Naomi Swiezy, PhD, HSPP
DIRECTOR
Dr. Swiezy founded and started directing HANDS in Autism® in 2004. Her areas of research and career interest include Applied Behavior Analysis, staff and caregiver training, and the behavioral assessment and treatment of autism spectrum and related disorders as well as global systems change and implementation efforts. As the Director of HANDS in Autism®, she provides consultation in the clinic as well as in the community through home intervention and school contracts and collaborations.
Tiffany Neal, PhD
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Dr. Neal joined the HANDS team in 2011. Her areas of research and career interest include school-based trainings related to functional behavioral assessments (FBAs), behavioral interventions, observational methods, data collection, ASDs, and RtI. Dr. Neal’s training efforts as the Assistant Director at HANDS in Autism® have focused on training across disciplines, diagnostic considerations, and how to develop collaborative partnerships within school systems and between schools and families.
Tara Weed
CARE COORDINATOR
Tara joined the HANDS team in 2022 after completing her MSW from IUPUI. Her MSW concentration focuses on community and organizational leadership and she has gained expertise in community development, creating connections, program development, and program management. In her spare time, Tara loves to hike at her local state parks, read, and play with her cat, Dempsey. Tara is excited to share her experiences and passion for social work with the HANDS team as the Care Coordinator.
Diana Posadas
COORDINATED CARE TECHNICIAN
Diana joined the HANDS team in 2022. She is a recent graduate of Indiana University Bloomington, earning her bachelor’s in science degree in Psychology. Upon graduation, Diana worked as a Registered Behavior Technician where she learned how to apply Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) with her clients. Her passion for ABA and those diagnosed with Autism has grown since and continues to grow in her role with HANDS as a Coordinated Care Technician.
Christina Rogers, BSW, MSW, LSW
COMMUNITY TRANSITION SPECIALIST
Christina joined the HANDS team in 2022. She has been with the IU School of Medicine for 17 years. Her career development has been in disability advocacy for the past 13 yrs assisting families looking at current Situations and orchestrating future goals successfully (Transition). When Christina is not at work, you will find her in her gardens.
Jerikah Barnett, MSW, LSW
TRANSITION SPECIALIST
Jerikah joined the HANDS team in May 2023. She obtained her Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work with a focus on Children and Their Families from the University of Alabama. She has a background working in residential facilities, behavioral interventions, and adoption. Jerikah considers herself lucky to have gained such a wide range of experience with various populations and age ranges. She is honored to bring that passion and commitment to HANDS in her new role.
Danielle Behnke, MHA, CCLS
TRANSITION SUPPORT SPECIALIST
Danielle joined the HANDS team in 2022, with 11 years of experience working in the pediatric healthcare setting as a Certified Child Life Specialist. She has a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology and Masters in Healthcare Administration. She has a strong passion for providing individualized, proactive, and collaborative practices for all individuals with ASD and related disorders. Danielle is thrilled to be able to share her passions and apply her previous education and work experiences in her role at HANDS as a Transition Support Specialist.
Kristan Sievers-Coffer
COMMUNITY TRANSITION SPECIALIST
Kristan joined the HANDS team in 2022. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Education and Masters in Elementary Education from Indiana University. She began her career in education as a teacher for 16 years at the middle school level in Illinois and Indiana, covering a range of subjects including primary science, social studies, and English. Kristan spent ten years as a Senior Special Education Specialist at the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) where she led efforts to monitor disproportionality through IDOE’s Results Driven Accountability system and facilitated support from the statewide resource centers to local school districts.
Tracy Collins, MSEd
COMMUNITY TRANSITION SPECIALIST
Tracy Collins joined the HANDS team in 2022. She has been a Special Education Teacher for the last 25 years working with individuals who have autism spectrum and related disorders. She holds a passionate commitment to individuals with ASD and their development. Her interest is in emphasizing the relevance of learning to the world beyond the classroom. Her focus is on collaboration, training, and building partnerships with all those who support individuals with ASD.
Kurt Bassett
PROGRAM ASSISTANT
Kurt joined the HANDS team in 2017, coming from a wide range of experience, including; 4 years as a records manager at IDOE, 5 years as a cart collector at Walmart, interning for the Arc of Us, and a teacher aid at his church’s preschool. He volunteers at Riley Hospital, the Children’s Museum, and the Indianapolis Zoo. His hobbies include watching TV, reading history books, sailing, going on vacation with my family cooking, and playing with his dog. Kurt currently works to help put materials together for schools and trainings, host Coffee With Kurt, and assist with other office responsibilities on the HANDS team as a Program Assistant.
Iryna Ashby, PhD
INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGNER
Iryna joined the HANDS team in 2008 as a behavioral specialist. She came back in 2017 as an instructional designer. Iryna holds Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction, focusing on learning design and technology. She has extensive experience with course development for online and face-to-face learners, data visualization, and information architecture to support diverse learners in higher education and industry. Her research interests include competency-based education, interdisciplinary education and collaboration within and across interdisciplinary teams, lifelong learning, and the improvement of online learning experiences and environments.
Aditi Deodhar, PhD
RESEARCH SPECIALIST
Aditi joined the HANDS team in 2019 after completing her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology at Indiana University-Bloomington. Her research focused on the development of self-regulation and socio-emotional processes during early childhood. In her spare time, she is an avid reader and loves to travel. Aditi is a Research Specialist at HANDS in Autism® collaborating on multiple ongoing research and service projects, as well as communicating research & data with diverse stakeholders including families, educators, medical professionals, and other community providers.
Ryan Wolfe
MULTIMEDIA SPECIALIST
Ryan has been a part of the HANDS team since 2018. His areas of interest include social media planning, Salesforce/Marketing Cloud, media strategy development, market research, and video design and production. Ryan currently works to use all of these tools to help promote the needs of ASD with outreach and information for the community through his role on the HANDS team as a Multimedia Specialist.
Allison Crawford-Wallis
TRANSITION SUPPORT TECHNICIAN
Allison joined the HANDS team in 2021 and recently graduated from IUPUI in the Purdue School of Science studying Psychology with a minor in Sociology and a certificate in Child Abuse and Neglect. Her interest stems from personal interaction with individuals on the autism spectrum and the experiences they have faced navigating daily life. She hopes to gain more knowledge about autism and how best to help those in need of assistance.
Yashaswini Uppalapati
DATA SPECIALIST, PROJECT ECHO CO-COORDINATOR
Yashaswini joined the HANDS team in 2022 and is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Health Informatics at IUPUI, in the School of Informatics and Computing. Her current research areas include healthcare data analysis and biostatistics. Yashaswini works as a Research Assistant at HANDS, where she is currently working on the Autism Project ECHO. She is eager to deepen her knowledge and diversify her skillset through this role.
Mounika Gottipati
DATA SPECIALIST, PROJECT ECHO CO-COORDINATOR
Mounika joined the HANDS team in 2022. She is a Health Informatics master’s student at IUPUI in the SOIC department. Her current areas of academic and research interests include health data analytics, electronic health record systems, and clinical informatics. Mounika works as a Research Assistant at HANDS and is excited to be a part of the team and hopes to enhance her skills and knowledge to achieve higher career growth in the healthcare data analysis field.
Olivia Hersberger
STUDENT SUPPORT SPECIALIST
Olivia joined the HANDS team in 2022 and is a current senior at IUPUI in the School of Health and Human Science for Rehab and Disabilities studying Kinesiology for Exercise Science. Olivia’s current areas of academic and research interest include overall health outcomes and Special Needs. At HANDS, Olivia is eager to learn and help as a Student Support Specialist.
Archana Darsanapu
RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Archana joined the HANDS team in 2022 and is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Health Informatics at IUPUI, in the School of Informatics and Computing. Her current areas of academic and research interests include health data analytics, coding, and clinical informatics. She completed her undergrad in Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm D) and worked as co-editor in a non-profit organization namely Indian Pharmaceutical Association Students’ Forum (IPASF) between March 2020 to March 2021 and successfully published four student magazines. She hopes to give her best assistance and gain more knowledge through this period regarding Autism.