James C. McPartland, Ph.D., is the Harris Professor of Child Psychiatry and Psychology at the Yale Child Study Center. He is a practicing licensed child psychologist and Director of the Yale Developmental Disabilities Clinic. Dr. McPartland is Director of the Yale Center for Brain and Mind Health, Co-Director of Team Science at the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation, Director of Undergraduate Studies at the Child Study Center, and the Principal Investigator of the Autism Biomarkers Consortium for Clinical Trials, a US-based effort to identify biomarkers to support intervention research in autism.

Dr. McPartland’s program of research investigates the brain bases of neurodevelopmental conditions to develop biologically-based tools to improve detection, treatment, and, ultimately, the quality of life for autistic people and their families. His research has been continuously supported since 2007 by both federal and private research grants and was named the top-funded international autism researcher over the past decade. His contributions to the field have been recognized by numerous awards, including the NARSAD Atherton Young Investigator Award, the International Society for Autism Research Young Investigator Award, the Patterson Trust Clinical Research Award, the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation Klerman Prize, and the APA Sara S. Sparrow Early Career Research Award.

He has been named a Fellow by two divisions of the American Psychological Association and the Association for Psychological Science. Dr. McPartland has published six books and over 180 scholarly works on autism and related topics. He is on the editorial boards of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, the Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, the Journal of Mental Health Research in Intellectual Disabilities, and the Encyclopedia of Autism and Related Disorders. Dr. McPartland is active in public scientific communication, with his clinical and research activities featured in media, such as the A&E series, The Employables, and news outlets, such as the New York Times.

He has served on the executive boards of the International Society for Autism Research and the APA Division of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities/Autism Spectrum Disorder and currently chairs the Scientific Advisory Board of the Autism Science Foundation.

Judith Ursitti is Vice President of Government Affairs for CASP. A CPA by training, she spent a decade working in tax accounting. She became immersed in the world of autism advocacy when her son, Jack, was diagnosed at age 2. Since his diagnosis, she has worked on the passage, implementation, and enforcement of autism-related legislation in more than a dozen states. She worked for Autism Speaks as their director of state government affairs for over a decade. She has served on the Massachusetts Autism Commission, where she co-chaired the Commission’s 14-22/Employment Subcommittee.

She is the recipient of the Margaret Bauman MD Award for Excellence within the Autism Community, the Advocates for Autism of Massachusetts Commitment to Advocacy Award, the Autism Advocacy in Action Award from the Long Island Behavior Analysis Conference, and the Oklahoma Autism Network’s Excellence in Autism Award. She has also run ten marathons, including seven Boston’s, frequently fundraising for various autism-related charities.

Judith lives in Dover, MA, with her husband, Andy, and two children.

Gina Zecchin-Tirri began her career as a special education teacher in NYC in 1993, working with children and adults with autism and severe learning and behavioral challenges. While teaching, Gina began her career in behavior analysis in 1998 under the direction and supervision of Dr. Vincent Carbone. In 2003, Gina Tirri started working alongside Dr. Carbone and served as Assistant Director from the start of the Carbone Clinic. During her years at the Carbone Clinic, Gina worked to establish clinic-based services, OutReach, and clinic-based consultations.

In 2019, after working with Dr. Carbone for over 21 years, Gina, in partnership with Dr. Emily Sweeney-Kerwin, assumed ownership of the Carbone Clinic, renamed, All Points Licensed Behavior Analysts providing high-quality behavior analytic service to people with Autism and other developmental disabilities.

In 1993, Ms. Tirri received a B.S. in Special Education and an M.S. in Behavioral Disorders from Fordham University in New York later in 1995. She received board certification in 2000 and full board certification in 2008. Ms. Tirri is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst and is licensed to practice behavior analysis in the State of New York and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Throughout her career, Ms. Tirri has focused her work on assessing and providing behavior analytic treatment to individuals with autism and other related disorders, supervising teachers, BCBAs, and consulting with school districts. In addition, Ms. Tirri has helped co-author research articles published in peer-reviewed journals. She is an active presenter at regional and national conferences all around the United States on various topics in Applied Behavior Analysis.