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 3 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”.

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.

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.

Alex Rainone, B.A.

Behavior Technician

Alex is a Behavior Technician at Gold Coast Children’s Center. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Manhattanville College. Alex has been serving children with autism for since 2022 and has been working with children of all walks of life since 2020. He has previously worked for numerous institutions as manager, supervisor, and visual merchandiser. Alex is currently enrolled in University of Vermont pursuing an M.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders. Alex enjoys using role-play and games to improve the social skills of children he serves. In his free time, he likes hiking, camping, and painting.

Jennifer Paiva, B.S.

Behavior Technician

Jennifer is a Behavior Technician at Gold Coast Children’s Center. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice and psychology from Sacred Heart University. She is trilingual in English, Portuguese, and Spanish. Jennifer has served children, adolescents, and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Down Syndrome, and learning differences since 2017. She has previously worked at North East Special Recreation in New York, including acting as a 1:1 aid in summer camps and working with children to train for the Special Olympics. In her free time, Jennifer likes to create art, go to the gym, watch the Buffalo Bills, go to Yankee games, and travel.

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.

Holly Doyle

Behavior Technician and Office Manager

Holly is a Behavior Technician and Office Manager 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.

Internship Program

Gold Coast Children’s Center is proud to participate in the Darien High School Senior Internship Program and the Stamford Public Schools Senior Internship Experience, which strive 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 programs provide seniors with workplace experience and opportunities for career exploration.

2022 Interns

David Builes went on to study finance at the University of Connecticut (Storrs). He values experiences that allow for personal growth that are also enjoyable, and found his work at Gold Coast Children’s Center to be very rewarding!

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.