1-STEP AHEAD FAMILY

JACKIE BEHIC, MA, BCBA

Founder and Executive Director

Jackie Behic is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst with over 15 years of experience in the field of behavior analysis. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Psychology and Child/Adolescent Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, followed by a Master’s degree in Child Psychology from California State University, San Bernardino, and her BCBA certification from the Florida Institute of Technology.

Jackie has worked with individuals across the lifespan, from infancy to age 65, but her passion and expertise lie in early intervention within home and school settings. She takes great pride in helping young children achieve important developmental milestones, including toilet training, improving sleep quality, and fostering independence in daily living skills such as dressing and eating.

One of Jackie’s most cherished aspects of her work is collaborating with families to create meaningful progress. As a mother herself, she finds immense joy in witnessing moments like a child saying, “I love you” to their parents for the first time—knowing she played a role in bringing that connection to life. Jackie’s dedication and compassion continue to make a profound difference in the lives of the children and families she serves.

Meet the Team: Meet the Team

Meet the Supervisor Team

Each Program Supervisor must have at least three years of experience utilizing Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) techniques with children diagnosed with autism and/or other developmental disabilities. Further, we have program supervisors on staff with their Master's in psychology, or related field, as well as their Board Certification in Behavior Analysis. In addition, Program Supervisors must show competency in teaching and implementing ABA teaching strategies, Behavior Management, caregiver education, and conducting Functional Behavior Assessments. They oversee each of their assigned behavior interventionists on a weekly basis and provide ongoing training while out in the field.

Mid-Level Supervisor

Jacqueline Villalva, M.Ed., RBT

Jacqueline is a skilled Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) and mid-level supervisor with 4 years of experience in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). Jacqueline holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Child Development from Point Loma Nazarene and received her Master’s Degree in Special Education with a focus on Applied Behavioral Analysis from Arizona State University. She has worked with individuals of all ages in both home and school settings, but her true passion lies in working with infants and early childhood education. Jacqueline specializes in helping young learners develop foundational skills through engaging, tailored interventions.

Jacqueline’s favorite part of her job is working closely with families. She believes that fostering strong connections between children and their families is key to creating lasting change. Jacqueline is dedicated to empowering parents and caregivers, offering support and guidance to help them feel confident in their roles. She finds great joy in seeing families grow closer and thrive together.

BCBA Supervisor

Jenika Karnik, MA, BCBA

Jenika completed her undergrad at the University of South Carolina and her Master's at Southern Illinois University. She has been in the field for 17 years. Her experience ranges from working at centers in Southboro, Massachusetts, all the way to Abu Dhabi, UAE. She loves challenging herself, and she is very passionate about providing staff/caregiver training.

BCaBA Supervisor

Charise Lewis, BA, BCaBA

Charise has a background in teaching, special education, early childhood education and administration, adults with disabilities assisted living facilities administration, working with individuals with mental illnesses and/or history of trauma, crisis prevention and intervention, behavior intervention, and in behavior therapy (Applied Behavior Analysis). Charise holds an Associate of Arts degree in Social and Behavioral Sciences, Bachelor of Arts degree in Child Development, Certificate of Behavior Analysis from the University of West Florida, an emergency California teaching credential, and a Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst certification from the Behavior Analyst Certification Board. Charise started working in the field of ABA behavior therapy in 2012.

When asked what Charise loves most about working in the field of behavior therapy, she says it's having the ability to put good back into the world and having a lasting impact on it through helping others and being able to play a role in changing people's lives. As a professional, but also a parent of a child with disabilities herself, being able to help others navigate the challenges that come with being a parent of a child with disabilities is something very near and dear to her heart. While Charise enjoys serving all her clients, her preferred age group to work with is teens and adults, with a history of serving clients with ages up into their sixties.

BCBA Supervisor

Leslie Osuna, MA, BCBA

Leslie got her Masters in Education with a focus in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) at Arizona State University, and has been in the field for 7 years. She first learned of ABA therapy while working as a Youth Leader for the YMCA’s after school care program. There, she worked alongside an ABA therapist that provided 1:1 support to one of the students in her program. During her time working with this therapist, she began to become more and more interested in the work she did, and loved learning about how to better help students with ASD. She decided then that this was her calling, and she started her journey in providing ABA to children with ASD and other disabilities.

Leslie’s love for ABA stems from the power it has to change the lives of the kiddos and families she works with. She loves that she gets to do what she is so passionate about every day and also being able to show other ABA therapists the power of ABA and the positive impact it can have on others. In addition to this, she enjoys being able to provide parents and caregivers with the tools they need to help their loved ones in a meaningful way.

Leslie’s areas of expertise include her ability to “think like a kid” and build rapport with her kiddos and families. She also has vast experience providing staff training to behavior interventionists, school staff, and new BCBA’s. She has most experience providing early intervention, but she has experience working with children, teens, and adults of all ages and abilities. She enjoys the challenges that come with each population, as she sees it as an opportunity for growth. Leslie believes that being able to help others is one of the most gratifying things in life.

Outside of work, her happy place is at the dog park where she can spend time playing with her pup.

BCBA Supervisor

Emily Ruddy, MA, BCBA

BCBA Supervisor

Alex Bell, MA, BCBA

Emily is a dedicated Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) with over 6 years of experience in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). She has a strong background working with individuals of various ages, from young children to adolescents, in both school and home-based settings. Emily is passionate about creating meaningful change through personalized, evidence-based interventions tailored to each individual’s unique needs. With a love for naturalistic and play-based approaches, Emily integrates fun, engaging, and functional strategies into her therapy sessions, making learning enjoyable and effective. She believes in the power of play to foster communication, social skills, and independence in a way that feels natural and motivating to each learner.

Emily’s commitment to collaboration with families, educators, and other professionals ensures a comprehensive approach to each child's growth and success. Her goal is to empower individuals and their families by providing support that extends beyond the therapy session, fostering skills that can be applied in everyday life. Outside of work, Emily loves hanging out with friends and family, doing yoga, hiking, and spending time at the beach.

BID Supervisor

Catherine Chambers, MA, RBT

Catherine graduated from Cal State San Marcos with a bachelor's degree in Spanish Language and Culture. She recently graduated from National University with a master's degree in Applied Behavior Analysis. During her educational journey, she studied abroad in Santiago, Chile for one year to improve her Spanish fluency. Her goal has always been to assist a larger population by speaking more than one language. She worked at the YMCA for 8 years where she discovered her passion for working with children. When she was introduced to ABA therapy, she quickly realized it was a perfect fit!

Throughout her 5 years of working in the ABA field, she has had the pleasure of helping children between the ages of 2 to 16 years old. She has experience teaching functional communication skills, developing individualized forms of alternative communication, and working on community safety. Her favorite aspect of ABA is watching the progress that clients make every month. It is an incredibly rewarding profession. In her free time, Catherine enjoys swimming, playing piano, and spending time with her family.

BID Supervisor

Blair Ehrlich, M.Ed., RBT

Blair has been helping those with special needs since 2018. She received her bachelor’s degree from California State University, Stanislaus in Psychology. She received her Master's in organizational psychology from Northumbria University in Newcastle, England. In 2019, she earned her moderate/severe teaching credential from Point Loma University. She now teaches in mod/severe TK-1 classroom with Escondido School District, while also providing program supervision for in-home clients with 1-Step Ahead part-time.

She is most passionate about teaching individuals with special needs the skills to allow them to reach their full potential, while also being a part of their communities in a positive way. She also loves seeing others feel empowered and proud of their growth through their hard work.

BCBA Supervisor

Candy Torres, MA, BCBA

Candy has been working in the field of ABA for over 25 years. She became a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst in 2007, and she holds a Master’s Degree in Special Education from George Mason University. She has worked in multiple environments including homes, schools, and community settings in California, Washington DC, Virginia, Maryland and Argentina. Throughout her career, she has loved working with kids, teens and young adults with different abilities and their families to improve their lives, and to help them reach their full potential.

Candy strives to create individualized and tailored programs for each child and their families. Additionally, she enjoys creating a collaborative environment including training and supervising behavioral technicians, teachers and school personnel. Some of Candy’s areas of expertise include: Natural environment training (NET), Functional communication training (FCT), behavior management, and parent/caregiver guidance.

Candy is bilingual in Spanish/English. During her free time, Candy loves to spend time with her husband and two daughters, traveling, watching movies and going on hikes.

Meet the Team: Meet the Team

Behavior Interventionists(BI)/Registered Behavior Technicians (RBT)

Behavior Interventionists and Registered Behavior Technicians have obtained or are working towards a Bachelor's degree in a related field such as psychology, human/early childhood development or education. In addition, they have a minimum of 1 year of experience working with children are trained in Applied Behavior Analysis techniques. All Behavior Interventionists employed with 1-Step Ahead, complete a 40-hour training in order to become a Registered Behavior Technician through the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB.) In addition to this, they also go through in-field training, where they learn to apply the concepts learned in their initial online training. During this training, they learn the importance of generalization and maintenance, caregiver training, teaching procedures, how to effectively motivate and utilize reinforcement systems, how to create natural opportunities to increase language, how to teach play skills, and how to manage challenging behaviors by understanding the function of the behavior.