Written by: Ethan Webb
Original article: https://acuity.news/technology/top-10-clinical-leaders-to-watch-in-2026/
The CDC has reported that around one in 31 U.S. children aged eight has been identified with autism spectrum disorder, an increase from the previously reported rate of one in 36.
Autism cases continue to rise, as does the advancement in technology and medicine. This means clinicians are better than ever at diagnosing and providing care for children with autism. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is the gold standard of care as it’s the most effective form of autism treatment. ABA is an evidence-based approach that helps those with autism develop skills, learn new behaviors, and enhance their lives through positive reinforcement.
The ABA therapy industry continues to grow and shows no signs of slowing. By 2028, the ABA market is projected to have a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12%. In 2020, ABA treatment programs generated $1.4 billion.
These are the top 10 clinical leaders working to expand and advance the industry.
Ivy Chong, Chief Clinical Officer
In 2023, Little Leaves, the center-based ABA services and early intervention provider, welcomed Ivy Chong as the Chief Clinical Officer. It was a newly created role to lead clinical operations and expand access to ABA therapy to those who need it most. Chong is a licensed psychologist and board-certified behavior analyst-doctoral (BCBA-D) with 30 years of clinical experience in the industry.
Before Little Leaves, Chong served as the Senior Vice President of Children’s Services at May Institute and the Director of Autism Services and Training at the Scott Center for Autism Treatment. She’s also held leadership roles on several advisory boards and has served as a guest reviewer for top journals, including the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Behavior Interventions, the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, and others. ResearchGate lists 16 publications under her belt.
Little Leaves opened four new centers in 2025 and enhanced onboarding and training for their behavior technicians. Little Leaves also launched the Marcus Crisis Prevention Program, a new program to “manage challenging behavior with an emphasis on safety, wellness, and resiliency for both staff and clients.”
When asked what’s coming in 2026, Chong said that Little Leaves will continue to expand, with a focus on apprentice and mentor programs. “By leveraging technology and automating manual processes, clinical teams can focus on what matters most: creating an engaging, learning environment for the young children we serve,” Chong said.
Adam Hahs, Chief Clinical Officer
In May 2025, Caravel Autism Health welcomed Adam Hahs, PhD, BCBA-D, as the chief clinical officer. With 20+ years of applied behavior analysis experience and published research across peer-reviewed journals, Dr. Hahs was previously the Chief Science Officer for Hopebridge Autism Therapy Centers and Program Director for the MSABA program in the Department of Psychology at Arizona State University.
Hahs’ most recent research has centered around the integration of AI-assisted technology into healthcare organizations and analysis, making him a natural fit for advancing Caravel’s clinical practices and progressing the adoption of AI to support client, family, and teammate growth.
“We monitor the real-time quality indices of our services and the resulting outcomes with clients through our proprietary app called PathTap™,” Hahs told Acuity Media Network.
Hahs explained that the data collected is reported to teammates who work with clients, so they can see the impact and actively respond to those metrics in service of clinical quality. According to Hahs, Caravel’s Clinical Quality Score (CQS) which is a composite of leading indicators of quality (e.g., learning opportunities, family treatment guidance, etc.) has increased from 76 in 2023 to 97 in 2025. Not every provider is using a proprietary outcomes platform like Caravel, so this is something to watch.
Hahs believes that 2026 will be a banner year for Caravel, one in which they will continue curating new training content and experiences for behavioral technicians. The company has launched a new training and development program called BCBA RISE, which provides high-quality supervision and experiences as people gain practicum hours and work toward becoming board-certified behavior analysts (BCBAs). “Our aim is to have 200+ students in the program who then become Caravel BCBAs upon completing the BCBA requirements and passing the exam,” says Hahs.
When asked about the company’s future, Hahs said the industry is lagging in AI adoption and integration relative to other healthcare verticals. Caravel plans to be “thoughtfully ambitious.”
“Efforts to scale on fronts like machine learning and AI-based approaches need to be couched in actionable, accurate data,” Hahs explained. “More specifically, we’re leveraging AI-assisted tech to support client and teammate schedules and gaining critical efficiencies around compliance reviews, treatment planning, and clinical practices. We will continue to lean in here, as we view AI to be an efficiency unlock for clinicians to place more time and emphasis on what we all care most about…taking care of children and their families we are so fortunate to serve.”
Dennis Dixon, Chief Clinical Officer
Dennis Dixon joined 360 Behavioral Health in September 2023 as the Chief Clinical Officer. Previously, he spent a little over 16 years with The Center for Autism and Related Disorders, LLC, where he served as the Chief Clinical Officer and focused on research and developing quality systems for delivering care. His Research Gate profile lists 91 publications.
When talking to Acuity Media Network, Dixon shared that he doesn’t tend to believe in a secret sauce for ABA therapy. Instead, he says he focuses on a culture of care where clinicians are empowered to provide great care. “We are nothing more than the clinicians that we employ and the administrative support that makes all of that happen,” Dixon said.
In 2023, 360 Behavioral Health moved to the practice management platform, Lumary, and paired it with Hi Rasmus, the data platform favored by many clinicians.
When asked what’s next for 2026, Dixon stressed the continued focus on delivering quality care and engaging with parents. “Where we respect their values, we respect their culture, and we respect all the challenges and barriers they face day to day. We lock arms with them and make sure we get their children the care they need.”
Krista Orellana, Executive Vice President of Growth and Chief Clinical Officer
Krista Orellana, M.A., BCBA, LBA, is the Executive Vice President of Growth and Chief Clinical Officer for Acorn Health. Founded in 2018, Acorn Health offers center, in-home, and school-based ABA services to children as young as 18 months across 70 clinical centers in 7 states. An Acorn Health survey found that its clients start ABA therapy 28.4 days sooner than the industry average.
“At Acorn Health, we are committed to meeting families with urgency, clarity, and genuine support, and to individualizing care around each child’s strengths, needs, and goals,” Orellana said.
Orellana has had a professional focus on autism, developmental disabilities, and organizational behavior management since she began practicing as a BCBA in 2008. She’s been with Acorn Health since 2015, initially as Chief Clinical Officer of the Autism Centers of Michigan.
In 2025, Orellana was named among the top 50 women leaders in Michigan by Women We Admire for the second year in a row. She was also reappointed to the Michigan Autism Council for her third four-year term.
When asked what’s next for Acorn Health in 2026, Orellana emphasized the continued commitment to ensuring access to care. “That means expanding ABA treatment access and diagnostic services, minimizing wait times, and simplifying the path to services for families. We are also streamlining clinical documentation and workflows so that clinicians can spend more of their time where they are most needed, engaged in clinical care with the families we have the privilege of serving,” said Orellana.
Hanna Rue, Chief Clinical Officer
With a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and board certification as a behavior analyst (BCBA-D), Hanna Rue has spent more than 20 years working with individuals with developmental disabilities across home, school, residential, and clinical settings.
Previously, Rue had a joint position as the VP of Autism Services at May Institute and the Executive Director of the National Autism Center. During that time, she chaired the second phase of the National Standards Project, which updated the literature for autism interventions for people under 22 years old.
Additionally, as part of the International Consortium of Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM), Rue helped develop a standard set of defined outcomes and measurable tools for treating autism spectrum disorder.
For nearly 11 years, Rue has been with LEARN Behavioral, where she is the Chief Clinical Officer and oversees quality assurance, training, data systems, clinical research, and professional development. LEARN Behavioral takes a mission-driven approach to meeting the needs of children with autism by using applied behavior analysis therapy. LEARN Behavioral serves more than 5,000 families and has been operating for more than 20 years across the U.S.
In 2025 alone, LEARN Behavioral opened doors to around 11 new autism learning centers in locations like South Bend, Chicago, Bedford, and Milwaukee.
Emily Callahan, Vice President of Clinical Quality
Emily Callahan has a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and is a board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA-D). She’s no stranger to the industry, with a track record of roles like the first Executive Director of the Council of Autism Service Providers (CASP), Director of Outpatient Behavior Services at the Virginia Institute of Autism, and more. She’s also been active on the research side of things through presenting research at local, national, and international conferences and publishing in peer-reviewed journals. Callahan is also a member of the Media Watch Review Committee for the Association for Science in Autism Treatment.
Emily Callahan joined Centria Healthcare in 2021 as the VP of Clinical Quality, where she oversees the development of systems and processes that assess the clinical services and outcomes. Centria Autism, a leading provider of ABA therapy, uses child-led treatment to help children develop skills and build independence. Centria Autism has helped over 10,000 children through ABA therapy.
At Centria, ABA programs are developed for each child’s specific needs and strengths and use data collection and analysis to track progress, allowing treatments to be adjusted as needed. There are also resources and support for parents and caregivers.
Jana Sarno, Chief Clinical Officer
Jana Sarno is the Chief Clinical Officer of Hopebridge Autism Therapy Centers, one of the largest providers of autism therapy for the last twenty years. Per her LinkedIn, she oversees the implementation of evidence-based behavioral and medical services across diverse programs.
Sarno is a Licensed Behavior Analyst (LBA) with plenty of experience in educational and clinical settings. Previously, Sarno held positions such as Clinical Adjunct Instructor at Ouachita Baptist University and Chief Clinical Officer at AIM Clinics. Sarno has also contributed multiple book chapters and peer-reviewed publications.
In 2025, Hopebridge opened five new autism therapy centers in North Carolina, bringing its total to 13 locations. It’s one of the few providers in the state that provides interdisciplinary care across ABA, speech, and occupational therapy, all in one place. Hopebridge has nearly 100 centers across ten states.
Charna Mintz, Chief Clinical Officer
Charna Mintz, Ph.D., BCBA-D, has been the Chief Clinical Officer of Action Behavior Centers since 2021, where she leads all clinical delivery and management for the company. According to the company website, “She leads the Action Behavior clinical council, oversees regional clinical teams, and ensures processes align with BACB ethical standards.”
Previously, she held positions including VP of Pacific Northwest Clinical Operations at Caravel Autism Health and Executive Director at Integrated Development Services. With the Association of Professional Behavior Analysts (APBA), Mintz served on the board from 2015 to 2023, including a term as board president from 2019 to 2021. With the Washington Association for Behavior Analysis (WABA), she served as president from 2016 to 2018. Earlier, as co-chair of WABA’s legislative committee, she oversaw the passage of a behavior analyst licensure bill into law in 2015.
Action Behavior Centers has been involved in advocacy to expand and protect Medicaid coverage for families in Texas, Colorado, and Arizona. In Texas, Medicaid coverage for ABA therapy is limited, in part, because ABA providers cannot participate in the program due to insufficient reimbursement rates.
Ashley Fuhrman, Senior Vice President of Research and Innovation
Ashley Fuhrman, Ph.D., BCBA-D, is the Senior Vice President of Research and Innovation at BlueSprig, a role that she’s held since November 2024. Previously, she was the VP of Specialty Clinics at BlueSprig. In her current role, Fuhrman leads the development, implementation, and expansion of BlueSprig’s clinical programs. BlueSprig’s website states that Fuhrman “focuses on leveraging and contributing to cutting-edge research and emerging technologies to monitor, highlight, and improve patient outcomes.”
BlueSprig is an autism therapy provider based in Houston, Texas. In 2023, BlueSprig acquired Trumpet Behavioral Health and affiliates The Behavior Center and Therapeutic Pathways. This acquisition added 37 new locations across seven states to the company’s footprint. Before her role at BlueSprig, Fuhrman was the senior director of Severe Behavior at Trumpet Behavioral Health.
Fuhrman has a rich educational background, including positions as a co-adjunct faculty member at Rutgers University and an assistant professor at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. She’s published over 30 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. She is also on the board of editors for The Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, an associate editor for Behavior Analysis: Research and Practice, and has served on the board of editors for the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior and Behavior Analysis in Practice.
Timothy Yeager, Chief Clinical Officer
Timothy Yeager is the chief clinical officer at Centria Healthcare and a board-certified behavior analyst with over 14 years of experience across industries like healthcare, social services, and education. At Centria Healthcare, he oversees the entire client-staff experience. He held the position for almost five years, after moving up from Vice President of Clinical Quality and Curriculum.
Yeager wrote on his LinkedIn, “As a leader, my focus is building systems that empower teams and elevate care—fostering an environment where clinical excellence isn’t just expected, it’s inevitable.”
Before joining Centria Healthcare, Yeager was the Director of Student Services at Kepler Neighborhood School and before that the Deputy Director of Easterseals Central California. He holds multiple graduate degrees from Columbia University.
