Stacey Beichler (formerly Herman), MS Ed, CESP
Assistant Vice President of Neurodiversity and Community Workforce Development
Phone: 570-650-1853
Stacey Beichler is the Assistant Vice President of Neurodiversity and Community Workforce Development at Kennedy Krieger Institute, where she is known as a visionary leader and catalyst for transformational change. She drives strategic initiatives that center on advancing equity, innovation, and access across the employment landscape. She is deeply committed to building high quality, research informed supports that empower individuals with disabilities to thrive in their communities and careers. Stacey is a nationally recognized force in advancing equitable and inclusive employment, she is shaping the future of how organizations hire, support, and empower neurodivergent talent.
A dynamic and forward thinking leader, Stacey oversees programs that design, evaluate, and scale effective models of inclusive employment. She is recognized for her ability to build high performing teams, inspire cross departmental collaboration, and guide organizations through complex systems change. By fostering a culture of continuous improvement and innovation, she ensures that services remain evidence based, person centered, and responsive to emerging community and employer needs.
Stacey leads the Institute’s Neurodiversity at Work initiatives, bringing employers, policymakers, and community partners together to advance equitable hiring practices and expand career pathways. Through strategic partnerships, stakeholder engagement, and employer training, she equips organizations to adopt inclusive workforce practices and strengthen strategies for recruiting, onboarding, and retaining neurodivergent talent. Her leadership extends into research translation and dissemination, helping bridge gaps between policy, practice, and real world implementation.
A committed advocate for access and equity, Stacey brings her leadership voice to several influential boards and committees. She serves as an appointed member of the Governor’s Workforce Development Board, where she chairs the Access and Equity Committee and leads efforts to embed inclusion across statewide workforce systems. Additionally, she serves on the board of Sunflower Bakery as Programs Committee Chair, contributes to the policy committee for the National Association of Private Special Education Centers (NAPSEC), and participates in numerous state and national workgroups dedicated to advancing disability inclusion, workforce innovation, and community access.
Stacey holds a degree in Inclusive Elementary and Special Education from Syracuse University and a Master of Science in Special Education from Johns Hopkins University, specializing in severe disabilities and autism. Her leadership has been recognized with honors including the Baltimore Business Journal’s 2019 Leader in Diversity award and The Daily Record's 2020 Leading Women recognition.
Driven by a clear vision for inclusive excellence, Stacey is committed to developing sustainable, scalable systems that amplify the strengths of individuals of all abilities, redefine how communities and employers deliver support, and transform society’s understanding of access—ensuring that opportunity is truly available to all.
Stacey is driven by a powerful belief: when communities and employers remove barriers and rethink access, society becomes stronger—and everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
Outside of her professional endeavors, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their three cats—Link, Midna, and Ganon.
Hannah Wayne, MSEd, BCBA
Director, Neurodiversity at Work
Email: WayneH@KennedyKrieger.org
Hannah has worked in the field of special education for 15 years, helping students and young adults with a variety of needs.
Hannah began her career at Kennedy Krieger Institute's Center for Autism Services, Science and Innovation (CASSI™, formerly known as the Center for Autism and Related Disorders, or CARD), where her experience as a therapeutic assistant with preschool aged children sparked a passion to pursue a career in special education. Hannah has since acted in many roles at Kennedy Krieger School: Montgomery County Campus, including program aide, teacher, lead/mentor teacher, transition coordinator, and most recently, assistant principal.
Hannah graduated from Dickinson College with a BA in Psychology. She earned a Master’s Degree in Special Education from The Johns Hopkins University and a Post-Master's Certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis from The Johns Hopkins University.
Hannah is passionate about working with young adults and their families, developing new partnerships in the local community, and mentoring staff. Hannah is thrilled to be joining the Meaning Community Services team and looks forward to meeting everyone who is a part of this dynamic community!
Rebecca Colangelo, EdD
Director Strategic Partnerships Research Operations
Email: Colangelo@KennedyKrieger.org
Dr. Becca Colangelo is the director of strategic partnerships. research, and operations in the Neurodiversity at Work department at Kennedy Krieger Institute. In this role, she oversees the recruitment of Neurodiversity at Work staff, works with local universities to provide meaningful internship experiences for college students, and advances departmental research initiatives. In 2018, Dr. Colangelo completed her doctorate in Educational Leadership from Drexel University. Her research explored the transitional challenges that families face when adolescents with more severe diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder transition from traditional school settings to placements with adult service agencies. In addition to her role as the director, Becca has served as an adjunct faculty member for Towson University and the University of Maryland.
Rachel Tracz
Manager of Meaningful Day Services
TraczR@KennedyKrieger.org
Rachel is passionate about providing equitable opportunities for all individuals, evidenced by her decade long career in public education. She served as a general education classroom teacher for many years, focusing on creating differentiated and rich experiences for her students. Through her experiences as a teacher she uncovered an additional passion for leadership and helping to enact change on a larger scale. This pushed her to pursue a master’s degree in Education Leadership from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. Most recently, Rachel has served as the assistant principal of a large elementary school outside of Richmond, Virginia. This position allowed her to hone her leadership skills and put programming in place that supported student growth and success.
Rachel has recently relocated to the Baltimore area with her family and is thrilled to be joining the Meaningful Community Services team at Kennedy Krieger Institute. She is excited for the opportunity to combine her passions of equity and leadership into this new role. She looks forward to serving the Meaningful Community Services community and making a difference in the lives of the community members she serves.
The CORE Foundations Team
- Toni Massimo, Meaningful Day Services Coordinator
- Kaitlin Waybright, Meaningful Day Services Coordinator
- Austin Sibanda, Community Development Specialist
- Tierra Taylor, Community Development Specialist
- Kendra McCoy, Community Development Specialist
- Amber Levinski, Community Development Specialist
- Lucy Wilson, Community Development Specialist
- Adeniyi Falodun, Community Development Specialist
- Irvin Johnson, Community Development Specialist
- Noah Haas, Community Development Specialist
- Jacob Martin, Community Development Specialist
- Taschell Reaves, Community Development Specialist
- Anarri King, Community Development Specialist
Mark Butler
Admissions and Compliance Manager, Meaningful Community Services
Email: ButlerMar@KennedyKrieger.org
As a Baltimore native, Mark received his start in the human services field as a Registered Behavioral Therapist at The Shafer Center in Owings Mills, Maryland, providing support for children on the autism spectrum. This role allowed him to grow his skills while deeply understanding the wants and needs of his clients both at home and in the community. After relocating to Pennsylvania, Mark has spent the last 5 years continuing to cultivate his skills by providing home and community based services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. While at this agency, Mark climbed the internal ranks from Direct Support Professional to IDD Program Director all while positively impacting the lives of dozens of consumers in his area and supporting his staff.
Mark is excited to return to Baltimore and serve the community that he grew up in. With over 8 years of experience, Mark is passionate about providing skills and opportunities to lead independent and fulfilling lives for individuals of all abilities. When he's not in the office, you can find Mark enjoying all that Maryland has to offer by hiking, biking, camping and expressing his creative side through photography and drawing.
Administrative
Sumaiyah Mahmoodi, MHA
Neurodiversity at Work Project Coordinator
Email: Mahmoodi@KennedyKrieger.org
Sumaiyah Mahmoodi is a Project Coordinator for the Neurodiversity at Work Department. She first joined Kennedy Krieger Institute in 2020 as a Trainee, returning in 2021 as an Administrative Coordinator for the Neurodiversity at Work Department. She earned her Master of Health Administration from the University of Maryland in 2025.
In her current role, Sumaiyah oversees staff training compliance, coordinates the department’s training and educational services, and collaborates closely with leadership and team members on a variety of departmental initiatives, including collaborating on the Neurodiversity at Work National Conference and helps coordinate the annual Take Your Legislator to Work Day event held every October. She further enhances departmental operations by providing technical assistance for Apricot Social Solutions, the data‑collection platform that supports program reporting and workflow tracking. She is deeply dedicated to advancing the mission of Neurodiversity at Work and supporting meaningful opportunities for neurodivergent individuals.
Maeve Snyder, MEd
Neurodiversity at Work Project Coordinator
Email: CoakleyM@KennedyKrieger.org
Maeve Snyder is a Project Coordinator for the Neurodiversity at Work department at Kennedy Krieger Institute, where she specializes in event coordination and strategic planning. Since joining the team in 2023, she has played an integral role in planning and executing a wide range of initiatives, including the annual Neurodiversity in the Workplace National Conference. Working closely with leadership, she supports all phases of event production—from initial concept development and logistics management to on-site coordination and post-event follow-up.
In her role, Maeve leads and supports event planning efforts across the department, coordinating internal staff events, external partner engagements, community-facing events, and fundraising initiatives, and assists with project coordination and cross-department collaboration for broader Kennedy Krieger Institute events. Maeve is committed to creating engaging, mission-driven events that strengthen community connection and advance the work of Neurodiversity at Work.
- Yarelyn Turcios, Administrative Services Coordinator II
Barbara Obst MSEd,BSN,NCSN
CORE Foundations DDA Nurse
Barbara Obst has been the coordinator of the Specialized Health Care Interagency Collaboration Program (SHNIC) at Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, Maryland for over 20 years. She has over 45 years of experience working with children and adults with specialized health needs in various settings including therapeutic foster care. She is a graduate of Russell Sage College in Troy, NY, with a BS in Nursing 1974, and Johns Hopkins University with a Master’s of Science in Education in 1993. She has been a clinical instructor at various colleges including Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. She also was an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins School of Education. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau and is nationally certified in School Nursing. She has presented at NASN, PENS, CEC National Conferences as well as state conferences on various topics related to students with special health needs and the impact in their ability to learn. She has been published in various journals related to school health nursing and rehabilitation nursing. She is a Case Manager/Delegating Nurse in the DDA of Maryland and has provided training in the past for nurses in DDA of Maryland.
Julia O’Connor
Assistant Professor, Director of Day Treatment Services, NBU-OP
Behavioral Psychology
Dr. Julia O'Connor is a research scientist and psychologist at Kennedy Krieger Institute. She is the director of day treatment services for the Neurobehavioral Unit Outpatient Clinic in the Department of Behavioral Psychology and an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She completed her master's and doctoral training at the State University of New York in Binghamton in clinical psychology where she worked with children with autism and pervasive developmental disorders. She then completed her pre-doctoral internship at Kennedy Krieger Institute and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine to focus on working with developmentally disabled children who display severe behavior problems.
Dr. O'Connor accepted a faculty position in the Neurobehavioral Outpatient Clinic in the Behavioral Psychology Department at Kennedy Krieger institute in 1994. She is a member of the Association for Behavior Analysis and the Maryland Association for Behavior Analysis. She is currently a licensed psychologist in Maryland and a psychologist at Kennedy Krieger Institute.
Dr. O'Connor's research has focused on the assessment and treatment of severe behavior problems including self-injury, aggression, pica, property destruction and other problem behaviors exhibited by individuals with developmental disabilities. Dr. O’Connor provides behavior support and oversite for individuals participating in Project SEARCH.
Megan Meck, MS
Program Coordinator
Maryland Center for Developmental Disabilities at Kennedy Krieger Institute
Megan is an alumna of Towson University’s undergraduate and graduate Health Science’s program where she earned her B.S. and M.S. in Community Health Science. Megan serves as a program coordinator at the Maryland Center for Developmental Disabilities (MCDD) at Kennedy Krieger Institute, one of 67 University Centers of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. After completing the MCDD’s pre-service training program in 2012, Megan worked in a number of departments at Kennedy Krieger until returning to the MCDD as a full-time employee in 2014. Her love of data-driven practice has landed her an active role in providing data system development and technical assistance across all MCDD projects and personnel, through the use of Apricot. In addition, Megan has lead and managed system builds, implementation, and training across other projects at the Institute and to external organizations.