Our Team

Our Board Certified Licensed Behavior Analysts, Certified Teachers, and Behavior Technicians are committed to making a difference and making learning fun!

Jessica Cordier, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LBA (CT/NY)

Founding Director
Board Certified Licensed Behavior Analyst

Jessica is Founding Director of Gold Coast Children’s Center. Jessica is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, and a Licensed Behavior Analyst in CT and NY. She graduated from Caldwell University in 2014 with a Ph.D. in Applied Behavior Analysis and has been serving children with developmental disabilities and their families since 2003. The Department of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) at Caldwell University awarded Jessica a graduate assistantship that included working at the Center for Autism and Applied Behavior Analysis as a staff trainer. She trained with the faculty in the ABA department to conduct assessments, parent training and deliver individualized programs and treatment plans for learners. In addition, Jessica provided staff training to the graduate and undergraduate students. She has also worked with children in public school, home, and community settings. Jessica is a past student representative of the New Jersey Association for Behavior Analysis (NJABA). She has served as a guest reviewer for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA) and has authored contributions for the Association for Science and Austin Treatment (ASAT) online newsletter. Jessica has presented at numerous conferences in the areas of autism and ABA. Her thesis research addressed including children with autism in religious ceremonies. Her dissertation research included combining behavior skills training and generalization strategies to train staff across and within multiple instructional areas. Other research interests include staff training, parent training, autism, effective inclusion of individuals with developmental disabilities in community settings, and teaching social skills. Jessica lives in Darien with her husband and 2 daughters. She enjoys the Peloton and jogging. She loves to travel, dine at local restaurants, and spend long summer days at the beach with her family.

Lori Mastrogiacomo, M.A., BCBA, LBA (CT/NY)

Founding Director
Board Certified Licensed Behavior Analyst

Lori is Founding Director of Gold Coast Children’s Center. She holds a Master’s degree in clinical psychology (behavior analysis track) from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, and a Licensed Behavior Analyst in CT and NY. Lori has worked with children, adolescents, and adults with autism and behavioral challenges in home, school and community settings since 1995. She was previously Director of Outreach at Milestones Behavioral Health (formerly the Connecticut Center for Child Development, CCCD), a private nonprofit program serving individuals with autism. She developed and implemented a parent training program at New Jersey Medical School-UMDNJ, which served as an internship site for graduate students working towards their Master’s degree in ABA. Other previous experience includes serving as Clinical Director and Behavior Analyst at private, nonprofit school programs serving children with autism, and working as an Outreach Case Manager at Alpine Learning Group. She has served as an Adjunct lecturer in the Department of Psychology at Caldwell University, and has presented at numerous conferences in the areas of autism and ABA. She has been a guest reviewer for the Journal of Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention and has authored contributions for the newsletters of ASAT, NJABA, and Autism New Jersey. Lori is Past President of the New Jersey Association for Behavior Analysis (NJABA), and Past President of the Autism SIG of the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI). She has also served as Coordinator of the Clinical Corner section of the newsletter, a member of the grants committee, and an externship co-coordinator for the Association for Science in Autism Treatment (ASAT). Lori’s thesis research addressed teaching pediatric residents to identify early signs of autism. Other research interests include parent training, autism, management of problem behavior, and effective inclusion of individuals with developmental disabilities in community settings.
Lori lives in North Stamford with her husband and 3 sons. She enjoys cooking, reading, practicing yoga, spending time at the beach year round, and embracing all the adventures that come with being a “boy mom”.

Thomas Farnsworth, Ph.D., BCBA, LBA (CT)

Clinical Consultant

Tom is Clinical Director of Gold Coast Children’s Center. Tom earned his Ph.D. in Behavior Analysis from Western New England University. He is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and a Licensed Behavior Analyst in CT. Tom has been serving children, adolescents, and young adults with autism and other developmental disabilities since 2011. He was a teacher at the New England Center for Children in their residential and day programs, and he provided in-home services and worked in public school as a BCBA for Positive Behavior Supports Corporation. Tom was Visiting Assistant Professor of Applied Behavior Analysis at Western Connecticut State University and is currently an adjunct faculty at the University of Saint Joseph. Tom has presented at numerous conferences in the areas of autism and ABA. He served as a volunteer contributor to the Berkshire Association for Behavior Analysis and Therapy’s biannual newsletter and as a guest reviewer for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. His master’s thesis evaluated interventions to promote variability in the selection of leisure materials by children with autism, and his dissertation evaluated a computer-based email professionalism training for undergraduates. His other research interests include preference assessment, verbal behavior, and caregiver-child interactions. Tom lives in Fairfield with his cat, Spooky. He enjoys reading, watching movies, online gaming, and being outdoors. His favorite holiday is Halloween.

Bridget Corcoran, M.S., M.Ed.

Principal

Bridget Corcoran is the Principal of the school program at Gold Coast Children’s Center. Bridget holds a 6th Year/ Specialist Degree in Education Leadership from UCONN, a Master's Degree in Special Education from Southern Connecticut State University, and Bachelor's Degrees in English and Middle-Level Education from Eastern Connecticut State University. She is completing her Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership with a focus on Special Education Policy from the American College of Education. She holds State of Connecticut Certification in Educational Leadership, Comprehensive Special Education, and English: Middle-Level grades 4-8 and Secondary grades 7-12. Bridget has been serving individuals with exceptionalities for 23 years as district and building level administrator, special educator and general educator in priority school districts in Connecticut and with independent schools that specialize in supporting students with diverse cognitive profiles. She was previously a District Supervisor of Specialized Instruction with Bridgeport and Norwalk Public Schools and a school leader with New Haven Public Schools. Bridget is a member of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and Kappa Delta Pi. Her thesis research addresses the impact of indicators for appropriately timed graduation of marginalized populations with an emphasis on equity and access for all learners. Other research interests include inclusion, diverse learning environments, advocacy for marginalized groups for whom she is an ally. When not working in service of Connecticut's young people or traveling, Bridget enjoys time on the beach at her home in West Haven with her family: Fancy, a cat; Lucy, a dog, and Troy, a firefighter.

Bethany Reade, M.S.

Certified Special Education Teacher
Behavior Technician

Bethany is a Certified Special Education Teacher and Behavior Technician at Gold Coast Children’s Center. Bethany holds a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Miami University and a Master’s degree in education from Hunter College. She holds a Special Education Comprehensive Certification for grades K-12 in CT, a Childhood Education Certification for grades 1-6, and Students with Disabilities Certification for grades 1-6 in NY. Bethany has been serving typically developing children and children with learning disabilities in public, private and home school settings since 2010. She previously worked at Middlesex Middle School in Darien, CT as a special education teacher and prior to that she worked at Brooklyn Preschool of Science as a teacher and administrator. It was there that she developed and implemented a response to intervention plan for struggling students in the classroom and led teacher workshops on topics which included; classroom management, curriculum development, and differentiating instruction. She has been a contributing writer on Tiggly.com focusing on activities that can be done at home to support a child’s development. Her research interests include differentiating instruction, inclusion, self regulation and executive functioning disorders, curriculum development, and advocating for children with special needs. Bethany’s three children, Hudson, Gabriel, and Cecelia keep her busy – but when she’s not playing or cleaning up after them she enjoys taking yoga class with her friends and going on hikes with her husband.

Taylor Lucas, B.S., RBT

Registered Behavior Technician

Taylor is a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) at Gold Coast Children’s Center. Taylor holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in psychology from Fairfield University, and is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis from Hunter College. Taylor has been serving children with developmental delays, Autism Spectrum Disorder, genetic disorders, and learning differences since 2019. She has previously held both undergraduate and post graduate internships in Applied Behavior Analysis, as well as provided 1:1 services in center-based locations in New York and Connecticut. During her time at Fairfield University, Taylor served as a Volunteer Research Assistant with the Department of Psychology in their lab of Cognition. She currently volunteers at My Tutor CT to provide no cost educational support to learners throughout Connecticut. In her free time Taylor enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, and going to the beach.

Holly Doyle

Behavior Technician

Holly is a Behavior Technician at Gold Coast Children’s Center. Holly has been serving children with special needs (including autism, language delays, Down Syndrome, and medical diagnoses) since 2006. She was previously an instructional aide in an inclusion classroom in a public elementary school. She also worked as a home-based ABA instructor and as a nanny for typically developing children and a child with autism. Holly loves to paint, go for walks with her family, and bake.

Kimberly Alicea, B.A., RBT

Registered Behavior Technician

Kim is a Registered Behavior Technician at Gold Coast Children’s Center. Kim holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Manhattanville College, and is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis from Russell Sage College. She has worked with children who have autism and other developmental disorders including OCD, ADHD, and Oppositional Defiance Disorder since 2017. Kim has experience working with children who have special needs across home, center, and school settings. Her research interests include autism, teaching social skills, and the importance of diversity and inclusion of individuals with developmental disabilities within the community. Kim enjoys weight lifting, traveling, and cooking.

Tommy Palumbo, M.S.

Behavior Technician

Tommy is a Behavior Technician at Gold Coast Children’s Center, LLC. He holds a Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis through Western Connecticut State University and a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology from Western New England University. Tommy is an aspiring BCBA and is currently completing supervision as he works toward certification. Tommy has been serving individuals with autism, developmental disabilities and other special needs since 2011. He has delivered ABA services to individuals ranging in ages 6 to 21 with special needs in school settings, and has experience teaching academic, functional skills, and communicative skills. In addition, Tommy provides a significant level of in-home support for his younger brother who is diagnosed with autism. Tommy is dedicated to the field of ABA and has a passion for improving the quality of lives of those for whom he provides services. In addition to furthering his knowledge pertaining to the science of behavior, he enjoys spending time with his friends and family, watching movies and playing video games.

Leah Mahoney, A.A.

Behavior Technician

Leah Mahoney is a Behavior Technician at Gold Coast Children’s Center. Leah holds an Associate’s Degree in Social Science from Westchester Community College, and Child Behavior Certification from the Ontario Early Years Centre. Leah has been serving children with autism, developmental disorders, and other special needs in a variety of settings including public schools, private preschools, daycare centers and in homes since 2003. In addition, Leah worked as an Early Intervention Associate for the CT Birth to Three program. In this role, her responsibilities included planning and implementing curriculum, providing parent coaching/training, conducting assessments, participating in development and implementation of Individual Family Service Plans, and monitoring outcomes as part of transdisciplinary teams. She also supervised early intervention assistants, maintained record keeping and reporting to families and appropriate agencies, including mandated service coordination responsibilities.

Internship Program

Gold Coast Children’s Center is proud to participate in the Darien High School Senior Internship Program, which strives to enable students to apply their social, civic, and academic knowledge and skills while exploring an area of interest outside the boundaries of their formal educational program. The internship program provides seniors with workplace experience and opportunities for career exploration.

2019 Interns

Emma Gilbert went on to study Child Development and Psychology at Texas Christian University. She decided to intern at Gold Coast Children’s Center to learn more about Applied Behavior Analysis. Emma loves working with children and is interested in finding a career that would help her do so!

Sarah McLaughlin went on to attend the College of the Holy Cross to major in biology and minor in psychology. She chose to intern at Gold Coast Children’s Center because of her interest in learning more about ABA and her love of working with children.

Sarah Hoyt went on to attend Elon University with interests in Psychology and Sociology. She chose to intern at Gold Coast Children’s Center because of her interest in psychology and desire to learn more about Applied Behavior Analysis, as well as her love of working with children.

2018 Interns

Hailey King went on to study psychology and play softball at Sacred Heart University. She elected to intern at Gold Coast Children’s Center to learn more about Applied Behavior Analysis.

Stefani Gentile went to the University of Connecticut to pursue a major in business. She chose to intern at Gold Coast Children’s Center because of her interest in Applied Behavior Analysis and love for working with children.

Darien senior interns Hailey and Stefani practicing community inclusion skills with a Gold Coast Children’s Center learner.

2017 Interns

Meaghan Waldron went on to attend Bates College to play field hockey and study psychology and sociology. She chose to intern at Gold Coast Children’s Center to learn more about Applied Behavior Analysis.

Emma Lesko went to Dartmouth College, to play lacrosse and study psychology and Spanish. She became interested in learning more about Applied Behavior Analysis after her friend, Jane Bredahl, interned at Gold Coast Children’s Center last year.

Darien senior interns Emma and Meaghan playing “Go Fish” with one of the learners at Gold Coast Children’s Center

2016 Interns

Morgan Tienken went to Colgate University to major in chemistry. She chose to do her internship at Gold Coast Children’s Center because she enjoys working with children and has an interest in behavioral psychology. She appreciated the opportunity to learn about Applied Behavior Analysis through the senior internship program.

Jane Bredahl went on to study at the University of Michigan to pursue a degree in biology. She chose to do her senior internship at Gold Coast Children’s Center because she loves children and has an interest in behavior, psychology, and learning. She loved the experience and hopes to do something similar again in the future.