Richard Shan – Chairman

Richard Shan – Chairman

Richard Shan is CEO of Shanco Building Group, a diverse real estate development and construction organization. In 1997, Mr. Shan started the Shanco Building Group including Shanco Construction Company, a licensed general contractor firm and Core Real Estate, a real estate services company.

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Since the company’s inception, Shanco Building Group continues to develop multifamily and commercial developments across South Florida including low income government assisted affordable housing projects.
Michael Yavner – Vice Chairman

Michael Yavner – Vice Chairman

Michael S. Yavner is a Senior Director with BNY Mellon Wealth Management. Michael is very involved in several charities as well as the Aventura Marketing Council, as Chairman of the Aventura Young Professionals. Michael also serves on the Cultural Board for the City of Aventura . Michael works and resides in Aventura, FL with his wife, Erin. Michael is a graduate of the University of Florida Business School.

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Michael`s responsibilities include consulting high net worth individuals with estate and tax planning. Michael works with investors on asset allocation and private asset management, as well as retirement planning. Michael also works with corporations and privately held businesses on retirement plans, including profit sharing and 401 (k) plans.
Louise Daniels – Secretary

Louise Daniels – Secretary

Louise Daniels has lived in Miami for more than 50 years and has always loved children’s causes. She attended both high school and college locally and has worked as a paralegal for several law firms. She has been a Guardian Ad Litem over 7 years for children in the foster care system. She currently volunteers for Voices for Children’s toy drive and has been a board member of The Victory School for ten years.

Clifford B. Ain, CPA – Treasurer

Clifford B. Ain, CPA – Treasurer

Clifford Ain is a Certified Public Accountant in Aventura specializing in small to medium-sized businesses with special tax situations. Mr. Ain received his Bachelor`s in Accounting from the University of Florida in 1976 and a Masters in Taxation from Florida International University.

Kenneth Young – Assistant Treasurer

Kenneth Young – Assistant Treasurer

Kenneth Young is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Bentley`s Luggage and Gifts. Mr. Young currently sits on several philanthropic boards, as well as being a consultant and a board member of several local business enterprises.

Wally Berman

Wally Berman

Wally Berman is President of Creative Financial Associates. He is a graduate of the American University. He has been in the Insurance and Financial Planning Business for 30 years. During that time, he has been privileged to have several Fortune 500 companies as clients.

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In that capacity, he has helped design and implement employee benefit plans and executive compensation programs. Wally was past chairman of New leadership for Israel Bonds, past chairman of the New York chapter of the American University Alumni Association and past chairman of the Gold Coast chapter of insurance agents..

Mirlene E. Dubreuze

Mirlene Dubreuze is the Office Manager of the estate planning law firm of Nelson & Levine, P.A. She has taken an active role in the development of The Victory School from its beginning stages.

Carol Berman

Carol Berman is the Lead Teacher for the writing magnet for Dade County Schools. She has been at Crestview Elementary for 25 years. She holds a Bachelors degree in Education from Hunter College and a Masters degree in Computer Education.

Barry A. Nelson, Esq. – Chairman Emeritus – Co Founder

Barry A. Nelson, Esq. – Chairman Emeritus – Co Founder

Barry Nelson, a co-founder of The Victory School, is a Florida Bar Board Certified Tax and Wills Trusts and Estates attorney in North Miami Beach, Florida . He is also an adjunct professor for the L.L.M. program in taxation at the University Of Miami School Of Law . Barry is active with the Florida Bar and for the past three years has chaired its Asset Preservation Sub-Committee.

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Barry previously served in leadership positions with the Weizmann Institute of Science and the Foundation of Jewish Philanthropies of the Greater Miami Jewish Foundation. He served as Mayor of the Town of Golden Beach, Florida for two years. Currently, he is a Trustee of Temple Sinai in North Miami Beach.

Robert S. Schwartz

Robert Schwartz, Board Honoree for The Victory Center, has been in the securities industry for over 30 years. He has been active in the community for more than 20 years. He has been involved with various charitable organizations including United Way, Diabetes Research Institute and Camillus House.
Featured Photo: Mr. & Mrs. Robert Schwartz

Heath S. Eskalyo – Board Member

Heath S. Eskalyo – Board Member

Heath S. Eskalyo is a Shareholder out of the Fort Lauderdale office and a member of the firm’s management committee. He focuses his practice on Worker’s Compensation, OSHA, Insurance Fraud and Defense Base Act claims. He represents clients in a number of industries, especially those in the construction trade industry.

Heath is a member of the Florida Bar Workers’ Compensation Section, the American and Broward County Bar Association and the Federal Bar. He is past Chairperson of the Workers’ Compensation Section of the Broward County Bar Association. In addition, Heath is a member of the Construction Association of South Florida, the Builders Association of South Florida, the Association of General Contractors, Society of Human Resources Management and the Risk Insurance Management Society.

Heath received his Bachelor’s degree from Ithaca College before earning a law degree from City University of New York in 1993. He is admitted to the Florida and New Jersey Bars, and is also admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.

Heath is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell, and is a State of Florida certified Workers’ Compensation educator who speaks on various insurance defense issues

Robert Werner

Robert Werner

Robert Werner is a retiree of Werner Co. where he served as Senior Vice President and Director. Today he is involved with numerous charities. He is Treasurer, Past Chair, Director and Executive Committee Member of Alexander Muss Institute for Israel Education, Inc. (of which Alexander Muss High School in is a component), former Treasurer of Citizens Interested in the Arts, Inc.,

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Past President and Director of Israel Children’s Centers and Director and Executive Committee Member of Israel Tennis Centers. He serves on the Board of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, is the Pledge Redemption Chair, a member of its Foundation’s Executive Committee and is a member of the GMJF Audit, Financial Management and Administrative Committees. He is a member of the Florida Executive Committee of American Friends of Bar Ilan University. He is also Past Florida Chair of American Friends of Beit Issie Shapiro. He served on the 3000 Island Boulevard Condominium Association, Inc. Board. He is a Past President of the Willie and Celia Trump synagogue. Formerly he was a Director of Exco Technologies, Ltd. and the Security Plastics Inc. Advisory Board.

Dr. Michael Alessandri, Ph.D.

In addition to his role as Executive Director of UM-NSU CARD, Dr. Alessandri is also Clinical Professor of Psychology at the University of Miami. Dr. Alessandri has worked with individuals with autism and their families for over 25 years. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Rochester, where he earned his Bachelors degree in Psychology.

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He attended graduate school at Rutgers University, where he obtained both his M.S. (1989) and Ph.D. (1992) in Clinical Psychology. Dr. Alessandri completed his clinical internship at UNC-Chapel Hill`s Center for Development and Learning (CDL). Prior to arriving in South Florida in 1996, Dr. Alessandri was an Assistant Professor of Psychology at San Jose State University (SJSU) and Associate Director of the Stanford University Pervasive Developmen-tal Disorders Clinic. Dr. Alessandri has presented, consulted and published internationally on developing appropriate and effective educational programs for students with autistic spectrum disorders. His work has taken him to Italy, Switzerland, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Panama, Barbados, Bahamas, Taiwan, Australia, and throughout the United States. In addition, he has received several awards within the field of autism and disabilities. In 1993, he received the Autism Society of America Special Recognition Award for Publications, and in 1995 was given the Outstanding Faculty award by the SJSU Disability Resource Center for instruction of university students with disabilities. Under his direction, the University of Miami Center for Autism & Related Disabilities was named the National Autism Program of the Year in 1999 by the Autism Society of America. In 2003, Dr. Alessandri was the recipient of the Wendy F. Miller ASA National Recognition Award for Autism Professional of the Year.

Dr. Alessandri proudly serves several community and professional organizations as a member of the Board of Trustees (Parent to Parent of Miami) or the Scientific (Organization for Autism Research) or Professional Advisory Boards (The Victory School for Children with Autism; Friends for Youth). Previously, he served as a member of the Board of Trustees and Chair of the Scientific Affairs Committee of the National Alliance for Autism Research (NAAR), and actively supports Autism Speaks, which merged with NAAR in 2006.

Dr. Anibal Gutierrez, Ph.D.

Dr. Anibal Gutierrez, Ph.D.

Dr. Gutierrez earned his Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Florida in 2004 and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Dr. Gutierrez has over 10 years of experience working with individuals diagnosed with autism and other developmental disabilities as well as individuals with dual diagnoses. He has conducted assessment and treatment of severe problem behavior, conducted and supervised discrete trial and verbal behavior programs, and designed and implemented behavior acquisition programs

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He has presented nationally on the assessment and treatment of problem behavior and on the acquisition of communicative behavior and co-authored the Handbook of the Standard Celeration Chart (2003 with Pennypacker and Lindsley).

Previously Dr. Gutierrez served as the clinical and practicum coordinator for Applied Behavior Analysis, Program Coordinator for the Autism Consortium at Nova Southeastern University providing consultation to school-based programs for children diagnosed with autism around the country. He is also an Adjunct Professor for the Center for Psychological Studies at Nova Southeastern University.

Robin Parker, SLP.D., CCC

Dr. Robin Parker is a Program Professor and clinical supervisor in the Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Nova Southeastern University. She is the consulting director of the UM-NSU, Center for Autism and Related Disabilities, Nova Satellite. She received her doctorate at Nova Southeastern University. She received her B.S. and M.S. at Florida State University. She received her doctorate from Nova Southeastern University.

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Dr. Parker has worked with children and adults with autism spectrum disorders for the past 20 years. She came to NSU from New York City, Mount Sinai Hospital in 1993. She focuses her clinical and teaching work with individuals with autism spectrum disorders. She lectures at the local, national, and international level. She has written book chapters and articles on autism spectrum disorders. Dr. Parker is a member of the American and Florida Speech, Language, and Hearing Associations.
Judith Nelson – Co-Founder

Judith Nelson – Co-Founder

Judi served as Judge of Compensation claims from December 1986 to March 2001. She retired from the bench to devote more time to the operations and fundraising of The Victory School which she co-founded with her husband Barry in June 2000. She continues her legal practice as a private mediator. Before her appointment to the judiciary, Judi was an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Miami.

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Judi graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor of Arts Degree and she received her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Miami.
Dr. Anja Kroell, Psy. D., BCBA-D, Educational Director

Dr. Anja Kroell, Psy. D., BCBA-D, Educational Director

Anja Kroell was born in Germany and moved to Pennsylvania at age 11. She received her Master’s of Science degree in Behavior Analysis from the Florida Institute of Technology and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst – Doctoral. As a behavior analyst, Anja has worked on skill acquisition and the treatment of problem behaviors with a wide variety of populations, including children with developmental disabilities/autism, mental retardation, dual diagnoses, typically developing children and adolescents, and individuals with criminal histories. Anja further received her Doctor of Psychology degree in Clinical Psychology from the Florida Institute of Technology. Her areas of specialization include analysis and treatment of problem behaviors, parent/teacher training for children with autism and related disabilities, curriculum development, child/adolescent/forensic services, and program management.

John Kabot, M.Ed., BCBA – Educational Director

John was born and raised in Plantation. He began his journey into special education growing up with a brother on the autism spectrum and mother in the special education / autism field. John was a preschool teacher for children with autism two years before becoming a behavior analyst. John has a masters in special education from the University of Florida and is currently working on his doctorate in educational leadership with a focus in autism. John has conducted several parent training series both in the school system and privately. Such topics include managing challenging behaviors, toilet training the child with autism, behavior and communication, and promoting social skills in children with autism. John’s areas of specialization include parent training, analysis and treatment of problem behaviors, vocational training, and sibling support. He continues to consult and train professionals both nationally and internationally on best practice techniques when working with families and children on the autism spectrum.

Jocelyn Rodriguez-Jaglal, BCaBA – Assistant Educational Director

Jocelyn Rodriguez-Jaglal, BCaBA – Assistant Educational Director

Jocelyn received her Bachelor’s in Psychology with a Minor in Child Development from Florida State University. While at Florida State Jocelyn worked as a behavior therapist in the public schools in Tallahassee. There she worked alongside BCBA’s running Verbal Behavior language acquisition programs as well as Behavior Reduction programs. In  2007 she became a Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst and continues taking classes in special education and speech and language development. Jocelyn has enjoyed working as a teacher, lead teacher and now the Assistant Director of Education.

Jerrika "Zippy" Romero – Executive Assistant

Zippy was born and raised in South Florida . She studied undergraduate in Nova Southeastern University and Florida International University , where she obtained her Bachelor of Science in Exceptional Student Education with ESOL Endorsement. She believes involvement with ones community is an integral aspect of growth, and feels blessed her career in the non-profit industry has left her fulfilled.

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Zippy is happy to return to the roots of her passion, working within her community and with those in the Autism and behaviorally challenged population.
Annie Isabella – Activities Coordinator

Annie Isabella – Activities Coordinator

Annie Isabella was born in the Slovak Republic, which was the former Czechoslovakia. In the Slovak Republic, she graduated with a Bachelor`s Degree in Nursing. In 1975, she moved to Pennsylvania and was proud to become a U.S. citizen. She worked at the Allegheny Valley School for 13 years. The AVS was a facility for mentally challenged individuals. Annie then moved to Florida in 1998, and fell in love with working with children with Autism. She began her work as a home schooling assistant and then found her way to The Victory School. She is very happy to be a part of The Victory School and to be able to see the great changes the school has undergone since she started working at the school in 2001.

Nina Gonzalez – Finance Coordinator

Nina Gonzalez – Finance Coordinator

Nina Gonzalez was born and raised in Miami, Florida . Prior to working at The Victory Center, she managed the Miami Yacht Club, a non-profit organization, for three years. Mrs. Gonzalez enjoys working within the non-profit field because she feels she is able to contribute in some way within her own community.

Beatriz – Lead Teacher

Beatriz – Lead Teacher

Beatriz Morales was born in Lima, Peru and moved to Miami at a young age. She attended Florida International University where she graduated with a Bachelor`s Degree in 2007. She hopes to continue her education and pursue a Master`s in Mental health counseling. She enjoys working with the children and continues to learn from them everyday.

JoAnna S, M.S. Lead ABA Teacher

JoAnna S, M.S. Lead ABA Teacher

JoAnna is originally from Michigan, and moved to Miami about 7 years ago. She received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Central Michigan University in 2003. In 2007, she received her Master’s in Clinical Psychology from Barry University. In August 2010, JoAnna gave birth to a beautiful, intelligent, and healthy baby girl, Giselle. JoAnna has been employed at the Victory Center since May 2006 and looks forward to watching the continued growth of the school.

Bret – B.A – Lead ABA Teacher

Bret – B.A – Lead ABA Teacher

Bret Lenard was born on December 6 and is a native of Miami, Florida. Living here in Miami`s diverse population has given him the opportunity to experience many different cultures that most other places do not have. With this type of experience in his life, Bret chose to study Psychology for his undergraduate studies at Florida State University.

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Choosing this major would allow him to learn about the many similarities that all of the different people that he has met and interacted with share. Bret likes sports like basket ball and football.
Will P – Lead Teacher/ Physical Education Director

Will P – Lead Teacher/ Physical Education Director

Will was born and raised in Miami , Fl. He has been working with children and adolescents since 1997. He graduated from Nova Southeastern University with a BS in Sports and Wellness and a minor in Education. He has worked in a variety of educational settings; from Foster Care and Alternative Schools to schools for children with special gifts.

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“Mr. Will”  is the Language Arts, Mathematics and OJT Instructor as well as the Special Olympics Coach for the school. Will has been part of the Victory School family since May of 2007.
Jessika R. – ABA Teacher

Jessika R. – ABA Teacher

Jessika was born and raised in Miami, FL. She graduated from Florida Atlantic University in December 2009, with a Bachelors degree in Elementary Education. She will be returning to FAU in May to continue working on her Masters in Curriculum and Instruction.

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Jessika quotes, “Having an aunt with Down Syndrome has given me valuable experience that will benefit me in working for the Victory Center.”
Catalina F. B.S. – ABA Teacher

Catalina F. B.S. – ABA Teacher

Catalina was born in Bogota Colombia and moved to Miami 10 years ago. In 2008 she graduate from Florida International University with a Bachelor of Art and Science in Psychology and right now she is getting ready to take the BaCBA exam. Catalina has worked with the autism population for over six years already. She started working at the Victory School 2 years ago and she feel very lucky to be part of the amazing team.

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Right now Catalina is preparing herself to take the BCaBA test to get a certificate as an Assistant Behavior Analyst. In the future, she plans to get her Masters degree in Applied Behavior Analysis and continue improve her ABA and teaching skills.
Cari Y, B.A. ABA Teacher

Cari Y, B.A. ABA Teacher

Cari recently moved to Florida from Morristown, New Jersey. She graduated from Hope College in Holland, Michigan in 2000 with studies in Sociology and Music. She has been teaching since 2001 and working with the special needs population since 2004. She began working at the Victory School in April, 2010 and is looking forward to receiving her masters in Special Education.

Stephanie C., B.S. ABA Teacher

Stephanie C., B.S. ABA Teacher

Stephanie Cabana was raised in Miami Beach, Fl and attended Florida State University. She graduated in spring 2009 with a B.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders, a minor in Family and Child Sciences and a certificate in Developmental Disabilities. Stephanie is qualified to teach Elementary Education and Exceptional Student Education. She started working for The Victory Center in June 2010 and has enjoyed every moment.

Joshua M. – ABA Teacher Assistant

Joshua M. – ABA Teacher Assistant

Joshua was born on July 14 in San Diego California. An opportunity to be with his grandparents led to him and his family moving to North Miami Beach, Florida, which is where he met his wife Samantha. He is currently pursuing a degree in Elementary Education at Florida International University. In the summer of 2009 Josh had his first chance to work at the Victory Center summer camp.

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The camp was an experience of a lifetime. He got his wish of being able to continue working as a teacher with such an amazing group of students and administration at The Victory School for the 2009-10 school year.
Danitza B, B.A. ABA Teacher

Danitza B, B.A. ABA Teacher

Danitza was born in Lima, Peru and moved to Miami about 10 years ago. She joined the Victory School in 2010 as an After School teacher and gradually was promoted to a teacher. Danitza graduated from Florida International University with her bachelors in Psychology in 2008. Danitza hopes to continue her education and persue a Master’s in Apply Behavior Analysis. Working with autistic children is an amazing experience. There is nothing like the feeling you experience when you realize that you have made a difference in a child’s life.

Karen P., M.S. ABA Teacher

Karen P., M.S. ABA Teacher

Karen grew up in Bogota, Colombia and at the age of 11 she moved to South Florida. Karen graduated in 2007 from Florida International University with a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Psychology. In 2010, Karen obtained her Masters of Science in Counseling with a concentration in Advanced Behavior Analysis. Since 2008, Karen has worked with the autism population doing verbal behavior. She feels very fortunate to be working at the Victory Center.

Miri V. , B.A. ABA Teacher

Miri V. , B.A. ABA Teacher

Miri was raised in Israel and in 2007 moved to the US. Recently she relocated to Florida when her husband started attending Nova University. Miri graduated from Tel Aviv University with BA in psychology and management. Since then she has taught and worked with children in different educational settings. In Washington she was introduced to applied behavior analysis (ABA) and provided one-on-one therapy to children with Autism. Miri enjoys working and interacting with all children and feels lucky to be able to help children with special needs overcome challenges and learn important skills.

Patricia C., B.A. ABA Teacher

Patricia C., B.A. ABA Teacher

Patricia was born and raised in Miami, Florida. She has experience working with special needs population for nearly 4 years in an inclusion classroom settings. She graduated with a bachelors from Florida International University with a degree in Exceptional Student Education with ESOL Endorsement. She is going to continue her education by pursuing a master’s degree in Applied Behavior Analysis.

Maria S., B.A. ABA Teacher

Maria S., B.A. ABA Teacher

Maria Soto was born in Costa Rica and moved to Miami when she was very young. Maria attended the University of Florida where she received her Bachelor’s of Arts in 2008 with a major in Sociology. Maria hopes to continue her education and pursue a Master’s in child psychology. She feels very blessed to be a part of the school. She has formed special bonds with many of the students. She also loves teaching prewriting. She has been with The Victory School since May 2010.

Linda B., B.A. ABA Teacher

Linda B., B.A. ABA Teacher

Linda was born in Bogota, Colombia and has resided in Miami for over ten years. She graduated magma cum laude in 2009 from Florida International University with a Bachelors of Science in Psychology. Having an emphasis in behavior analysis, she has worked over two years as a behavior assistant with the autism population. Linda began working at the Victory School in February 2011 and is currently pursuing her masters in counseling.

Joey T – ABA Teacher Assistant

Joey T – ABA Teacher Assistant

Joey was born on July 11 in North Miami Beach, Florida and has lived in Miami his entire life. Joey graduated ITT Technical Institute in 2008 with an associate of science degree. Joey first started working with the victory school in the summer of 2009 and was excited to be offered a position during the school year. Working with the Victory School is what led him to pursue a bachelor’s degree in elementary education.

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Joey hopes that once he has completed his bachelors’ degree, he will be able to continue to grow with the Victory School .

Carolina B – After School Coordinator

Carolina B. was born in Miami, Florida and is currently majoring in Psychology at Florida International University . She has been with The Victory School for a year. She is CPR and First Aid certified. Before Carolina began working at The Victory School, she did work as an Autism therapist. She is pursuing a career as a Child Psychologist and plans to attend graduate school after receiving her degree in Psychology.

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As the After School Coordinator, Carolina plans on combining her passion for Psychology and children to make After School as fun and effective as possible.