tess has worked directly with children and adults with special needs. She has taught in the public-school setting for the last five as a special education teacher. She is married and has one cat and one dog. In her spare time Tess enjoys spending time outdoors, traveling, and reading.
Our Team
Registered Behavior Technicians










NAZIA ALI, B.A., RBT
Position: Registered Behavior Technician
I have been working with New Horizon’s as a behavior therapist since January 2013 and have been a certified RBT since November 2016. I received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication Sciences from the University of Vermont in 2005. After graduating, I moved abroad to countries including Switzerland and Bahrain where I worked as an Assistant Teacher in schools for children with special needs. I have gained a considerable amount of experience and knowledge in ABA since I started working at New Horizons, and I find working as a behavior therapist to be rewarding.

KAREECE HENDERSON B.S., RBT
Position: Registered Behavior Technician
Kareece Henderson is a graduate of Radford University. She has a BS in Special Education and Human Development. She has been working with children for 15 plus years. She has experiences working with children with and without disabilities, of various ages. She has been working as an ABA therapist for a total of 7 years. In February of 2018, she obtained her RBT certification. She enjoys what she does and loves the company she works for.

JESSICA CHILDRESS, B.S., RBT
Registered Behavior Technician
Jessica is a graduate from Virginia Tech, where she obtained her BS in animal science. She started her career providing ABA therapy in Colorado, and has been a Registered Behavior Technician since 2016. She started working with New Horizons in January 2019 when she moved to Virginia. Jessica has a passion for working with children, and loves seeing the progress in their lives. In her free time, she enjoys being outside with her own daughter, and spending time with family.

Kristin King, M.S., RBT
Position: Registered Behavior Technician

PAMELA MC CLUNG, RBT
Position: Registered Behavior Technician
After retiring from creating, developing and teaching at a private preschool in the Northern Virginia area, joining NHABA was the perfect opportunity for me to continue my life’s work of nurturing the social, emotional and cognitive development of young children. I applied the basic principles of positive reinforcement and role modeling daily in my classroom but only wish I had the powerful strategies of RBT training at the beginning of my career. Entering the field of ABA and working with NHABAs professional BCBAs, extends my growth in the early education field as well as filling a personal desire to “give back” to those with special needs. Working “one-on-one” to enhance the lives of little ones along with providing assistance and support to the families who love them is extremely rewarding. Adding balance to my life, I enjoy living in the country with my husband and teenage blue and gold macaw along with gardening, Zumba and politics.

MELISSA SHERRILL, B.A., RBT
Position: Registered Behavior Technician
I was born and raised in West Virginia. I got my bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in child development at Shepherd University. I joined New Horizons with two years of experience working with children with autism and have been with the company for over a year. I received my RBT certificate in 2018. Every day is a different day full of new challenges and new triumphs. Nothing makes me happier than seeing the look of pride on my kid’s and family’s faces when they make a breakthrough, no matter how big or small. In my spare time I enjoy tending to my cat’s every need and binge-watching tv shows.

DONNA ROSS, B.A., RBT
Position: Registered Behavior Technician
Donna Ross is a Registered Behavior Technician with 5+ years of experience in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis. Donna currently provides services in a clinic setting. She has worked with a variety of children, ranging in ages and diverse needs. Donna Ross earned her B.A degree in Communication Studies from West Virginia University. Donna went on to obtain her Virginia teaching license In Early childhood Education at Shenandoah University. It was in the Elementary education classroom that Donna developed her passion for working with children with special needs. Donna took a hiatus from Public Education to raise her 2 boys. I her free time, Donna likes to spend time with family and friends, garden, cook, and instruct group fitness classes.

MIKALYA BRILL, RBT
Position: Registered Behavior Technician
I have been in this field for 3 years now and couldn’t have been happier to make the switch. I love being able to make a difference in these children and their families lives! When I’m not working, I enjoy the outdoors, weightlifting, and spending time with my family and friends!

TAMARA STRAW, RBT
Position: Registered Behavior Technician
Tamara’s been working with ASD individuals since 2016. She initially went to college for pre-social work, and while in school she got a job at the Potomac Center inc. in Romney, WV. Once she started working with kids that where ASD and behaviorally challenged, she knew this was going to be a lifetime career. She began working with NHABA in 2018 part time, and began to work full time in 2020. She progressed at New Horizons and got her RBT in the spring of 2021. She lives in West Virginia with her husband and dog Lucy and enjoys baking in her free time.