Gloria M. Satriale - Executive Director

Gloria M. Satriale, Esq. is the Executive Director of the PAAL Program.  Her son, Nicky, is diagnosed with autism and is a student at PAAL. In addition to Nicky, Gloria has four other children at home and is a practicing attorney.  She is president and founder of Mission for Educating Children with Autism "MECA" and a longtime champion for the rights of people with autism.  Recently, she designed and published: "The Use of Blue Tooth Technology to Promote Independent Responding in the Community: The Reduction of the Stigma of Prompting," which explores the use of assistive technology for students with autism.  This project has been presented nationally and is currently the basis of a collaborative study with the Princeton Child Development Institute.  Gloria has served as a consultant to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Department of Education and Office of Dispute Resolution, to the Chester County Intermediate Unit, and to many advocacy and educational programs.  She has chaired the Chester Advisory Board to the Chester County Department of Mental Health/Mental Retardation and is a member of the Board of Directors of Autism Living and Working (ALAW) and the Organization for Autism Research (OAR).  She holds a Gubernatorial Appointment to the Advisory Committee to the Governor's Cabinet on Disabilities.  Gloria is currently matriculated at the University of North Texas in the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies where she is pursuing her certification in Applied Behavior Analysis. 

Avi Glickman - Community Education Director

Avi received his bachelor's degree in psychology from West Chester University and his master's degree in educational leadership from Immaculata University. He is a dual certified special education teacher and has been working with students diagnosed with a variety of emotional, behavioral, and cognitive impairments for over 7 years. Avi has spent the past 4 years working with adolescents and adults on the autism spectrum in community based education programs. Avi is currently enrolled at the Florida Institute of Technology where he is pursuing certification as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.

Jessica Zawacki - Clinical Coordinator

Jessica Zawacki graduated from Ursinus College in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in Psychology, and with minors in both Human Behaviorial Studies and Classical Latin. In addition to her work at the PAAL School, where she has been employed since 2008, Jess is on the home-based behavioral team of an adolescent diagnosed with autism, teaching verbal and cognitive skills and providing support in the community. She has worked for a number of years with preschool children both on and off the spectrum. While working at the PAAL School, Jessica is furthering her education in the field of autism at Temple University, where she is pursuing a Masters in Science in Applied Behavioral Analysis and Education. 

Maria Anthony - Educational Director

Maria Anthony, a graduate from Cabrini College in with dual certification in Special and Elementary Education, has been teaching individuals with autism across the age range and across the spectrum for four years.  Most recently, Maria comes to PAAL following teaching adolescents in the community in leisure and vocational settings in Chester County with the Elwyn Connections Program, where she has found her calling.  “Teaching older individuals, who are running out of time in the educational system, to become as independent and as happy as possible is the most important dedication of my skills I can make”. While working towards her degree, Maria has also worked as a counselor for young children with Autism in camp and has volunteered at Don Guanella.  She is a member of the Council for Exceptional Children and the Association for Applied Behavior Analysis.

Emily Genter - Extended School Year Director

Emily Genter served as PAAL's Educational Director from the summer of 2008 to the winter of 2009. PAAL is pleased to continue to employ Emily as our Extended School Year Director. She graduated from West Chester University in 2007 with a bachelor's degree in Special Education.  During her college career she was employed by both the Chester County Intermediate Unit, and the Devereux Foundation, as Therapeutic Staff Support.  At that time she served clients aged three to seventeen, who were diagnosed with autism and other disorders.  Emily has continued her education by attending several autism-related conferences including the ABA Autism Conference in Atlanta, the Penn Autism Conference in Philadelphia, and the National Autism Conference in State College, Pa.  She is an active member in the Council for Exceptional Children. For the past three years, Emily has been the Tournament Director for  the annual "Throw to Know' disc golf tournament, which has raised over $15,000 for the Autism Society of America-Greater Philadelphia Chapter.

Lisa Boccio - Assistant Behavioral Analyst

Beginning in 2001, Lisa Boccio was employed by the Chester County Intermediate Unit/CCRES as therapeutic staff support for children with autism. There she provided one-to-one behavioral intervention and implemented treatment plan goals. She has worked with case managers, behavioral consultants, and mobile therapists, and has been trained to therapeutically intervene in the home. Lisa formerly worked as a Family Preservation Practitioner, providing crisis intervention for youth at risk, and has been a substitute teacher for the Coatesville School District. She received her education at Shippensburg University, majoring in Elementary Education with a concentration in Early Childhood Education. Since then, she has participated in numerous conferences, seminars and trainings in autism, and has continued to do so since the fall of 2008, when she came to work here at the PAAL Program.

Ricky Deleguardia - Assistant Behavior Analyst

Ricky Deleguardia completed his bachelors degree in psychology at Ithaca College, following the same career path as his mother, who was a therapist and social worker, and his sister, a social worker. He previously worked for the Devereux Foundation with clients who exhibited a wide variety of behavioral differences and diagnoses, including clients with autism. He was employed for five years by the Chester County Intermediate Unit "CCIU" as therapeutic staff support, and for four years at the Child and Career Development Center "CCDC."  While working for the CCDC he gained valuable experience working with persons with brain injuries, Asperger's, and autism. Ricky has worked with the Special Olympics, Bournelyf Camp for Youth with Special Needs, and the CCIU's Autism Night Out. He has been enjoying the opportunity to apply his education and experience here at the PAAL Program.

Murphy N. Harmon - Assistant Behavior Analyst

Murphy N. Harmon is a student at St. Joseph's University, where he is studying psychology as his major. He has participated in numerous conferences, seminars, and trainings in autism, including a six-hour seminar on working with children with Asperger Syndrome. He has lived in the United States for eight years, and is a native of Liberia, West Africa. Murphy has worked as therapeutic staff support for autistic children for six years. He was employed for two and a half years by Elwyn's Community Residential Services, where he supervised staff working with mentally-disabled adults in their own home. His goal is to go back to his home country of Liberia to help his mom operate a church, school, and clinic for children and adults whose health and education has suffered from fourteen years of civil war. He loves his job at the PAAL School, and the opportunity he has here working with children with autism. 

George K. Jennings - Assistant Behavioral Analyst

George Jennings attended Lock Haven University on a wrestling scholarship, graduating in 1999 with a B.S. in Social Work. During his college career he completed a number of internships that contributed to his interest in the mental health field, including one with the Center County Youth Center, where he assisted children with mental health and behavioral problems. George has been employed as Therapeutic Staff Support for children with autism for over five years and has also worked as a Family Based Therapist for Northwestern Human Services. Most recently, George was Account Manager at Sklar Surgical Instruments, but found that he missed enriching the lives of children with autism and their families. He has continued to further his knowledge about Autism Spectrum Disorder by attending conferences and trainings with well-known professionals in the field. George enjoys applying his education and experience to working with adolescents and young adults with autism, and also manages PAAL's Wikispaces, the internet communication tool PAAL employs to transfer information between school and home. 

Jennifer Morrison - Assistant Behavior Analyst

Jennifer graduated from Penn State University in December of 2007 with a bachelor's degree in Human Development and Family Studies and with a minor in Civic and Community Engagement. While working towards her degree, she interned with the Chester County Intermediate Unit/CCRES, working as a Personal Care Assistant/Therapeutic Staff Support. After graduating from Penn State, she continued to work as a PCA/TSS for three years before coming to work with our students. Jennifer has furthered her education about autism by attending yearly trainings and seminars. She enjoys having the opportunity to apply her experience and training here at the PAAL Program.

Eric Shindledecker - Assistant Behavior Analyst

Eric Schindledecker brings with him specialized experience critical to the success of PAAL, having spent significant periods of time designing, organizing, and analyzing clinical data collection systems. He has attained Certification in Secondary Education and has teaching experience with the Chester County Intermediate Unit. Eric has traveled extensively  throughout Europe and Asia,  establishing data management systems and ensuring quality control.  His technical knowledge in data collection and analysis, so crucial to a program dedicated to the principles of Applied Behavioral Analysis, as well as his talent for special education programming, makes him a unique and valuable addition to the PAAL team.