Our Team
Our Founders
Dr. Mariam El-Kalay
DBH, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA
Executive Director & Co-Founder
Mariam El-Kalay is a BCBA with more than 20 years of experience supporting children and families affected by autism and developmental disabilities.
Mariam began her career providing in-home ABA services to infants and children with developmental delays and autism and became a BCBA in 2010. Since then, she has held a variety of clinical, academic, and leadership roles, including Behavior Therapist, Behavior Supervisor, BCBA Supervisor, Adjunct Faculty, and ABA Program Coordinator. Her experience includes developing, supervising, and overseeing home-, school-, and community-based ABA programs and providing clinical and programmatic leadership across multiple service locations.
Mariam holds a Bachelor of Science in Cognitive Science from the University of California, San Diego and a Master’s degree in Special Education with an emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis from the University of Washington, Seattle. In 2022, she earned a Doctor of Behavioral Health from Arizona State University.
Sabrina Avants
M.S.Ed., BCBA, LBA
Executive Director & Co-Founder
Sabrina Avants is a BCBA with more than 25 years of experience supporting children and families affected by autism and developmental disabilities.
Sabrina began her career as a special education teacher in 2001 and transitioned to ABA in 2009. Since then, she has held a variety of clinical and leadership roles, including Behavior Interventionist, Senior Trainor, ABA Supervisor and Program Director for non-public schools, providing services and clinical oversight for children and young adults ages 0–22.
Sabrina holds dual Bachelor’s degrees in Elementary and Special Education from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, a Master’s degree in Education specializing in teaching students with special needs, and BCBA coursework from the Florida Institute of Technology. She also holds an Organizational Behavior Management Certificate.
Board Certified Behavior Analysts
Jessica Hertel
M.A., BCBA
Director of Training and Development
Jessica Hertel, BCBA, has worked with children with autism and developmental disabilities since 2003 and has provided ABA services since 2009. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from California State University, Long Beach, and an M.A. in Education from San Diego State University.
Jessica has extensive experience providing in-home, community, and school-based ABA services throughout San Diego County. She specializes in developing individualized programs, training staff, and collaborating with families and school teams to support meaningful progress for children.
Rodrigo Estrella
M.A., BCBA
Assistant Clinical Director
Rodrigo Estrella, BCBA, has worked with children with autism and developmental disabilities since 2019. He earned his B.A. in Psychology from San Diego State University and his M.A. in Special Education with an emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis from Arizona State University, where he also completed his BCBA coursework in 2021.
Rodrigo has provided in-home and community-based ABA services throughout Southern California. He is passionate about supporting children and families, developing meaningful skills, and empowering families and staff through effective, ethical ABA practices.
Office Administrators
Samantha Jones
Director of Human Services
Samantha was very involved with the community by helping with fundraisers, job fairs, mentoring at a local elementary school, was an Assessor for the Commission of Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation (CFA) and was appointed as a Commissioner for the State of Florida for the Florida Telecommunication Accreditation Commission (FLA-TAC). In this role she was on the task force to get this program up and running for the police, fire and rescue sectors for the Public Safety Departments in Florida.
In 2017, Samantha retired from the law enforcement field and joined the EDC team where she utilizes her administrative and supervisory skills.
Shivahn Chamberlain
Administrative Assistant
Shivahn brings over 20 years of experience in elementary education and has been part of the EDC team for five years. Her background as an elementary school librarian developed strong organizational, communication, and relationship-building skills while working closely with children, families, and school staff.
As an Administrative Assistant, she is passionate about supporting EDC families and staff, maintaining organized systems, and creating a welcoming and supportive environment. She takes pride in being a dependable and approachable resource for the EDC team.
Karina Leon, M.S.
Clinical Services Scheduler/Office Coordinator
Karina serves as EDC’s Clinical Services Scheduler and Office Coordinator, supporting clinical operations and coordinating services for clients, families, and staff. She holds a Master’s degree in Psychology and has experience in healthcare, disability services, ABA, and nonprofit program management.
Karina brings strong organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills to her role and is passionate about supporting families and helping EDC provide meaningful services to the community.
Board of Directors
Jane Nelson
LCSW
Jane Nelson, LCSW, brings over 40 years of experience supporting children and families with developmental disabilities and early intervention. She holds a BSW and MSW and is certified in Infant-Preschool-Family Mental Health. Jane spent 24 years with San Diego Regional Center, serving as a Service Coordinator, Early Start Specialist, and Program Manager.
Jane is passionate about early intervention and supporting families during the early years. At EDC, she draws on her extensive experience to support children, families, and professionals while helping strengthen services for individuals with developmental delays and disabilities.
Katelyn Palomo
B.A.
Katelyn Palomo brings extensive experience in administration, management, and nonprofit leadership to EDC. She earned her B.A. in Political Science from California State University, Fullerton, and began working in ABA and early childhood intervention in 2015.
After serving as EDC’s Office Manager, overseeing day-to-day administrative operations, Katelyn transitioned to the Board of Directors in 2018. She is passionate about supporting EDC’s mission and helping strengthen services for children and families.