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School & Hospital Services Executive Director
James L Nicolaus, BA, MBA, MACP, LMHCA, MHP, and Psychologist Associate for the State of Washington.
James L Nicolaus, (Founder and President), started Hopeful Hands on July 9th, 2005. James has two bachelor's degrees, one in Anthropology and one in Sociology. He also has two master's degrees, one in Business Administration and the other in Counseling Psychology. Providing mental health therapy services and behavioral support to the community and school systems are the cornerstone of Hopeful Hands, Inc. James has been working directly with children and adolescents with mental health challenges, autism, and significant behaviors of concern across many settings for the last 23 years. James has also worked for the State of Washington at Children's Administration as a Social worker 3. He ran investigations, provided community resources and helped families who were without hope. His many years of work with neurodiverse individuals fuels him to continue learning and pursuing education.
Applied Behavior Analysis
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Executive Director of Clinical & Camp Services
Hayley Waltz, MS, BCBA, LBA, CCC
Hayley is a board certified behavior analyst (BCBA) and licensed behavior analyst (LBA). She also maintains a Washington state counseling credential (CCC). She is a Seattle native and has worked locally in the field of applied behavior analysis since 2002. Hayley has varied experience providing behavior analytic intervention in a variety of settings, through many modalities, across the lifespan. Her areas of clinical interest are tweens through adulthood, working specifically on soft skills in executive functioning, self management and regulation. Hayley is the Executive Director of Clinical & Camp Services at Hopeful Hands, Inc overseeing all clinic, community and in-home services as well as camp programming.
Clinic BCBA's
Grace Lee, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA
Grace is a board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA) and licensed behavior analyst (LBA) in the Hopeful Hands clinic. She obtained her M.Ed in Applied Behavior Analysis in 2019. She began her career in ABA as a registered behavior technician (RBT) and continues to pursue further studies.
Grace has worked with children and adolescents with special needs since 2016. She has experience providing crisis management and positive behavior support plans for children and adolescents with challenging behaviors.
Grace can provide behavioral services in English and Korean to individuals and their families.
Jennie Kahl, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA
Jennie is a board certified behavior analyst (BCBA) and licensed behavior analyst (LBA) who has been providing services to individuals with ASD and their families since 2004. She is originally from New Jersey and graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Master of Education in Counseling Psychology.
Jennie is a certified K-5 educator with extensive experience working in private and public schools and has provided supervision, consultation, and training to families across home and community settings. Jennie’s areas of expertise include behavior and classroom management, skill acquisition programming, and staff training. Her interests include the assessment and treatment of challenging behavior. Jennie is the clinical supervisor of the morning day program at Hopeful Hands, Inc.
ALIESE POOLE, MS, BCBA, LBA
Aliese worked as a certified behavior technician for 6 years before completing her Master's of science in psychology with a focus in ABA in 2021. She finished her practicum hours in 2022 and is a newly minted BCBA. She has experience with learners from toddlers to adults. Outside of work Aliese likes to read books, watch movies, and do puzzles with her family.
Clinic Speech & Language Pathologist
Nicole Rodgers, MA, CCC-SLP
Nicole Rodgers is a speech-language pathologist who completed a MA degree in Communication Disorders, with an emphasis in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, at California State University, Fresno. She is originally from Oakland, CA, and has experience working with multiple populations in various settings, including school districts, skilled-nursing facilities, and private practices. Nicole has practiced in both California and Washington and has extensive knowledge in the areas of early childhood language development, pragmatic and social language disorders, articulation, phonological processing, oral motor development, voice, and swallowing disorders. Nicole holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence through the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA), where she is also a member.
Ally Wong Largent, MS, CCC-SLP
Originally from Anchorage, Alaska, I am a speech-language pathologist who graduated with an MS in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Baylor University. I have experience working in the areas of language, cognition, articulation, fluency, voice, swallowing and AAC with individuals from all walks of life spanning from infancy to senior adulthood. I am also certified in LSVT Loud. Prior to becoming an SLP, I was an educator who taught preschool and 5th grade. In addition to my native language English, I also speak Mandarin and Japanese. In my free time, I participate in a few adult hockey leagues in the Seattle area and am an avid boardgamer.
Behavior Technicians
Brittany Westerfield, CBT
Brittany recently graduated with a BA in Psychology. She is pursuing a Masters degree in Clinical and Mental Health Counseling. She has been working in the ABA field for about 18mos. Prior to working in ABA she gained experience working with children on the autism spectrum with a 24 hour homecare company. Outside of work she enjoys spending time outdoors and traveling.
Amelia Cunningham, RBT, CBT
Amelia is a CBT and RBT that graduated from the University of Washington in 2020 with a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology. She will be pursuing her Education Specialist degree in School Psychology in 2023. She has a year of ABA experience and has worked in both schools and clinical settings with kids aged 2-18. Outside of work, she enjoys outdoor activities such as backpacking and paddleboarding, as well as spending time with friends and family.
Vance Hunter, MA, BCBA, CBT
Vance Hunter is a CBT and a RBT who has worked in the field of behavioral health as a behavior tech for 3 years and started with Hopeful Hands in December 2021. Vance grew up in Western Washington and graduated from Stadium High School in Tacoma. Vance has worked with clients as young as 2.5 years and as old as 18 and has experience providing interventions in a variety of settings. From schools, in home, and in the clinic Vance has experience teaching various skills that have led to improved quality of life for his clients. Vance hopes to obtain his BCBA and continue to work in the field as a licensed behavioral analyst.
Emelia Fournier, CBT
Emelia is a certified behavior technician who has a broad range of experience working with school aged children who are vocal and non-vocal. Outside of work, Emelia enjoys being in nature, animals, art, and spending time with friends.
Karlie Ormiston, RBT, CBT
Karlie Ormiston is a CBT/RBT who began her work in the field of ABA in Southern California back in 2017. Her background in ABA consists of working with a variety of ages and diagnoses in a clinic, home, and school settings. She has experience using Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) in a naturalistic ABA setting, as well as life skills teaching within a classroom setting. In 2021 Karlie returned to Washington State with her husband, where they were able to welcome their first child. After going back to work in the ABA field, Karlie soon joined the Hopeful Hands team and has recently begun a Master's program with the goal to become a BCBA. In her off time she enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter, and their zoo of animals.
Ivan Yao, CBT
Ivan is a certified behavioral technician with a broad array of experience working with school-aged children. Currently, he is a student at the University of Washington, pursuing a degree and career in psychology. In his free time, he likes to cook, explore the outdoors, and crochet.
Lyla Olson, CBT
Lyla is new to ABA, but not Autism. She has previous experience caring for and working with toddlers and young adults. She will be starting college in the fall, pursuing psychology and child development with the hopes of working in the field of child advocacy. When she is not at work you can find her exploring the outdoors or practicing yoga.
Drake Mitby, CBT
Drake has worked with children in a special education setting before but is new to the field of ABA. He graduated from the University of Washington in 2021 with a B.S in psychology. In his free time he enjoys building with Legos and watching sports.
Behavior Technicians
Alexandra Fisher, CBT
Alexandra is new to working in the ABA field but has been around ABA most of her life due to family members receiving services. Alexandra is working on her undergrad degree and is considering continuing on for a graduate degree in occupational therapy or behavior analysis.
Javi Thode, RBT, CBT
Javi is a CBT and RBT that graduated from the University of Wyoming with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. She has three years of ABA experience and has worked in schools, in home, and clinical settings. She has worked with clients in a wide age range from preschoolers to adolescents and can provide services in both English and Spanish. Javi has experience teaching various skills that have led to improved quality of life for her clients. Outside of work, Javi enjoys being in nature and spending time with her pets, family, and friends.
Emiley Travers, CBT
Emiley is a certified behavioral technician with a broad array of experience working with school-aged children. Currently, she is a student at the University of Washington-Bothell, studying psychology. In her free time, Emiley likes to read, play piano and snuggle with her cat.
Nadine Ayudiani, CBT
Nadine is a CBT and a student in the UW's ABA Master's program. She has provided in-home and clinic-based ABA therapy for the last 18 months, primarily for children aged 18-30 months. Prior to becoming an ABA practitioner, she worked as an early childhood educator after obtaining her Bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Washington. Outside of work, she enjoys going on nature walks and watercolor painting.
Riley Ellinwood, CBT
Riley is a CBT who is new to ABA but has worked as a swim instructor teaching kids with a variety of ages and needs in the past. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Washington in 2022 and plans to go back for a Masters in special education.
Natasha McCrackin, CBT
Natasha McCrackin is an Autistic Adult who is compassionate and patient. She loves to teach skills through play and role playing. She enjoys making videos for her youtube channel, going to baseball games, road trips, swimming, and hanging out with family and friends.
Joshua Leben, CBT
Joshua is a CBT with years of experience working with kids within the foster care system. He is excited to continue growing and learning here at Hopeful Hands, desiring to support the mission of enhancing the lives of the neurodiverse and those with personal challenges. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in strategic communication from Northwest University in 2021.
Our Doctors
Craig Jensen, Ph.D, BCBA-D, LBA
In addition to being a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Dr. Jensen brings the added perspectives of a Licensed Psychologist and a background in behavior genetics to his analysis and treatment of challenging behavior. He is a Past President of Northwestern Association for Behavior Analysis. Dr. Jensen has extensive consulting experience, having worked with over 50 agencies in Washington and nationally, including over 20 school districts in the Seattle area. He has provided over 400 in-home consultations and has provided ABA and psychological services to seven group homes.
Tore Lydersen, Ph.D, BCBA-D, LBA
Tore Lydersen has a Ph.D. in psychology and specialized in behavior analysis. He is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA-D) and a Licensed Behavior Analyst (LBA). Tore has extensive experience in behavior analysis in both academic and applied settings. He has published research in applied and experimental analysis of behavior and has presented this work at various conferences. Tore has worked for more than three decades with children and adults who exhibit challenging behaviors. Currently, his focus has been on helping children who are having difficulties benefiting from educational experiences in school.