Together For Our Keiki - Board of Directors

Amanda N. Kelly, PhD (Florida)

Dr. Amanda N. Kelly obtained her bachelors in Elementary Education from Shepherd University, her masters in Behavioral Education, and doctorate in Behavior Analysis from Simmons University. Dr. Kelly has served on multiple boards and committees including Together For Our Keiki, the Hawaiʻi Association for Behavior Analysis, and the Hawaiʻi Disability Rights Center. Dr. Kelly's dedication and commitment in improving access to services, as well as her outstanding advocacy, has resulted in several awards including Jerry Shook Practitioner of the Year (2012), Advocacy Group of the Year (2015), and Provider Advocate of the Year (2019). Dr. Kelly is considered a thought-leader in behavior analysis and is often highly sought after as a speaker at national, as well as international events. In addition to her expertise helping families and school teams, Dr. Kelly's interests extend to dissemination, public policy, and sustainable behavior change. In addition to possessing her license as a Hawai'i Behavior Analyst, Dr. Kelly is also licensed in Hawai'i as an Elementary Education Teacher. Dr. Kelly relocated to Orlando, Florida in 2021. 

Debi Ho'ohuli, RBT (Maui)

Originally from West Oahu, Debi has more than 15 years of experience working in various capacities and environments with children, adolescents and adults with special needs and their families in the State of Hawaiʻi. She has provided services to clients in therapeutic living programs, forensic housing programs, group homes, alternative learning centers, military facilities, preschools, public schools, private schools, community settings and home settings. Debi is a graduate student at the University of West Florida and enrolled in the Masters in Exceptional Student Education/Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Specialization program. Her recent professional preferences include Parent Training/Consultation and Direct Care Staff Training. Debi is committed to the dissemination and ethical implementation of behavior analysis throughout Hawai’i nei. Debi currently oversees the agency’s Department of Health -Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities (DOH-DD/ID) Medicaid Waiver Program as well as the Parent Education and Training Program for ABA agency on Maui. 

Jennifer Lonardo, MA, BCBA, LBA (Hawaiʻi Island)

 

Jennifer Lonardo has a Bachelors degree in Psychology from the American University of Paris and is fluent in French. She completed her Masters program in Professional Behavior Analysis at the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) and earned her BCBA. Jennifer has over 10 years of experience in the fields of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and Human Services. She has worked in hospitals and schools, in-homes, and in residential programs for children and adults with mild, moderate, and severe impairments. Jennifer has completed internships in neuropsychology and ABA in hospitals and homes in Paris, France and has worked in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, California, and currently Hawaiʻi. 

Karen Tyson, PsyD (Oahu)

Dr. Karen Tyson is a Pediatric Neuropsychologist and the Chief Clinical Psychologist at the LD-ADHD Center of Hawaii. She is a nationally recognized expert in the area of learning disabilities and special education law and advocacy. A graduate of the Wrightslaw Special Education Advocacy program at the William and Mary School of Law she is called upon to lecture and testify in court for learning-disabled students across the United States. Dr. Tyson’s clinic, the LD-ADHD Center of Hawaii has multiple offices on Oahu and also on the Big Island. She is an approved APPIC training site for graduate students pursuing their doctorate in clinical psychology and mentors and trains students across Hawaii. She specializes in learning disabilities, ADHD and Autism and conducts exhaustive neuropsychological evaluations to assist families and schools in better understanding a child’s strengths and deficits. She is also an active researcher; current research studies include gender differences in girls with autism as well as a reverse longitudinal study of the effects of Pitocin on the brain and possible correlations with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Kasey Palfreyman (Texas)

Kasey Palfreyman is a special education teacher who earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Learning and Development from The University of Texas at Austin in 2017. She worked as a FSC teacher with the Hawaii DOE for two years, where she met Dr. Kelly. Within her two years on island, Kasey saw an immense need to advocate for students with disabilities to receive equitable access to a free appropriate public education. After some time back on the mainland in Texas, Kasey returned to school at American University to pursue a masters degree in Education Policy and Leadership. She continues to learn about special education advocacy and hopes to continue to support students, families, and teachers in the state of Hawaii throughout her career as an educator.

Lara Bollinger is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and law school graduate. She obtained her bachelors in Family and Community Services from the University of Delaware, her masters in Special Education from Northeastern University, certification in Behavior Analysis from FIT, and completed her law degree at UDC. Lara has been a BCBA since 2010 and has worked with individuals with developmental disabilities in a variety of settings. While in Hawai’i, Lara joined HABA Legislative committee, where she became an advocate for students with disabilities to state legislators, working to achieve successful licensure of Behavior Analysts and statewide Autism insurance reform in Hawai’i. While pursuing her law degree, Lara volunteered with the Legislation and Juvenile and Special Education clinics. Lara has also interned at Advocates for Justice and Education, where she assisted families with accessing appropriate educational services for their children.