Yrenka Sunderlin, MS, BCBA, LBA

Founder & Executive Director

     Yrenka is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) with an extensive background working with individuals with special needs. Her path to a career in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) started with working in a residential facility (Level 12) 25 years ago. While there, she learned to identify a myriad of challenging behaviors, but observed that the treatment of choice at the facility was not effective in achieving lasting, positive behavior change. She knew that she wanted to make a difference, and that using evidence-based practices, such as Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), was most likely going to make this a reality. After receiving a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of La Verne, she then attended California State University, Los Angeles to complete her Master's Degree in ABA under the mentor-ship of Dr. Randy Campbell, Dr. Michele Wallace, and Dr. Henry D. Schlinger, Jr. During this time, she began receiving extensive formal training by Kari Berquist, Ph.D. BCBA-D in ABA methodologies, including Discrete Trial Training, Picture Exchange Communication System, Pivotal Response Treatment, Verbal Behavior, Positive Behavior Support, Functional Communication Training, Functional Behavior Assessments, completed the Autism Certification Program and UCLA PEERS® certification program.  She is a member of the Association for Behavior Analysis International and the California Association for Applied Behavior Analysis. She subscribes to scholarly journals, participates in continuing education opportunities and maintains close ties with a network of professionals in the field.

​

In addition to being a respected Behavior Analyst, she is currently an adjunct faculty member at National University (Camarillo), teaching BCBA course sequence. She also serves as an Advisory Board Member for Reid's Gift. 

In an effort to reach out to the under-served Spanish speaking community, Yrenka provides parent education workshops (in Spanish) at a local resource center in Ventura County.

Brian Sunderlin

Owner & Director of Operations

     Brian has been quite busy, diligently working to keep all operations up and running smoothly here at SBI. As soon as he has a moment, he will write his bio...

Alli SanGiacomo, MS, BCBA

          Alli received her Master’s of Science in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Childhood and Adolescent therapy from California Lutheran University. She is a UCLA PEERS® Certified Provider and completed her continuing education in Applied Behavior Analysis at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She obtained her BCBA in November of 2021.  After joining the Sunderlin LA team in 2018, Alli found her calling working with teens and young adults providing individual services and managing social skills groups. Currently, she specializes in working late diagnoses and comorbidities across states, working to provide individualized services that enhance an individual’s quality of life. Beyond behavior, Alli also provides transitional life coaching for young adults striving to master the skills necessary for independance.  In addition to her clinical duties, Alli also manages internships, social media and website.

Victoria Finley, MS, BCBA, LBA

Clinical Supervisor

     Victoria started working in the field in 2017 as a behavioral therapist where she fell in love with ABA. Her undergraduate degree is in communications and sciences disorders with a speech pathology emphasis from Baylor University. She went back to school for her master's in Applied Behavior Analysis at National University in 2018 and obtained her BCBA at the beginning of 2020, and joined the Sunderlin team in Portland in 2021. In her time in the field she has worked with kids and adults ages 2-25. She is passionate about a collaborative approach and working closely with all other providers for a child, to come up with the best possible treatment plan to give them the best outcome. She has seen firsthand how effective it can be to have different provider's working together for one common goal for each individual child. She hopes to go back to school to obtain a second master's degree in speech pathology in the near future.

Lauren Varney, MA, RBT

Senior Case Supervisor

     Lauren re-joined the Sunderlin LA team in August of 2019 after a year away from ABA to play professional basketball overseas.  She received her Bachelor’s of Art in Liberal Studies from San Francisco State University and has recently received her Master’s in Special Education in Applied Behavior Analysis at Arizona State University. She plans to sit for her BCBA exam in the fall. Lauren was introduced to the field of ABA as a PE teacher straight out of college and instantly fell in love with the field. Currently, she specializes in FCT, language PRT, and adapting strategies to decrease problem/rigid behaviors. She runs Sunderlin’s play-based social skills group weekly, and works individually with early intervention children and preteens to help self-manage and regulate emotions, as well as communicate their wants and needs in a more socially appropriate manner.

Katherine Diaz, MA, RBT

Case Supervisor

     Katherine obtained her Neuroscience and Behavior from Florida Atlantic University at the end of 2015. Unsure of her next pursuit, she looked for organizations that served my community. After spending time volunteering in group homes in South Florida, she became intrigued by a position in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). She has been in the field of ABA for four years, residing in the picturesque Northwest for the last three. Her commitment has grown to the completion of a Master's degree in Education with a concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis from Arizona State University, and she is currently preparing to sit for the exam to become an Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She joined the Sunderlin Portland team in 2020, and specializes in teaching verbal behavior in multiple languages.

Caroline Young, BA, RBT

Apprentice Supervisor

Caroline begin working with Sunderlin in 2021 when the company expanded to Boise, Idaho. She completed her undergraduate degree in Psychology at the University of Alaska Anchorage, where she did her practicum work in the Anchorage School District proving ABA services and learning how the science of behavior analysis can be applied to different settings. Caroline went on to receive h er Master’s in Special Education in Applied Behavior Analysis at Arizona State University and is currently pursing her BCBA.

David Soto

Lead Billing Specialist

     David took over the integral role of billing for Sunderlin in December of 2019.  After working in a bank overseeing tellers and performing audits, he found that his eye for detail helped him further develop his passion for working with numbers.  As a self-proclaimed math nerd, he found his calling in ABA billing 5 years ago and never looked back.  Working from Sunderlin's LA location, David’s current role at Sunderlin involves reviewing billing, submitting claims, talking directly to insurance companies, and checking benefits while striving each day for accurate and ethical billing.

Stephanie Bernardin

Intake Coordinator

     Stephanie joined Sunderlin in January of 2020 as a Behavior Therapist and administrative assistant. She is currently finishing her Associate’s Degree in Psychology at Moorpark College, and plans to move forward in pursuit of a Bachelor's Degree once she finished. After working at schools and volunteering for equine therapy programs, she found a deep appreciation for working with those with special needs and their families. Working from Sunderlin’s LA office, she guides new clients through the intake process for all locations and completes other administrative tasks. She has a great passion for ABA therapy and is happy to be clients first contact when beginning services at Sunderlin.  

Peter Rodheffer

Office Assistant/IT Specialist

     Peter joined the Sunderlin LA team in the summer of 2019 and has been growing with the company ever since.  Shortly after having been brought on as an office assistant, his ability to troubleshoot and resolve the agency’s technological issues quickly earned him a promotion to IT specialist.  In addition to IT related needs, Peter manages a variety of administrative responsibilities such as payroll and staff management. He is currently pursuing a Associate’s Degree in Computer Science at Pierce College in hopes of obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree in the future.