Meet the Officers

President

Misty Gilbert-Romo, BCBA

Misty Gilbert, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA, brings a bubbly and fun energy to every client interaction, ensuring each child feels safe, valued, and heard. Her advocacy efforts began in fifth grade, inspired by having a cousin with autism and noting lacking resources. This personal connection formed her philosophy of care to focus not only on evidence-based ABA but also on ethical practice. She specializes in assent-based and trauma-assumed care to address severe and challenging behaviors in a way that empowers children and their families.

In addition to her clinical work, Misty is passionate about mentoring the next generation of ABA providers to expand access to high-quality care. She fosters an authentic, collaborative environment where learning and growth are central for both clients and staff. Outside of her leadership as Clinic Director at the BrightPath Behavior Pflugerville clinic, Misty serves as a board member of ATX ABA SIG, furthering her impact on the autism community. A proud two-time graduate of The University of Kansas (Rock Chalk!), she also enjoys traveling, being outside, watching sporting events, and trying new restaurants with her husband and young son.

Vice President

Natalija Milutinovic, BCBA

Natalija Milutinovic graduated from Southwestern University in 2006 with a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics. Natalija's interest in the field began prior to this, when a close family member was diagnosed with Autism. As she learned about various available treatments for individuals with disabilities, she became passionate about ABA. In 2008, she started working with an early childhood population, and has not stopped since. Natalija completed her Master’s degree in Special Education in 2009 from Texas State University and became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst in 2011. Natalija’s experience in the field includes program implementation in the home, community, tele-health, and clinical settings, with a variety of learners ranging from 18 months – 20 years of age. Natalija also supervises staff and oversees ABA programs in Serbia utilizing tele-health services in order to increase awareness and understanding of ABA.

Natalija is currently a Chief Training Officer at Children's Autism Center. She trains graduate students who are completing their fieldwork experience to sit for the board exam. Through the apprenticeship program, Natalija meets with her supervisees to establish short and long term goals, leads weekly group meetings, organizes monthly all-staff meetings, collaborates with trainers, helps create applied projects, and leads interviews with experts in the field. Natalija also heads research projects at CAC in collaboration with Arizona State University (ASU). She continues to advocate for, hang out with, and support her adult family member with Autism. During her spare time Natalija enjoys hanging out with her daughter, husband and dog, doing yoga, watching true crime documentaries and listening to podcasts.

Treasurer

Ben Seifert, BCBA-D

Ben is a doctoral-level board certified behavior analyst who completed his PhD in Special Education from Ball State University, earned his M.A.’s in ABA and Educational Psychology from Ball State University, and his B.A. in Psychology from Purdue University. He is an instructor for the ABA program at Ball State University and is the Principal and Founder of Collaborate ABA.

Ben has been working in the field of ABA since 2003 and has been fortunate to work under the guidance of Dr. Susan Wilczynski, Dr. Carl Sundberg, Dr. Patrick McGreevy, Dr. Mark Sundberg, Dr. John Esch, Dr. Barbera Esch, and Dr. Peter Gerhardt. He has experience working with all ages in home programs, schools, and center-based therapy. Ben works with individuals of all ages; however, he specializes in working with adolescents and adults.

Ben met his wife Karie (also a BCBA!) while working at the Behavior Analysis Center for Autism in Indiana. Ben and Karie moved to Austin, Texas in 2014 and have been thankful for the warmer Texas winters! Ben and Karie have a son named Jordan and they enjoy spending a lot of time together as a family. They love college football, going to movies, and spending time with family.

Secretary

Jennifer Lopatowski, M.Ed., BCBA

Jen Lopatowski graduated from Sam Houston State University in 1993 with a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice while playing collegiate softball. Following graduation, she spent two years as a restaurant manager for El Chico Mexican Restaurant before beginning her career in law enforcement. In 1997, Jennifer joined the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and served as a State Trooper until 2006, when she shifted her focus to family life after having her son in 2005 and daughter in 2008.
Her passion for helping others led her to transition into the field of social services, starting as a Service Coordinator with ATCIC in 2007. In 2010, she joined Bluebonnet Trails Community Services to work closer to home and simultaneously pursued her Master’s in Special Education at Texas State University. She graduated in 2012 and earned her BCBA certification in 2013.
Jennifer has since dedicated her career to supporting individuals with autism and behavioral challenges. She currently works with Bluebonnet Trails’ Crisis Unit and Behavior Supports Program, where she combines her expertise in behavior analysis with her commitment to making a positive impact in her community.
Jennifer is passionate about empowering individuals and families through her work and continues to be a strong advocate for evidence-based practices and compassionate care.

CEU Coordinator

Amanda Tami, BCBA

Amanda Tami is a Board Certified and Licensed Behavior Analyst and a Licensed Professional Counselor providing direct service to neurodivergent individuals and their loved ones in the Austin area. She has experience treating complex cases that include autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions and their co-occurrence with major mental health conditions. Amanda has provided training and consultation locally, nationally, and internationally to parents and providers on topics including building emotion regulation, support across the lifespan, employment success, sexuality, and trauma-informed ABA, and she has been an ACE provider for several years. Dedicated, detail-oriented, and well-versed in the requirements for offering CEUs, Amanda is passionate about sharing meaningful information to improve quality of care in the ABA field.

Marketing Coordinator

Jessica Quintanilla, M.Ed., BCBA

Jessica graduated from University of Texas at Austin with a BS in Human Development and Family Sciences in 2010 and with a Master of Education in Autism and Developmental Disabilities in 2013. She earned her BCBA in 2016. Before joining CTAC, in 2014, she worked with children ages 18 months to 5 years in child development centers in Austin for 5 years and volunteered for the Down Syndrome of Central Texas for many years. Jessica has now worked with children with autism and other developmental disabilities for over 10 years. During her free time, her favorite things to do are traveling, trying new restaurants, hiking, reading, singing karaoke, and acting.

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