Our Executive Team
Jen Sabin, M.A., BCBA
Executive Director, Founder
Under the direct tutelage of Dr. Ivar Lovaas, Jennifer Sabin began working with children on the autism spectrum, while completing her Bachelor’s degree at the University of California, Los Angeles. Upon completion of her degree, at a local behavioral agency, Jennifer continued her commitment and dedication to children with autism and pervasive disorders by providing supervision and workshop services on an international level. Ultimately, Jennifer directed the establishment of a successful behavioral center located in Sydney, Australia, which is currently serving individuals on the autism spectrum. In 1997 Jennifer received her Master of Arts degree in Clinical Psychology, with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy, from Pepperdine University, and subsequently became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst in 2004. Jennifer Sabin’s expertise and vision of providing quality intervention services for individuals on the autism spectrum led to the opening of Working With Autism, Inc. (WWA) in 1997. Since WWA’s inception, Jennifer functions as the Executive Director, monitoring and overseeing all clinical and administrative services.
Hilya Delband, Psy.D., BCBA-D
Director, Clinical Development and Marketing
Dr. Delband has been part of the WWA family since 2004, initially as a Case Supervisor and subsequently as the Clinical Director. She is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral (BCBA-D), who has been dedicated to working with children and adolescents with ASD since 1999. Dr. Delband has developed a manual for families whose child is diagnosed with autism, providing an overview of the diagnosis, empirically supported interventions, and guidance for navigating the special education process. She conducts guest lectures at Pepperdine University and informational workshops for families throughout Los Angeles County. Dr. Delband’s extensive training encompasses psycho-educational and neuro-psychological assessment of children, as well as individual and group therapy for individuals across the lifespan, using behavioral and cognitive-behavioral methodologies.
Dr. Delband oversees the clinical aspect of all services provided by WWA, working collaboratively with her team, families, and other professionals to ensure quality programming with measurable results. Her clinical expertise includes promoting socio-emotional development in children and adolescents with ASD by focusing on strengthening self-awareness, coping skills and theory of mind (perspective taking). She strives to ensure that WWA clients receive highly individualized interventions that are in-line with the latest research developments in the field of Autism.
John-Paul Prakash, M.A., BCBA, MFT-I
Director of BCBA Services
John-Paul joined the WWA family in 2006 holding a bachelor’s degree in Psychology, in addition to a Master of Arts in Psychology with an emphasis in Marital Family Therapy. He initially became interested in early intervention for children with autism and other pervasive developmental disorders while working as an elementary school counselor. He decided to join WWA in order to gain experience and education in behavioral treatment as an in-home and school based Behavioral Instructor.
John-Paul enjoyed and excelled in providing direct behavioral services and treatments for children, adolescent, and adults. He learned that anyone could succeed with the correct support systems and teaching methodologies. John-Paul held a robust desire to provide his clients with the most effective evidenced based treatments, and therefore obtained his BCBA in 2010, and became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst in 2011.
As the current BCBA Services Director, John-Paul is extremely committed in assisting all WWA clinical staff in developing individualized treatment plans using Applied Behavior Analysis to teach skills of social significance. In addition, John Paul’s MFT background enhances his ability to genuinely understand parent concerns in order to provide encouragement and support necessary for each family. John-Paul’s creative approach, comprehensive experience, positive enthusiasm, and great respect for this field are evident in the professional and personal touch he provides in all aspects of treatment for his clients.
Sara Mastro, MA, BCBA
Director of Client Services and Staff Development
Sara first experienced working with a child on the autism spectrum while pursuing her undergraduate studies in Psychology. She was immediately intrigued by the positive impact of Early Intervention and the subsequent change she observed in the trajectory of her client’s prognosis. Upon completion of her Bachelor’s, Sara joined Working With Autism, Inc. to further her technical experience and education in behavioral treatment. It was not long before the passion she found in working with individuals on the autism spectrum, clearly solidified her career path. Sara enrolled in and completed a Masters in Human Development from National University to further enhance her education and clinical experience. She subsequently pursued and successfully obtained her certification as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst in 2014.
Sara excels at educating families within the home setting, and collaborating with professionals in the community and school settings. She has a strong background in the principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA) and specializes in designing and implementing individualized ABA and Parent Training programs. Sara is committed to the development of each of her clients and relies on parent participation to promote client growth and generalization. As the Director of Family Services and Staff Development, Sara works closely with the WWA families and staff to ensure delivery of a high quality service. She further monitors staff performance to ensure the clients are being provided with the most updated and effective interventions. Sara is thrilled to be able to offer additional training and support to the WWA staff in order to enhance the growth of our clients.
Yuki Sumitomo MA., BCBA
Director of Clinical Reporting
Yuki received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology with a minor in Psychology Law from the University of Southern California. She subsequently received a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in Marital and Family Therapy from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology (CSPP), Los Angeles Chapter. While attending CSPP, Yuki provided individual, group, and family outpatient therapy for at-risk youth clients (from 6-19 years old) presenting on the spectrum of DSM-IV disorders with core issues such as depression, anxiety, emotional disturbances, gang involvement, self-injury, grief, child abuse, domestic violence, and substance abuse at both the agency and in school-based programs.
Yuki joined the WWA family in 2007 as a behavior interventionist. She became intrigued by understanding behavior as a natural science and applying this knowledge to helping children maximize their potential. The skills, expertise, and dedication she exhibited in promoting the growth of each of her clients led to her eventual promotion to a Case Supervisor and completion of her credentials as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Yuki’s astute eye for identifying areas of concern and developing individualized programs which were rooted in the best practices of the field, led to her subsequent promotion to Director of Clinical Reporting. In this role, she is responsible for monitoring all school based programs to ensure adherence to evidence based practices. Yuki collaborates with Case Supervisors and District personnel to maintain high quality services across all school based clients. She excels at examining the relationship between behavior and environment and utilizing ABA practices to produce effective behavior change and improve socially significant behaviors.
Our Administrative Team
Paul Craig
Director, Human Resources and Administration
Paul has over 20 years of progressive human resources experience including senior management roles in the Entertainment Industry with expertise in recruitment, employee relations, policy development, performance management, compliance and benefits administration. He has served as the Director of Human Resources with the Department of Defense in the United Kingdom and Germany. Paul has conducted seminars on a significant array of HR issues, including Workplace Security, Creating a Compelling Place to Work, HR Innovation, Liability Reduction and Management and Supervisory Accountability. Paul joined the WWA management team as the Director of Human Resources and Administration in 2008. His solid track record in a myriad of industries makes him a great asset in contributing to the growth and development of WWA.
Audrey Loeb
Scheduling Coordinator
Audrey became a part of the WWA family in January 2014. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from California State Northridge in May of 2013. Audrey is an exceptionally organized and meticulous young woman, making her a wonderful fit as the Scheduling Coordinator for WWA. Her main priority is to manage the schedules for each WWA family and therapy team, in addition to finding the perfect staff member to pair with each new client.
Shane Davis
Insurance and Billing Specialist
Shane Davis became part of the WWA family in June 2009. Shane holds a Bachelor of Science from Ball State University, Indiana, and has over 13 years of commitment in business administration, e-billing, and health care cost containment. Shane provides continuous support to the efficiency of WWA operations by overseeing all aspects of the school district, regional center, and insurance based online billing systems. Shane plays an integral role in the successful administration of our WWA families and the insurance billing process.
Lauren Tremblay
Manager, Finance
Lauren Tremblay joined the WWA team in October 2007. Lauren holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre, from New York University. She began her experience in the financial industry as a senior mortgage processor and a banking customer service representative. Lauren serves as the Manager of Finance at WWA, and is responsible for the processing of billing and payroll as well as supervising scheduling for all WWA families and staff. Lauren provides ample support to the administrative operations at WWA, ensuring a smooth and efficiently run administrative department.