EXECUTIVE STAFF
Michelle Wenell, M.A., B.C.B.A. - CEO/President
Ms. Wenell graduated from California State University, Sacramento with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology with an emphasis in ABA, completing all undergraduate coursework in the field. She immediately began working with young children diagnosed with autism in the Sacramento area. Two years into her career, she expanded her professional practice and began working with adolescents and adults diagnosed with ASD and other developmental disorders. Providing behavior consultation and behavior intervention development for residential and day programs as well as skilled nursing facilities further enhanced her behavior analytic skills. Over time, she followed her true passion of early intervention and focused her caseload on young children diagnosed within the spectrum.
After nearly 20 years in the field, Ms. Wenell obtained her Master of Arts in Teaching with an emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis, graduating with distinction. She has been an active member of the California Association for Behavior Analysis and International Association for Behavior Analysis since 1993. In 2004 Ms. Wenell founded the non-profit organization, The Treehouse Inc. to raise awareness and provide education to the community and support to families and children affected by ASD.
Ms. Wenell volunteers within the community and gives professional workshops and presentations on the pressing issue. She has recently joined the committee advising the Functional Needs Evacuation Planning Project to assist in the planning of emergency evacuations of those with special needs in Sacramento County. In addition, Ms. Wenell volunteers as a girl’s basketball coach and league division coordinator for Folsom Youth Basketball Association. Because of her daughter’s passion for horses, Ms. Wenell is a Board Member for the Sierra Gold Pony Club, sitting as Secretary for the organization.
Michelle is an adjunct faculty member for National University and teaches the graduate level courses in Applied Behavior Analysis.
Ms. Wenell was featured in The Business Journal and was also awarded “Business Woman of the Year” by the National Association of Women Business Owners in 2008.
Most importantly, Ms. Wenell is the mother of three children, Jake, Gavin and Morgan who have taught her what parenting is really about.
Arturo Barragan - Chief Operations Officer
Arturo first joined Advance Kids in 2003 as a one on one tutor in the Chico area. He left Advance Kids to pursue his soccer dream, playing professional soccer in Nicaragua. Arturo returned to the Advance Kids’ team again in 2005. His experience in working with children with autism for several years has been an asset to children we serve. Arturo will be pursuing his B.A. in Psychology in the near future, where he will continue to work with children diagnosed within the spectrum. Advance Kids has given him the opportunity to learn and teach.
Mission Statement: To help and assist children diagnosed with autism and their loved ones in everyday skills and promote independence.
Jorge Barragan - Assistant to Chief Executive Officer
Jorge joined Advance Kids in 2009. He graduated from San Jose State in 2008 with a B.A. in Design Studies (emphasis in Graphic Design) with a minor in Photography. Jorge enjoys watching all sports, but his true love is in soccer for he has played it since he was a child. Jorge has a very creative mind and really enjoys working on Arts and Crafts.
Mission Statement: To help and grow with Advance Kids, while facilitating our families with every need.
Joanie Jagow - Director of Human Resources
Joanie was appointed Director of Human Resources for Advance Kids in August 2008. She is responsible for leading and directing all human resource initiatives for the company. She has over 14 years experience in office and human resource management. Prior to joining Advance Kids, she served as the Director of Human Resources for a commercial general contractor for 12 years. Joanie is certified as a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) by the Society for Human Resource Management. She is a member of the Sacramento Area Human Resources Association (SAHRA), and California Chamber of Commerce. Although her passion to work with children doesn’t allow hands on interaction, her ability to contribute to the overall success of Advance Kids will ultimately affect the children we serve.
Katie Alosi - Assistant to Director of Human Resources
Katie joined Advance Kids in September of 2010. She provides support to the Director of Human Resources. Ms. Alosi has over 20 years of experience in administrative services, several years of which were spent working with government agencies and working in disaster preparedness. Before joining the Advance Kids team, she worked for a municipal consulting firm where her executive administrative duties included organizing the task load for a team of ten administrative assistants and managing the Regional Water Authority Hotline for the Sacramento area. She has directed community programs, managed and staffed several large-scale stage shows for the Lassen County Fair and has extensive experience in the health insurance industry. She is pursuing her educational path in Sociology with a leaning in Criminology. With each endeavor Katie has been committed to elevating others and making her community a better place. Katie is proud to be a part of the Advance Kids team.
Alicia Adam - Assistant to Director of Human Resources
Ali started with Advance Kids in January, 2010. She has over 8 years administrative experience with a number of large companies throughout the Bay Area. She is currently attending Sacramento State University, working towards a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics and a minor in Biological Sciences. Ali currently volunteers with the Elk Grove School District, helping to educate children about nutrition and health. Her dream is to someday become a nutrition/health educator for children and adults by creating and implementing nutrition education programs in both work and school environments. Ali takes pride in assisting the HR and Finance Departments and providing support to all employees at Advance Kids.
Chad Janicki- Chief Financial Officer
Chad was appointed Chief Financial Officer for Advance Kids in August 2010. He is responsible for managing and directing all of the financial matters for the company. Prior to joining Advance Kids he served as a Commercial Lending officer for 15 years. Chad has worked with the company for over 6 years providing loans and lines of credit that have helped Advance Kids grow into the organization they are today. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Roseville, Contract Finance Management Association and a voting member on the California Capital Loan Committee. Chad joined Advance Kids to help manage their finances so they can continue to grow and serve more children in our community.
Mission Statement: “To manage the company’s finances so they can continue to help the children with autism in our community”
Kristen Chase - Assisant to Chief Financial Officer
Bio coming soon!
Jonathan McCabe, B.S., B.C.B.A. - Clinical Director
Jonathan graduated from UC Davis with a B.S. in Psychology in 2004. During his time there he spent three years as a Research Assistant studying early language development in young infants. Late in his college education, Jonathan began working with children with autism while exploring his interest in child development. Jonathan joined Advance Kids in 2004 working as an in-home and school tutor full time. He was promoted to a lead tutor before moving into a Behavior Consultant position in 2006. He moved to Chico in March of 2007 to supervise the implementation of in-home programs in the northern region of Advance Kids. He took on the Director role in March of 2008. He currently is obtaining his Masters Degree in Teaching with an emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). He plans to earn this degree in June 2009 and achieve board certification as a behavior analyst in August, 2009.
Mission Statement: To create hope and belief for families struggling to raise a child with Autism by implementing proven treatment methods and modifying intervention to meet the needs of each family.
Allison Muzzalupo - Front Desk
Allison joined Advance Kids in August of 2008. After serving as a Center Based Tutor she made the transition to Administrative Assistant in August of 2009. Allison works closely with the Center Based Director, Supervisors and Consultants to help provide a warm and inviting environment for our clients, their families and employees at Bradshaw Center Based Program.
Mission Statement:To help create a positive and productive environment for our tutors in order to produce successful results for our clients and their families.
Osvaldo Barragan - Front Desk
Bio coming soon!