People
Program Staff
Dr. Cindy Gevarter
Program Director and SHS Project SCENES Coordinator
Cindy Gevarter Ph.D. is an assistant professor in the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences at the UNM. Dr. Gevarter received a B.A. in psychology from the University of Virginia (UVa), a Master’s in teaching in special education from UVa, and a Ph.D. in early childhood special education from the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Gevarter is a BCBA-D, was a preschool and early elementary special education teacher in New York City for 5 years and worked in Part C funded early intervention programs in Texas and New York for another 5 years. Dr. Gevarter’s research and teaching interests focus on communication intervention and assessment methods for young children with ASD and intensive communication needs. Her research has focused on the application of evidence-based principles to augmentative and alternative communication assessment and intervention, naturalistic/family-centered approaches to early communication intervention, and collaborative training for early intervention providers who work with children with ASD. Dr. Gevarter teaches the required Project SCENES courses SHS430/530, SHS539, SHS532, and will teach the new course in naturalistic intervention.
Dr. Susan Copeland
Special Education Project SCENES Coordinator
Dr. Susan Copeland is a Regents’ Professor in Special Education at UNM and a BCBA-D. She has been a Co-PI and shared management oversight on an NIH-funded pilot grant examining use of applied behavior analysis (ABA) with children with ASD and was Co-PI on a parent education grant (ConAlma Foundation) implemented in collaboration with the Education for Parents of Indian Children with Special Needs (EPICS) program. She is the Coordinator of the Special Education Program, and previously served as the Acting Chair of Special Education (Fall 2019), and coordinator of Concentration I within the Special Education Program at UNM from 2004-2007. Her research focuses on literacy instruction for students with severe disabilities, advocacy and empowerment of individuals with disabilities, and ABA interventions with individuals with disabilities. She is an associate editor for Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, a former AE for Remedial and Special Education, and currently serves on the editorial board of several top journals (Remedial and Special Education, Focus on Autism, and Inclusion). Dr. Copeland teaches graduate courses in intellectual disability, ABA intervention methods, literacy instruction for students with severe disabilities, advocacy and empowerment for students with disabilities, and single case research methodology.
Mary Hartley M.S. CCC-SLP
Clinical Practicum Supervisor
Mary Hartley is a Clinic Instructor/Lecturer in the SHS department. She received a B.A. in Communicative Disorders and an M.S. in SHS from the University of New Mexico. Prior to holding this position, Ms. Hartley worked as a SLP in Albuquerque, NM for 27 years in school, early intervention, private practice, and community settings. She has diverse experience with people ranging in age from 2 years to young adulthood. Her areas of expertise include early intervention, ASD, social communication, hearing loss, and childhood language/ literacy skills. Ms. Hartley has had the privilege of working in educational teams with families and other disciplines including social workers, audiologists, occupational and physical therapists, and teachers. Ms. Hartley is instructor of the interdisciplinary ASD clinical practicum.
Cai Ewing-Buck M.S. CCC-SLP
ProjectSCENES Mentor and Assistant
Cai Ewing-Buck is a mentor and assistant for ProjectSCENES. She received a B.A. in Speech and Hearing Sciences in 2008 from UNM and an M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology in 2010 from UNM. Cai has worked as an SLP in Albuquerque, NM in a dedicated public school preschool setting, in a private practice working in pediatrics, and as a contractor for the public schools in preschool classrooms and walk-in therapy settings. During her training at UNM, she worked in the AAC lab for Dr. Cathy Binger and as a graduate assistant for Dr. Amy Neel. She completed a graduate thesis and was co-author of multiple publications with Dr. Binger and Dr. Neel. Cai is focused on working with young children and their families to develop communication skills and strategies that bring joy to their lives and help them in their daily settings. She specializes in working with children who have multiple disabilities, children who struggle with basic concepts and communicating their basic needs, wants and passions with the world and with children who need assistance in the world of social communication. As both a mom and an SLP, she believes every person deserves attention and love and every person deserves a chance to interact fully with the world.
Barbora Basista
Project SCENES Graduate Assistant
Barbora Basista is a second-year speech-language pathology graduate student at The University of New Mexico. She earned her bachelor's degree in Speech and Hearing Sciences in 2022 and minored in Special Education and Psychology. Barbora has previously worked with children of all ages through summer camps, daycares, and the public school system and knew that working with children was in her future as well. She is passionate about learning to work with children with autism and their families in the context of social communication.
Advisory Board
Alyx Medlock
LEND Training Director
Alyx Medlock, MS, CCC-SLP, has worked with interdisciplinary, family-centered teams throughout her career. She is a life-long New Mexican with deep family and cultural ties to the state. She was the director of the Early Childhood Evaluation Program (ECEP) and continues to work clinically, providing interdisciplinary, developmental and diagnostic evaluations for children under three. Her previous experience, in running a private practice, fostered varied professional and personal experiences throughout the state and across the lifespan. She has experience working with families of children with prenatal drug and alcohol exposure, individuals with ASD, children and adults with feeding and swallowing difficulties, and many other populations. Ms. Medlock has also worked internationally in Tanzania and India providing training and consultation.
Rosario Roman
Director of Bilingual Multicultural Services, Inc (BMSI)
Rosario Roman CCC-SLP founded the interdisciplinary related services agency Bilingual Multicultural Services, Inc (BMSI) in 1992. BMSI provides a range of therapy services to support children and adults with disabilities within their families and communities, and employs over 80 service providers. BMSI provides NM FIT Services, and has contracts with local school districts to provide related services in general education and special education settings. In addition to being the founder and CEO of BMSI, Ms. Roman provides clinical supervision to SLPs.
David Artz
Preschool Special Education Teacher
David Artz began working with individuals with disabilities starting in 1986. He has worked with and taught people ages 2 to 80, covering nearly every disability category. He holds a Masters Degree in Special Education from UNM, and has worked as a special education teacher in Albuquerque Public Schools since 2007. David enjoys teaching and educating parents, and knows that this is his calling. David has served as a mentor for UNM teacher candidates.
Melissa Medina
Parent of Child with ASD, Preschool teacher, and Advocate
Melissa Medina is mother of a 15 year-old-son with ASD and down syndrome. She is also a preschool teacher at Memorable Moments Child Development Center in Rio Rancho, NM. She holds a bachelor's in elementary education and an associate’s degree in special education. She is participating in Central New Mexico Community College’s Mentor Program for early childhood teaching candidates and is an advocate for children with special needs.
J. Alexander Douglas
Self-advocate
J. Alex received a late-life diagnosis of Atypical Autism. His self-advocacy truly began in childhood, as he learned to speak up for himself and his needs both in the classroom and outside. J. Alex has worked in a diverse range of fields, including advertising design and telecommunications. His passion for presentation and performance led him to spend the last 5 years building a career in the entertainment industry. He generalizes his 'trade' as that of a Professional Storyteller. At UNM, J. Alex works with the HSC A&L department, as both a Standardized Patient and Clinical Teaching Associate, where his primary role is to provide communication skills training to medical students. J.Alex was also a NM-LEND fellow in 2020-2021. His area of focus was aimed at supporting adults and teens transitioning to adulthood, who seek to lead a more independent lifestyle.
Project SCENES Scholar Graduates
Marisa Francisco
Special Education Masters Graduate
Marisa Francisco recently graduated with her master's degree in special education from the University of New Mexico. She is from the Rock Springs community, which is about 12 miles north of Gallup, NM. She is the Towering House people born for the Zia clan. Her Maternal Grandfather is Bitter water and her Paternal Grandfather is the Meadow people. She has two children, ages 13 and 9 and loves spending time outdoors. Marisa has worked in early childhood education for 22 years in Arizona and in New Mexico. In December 2017, she received her Certificate and Associates degree in Early Childhood education from the University of New Mexico-Gallup. She continued her educational journey at the University of New Mexico main campus and graduated with a Speech and Hearing Sciences degree in May 2021. She has personal experience with autism since her son was diagnosed at the age of 3.
Erin Gallegos
Speech-Language Pathology Masters Graduate
Erin Gallegos recently graduated with her master's degree in speech-language pathology from the University of New Mexico. She earned bachelors degrees in English and Spanish at the University of New Mexico in 2012 before deciding to return to UNM to pursue a masters degree in speech-language pathology in 2019. Erin has worked with individuals with disabilities in non-profit, government, and clinical settings for the past 10 years and has a passion for working with children with autism and developmental disabilities.
Loucretia Jose
Speech-Language Pathology Masters Graduate
Loucretia Jose recently graduated with her master's degree in speech-language pathology from the University of New Mexico. She earned her B.S. degree in Communicative Disorders from Eastern New Mexico University in 2014. Upon graduating, she gained some experience working with primarily 3–9-year-olds diagnosed with Autism as an ASD Direct Support Professional. Later she worked with early intervention population under the New Mexico Family Infant Toddler Part C program as a dual role Family Service Coordinator/Developmental Specialist II (FSC/DSII). Loucretia has provided services for birth to three-year-old children in San Juan County primarily on the Navajo Nation. She loves comparing signs of autism and Navajo cultural etiquette for similarities that can lead to misdiagnosis.
Paloma Muñoz-Neri
Special Education Masters Graduate
Paloma Muñoz-Neri recently graduated with her master's degree in special education graduate student from the University of New Mexico. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Family Child Studies with a second major in Spanish at The University of New Mexico in May 2021. Paloma has worked with adolescents from diverse backgrounds including Spanish speakers or English as a second language learners. She has a strong interest in early childhood special education, with a focus on young children with autism that come from bilingual households.
2022-2023 Student Cohort
Barbora Basista
Speech-Language Pathology Masters Student
Barbora Basista is a second-year speech-language pathology graduate student at The University of New Mexico. She earned her bachelor's degree in Speech and Hearing Sciences in 2022 and minored in Special Education and Psychology. Barbora has previously worked with children of all ages through summer camps, daycares, and the public school system and knew that working with children was in her future as well. She is passionate about learning to work with children with autism and their families in the context of social communication.
Lauren Ceronie
Speech-Language Pathology Masters Student
Lauren is a speech-language pathology graduate student at The University of New Mexico. She received a B.A in journalism and political science from Miami University and an M.A. in Elementary Education from UNM. Lauren has been an educator in New Mexico’s public schools since 2013, working in early childhood education and special education. She has worked in education policy in New Mexico and Washington, D.C. Lauren has an interest in early intervention and believes every child deserves access to high-quality, equitable early intervention services that value and respect their home language and home culture.
Roxann Fajardo
Speech-Language Pathology Masters Student
Roxann Fajardo has lived all her life in Albuquerque, and she has a son who is 8 years old. She is a second-year Speech-Language Pathology Master’s student at the University of New Mexico. She earned her bachelor’s degrees in Speech and Hearing Sciences and in Spanish in 2022. Roxann has gained experience in working with children with Autism. She has worked with children with disabilities for over 6 years. She is interested in working with children with Autism and their families who have bilingual backgrounds.
Ninel Hernandez
Speech-Language Pathology Masters Student
Ninel Hernandez is a second-year speech-language pathology graduate student at the University of New Mexico. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Speech and Hearing Sciences as well as in Spanish. Ninel has lived in New Mexico her whole life where she has gained experience working in public schools as well as non-profit organizations in effort to better understand and help the growing community. She has a strong interest in helping the major underrepresented bilingual community with a focus on young children with autism.
Lora Makemson
Special Education Masters Student
Lora Makemson is a graduate student in special education at The University of New Mexico. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education at William Jewell College (Liberty, MO) in 1999. Lora has worked in the classroom for the past 16 years and is currently a teacher at Shining Stars Preschool. Lora is very excited to be a part of Project SCENES so she can continue learning and developing as a teacher, which will ultimately help her students and their families grow.
Joshua Sanchez
Special Education Masters Student
Joshua Sanchez is a second-year graduate student at UNM, specializing in Special Education. He earned a Bachelor’s in Psychology with a high-interest in behaviorism at New Mexico Highlands University in 2020. Joshua works full-time as a Special Education Teacher (Social-Communication District Level 3 at Highland Complex, formally known as the Highland Autism Center) within the largest public school district in New Mexico. Highland Complex services children in the southeast/southwest side of Albuquerque and has students that range from kindergarten to 22 year olds who are diagnosed with autism and intellectual disabilities and/or problem behavior that cannot be managed safely at their public home school. This center focuses primarily on functionalism, communication, and positive behavior support skills to better improve the lifestyle of each student in school and in the home community. Joshua started with APS in 2014 as an educational assistant and has worked up the ladder in a variety of positions and schools within special education, such as a behavior management specialist and now as a special ed classroom teacher. He has worked with a variety of age groups and levels of severity of ASD, behavior, and intellectual disabilities throughout the years.
While furthering his education at UNM, Joshua is also part of the teacher committee for the Sophia’s Foundation for Autism here in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Ashlynn Silva
Special Education Masters Student
Ashlynn is originally from Taos, NM and moved to Albuquerque 4 years ago to attend UNM where she received her B.A. in Psychology. After that, she decided to pursue teaching. She completed her year of student teaching at Dennis Chavez for the 22-23 school year and she is excited to job share as a Developmental Preschool Teacher this coming school year. Working in the classroom, continuing her education as well as the opportunity to participate and collaborate with experienced individuals in this summer clinic excites her because together, she can use evidence-based tools in real life situations to create success for students. In her free time, she enjoys photography, hiking, and spending time in Taos on the weekends with her family.
Richelle Spears
Speech-Language Pathology Masters Student
Richelle is in her second year of graduate school at the University of New Mexico in the Speech Pathology Language department. She received a bachelors degree in Speech and Language Sciences from Northern Arizona University in 2016. Richelle has worked with children with disabilities while being an Applied Behavior Analysis Therapist and as a caregiver for children diagnosed with ASD. She is passionate about providing accessible speech therapy for children with disabilities, specifically those who come from multi-cultural and bilingual households.
Diona Yazzie
Special Education Masters Student
Diona was born and raised in New Mexico. She is in the Project SCENCES Master’s program specializing in Special Education. This is her first year attending UNM. She has been working in Early Childhood Education for over 24 years in Arizona, New Mexico and on the Reservations. She is an Early Childhood certified teacher in Arizona and New Mexico and has worked as a PreK and Kindergarten teacher on the Navajo reservation. She earned both her bachelor's degree in 2008 and her Master's degree in Early Childhood Education in 2012 at ASU. She is currently working at APS as a Preschool Special Education Support Teacher and travels to different preschool inclusion classroom and provides support to students. She is excited to take part in Project Scenes to expand and learn about special education so she can help students and families develop.
2023-2024 Student Cohort
Angelica Calabaza
Special Education Masters Student
Angelica R Calabaza is a first-year Special Education graduate student at the University of New Mexico. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Child and Family Studies with a concentration in Early Childhood Multicultural Education Licensure Pre-K to Grade 3 and an Associate’s Degree in Early Childhood Multicultural Education from UNM. She is from Santo Domingo Pueblo, where she has proudly served her community for over 10 years as an early childhood educator. She is the mother of 3 beautiful daughters, an active participant in her home community, and a firm believer that “anything is possible with hard work and dedication.” Her passion to continue her education in Special Education is advocacy; “Our children have unique ways of communicating and as advocates, we must ensure their voices are heard.”
Ellie Eslinger
Speech-Language Pathology Masters Student
Seanne Maya Mascarenas
Special Education Masters Student
Seanne Maya Mascareñas grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico and currently lives in Albuquerque. Her background is primarily in alternative education, especially in democratically run, student-led education. Her special interest is learning how to create learning environments that facilitate partnership and joy for learning. Seanne has been working with children and adults with autism for about 7 years in various roles and hopes to always work with this wonderful community. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Family and Child Studies with a concentration in Human Development and Family Relations. Seanne hopes to honor her inclusion to Project Scenes by learning all she can and doing all she can to serve children and families in New Mexico.
Laila Mehdi
Speech-Language Pathology Masters Student
Laila Mehdi is a first-year speech-language pathology graduate student at the University of New Mexico. She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a focus in child and adolescent mental health from New York University in 2012. She has spent 8 years working with children of all ages in special education and inclusion classrooms. She is passionate about creating safe spaces for learning, helping children flourish, and advocating for diversity. Laila is grateful for the opportunity to learn more about helping children with ASD and continue her work with individuals and families in the autism community through Project SCENES.
Catherine Peterson
Special Education Masters Student
Catherine Peterson is the mother of a 13-year-old son that was originally diagnosed with ASD at age 4 and re-diagnosed with ADHD, general anxiety at age 9. She also has a 10-year-old daughter that has been diagnosed with an auditory processing disorder. She has been working at Inspirations Early Intervention as both a Family Service Coordinator and a Development Specialist for the past 9 years. Her interest in having a career in Early Intervention started when she became a mother, and she started working with a developmental specialist and a speech therapist in Early Intervention for her son when he was about two years old. She has been fortunate that her job in Early Intervention has informed her role as a mother and her personal experience with her own children has informed her work and made her a better Family Service Coordinator and a Development Specialist. Also, her personal experience has made her particularly empathetic to families that have children with ASD or other sensory differences. Her hope is to become more knowledgeable about how to help children with ASD improve their social communication skills through the Project SCENES program, so she can really help families improve developmental outcomes for their young children with ASD.