Staff

ACQ is staffed by professionals with decades of experience and knowledge in applied behavior analysis and accreditation.

Rachael Coburn, BS
Executive Director

Rachael Coburn is a seasoned autism services leader with more than 25 years of experience supporting children with autism and their families through evidence-based care. She began her career working directly with young children with autism and went on to found Prism Autism Education & Consultation, where she served as Founder and Chief Executive Officer for over a decade. Earlier in her career, Rachael also worked in health intelligence, serving as a client-facing functional lead supporting large, complex organizations with reporting and data systems used for operational and strategic decision-making. This experience informed her ability to build service organizations that are both clinically strong and operationally sound. Under Rachael’s leadership, Prism grew into a multi-site organization recognized for strong clinical practice, ethical operations, and a deep commitment to families and clinicians alike. Rachael lives in Connecticut with her husband and teenage daughters, and an ever-changing number of permanent and foster cats and kittens. She loves to travel, particularly to warm destinations, and rarely passes up a beach sunrise or an empty hammock.

Erick Dubuque, PhD, LBA, BCBA-D
Vice President of Standards and Quality

Dr. Dubuque serves as the Vice President of Standards and Quality for the Autism Commission on Quality’s (ACQ) industry-wide accreditation program designed to promote quality applied behavior analysis services for individuals with autism. He is a former assistant professor with over a decade of experience coordinating, advising, teaching, and supervising students across three graduate training programs in applied behavior analysis domestically and internationally. His professional, voluntary, and scholarly activities have centered around quality control in the training and application of behavior analysis. As an accreditation administrator, expert witness, licensure board chair, and consultant, Dr. Dubuque has shaped legislation, regulations, and policies designed to protect the public and increase access to effective and ethical applied behavior analytic services for individuals with autism. Dr. Dubuque received his Ph.D. from the University of Nevada, Reno.

Eileen M. Mendes, BA
Director of Accreditation

Eileen has worked in the human services field for more than two decades across various states, leadership positions, in both for-profit and non-profit home and center-based programs, special education schools, and residential programs. In these roles she has supported initiatives related to risk, compliance, quality, licensing, accreditation, and related performance improvement initiatives. She has supported expansion efforts within the capacity of her roles. As states enacted autism insurance legislation, Eileen supported the programs and families served as they navigated these regulatory and legislative changes. Her areas of expertise and interest include managing risk, ensuring compliance with state and federal regulations, quality improvement, licensing and accreditation activities, operational excellence, and trauma-informed care. Eileen was a founding member of the Massachusetts Coalition of ABA Providers (MassCAP), previously served as Vice Chair of the Standards Committee for the Autism Commission on Quality (ACQ), currently serves as Chair of the Professional Practice Committee of BABAT (Massachusetts Professionals in Behavior Analysis) and Member-at-Large of the New Hampshire Association for Behavior Analysis (NHABA). Eileen has also served as a subject matter expert reviewer for the Council of Autism Service Providers (CASP) organizational guidelines and helped in the development of accreditation standards for ABA providers through ACQ.

Allie Sewell
Director of Business Development

Allie Sewell is a business development representative, working closely with ABA organizations to support their accreditation journeys and ongoing commitment to quality. With a background in psychology, Allie takes a thoughtful, relationship-driven approach, partnering with providers to understand their goals, navigate the accreditation process with confidence, and strengthen the care they deliver. She is passionate about improving outcomes for clients and families and believes that accreditation plays an important role in advancing ethical, high-quality care across the ABA field. Allie finds purpose in helping organizations grow in ways that support both their teams and the individuals they serve. Outside of work, Allie enjoys spending quality time with her daughter and her dog. Whether it’s making memories together or enjoying quiet moments at home, family time is an important part of how she recharges and stays grounded.

Sarah Newcome
Client Service Manager

Sarah brings over a decade of experience supporting various organizations across the addiction, mental health, and autism space. She is known for creating organized, people-centered processes through systems optimization and workflow improvement, and is passionate about making sure the people she encounters feel heard and supported. Her goal here is to act as a bridge between ACQ and the organizations we serve, with a focus on making the process a positive and supportive experience. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, her two dogs, and her horse.

Thea Davis, MS Ed, LABA, BCBA
Accreditation Review Manager

Thea is the mother of child with autism. She was the Founder and Executive Director of Autism Bridges, LLC. consisting of four clinics sites and home-based services located in Bedford, NH, Portsmouth, NH, Methuen MA and Burlington, VT areas serving 1000s of individuals with autism spectrum disorder and their families. Autism Bridges specialized in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy for children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum and was acquired in 2021. Thea has 25 years’ experience in the field of autism and applied behavior analysis. She has presented and co-authored dozens of presentations at ABAI, BABAT, NHABA, HABA and at the national Autism Law Summit. Thea was the founder and president of NHABA and a founding member of Massachusetts Coalition for ABA Providers (MassCAP) and served as the director of member education. Thea also was a subject matter expert for the Council of Autism Service Providers organizational guidelines. Her professional and personal passion continues to revolve around improving the lives of individuals with autism and their families.

Abigail Blackman, PhD, BCBA-D
Accreditation Reviewer

Dr. Blackman has over ten years of experience consulting with human-service organizations to assist with their training and systems-level initiatives, as well as working directly with consumers of service and their families. She has worked as a product manager working to deliver sound technological solutions to support ABA service delivery. Abigail’s passion lies in improving clients’ lives by equipping staff and supervisors with the tools to carry out their job responsibilities successfully. She serves on editorial boards for multiple behavior analytic journals, teaches supervision-related courses, and enjoys conducting research to evaluate effective procedures to improve the repertoires of staff and supervisors and the influence of integrity on consumer outcomes.

Cathy Booth, MS, EdS, BCBA, LABA, CCC-SLP
Accreditation Reviewer

Cathy is a dually certified Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Speech Language Pathologist with over 25 years of experience in those fields. She has worked in a variety of settings that included services in schools, clinical centers, homes, and private practice. The majority of Cathy’s career focused on clinical oversight and consultation, development of quality clinical programming, and consultation and training of interdisciplinary services for BCBAs and SLPs. Cathy is a parent of a child with autism and brings that perspective to her work. Cathy was a founding member and vice-president of the New Hampshire Association of Behavior Analysis (NHABA), is a current Member-at-Large of NHABA and is a member of the Professional Practice Committee of BABAT. She has presented at NHABA, BABAT, and the American Association of Speech Language Hearing (ASHA) conference. Cathy is passionate about improving the lives of individuals with autism and their families by educating and supporting providers on delivering quality clinical programming and improving interdisciplinary practices to benefit the individuals’ receiving services.

Lindsay Branch, MS, BCBA, LBA
Accreditation Reviewer

Lindsay Branch brings over 15 years of experience in ABA clinical and operational leadership to the Autism Commission on Quality (ACQ.) She completed her bachelor’s degree at Western Michigan University and master’s degree at Auburn University. After becoming a BCBA, Lindsay contributed to high-quality treatment for autism and other developmental disabilities with non-profit providers in Alabama, New Jersey, and Indiana. Through her varied leadership roles, Lindsay has honed an interest in organizational behavior management and is passionate about enhancing client outcomes, safety, compliance, and ethical care. She is dedicated to supporting provider organizations in enhancing quality and reducing risk to amplify the positive impact ABA has in the communities they serve.

Amelia (Millie) Fontenot, MA, BCBA, LBA
Accreditation Reviewer

Amelia Fontenot is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst with over eight years of experience in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). Holding a Master of Arts in Applied Behavior Analysis from Ball State University and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from McNeese State University, she has served in a variety of capacities across multiple settings, including clinic, home, community, and school-based behavioral services. During this time, she cultivated a specialized interest in educating both herself and others on best practices that foster effective and ethical service delivery, with an emphasis on client prioritization and achieving meaningful outcomes. Since 2023, Amelia has served as a BHCOE Clinical Evaluator, where she is dedicated to assisting organizations in developing sustainable practices that optimally support their clients and advance the field of ABA. A Louisiana native, she currently resides in Alabama with her husband and two cats. Outside of work, you may find her traveling to a new destination, playing board games with friends and family, exercising at the gym, or curling up with a book and cup of coffee.

Kristin M. Hustyi, MA, BCBA, LBA
Accreditation Reviewer

Kristin Hustyi is a BCBA with over 20 years of experience in clinical service delivery, applied research, and leadership. She has previously served as the National Director of Outcomes, Vice President of Research and Development and Chief Clinical Officer for autism service provider organizations. In addition to being an Accreditation Reviewer, she also serves as an Adjunct Lecturer at Stanford University School of Medicine in the Translational Applied Behavior Analysis (TABA) Lab. Kristin has authored more than 25 publications in leading peer-reviewed journals and has been presenting original research at professional conferences and meetings nationwide for the last 20 years. Her commitment to service in the field of behavior analysis is demonstrated by her numerous volunteer experiences, including her work as a subject matter expert for the Association of Professional Behavior Analysts (APBA) and the Council of Autism Service Providers (CASP), among others.

Audrey Linville, MA, BCBA, LBA
Accreditation Reviewer

Audrey is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst with ten years of experience in the field of ABA. She started her career working as a Registered Behavior Technician before obtaining certification as a BCBA in 2018. She has spent her career working directly with clients and families who are receiving ABA services across clinic, home, school, community, and virtual settings. Having witnessed the impact of ABA firsthand, she’s passionate about advocating for high-quality, effective services for all people receiving care.

Michaela Smith, MS, BCBA, LBA
Accreditation Reviewer

Michaela Smith is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She joined her hometown’s Special Olympics team in 2006, developing a passion for finding ways to better support her peers in the community. This led her to the field of ABA in 2016, where she worked as an RBT and BCBA supporting individuals and their families in multiple states and settings including home, clinic, and school. In her role as a Senior BCBA, Michaela discovered a true love for diving into data sheets and program books to help other providers level up their care. Now as a clinical reviewer, she is excited to channel that energy into ensuring clinical excellence in the field and increasing the positive impact of ABA services to the clients being served.

Brenna Perez
Business Development Associate

Brenna’s passion is marketing, enabling her to connect with people in the autism service field who are meaningfully supporting children and families. She is from a small Texas town and married her high school sweetheart. Local values shaped her strong sense of connection, commitment, and community in both her personal and professional lives.

Garry Carneal
Accreditation Advisor

Garry Carneal is the President & CEO of Schooner Strategies and serves as ACQ’s Accreditation Advisor. He is a leading expert in health care having researched, written and published extensively on quality, medical management, information technology and regulatory trends. Garry has established a track record helping trade associations, accreditation organizations, nonprofits and other health-related businesses scale nationally. Throughout his career, he has brought to market over 25 accreditation programs that have been recognized by 45 states and three federal agencies. He serves on numerous boards and committees in support of improving the U.S. healthcare system. Garry received an undergraduate degree from Washington & Lee University, a master’s degree from Yale University and a law degree from the University of Virginia.

James Tuttle
Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)

James Tuttle is a seasoned expert in IT Infrastructure and Cyber Security with over 25 years of experience across various industries. As the Founder of Rosetech IT, a premier Managed IT Services & Cyber Security consulting firm, James has helped businesses across Healthcare, Software, E-commerce, Cloud SaaS, Manufacturing, News Media, Real Estate & Government achieve their IT goals. With a focus on healthcare, James has been a key player in IT leadership roles for the past 15 years, guiding businesses towards success with his exceptional expertise in Cloud Services, IT Strategy, IT Security and GRC compliance. Rosetech IT, prides itself on delivering tailored IT leadership consulting services with a special emphasis on HIPAAHITECH guidance for healthcare-based businesses.

Stephen Siegel
Web Developer

Stephen oversees ACQ’s portal and provides technical support. He has an educational background in both design and programming, and continually researches new technologies and best practices to refine his workflow. Prior to joining the team, he has worked on a variety of projects in a freelance capacity both in and out of the healthcare spectrum.