Board of Directors

Mrs. Antlitz received her R.N., BSN from the University of Maryland School of Nursing. During her ten years as a nurse, she worked as a Case Manager in the Bone Marrow Transplant Department for 4 years and 2 years with a practice that focused on treating children with autism and related disorders.  She then pursed a career in business administration and corporate operations. She has seven years of experience as a Business Manager, specializing in contracts and finance, and five years as Director of Operations for an Information Technology company.  She holds a certificate in Non-Profit Management. Over the past 16 years, she has attended numerous autism trainings, workshops, and conferences. Mrs. Antlitz became interested in the field of autism 16 years ago when her then 18- month-old son was diagnosed. Since then, she has become extremely involved in the community and serves as an advocate for all individuals with ASD.  

Chelsea Thomas Potarazu received her B.A. in Psychology from University of Maryland, College Park and her M.A. in Behavior Analysis from Florida Institute of Technology.  She is a licensed Behavior Analyst in the state of Maryland and Virginia. Ms. Potarazu has worked with families in the home, clinic, and community settings as well as worked with families across cultural and economic backgrounds. Since starting as a behavior technician, she has advanced her way through the ABA field in such positions as ABA trainer, Quality Assurance, and Clinical Supervisor. Ms. Potarazu previously worked as an ABA Director in Virginia at a for-profit ABA company who specialized on working with the underserved community within the Northern Virginia area. In addition to her work with families, Ms. Potarazu is also passionate about incorporating ABA into the workplace through OBM techniques and staff development.

Dr. Walklett is a licensed psychologist specializing in the treatment of children, adolescents, and young adults with autism spectrum disorders. She also has a wide range of experience working with children and adolescents who have a variety of anxiety disorders, attention deficit disorders, mood disorders, and behavioral concerns. She received a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park, before earning her Psy.D. from the California School of Professional Psychology, San Diego.  As a licensed psychologist, Dr. Walklett completed the graduate level BCBA course sequence through Florida Institute of Technology and completed 700 hours of supervised independent fieldwork. Dr. Walklett has joined the staff of the RISE for Autism Center where she provides social skills group therapy to children, adolescents, and young adults.  

Ms. Tomasi is originally from New Jersey where she received rigorous and extensive supervision and training at Alpine Learning Group, a non-profit program for individuals with autism, before moving to Maryland to work at Kennedy Krieger Institute. She received a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Delaware and received a Clinical and Counseling Master’s degree from William Paterson University. After completing a post-graduate course sequence at Florida Institute of Technology, she became certified and licensed as Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She is passionate about providing innovated ABA services to individuals with autism and is grateful for the opportunity to do so through the services provided by RISE for Autism. 

Ms. Urbanowicz, originally from New Jersey, received her B.A. in Psychology from William Paterson University and her M.A. in Applied Behavior Analysis from Georgian Court University. Before moving to MD, she received supervision under a BCBA within the New Jersey public school systems; in which ABA principles were incorporated into the self-contained curriculum. Ms. Urbanowicz previously worked at the IvyMount School, a private school program for individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities. She has also served as a consultant for a separate non-profit organization where she advocated and provided training on implementing inclusive practices within school settings.

Ms. Jahnigen received her undergraduate degree from Washington College and attended Arizona State University to obtain her masters in Curriculum and Instruction: Applied Behavior Analysis. Formerly, she served as the Program Coordinator at RISE for Autism and was tasked with planning inclusive events and family grants. Ms. Jahnigen has a special interest in treating teenagers with autism with challenging and sexual behaviors by teaching learners privacy and how to navigate their bodily changes in puberty. Ms. Jahnigen is thankful for the opportunity provided by RISE to grow into the BCBA position while receiving her fieldwork hours. 

Ms. Schroeder graduated from St. Mary's College with a bachelors in psychology and educational studies. She currently attends the University of Cincinnati in their Applied Behavior Analysis program. Ms. Schroeder has an extensive history of working with individuals with developmental disabilities. Prior to RISE for Autism, she worked as a resource teacher in St. Vincent through the Peace Corps. She has a special interest in treating individuals using the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) framework to utilize mindfulness strategies to create behavior change.