“A perfect team in the River Region — professional, caring, experienced and passionate.”

Center-Based/After-School Staff

Andrea Herrington, BCBA, LBA; Clinical Director

Andrea has been a team member of Great Leaps Learning Center since February of 2015. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Troy University in 2015 and her Master of Arts in Applied Behavior Analysis from Ball State University in 2018. She obtained her Board-Certified Behavior Analyst certification in 2018. In her spare time, she enjoys the outdoors, reading, and cosplaying.

Nilda VanDortrecht, RBT; Office Manager

admin@greatleapslearningcenter.com

Nilda is from Prattville, Al and has been with Great Leaps since 2018. She graduated from Troy University with a bachelor's degree in Psychology and a minor in Sociology in 2018. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends.

Morgan Burbage, BCBA, LBA; After School Director

morgan@greatleapslearningcenter.com

Morgan is from Prattville, Alabama. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Applied Behavior Analysis through Troy University in 2018. She has been at Great Leaps since 2019 and is currently a BCaBA. Morgan is working towards her Masters degree in ABA at Ball State University and will sit for the Board Certified Behavior Analyst exam upon her graduation. She played softball at Shelton State and enjoys other sports, being outdoors, music & arts, poetry, cooking, and her two dogs.

Julia Blackwell, BCBA, LBA

julia@greatleapslearningcenter.com

Julia joined the Great Leaps team in July 2019. Before joining Great Leaps, she served the citizens of central Alabama as a paramedic for close to 20 years. Julia obtained her Bachelor of Science in psychology with a minor in applied behavior analysis in 2020 from Troy University. She is currently pursuing her masters degree in applied behavior analysis and will sit for the Board Certified Behavior Analyst exam when completed. Julia has been married for 5 years, with 7 kids between her and her husband. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her kids and watching them play sports, reading, crafting, listening to podcasts, and building LEGO.

Kristell Mohammed, BCBA, LBA

Kristell was born in Venezuela but grew up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida from the age of seven. She is fluent in both Spanish and English. In December 2019, she obtained her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from University of Maryland Global Campus. Kristell started at Great Leaps in September of 2020. She graduated Troy University’s Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis in August 2023 . Kristell received her Board Certified Behavior Analyst certification in October 2023. Prior to working at Great Leaps, Kristell worked as a Special Education Itinerant Behavior Paraeducator for the Office of Early Intervention Services in the Howard County Public School System in Columbia, Maryland. Kristell is married to her high school sweetheart and together they have 3 children.

Kacie Bennington, RBT

Kacie joined Great Leaps Learning Center in October 2019, certified Registered Behavior Technician in December 2019. Kacie is married with two children and a variety of pets. For most of her adult life, she worked with children in multiple fields, with and without disabilities of various ages at childhood development centers, coaching sports, and always having a passion for working with children with special needs. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a Minor in Applied Behavior Analysis. Once completed, continuing education towards a master's degree in Applied Behavior Analysis and become a BCBA. Her professional interests include social skills training, self-management skills, verbal behavior, and helping to improve family communication. She enjoys spending weekends at the ballpark and on the Lake with family.

Courtney Richardson, RBT

Courtney is from Wetumpka, Alabama. She graduated in the Spring of 2020 from Stillman College with a Bachelors degree of Science in Health and Physical Education. Courtney started at Great Leaps in August of 2020. In her spare time Courtney enjoys playing sports, being in the outdoors, and spending time with her family and friends.

Kimber Johnston, RBT

Kimber is a RBT who has been with Great Leaps since October 2020. She has a passion for special needs children. She is a mother of 2 and enjoys attending their baseball games and dance competitions with her free time.

Kristen Whetstone, RBT

Kristen is from Prattville AL, she started at Great Leaps Learning Center in May of 2021. She passed her RBT Exam in July of 2021 and is now a Certified Registered Behavioral Technician. Kristen is an aspiring future student going onto become a student at Troy University and is going to get a Bachelor’s in Psychology and a minor in ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis). Once she has completed her Bachelor’s she plans going onto pursue college at Ball State University to get her Master’s and become a BCBA (Board Certified Behavioral Analyst). In her spare time, Kristen enjoys visiting the mountains and loves to spend time with her family and friends. She has a big family; she is one of six siblings. Kristen has four sisters and one brother, and she is also the proud aunt of three nieces and three nephews.

Allison Turner, RBT

Allison is from Holtville and graduated with honors from Holtville High School in 2018. She then attended Auburn University Montgomery majoring in Elementary Education until she decided to start a family of her own in 2020. She joined the Great Leaps Team in July of 2021 and primarily works with our after school students. In her free time she enjoys watching documentaries, spending time with her daughter, cooking, and thrift shopping.

Julia Breland, RBT

Julia is from Selma, Alabama and recently moved to Montgomery. She started at Great Leaps in November of 2021and received her RBT certification in January 2022. She graduated from The University of West Alabama with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology with a minor in social work in August of 2021. She is currently enrolled at Troy University to obtain her master’s degree in Human Resources Management. In her free time, she enjoys camping, fishing, reading, and spending time with family and her dog, River.

Amber Brady Chavez, RBT

My name is Amber Brady and I became a member of the GLLC team in January of 2022. I was born and raised in Selma, Alabama. Graduated from DCHS in 2019. I am in hopes of furthering my education and starting college within the next year. In my free time I enjoy hunting, fishing, spending time with my husband, dog, and family.

Hanna Bowman, RBT

Hanna joined the Great Leaps team in April 2022. She obtained her RBT credential in June 2022. She is currently enrolled at Troy University majoring in Social Work. Since graduating high school in 2016, she has worked in the field with children, the elderly, and adults with autism. Hanna has a passion for helping others. She enjoys spending time with her husband, children, and friends during her free time.

Taylor Osborn, RBT

Taylor was born and raised here in Prattville, AL. She joined the Great Leaps team in July 2022. She has a huge passion for children and has worked in childcare since 2017. She hopes to further her education by starting college in 2023. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her sons, learning about child development, traveling, working out, and watching Alabama football.