Our Staff

Tony Smith
Executive Director

Tony Smith joined Pathways Behavioral Health in 2020. He brings with him 10 years of executive leadership with organizations that provide services for youth in the DMV region. Tony graduated from the University of Maryland in 2014 with his BA in Economics.

Dr. Amber Shriver, PhD, BCBA, LBA
Co-Clinical Director

Dr. Amber Shriver joined Pathways Behavioral Health in 2017.   She has over ten years of experience providing behavioral support to children in clinic, home, hospital and school settings.  She received a Master of the Arts in Psychology (ADP) from George Mason University, a Master of Education in Special Education from George Mason University, and a PhD in Psychology from George Mason University.  She specializes in working with families to help children learn executive function strategies, cognitive flexibility, and emotional regulation.  She has primarily worked with emotionally dysregulated children, adolescents, and young adults to keep them in their home environments.  Additionally she has served as an adjunct member of the faculty at The Catholic University of America, George Mason University and George Washington University.  

Her research interests are in the application of nutrition and healthy lifestyle programs to support children and their families in managing behaviors and emotional regulation; and behavioral interventions with a focus on executive functions (i.e., cognitive flexibility, inhibition, and working memory) and emotional regulation.  She believes in a holistic and comprehensive approach to the treatment of developmental and behavior disorders during childhood with an emphasis on family functioning.

Natalie Tucker, MEd, BCBA, LBA
Co-Clinical Director

Natalie Tucker joined Pathways Behavioral Health in 2020.  She has over 12 years of experience working with children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and their families.  She received a bachelor’s degree in speech and hearing science from Arizona State University in 2008. Following graduation, she moved to Austin, Texas and worked at a school for children
with autism. While there, she was able to utilize the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis and realized the success it has on individuals with autism. She then decided to pursue BCBA course work and received a master’s degree in Education: Curriculum and Instruction from Arizona State University in 2012.  She has had the privilege of working with individuals with autism in both the school, home and clinic settings.  She is a licensed Board Certified Behavior Analyst in Virginia and Arizona. 

Nicole Overholt
​Co-Clinical Director

Nicole Overholt joined Pathways Behavioral Health in 2022. She has over 8 years of experience working with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families. Nicole was inspired to become a behavior analyst from her two siblings who are both on the Autism Spectrum. She saw first hand how ABA helped them be able to better communicate with the world around them. Nicole received her Masters in Developmental Disabilities with a concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis at Nova Southeastern University. Nicole is passionate about helping children, young adults and their families succeed in their everyday lives. ​

Dr. Lucia Stillerova, PhD
Director of Parent Training and Research

​Dr. Lucia Stillerova joined Pathways Behavioral Health in 2018.  She has over two years of experience working with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families.  She received her PhD in Applied Developmental Psychology from George Mason University and her Master of the Arts in Clinical Psychology from University of St. Cyril and Methodius. She has presented her research at national conferences, and published in international journals. She also serves as a part-time faculty member at George Mason University. Her research focuses on social–emotional teaching and learning in early childhood development.

Valerie Leigh Matson, RBT
Non-ABA Program Director

​Valerie Leigh Matson joined Pathways Behavioral Health in 2018.  She has over 2.5 years of experience providing behavioral support to children and young adults in multiple settings, to include:  in-home, in-clinic, school, and virtual settings.   She received her Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from the University of Maryland's University College.  She is currently completing her Master of Art’s degree in Cognitive Behavioral Neuroscience at George Mason University. She is also works as a teaching assistant at George Mason teaching numerous labs in an array of classes under the psychology concentration.  Additionally, she is a prior active-duty Air Force with more than 12.5 years of active service as a paralegal.  

Valerie is passionate in early childhood and young adulthood behavior.  She stresses emphasis on families working as a whole unit, specifically on family function and behavior changes by applying treatment for development and behavioral disorders in both early childhood and young adults transitioning to adulthood and “real world”.  Her research interests in cognitive behavioral neuroscience include deception and conflict monitoring in the brain. 

Ivan Wilson, RBT
Practicum Student

Ivan Wilson joined Pathways Behavioral Health in 2019.  He has over ten years of experience in working as an RBT.  He has a bachelor's degree from Radford University. He loves to work with special needs individuals, and to support families through managing a variety of behavioral issues. He is originally from Baltimore, MD, and he has been living in Northern Virginia for about 12 years. He is currently enrolled in University of West Florida’s ABA program.  He has an interest in helping students with AAC devices, and learning skills to be able to help them increase their ability to communicate with others.

Rose Broberg
​​Practicum Student

Rose Broberg joined Pathways in 2022. She graduated from George Mason with a Masters in Special Education with an ABA Certificate in 2021. She began her career as a preschool activities instructor for over six years, and then moved to working with youth in underserved areas for the past five years on mentorship and behavior challenges. Outside of Pathways, Rose volunteers as a foster home for kittens, and as a girls youth soccer coach. She hopes to be a resource to find creative ways to meet kids where they are and help them become the best version of themselves.

April Gray
​Practicum Student

April Gray joined Pathways Behavior Health in 2022.  She earned her bachelor’s degree from Florida Institute of Technology in Applied Psychology.  She is currently finishing  her master’s degree in Psychology with a concentration in ABA. She has been working with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families for the past two years.  Her future goals are to continue helping families with autism by becoming a BCBA. In her free time, she loves going to the beach, camping and hiking with her family.

Christina Smith
Lead RBT

Christina Smith joined Pathways Behavioral Health in 2019. She has over two years of experience working with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families.  She has lived in Prince William County her entire life, and currently lives in Dumfries with her husband and 3 children.  Prior to working at Pathways she was a preschool teacher.  She looks enjoys watching the children thrive in their natural environment and working together with families to improve everyday routines.

Maxine Bailey
RBT

Maxine Bailey joined Pathways Behavioral Health in 2020.  She is a senior at the University of Maryland, College Park pursuing a major in Psychology, and a minor in General Business. She is very passionate about working with children; and learning about human behavior and the way the brain functions. 

Aziz Hasen
RBT

Aziz joined Pathways Behavioral Health in 2021.  He is currently a senior pursuing at George Mason University, where he is pursing a Bachelors in Social Work.  He has over three years of experience working with children and families who are experiencing homelessness. He is passionate about understanding the role of the environment on children’s behavior. Outside work, Aziz enjoys soccer, basketball, and reading. 

Kayla Napoli
​RBT

Kayla Napoli joined Pathways Behavioral Health in 2021. She is originally from northern New Jersey.  She graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and minors in Neuroscience and Disability Studies. She is very passionate about mental health, and hopes to pursue further education in the mental health field. She loves helping others, and is honored to be a part of the Pathways Behavioral Health team!

Alayjah Johnson
RBT

Alayjah Johnson joined Pathways Behavioral Health in 2022.  She  currently attends George Mason University, and is pursuing a major in Psychology with a concentration in Neuroscience. She is very passionate about mental health, and loves working with children to help them grow into our future. She is honored to have joined Pathways Behavioral Health!

Lena Lee
RBT

Lena Le joined Pathways Behavioral Health in 2023. She is currently a senior at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County majoring in psychology. She is passionate about mental health and learning about human behavior. She is looking forward to working with children and their families at Pathways Behavioral Health!

Nina Larsen
​RBT

Nina Larsen joined Pathways Behavioral Health in 2023. She is currently a senior psychology student at George Mason University with a concentration in Clinical Psychology. She is passionate about advocating against the stigmatization of mental health, developing as a mental health professional, and to empowering others to lead lives of greater independence, happiness, and mindfulness. She has several years of experience teaching children.  Her inspiration to work with children on the Autism Spectrum has partially come from her love of teaching and seeing the meaningful difference that ABA therapy can make for children with Autism. She is originally from Denmark, and one of her most treasured quotes is, as expected, from H.C.
Andersen: “The whole world is a series of miracles, but we’re so used to them we call them ordinary things”. She is honored to be part of this team that makes a series of miracles happen every day.

Ibtida Faruque
​RBT

Ibtida Faruque joined Pathways Behavioral Health in 2023.  She graduated from George Mason University in December 2022 with a B.S. in Psychology (concentration in Clinical Psychology) and a minor in Childhood Studies. Her lifelong passion is working with children and adolescents with mental health needs. She has almost three years of professional experience working with elementary school children as an English and Math Tutor at an academic learning center.  She is very enthusiastic about developing as an Applied Behavior Technician, and gaining professional exposure with the help of the Pathways Behavioral Health team!

Grace Thomas
ABA Intern

Grace Thomas joined Pathways Behavioral Health in 2023. She is currently a senior at the George Washington University pursuing a double degree in Psychology and International Affairs. Prior to gaining this position, she participated in an internship with forensic psychologist Rafael Gallegos, PsyD in Connecticut, assisting in the facilitation of clients to and from the prison system. 

Nana Asamoah-Pratt
ABA Intern

Nana Asamoah-Pratt joined Pathways Behavioral Health in 2023.   She is currently pursuing her undergraduate degree at George Washington University with a Bachelor's in Biological Sciences and a minor in Psychology. Prior to her role at Pathways Behavioral Health, she devoted her time volunteering at a non-profit agency that provided recreational and emotional support to adults with a wide range of developmental disabilities