Meet Our Team

Our team includes Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs), registered behavior technicians (RBTs), and other skilled professionals who have a passion for improving the lives of those we serve.

Our Clinical Team

Dr. Laura Forkum

BCBA-D, LBA

Executive Director / Founder

laura@autismbehaviorservices.org

Laura's Bio

Jessica Shelley

M.S., BCBA, LBA

Clinical Supervisor

jessica@autismbehaviorservices.org

Jessica's Bio

Kayla Williams

MS, BCBA, LBA

BCBA Supervisor II

kayla@autismbehaviorservices.org

Kayla's Bio

Behavior Technicians

Rachel McAllister, M.S.

Lead RBT

Rachel's Bio

Hayley Hughes, M.S., BCBA, LBA

Lead RBT

Hayley's Bio

Lauren Garmany, B.S.

Registered Behavior Technician

Lauren's Bio

Julia Mott

RBT

Julia's Bio

Sarah McDonald, B.S.

RBT I & Lead Admin RBT

Sarah's Bio

Kynzie Sartain

RBT II

Kynzie's Bio

Courtney Thacker, B.S

RBT

Courtney's Bio

Monica Riley

RBT

Monica's Bio

Leondria Weatherspoon

Leondra's Bio

Desoto

Desoto's Bio

Kristen Blanshop

Office Administrator

Kristen's Bio

Our Team

Owner / Director

Laura Forkum is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). She has a Masters in Special Education with a concentration in autism from University of Louisville and she has a PhD in Exceptional Learning with a concentration of ABA from Tennessee Tech University. She has experience working with children with autism and related disabilities in home, clinic, and school setting with a focus on early intervention. She is an approved Division of Mental Retardation Services (DMRS) approved Behavior Analyst in the East Region of Tennessee. She is a member of the Association of Behavior Analysis, Tennessee Association of Behavior Analysis, the Autism Society of Middle Tennessee, Council for Exceptional Children, and Division of Early Childhood.

Jessica Shelley grew up in a small town in Northwest Georgia and attended Jacksonville State University in Alabama where she graduated with an undergrad degree in psychology and a Master’s degree in Behavioral Psychology. During her time at JSU, she became interested in applied behavior analysis while completing her practicum at an early intervention preschool program. While completing her Master’s she worked as a graduate assistant at The Little Tree Preschool in Jacksonville providing services to children in an inclusion setting. After graduate school in 2011, Jessica moved to Chattanooga where she took a job working with children and adults in day programs, classrooms, and residential settings. After a few years with adults as a DIDD approved BCBA, Jessica decided to make the return to a clinic setting and has been working with school aged children. Jessica is a Tennessee licensed BCBA and a member of ABAI.

Kayla is from Collierville, TN and moved to Chattanooga to attend the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Child and Family Studies. After earning her bachelor’s degree, she began her career in ABA as a Registered Behavior Technician then decided to pursue the field further by beginning coursework to obtain her master’s degree. Kayla completed her master’s degree in Applied Behavior Analysis through Mary Baldwin University in August 2021 and is now a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). Kayla has loved working in the field of ABA for the last few years and looks forward to continuing to grow in the field while helping the clients here at Autism and Behavior Services.

Our Team

Lead RBT

Rachel is originally from Greenback TN and graduated in December of 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She been a camp counselor for Friends Discovery Camp and Camp Zooability. She has always known that I wanted to work with children with disabilities. Rachel has recently been accepted into grad school and will soon be starting her masters in ABA therapy. She is very excited to learn and grow in this field.

Our Team

BCBA, LBA

Hayley was born and raised in the Chattanooga area and has recently arrived back home after getting her degree. She graduated from University of Georgia with her bachelors in human development and family science. She has always had a passion for working with children and helping others. In her last semester of college she discovered the field of ABA and found that it would fulfill her passion to make a difference in the lives of adolescents. She has worked with kids her whole life, volunteering at camps, special Olympics, and working as a teacher’s aid in kindergarten classrooms. She has recently been accepted into grad school and will soon begin studying her masters in ABA. Hayley is excited to be a part of the ABS team and to strive to make a difference in the lives of our kiddos.

Our Team

Behavior Technician

Lauren is originally from Medina, TN moved to the area to attend University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She pursued her degree in psychology with a concentration in social science and graduated undergrad in December 2021. She has had previous experience with children in a preschool setting and loves working with children. She is new to the field of ABA and is looking forward to helping children while also learning from them. She is also looking at pursuing a graduate degree in counseling in the future.

Our Team

RBT II

Julia grew up in Nashville and moved to Chattanooga to attend UTC. She graduated in May 2022 with her Bachelors in Child and Family Studies. Julia has worked in various preschool settings, mainly with two year old age groups. She has also volunteered for 2 years at a camp for pediatric cancer patients and has loved having fun and helping the kids at the camp!
Julia is new to ABA and is really excited to learn what it entails!

Our Team

RBT I & Lead Admin RBT

Sarah is Originally from Greenville, SC and moved to Chattanooga to study Psychology and Sociology at Covenant College and graduated May 2022. She had experience in high school as a peer tutor in high school and volunteered with special Olympics. During her time in school she discovered ABA in my psychology classes which led her to pursue an internship with us during the Spring of 2022. As Sarah interned with us she decided the field of ABA was where she wanted to be and was gladly added to our team. Sarah is passionate about working with children, especially children with disabilities. She plans to continue in the field of ABA and working with children.

Our Team

RBT II

Kynzie is originally from Columbia, TN and moved to Chattanooga for college. She graduated in May 2022 with a degree in Exercise Science from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She previously worked with kids all throughout high school and loved to volunteer with the Best Buddies program. This is where she grew a passion to work with children! She is new to the field of ABA and is very excited to get to learn more about it!

Our Team

RBT ll

Courtney has been in the ABA field for 1.5 years. Courtney started her ABA career here with us at ABS where she started as Behavior Tech, Registered Behavior Technician , and now she is one of our RBT ll! Courtney has a B.S. in Psychology from Dalton State College, and she is currently working on her Masters in ABA at Mary Baldwin University. At work Courtney loves to pair with her clients, work on communication, and try new activities to learn her client's interests! Outside of work, she enjoys reading, hiking, camping, and playing with her two Australian Shepherds!

Our Team

Behavior Technician

Monica is originally from Xenia, OH, and moved to Chattanooga in the summer of 2021. She is pursuing her bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She has previously worked with kids as a nanny, camp counselor, and with the Admissions Department at UTC. Monica became interested in ABA when learning about it during her studies, and observed the field at Autism Behavior Services, where she found her passion for working in ABA. She is new to the field of ABA and is very excited to get to learn more about it!

Our Team

Leondria is originally from Nashville, TN, and moved to Chattanooga, TN, to attend UTC. Leondria has worked in Childcare for almost four years and was a paraprofessional for pre-K-aged kids with ASD. Leondria grew to love learning and working with children. Leondria is new to ABA therapy and is returning to school in the Fall of 2023 to further her career in behavior analysis

Our Team

I'm Desoto, our Clinical Supervisor's furry son. Although our team usually refers to me as “Soty” or “employee of the month.” You may see me frequently in clinic, napping at my mom’s feet. When I’m not sleeping on the job I love spending time with our tiny hoomans. It makes me feel extra special when our friends include me in their play and reinforcement during sessions. Whether it’s a cuddle, fetch, or walks I am always a patient play pal offering a fluff-ton of comfort and encouragement!

Our Team

Office Administrator

Kristen grew up in Cookeville, TN. After serving 4 years in the US Army, she started working in the ABA field, helping companies grow and expand their businesses. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Marketing from UMGC and holds a Medical Billing and Coding certification from FTC. Kristen served as a Director of Administration for an ABA company in GA for several years before joining ABS in October 2023. Additionally, she enjoys teaching swimming lessons to second graders at her local YMCA, serves as a TN Achieves mentor for high school seniors, and can be found camping, swimming, or just hanging out with her husband and two kids on the weekends.

Serving Families in Chattanooga and Surrounding Areas

info@autismbehaviorservices.org

(423) 664-0903

Meet Our Team

Our Clinical Team

Dr. Laura Forkum

BCBA-D, LBA

Jessica Shelley

M.S., BCBA, LBA

Kayla Williams

MS, BCBA, LBA

Behavior Technicians

Rachel McAllister, M.S.

Hayley Hughes, M.S., BCBA, LBA

Lauren Garmany, B.S.

Julia Mott

Sarah McDonald, B.S.

Kynzie Sartain

Courtney Thacker, B.S

Monica Riley

Leondria Weatherspoon

Desoto

Kristen Blanshop

Our Team

Our Team

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Our Team