KEYNOTE SPEAKER: DR. MICOLE TALLEY

The 2024 Autism Conference & Expo of Georgia’s Keynote Speaker is Micole Talley, Ed.D.  Dr. Talley is the Early Childhood Project Manager at the Center for Leadership in Disability (CLD) at Georgia State University. She serves as a content expert in the areas of early childhood, special education, equity, and the provision of services to individuals with disabilities. Dr. Talley oversees and coordinates all early childhood projects at the center. She also supports the development and evaluation of projects and professional development activities designed to improve program implementation, build the capacity of individuals serving young children with disabilities, and foster improved outcomes for those children. Prior to coming to CLD, Dr. Talley was Georgia’s IDEA 619 Coordinator for Preschool Special Education, which required her to provide compliance support, program recommendations, and technical assistance to school districts serving young children with disabilities throughout Georgia. She has a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and degrees in Learning Disabilities and Early Childhood Education. Dr. Talley has over 20 years of experience serving general and special education students in various capacities. She works collaboratively with early childhood partners locally and nationally to develop and advocate for the improvement of services provided to young children with disabilities through serving on committees, councils, task forces, and planning teams. 

SPEAKERS

Celine Saulnier, PhD

Dr. Celine Saulnier is a renowned clinical psychologist, author, and expert in childhood developmental disabilities. She obtained her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Connecticut and has worked at the Yale Child Study Center’s Autism Program and the Emory University School of Medicine Marcus Autism Center, where she directed a large-scale clinical research program. In 2018, she opened her own company, Neurodevelopmental Assessment & Consulting Services, where she specializes in diagnostic assessment, as well as teaching and training for autism spectrum and related disorders. Dr. Saulnier has published numerous articles, written two books (Essentials of Autism Spectrum Disorders Evaluation and Assessment and Essentials of Adaptive Behavior Assessment of Neurodevelopmental Disorders), and was an author on the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Third Edition. 

DJ Jeyaram, Esq

Mr. DJ Jeyaram is a caregiver of a son with autism and serves in Georgia as a Special Needs & Estate Planning Attorney and Judge of Gwinnett County Magistrate Court. DJ is highly experienced in  healthcare law and has worked extensively navigating the intricacies of large private and public healthcare systems. Furthermore, DJ’s experience includes serving as the Deputy Director for Legal Services with the Georgia Department of Community Health and as a Georgia Administrative Law Judge with the Office of State Administrative Hearings. Of note, in his role as an Administrative Law Judge, DJ presided over Katie Beckett and NOW/COMP hearings. DJ shifted his law firm's focus to helping families with special needs in 2009 when his son was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition. DJ’s depth and breadth of expertise includes his lived experience as a caregiver with specialties in relation to special needs trusts, wills, guardianship, conservatorship, and appealing Katie Beckett & NOW/COMP denials.  

Jennifer S. Singh MPH, PhD

Jennifer S. Singh, MPH, PhD is Associate Professor in the School of History and Society, at Georgia Tech. Professor Singh is a sociologist who specializes in medical sociology and science and technology studies. She is an expert in qualitative research and investigates the intersections of medicine, health, science, and society. Her book, Multiple Autisms: Spectrums of Advocacy and Genomic Science, is a multi-sited ethnography that explores a range of perspectives from scientists, activists, parents, and people living with autism surrounding the rise, implementation, and impact of autism genetics research. Her current research examines the intersectional inequities to autism diagnosis and services among low-income racial and ethnic minority communities. Further, Professor Singh is leading the design of public facing materials, data visualizations, and interactive platforms that will raise awareness and mitigate autism services inequities. She is also co-founder and director of Break the Cycle of Autism Disparities, a transdisciplinary and inter-institutional group of clinicians and researchers who aim reduce autism service inequities in Georgia. 

Kelisa Volson, MA, LCP

Kelisa Volson is a Licensed Professional Counselor, motivational speaker and coach. She started her speaking at churches, community organizations in person and virtually as a teen. With a goal of providing education, inspiration and call to action, her messages focus on healing, providing inspiration and empowerment. Kelisa serves clients primarily virtually working with all age ranges from children to adults in the states of Georgia, Texas, Louisiana and Florida. She has her own private practice, Rising Heights Counseling Center, LLC since 2016. She has over 17 years of clinical experience assisting clients who are challenged with anxiety, ADHD, depression/mood disorders, self-confidence, stress disorders, life transitions, grief, narcissistic abuse recovery, and autism where she also provides coaching and support for families. Kelisa attended Louisiana Tech University where she graduated Cum Laude with of Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Master of Arts in General Counseling and Guidance.

Andrea Cecilia G. Dunn, BS, CBCT

Andrea Cecilia G. Dunn, CEO of AKKNA Project, is a Certified CBCT® Teacher and an Intuitive Mindset Coach dedicated to empowering caregivers with practical, compassionate strategies. Her workshops, designed to foster resilience, understanding, and deep connections within the ASD community, benefit from her six years of specialized experience as a Spanish National Certified Medical Interpreter for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) families. Andrea's method, grounded in research and Cognitive-Based Compassion Training, comprehensively addresses the immediate and long-term needs of ASD families. Her unwavering commitment and profound expertise are instrumental in enhancing the caregiving journey, cultivating authentic relationships, and championing a supportive and empathetic environment within the autism community.  

Katherine Pickard, PhD

Dr. Katherine Pickard is an assistant professor and licensed psychologist in the Department of Pediatrics at Emory University and the Marcus Autism Center. Dr. Pickard's research aims to develop and evaluate strategies that foster the adoption, implementation and sustained use of high-quality care within a variety of community systems, including Early Intervention and public-school systems. She is particularly interested in the role of families and autistic partners in shaping interventions as they are implemented within the community, and in how a system’s infrastructure, including independent contracting and incentivization structures, impacts the reach and sustainability of translation efforts. Clinically, Katherine's work focuses on naturalistic, developmental, behavioral interventions (known as NDBIs) for young autistic children and their caregivers, and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for autistic youth with co-occurring anxiety.  

Brian Barger, PhD

Dr. Brian Barger is a Research Associate Professor of Population Health Sciences in the School of Public Health at Georgia State University. Dr. Barger's research blends psychometric, epidemiology, and education/health service methods to understand how children with social, emotional, and developmental disabilities are identified in their communities and connected to early childhood special education and other interventions. He serves on the editorial boards of the Disability and Health Journal, Infants and Young Children, and Remedial and Special Education (associate editor), and has served as a subject matter expert for the 2020 CDC- National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities Child and Adolescent Mental Health Indicator Task Force, and numerous funded projects (e.g., NIH, CDC). His research on developmental monitoring and screening inequities was promoted by the National Institute of Mental Health’s 2021 Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee Summary of Advances in Autism Research.

Karen Guerra, MS, CCC-SLP

Karen Guerra, MS, CCC-SLP, is a bilingual (Spanish/English) speech-language pathologist with over 20 years of pediatric experience, mostly focusing on the evaluation and treatment of monolingual and bilingual children across settings. She received her master’s in audiology and speech pathology from Florida State University and relocated in 2003 to work for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta in an outpatient rehabilitation facility serving the Latino community in Georgia.  At the Marcus Autism Center, Karen has led  (and co-led) research projects and clinical work impacting family training and engagement of Latino caregivers and students, community screenings, and early intervention/support of underserved populations. Recent research collaborations emphasizing the experiences of Latino and English- speaking communities in Georgia have been published in leading journals such as Autism, Journal of Early Intervention, and the American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. 

Stephanie C. Holmes, EdD

Dr. Stephanie C. Holmes began researching autism research when her eldest daughter was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome and later her spouse was identified on the spectrum in 2019. She has published research on neurodiverse relationships including in disability (e.g., International Journal of Developmental Disabilities) and school (School Leadership Review) journals. She and her husband with contributing authors are launching the book, Uniquely Us: Gracefully Navigating the Maze of NeuroDiverse Marriage in June of 2024.  She primarily works with neurodiverse couples in the nuance of their faith tradition and neurodiverse marriage. Dr. Holmes is a Certified Autism Specialist,  graduated from Campbell University summa cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology in 1994, completed her Master’s in Counseling summa cum laude through Liberty University, and an Ed.D from Abilene Christian University, where she graduated with distinction upon completing her dissertation, “Creating an Inclusive Climate for Students on the Autism Spectrum.” 

Matthew Segall, PhD

Dr. Matthew Segall is an Assistant Professor in the Emory School of Medicine and directs the Education and Transition Services programs at the Emory Autism Center including: the Monarch School Based Consultation and Training program, the Individualized Transition to Adulthood Plan and the Emory Oaks college support program. The central theme of these programs is to consult in educational settings and facilitate inclusive and accessible educational experiences for autistic learners. Dr. Segall also sees adult clients in the Counseling Clinic and co-teaches an undergraduate seminar at Emory called "Reflections on Neurodiversity." Dr. Segall is an active and passionate advocate for adults with autism and notable collaborator and advisor to autism programs such as the GSU Georgia Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (GA-LEND) on topics related to adult transition and cross-system advocacy.   

Spencer Norris, MS, CRC, NCC

Spenser Norris graduated with her Master's in Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling from Georgia State University in May of 2017. Her applied work focuses on education, advocacy, and mental health and rehabilitation counseling focused on persons or groups with a (dis)ability identity. Her research focuses on inclusive post secondary education, serving students with intellectual and developmental disabilities and providing access to higher education and meaningful career exploration and opportunities. Spenser works closely with the IDEAL program, housed at Georgia State University's Center for Leadership in Disability. IDEAL is an inclusive college program for students with mild intellectual disabilities. She is also engaged with numerous other inclusive post-secondary education projects and initiatives (e.g., GAIPSEC; SEPSEA).  

Rachel Harmon, PhD

Dr. Rachel Harmon is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science at Oxford College of Emory University and identifies an autistic scholar who is passionate about developing resources that celebrate and affirm autistic and other disabled students. She holds a PhD and MA from Emory and MA and BS degrees from Middle Tennessee State University. She is the faculty advisor to Oxford's Autism Advocacy Organization, faculty advisor to a human rights organization, the co-chair of Emory's Autism Celebration Committee, serves on the Emory Oaks Implementation Committee, and advises the Georgia College Transition Partnership. Harmon is the founder and Director of the Everwell International Scholarship, an organization that provides scholarships and academic support to survivors of human trafficking. Her research focuses on political violence, human trafficking, gender, and survivor empowerment, and has been published in leading journals such as Political Research Quarterly and the British Journal of Political Science.  

Ashley Dudley

Ashley Dudley is a self-advocate who was diagnosed at age 28 with Asperger’s Syndrome. Growing up with a hidden autism spectrum resulted in many challenges and struggles, but now at 38 years old Ashley has emerged a confident self-advocate dedicated to learning through daily research how autism affects herself and her community. Through her advocacy and growing understanding of autism she has a growing presence in the broader community as she does public speaking for different audiences about her experiences. She is the founder of Ausomewalkies a monthly gathering of autistic adults who get together to walk and socialize. Ashley graduated high school from Dunwoody High School and holds a nursing certificate from Woodruff Medical which opened the door to a 20-year career in health care. Ashley’s experiences lead her to state that “I’m proud to say that my  autism has turned me into a beautiful, smart woman who works at a hospital as a PCT, patient care tech, and always wearing an infectious smile through this awesome journey of Autism!”  

Miyah Sundermeyer, BS

In 1993, at age 11, Miyah was diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder: None-other-Specified (PDD-NOS) or high functioning autism. This was prior to extensive visits to doctors and other similar professions who otherwise diagnosed Miyah with ADHD.   In 2003, Miyah was finally diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome which is now known as autism spectrum disorder.  Since 2014, Miyah Sundermeyer has been employed at the Center for Leadership in Disability which is housed in the school of Public Health at Georgia State University.  Four years prior, she earned her associate degree in psychology at Georgia Perimeter College before to transferring her credits to the Georgia State University to pursue her bachelor’s in psychology.  She graduated in December 2020, and is preparing to pursue a master’s and PhD in studies related to developmental psychology.