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Jennifer (Jennie) Bobbitt, M.A., CCC/SLP, BCBA brings the service provider’s perspective to our organization. She graduated Towson State University (1998) with a Bachelor's in Speech/Language Pathology, and then graduated George Washington University in 2000 with a Masters Degree in Speech/Language Pathology.Jennie worked for two years at the National Speech/Language Therapy Center in Bethesda, MD before doing contracting services through ICAN of Washington and Dower and Associates, Inc.In 2003, she started her own business, Kids Communicating, LLC in Frederick, MD. Jennie started her work in the field as a home therapist during college and now is an ABA consultant utilizing B.F. Skinner's Analysis of Verbal Behavior. Jennie is Secretary of the Board of Directors and Vice-Chair of the Therapeutic Qualifications Committee.
Michael (Mike) L. Cady is likely best known asof the Board of Frederick County Commissioners from 2002-2006, but has many more accomplishments that include volunteer participation in several boards and commissions, as well as having owned three small businesses. Mike (a US Senior International Olympic Coach) formed the USA Weightlifting Strength Development Center in Frederick and, as a coach, volunteered more than 15,000 hours promoting a healthier life style for children. A current member of the Rotary Club of Frederick, Mike also tutored an autistic child for three years. Mike is married to wife Darlene Cady and is currently working with Frederick Nissan. He is the Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee
and the organization’s Parliamentarian.
V. Diann Devart is a project manager with a private government contractor supporting the DOE. She is the former assistant editor of The Gazette and a graduate of Leadership Frederick. Diann has contributed many hours of volunteer work and is passionate about helping children in our community. She chaired the Children’s Activity Area for the Festival of the Arts for several years and teaches classes and directs dramas for the youth of her church. Diann also co-chaired the promotions committee as an inaugural member of Brunswick Main Street’s Board of Directors and served as a committee member for the Advocates for Homeless Families annual fundraising event. She currently resides in Frederick and is looking forward to bringing her talents to the organization.
Margaret (Beth) Johnson is married to Kevin Johnson (9 years) and the mother of three boys. Hunter, age 6, was diagnosed with an ASD at age two. Beth credits early intervention therapies paid for by the Autism Waiver with Hunter learning to speak at age four. They are services she said her family could not have paid for, which is why she feels Teach Autistic Children Today is “crucial.” Beth is currently a member of the Brunswick, Maryland City Council, and is in charge of fundraising for ICare (International Cancer Alliance for Cancer Research and Education). She has volunteered with Special Olympics and as a Volunteer Coordinator for her older son’s school. Beth is the Chair of the Fundraising Committee.
Monica Kirkpatrick brings many years of experience with government funding and advocacy to our organization. She is the mother of a 15-year-old medically fragile daughter who is in the Model Waiver Program. Her daughter receives home hospital teaching services from Rock Creek School and receives support services through the ARC through her DDA budget. Monica completed the Maryland Health LEADers Program in May 2006, which was an 8-month leadership and advocacy project. She was the treasurer of the Rock Creek School PTA school year 2006-2007, which was its first year. She also has numerous years of experience both personally and professionally in the insurance field. Monica is Vice-President of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Financial Qualification Committee.
George Needle is a retired New York City Police Officer (1982) where he was a Union Delegate for eight of those years. He, along with his wife Carolyn and three sons, moved to Maryland two years later. George brings a long history of financial investment experience to our organization that includes current volunteer work as a member of the Board of Directors for the Park Place Homeowners Association in Worman’s Mill and a member of that board’s Budget and Finance Committee for the last five years. He is also President of the Beth Sholom Investment Club. George has seven grandchildren (one of them, five-year-old Lydia, is autistic) and is currently working with Shockley Honda. He is Treasurer of the Board of Directors and Vice-Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee.
Christine (Chris) Patterson is the founder of Teach Autistic Children Today. She is married to Frank Patterson (33 years), has two grown daughters and five grandchildren. Five-year-old grandchild, Lydia, is the reason she started thinking about what the community could do to help families battling autism. But it is volunteer work as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for two children with autism that gave her the final push to do something about it. Chris graduated from Hood College with a dual major in Psychology and Law & Society (2001) and has worked in mortgage banking, management and training, and the newspaper biz. Currently, a freelance writer, she also volunteers with the State’s Attorney’s Office Youthful Offender Program and Advocates for Homeless Families. Chris is President of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Administrative and Media Relations Committee.
Jeanna Riscigno is the Autism Committee Chair for the Frederick Community College (FCC) student organization Citizens for Humanity. Jeanna graduated FCC with an A.A. in Business Administration and is attending Towson University pursuing a B.F.A. in Dance Performance. She is the current Miss Frederick; has worked as a Behavioral Therapist at Monocacy Neurodevelopmental Center providing treatment to children with autism; anda dance instructor at 24/7 Dance Studio. Jeanna plans to one day own a dance studio featuring a dance therapy program for special needs children. She is in process of organizing a fund-raising walk to benefit TACT in 2008.