Florida Autism LegislationOn May 2, 2008, the Florida House and Senate enacted Senate Bill 2654 entitled “Relating...read on...Company
About our Management Team
Charlotte Fudge, MSN, RN, BCBA®
Co-Founder and Executive Director
Mrs. Fudge is co-founder and executive director of Butterfly Effects, LLC. She helped co-found Butterfly Effects with the mission of researching and developing the most effective educational, behavioral practices in use today and the most efficient means of delivering them. This system would allow those in need access to the very best services in the most cost effective way possible. She is currently attending Nova Southeastern University where she is enrolled in their Doctorate of Special Education Program. She has a Master of Science degree in Nursing with a focus on Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) from Florida Atlantic University and she currently holds dual certification as a Board Certified Associate Behavior Analyst and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst as well as a Florida Registered Nurse. She began her studies at Northeastern University in Boston, MA where she successfully completed the May Institute's ABA training program. She has since studied at the University of North Texas and University of St. Cloud Minnesota.Mrs. Fudge has provided behavioral, educational consultation services to public/private schools and home programs in both the greater Boston as well as many areas in Florida. When not busy teaching or speaking she spends time with her other two passions, her two sons, Kenneth and Duncan, and her husband Michael.
Michael Penman
CEO, Co-Founder
A passionate advocate of equal education for all children Michael understands the difficulty of creating a standardized approach to learning, especially those with disabilities, behavioral and learning problems. He feels that every person has a different way of learning and it is up to us as educators to find and nurture each person's unique way of learning. Michael's goal here at Butterfly Effects is to foster that excitement amongst teachers and build a company that cultivates unique programs and teaching methods for each person, leveraging the power of technology to reduce the cost and increase the effectiveness of each program. Michael Penman was born and raised in South Africa and came to the United States in 1987 on a tennis scholarship, playing first for Lees McRae College and then for the Longhorns at the University of Texas. After a 4 year stint as a professional tennis player, Michael settled in Atlanta Georgia, where he became one of the first Atlanta Bread Company franchisees with his long time friend and doubles partner, Mark Lupton-Smith. Together the two became responsible for improving and streamlining systems and eventually had 4 of their stores as the top grossing stores in the whole Atlanta Bread Company chain. After selling his stake in 1998 Michael moved to Sarasota Florida where entered the world of technology starting MethodFactory, Inc. in 2000. After weathering the collapse of the technology sector in 2001 through 2003 he was bought out by 4 of the minority partners in 2004. A majority investment in a small vending and coffee company lead Michael to South Florida where as an advisor he helped develop it into one of the fastest growing coffee and vending services company which was eventually acquired by a larger company. Michael is married with two boys. Michael is an avid pilot and sailor who also enjoys kite boarding and promoting green technology.
Andre Refay
Chief Technology Officer, Co-Founder
In early 2000, Andre met with Michael Penman at MethodFactory, inquiring about a technical programming position. Rumor has it that Andre was given a position and an ownership stake without even having to show or write a line of code. It was at MethodFactory that Andre quickly showed his brilliance not only as a programmer but also as an infrastructure architect with a true understanding of the need for applications to support the business and not the other way around. He is considered by many to be one of the most complete all round programmers who is as comfortable in layout and design as he is in intricate application development.
After MethodFactory was bought by the management team, Andre founded PhoneDog, LLC (www.phonedog.com) with Tom Klein. Andre and his team have grown the company to its current position as the largest un-biased telecom product review and comparison site on the web, used by such clients as cNET. Andre was instrumental in developing the logic and process for the comparison software that powers PhoneDog’s comparison reviews.
It was Andre’s father Hassan who encouraged Andre to learn more about the behavioral problems that children and their families face on a daily basis. Andre’s father, Hassan is a German sports psychologist and a children's book author with 86 publications and over one million copies sold. When Andre met with Michael and Charlotte as they were considering starting Butterfly Effects he was instrumental in persuading and now helping to develop a systematic, data driven approach to developing programs, treatments and services for people and their families with all types of behavioral needs.
Andre Refay is a self taught pianist who has a passion for cars and airplanes and is the chief motivator behind the companies push towards purchasing an all electric vehicle. When not working on software he can be found either flying in Tom’s Cirrus SR22 or driving his Carrera around Charleston South Carolina, his home base.
Allison Ballin, MS, BCBA®
Director of School Services
Allison Ballin is described by many ‘as the passionate one’. When Allison met with Michael Penman and Charlotte Fudge to discuss her role as Director of School Services it quickly became evident that this was a challenge she could not pass up. Allison has worked as a Special Education teacher and consultant for many years. Her depth of experience has allowed her to work with children across the spectrum from those with autism, language delays and impairments to children with deafness and multiple handicaps. Allison also has extensive experience in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis and has worked on multiple programs in the development and implementation of curriculums and educational plans.
Allison spent the majority of her time working in New York where she honed her skills consulting with parents, social workers, speech therapists, psychologists, behavior and occupational therapists. After moving to Boca Raton with her family she realized that she would have the greatest impact on children’s lives by developing and setting up school based inclusion programs and curriculums based using her depth of knowledge in special education. Allison is now instrumental in rolling out our School Programs in 4 major markets including Sarasota/Tampa, Jacksonville, Raleigh, as well as in the South Florida area.
Allison has her Masters Degree in Special Education from Hunter College, is fluent in American Sign Language, and completed her training as a behavior analyst through Penn State. When not developing revolutionary school curriculums, Allison enjoys spending time at the beach with her two children.
Deb Leach, EdD, BCBA®
Director of Continuing Education
Dr. Deb Leach currently services as Butterfly Effects Director of Continuing Education and Developement. She serves as the organizations Approved Continuing Education Coordinator (ACE) for the Behavior Analyst Certification Board, Inc.® (BACB®) and is responsible for the development and oversight of our CE courses offered to BCBA® and BCABA®s. Dr. Leach has been very influential in the development of the online platform. She is currently working on developing parent education courses that will be available online to reach those who need the information most.
When not busy developing courses for Butterfly Effects, Dr. Leach serves as an Assistant Professor at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina in the Curriculum and Instruction Department. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA®) who has been working with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families for over 13 years. She received her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Exceptional Student Education from the University of Florida. She then went on to complete her doctorate in Exceptional Student Education with specialization in autism and early intervention from Florida Atlantic University.
Dr. Leach previously served as the Associate Director for the Florida Atlantic University Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD) providing professional development to school staff and community groups and support to families to promote best practices in meeting the needs of individuals with ASD. She has also served as a public school teacher working in a multitude of inclusive settings with children with diverse needs and abilities. Her research interests and practice focus on natural environment behavioral intervention and promoting effective inclusion for students with autism spectrum disorders. Butterfly Effects feels fortunate to have such an expert in education and Applied Behavior Analysis on board.
Tara Mills, M.A., M.S.
Area Manager
Tara Mills began her career in behavior analysis while attending the University of California at Davis. She received her Bachelor's degree in Psychology in 2000 and while pursuing her Master's degree in Psychology, became a full-time Behavior Consultant working primarily with children diagnosed with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder). Ms. Mills further continued her education by earning her second Master's degree in Education, with an emphasis in Special Education from California State University, Sacramento. Tara is currently enrolled in the Professional Development Program at Florida Institute of Technology approved by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (TM). She is currently completing the application process to begin studies for her Doctorate in Education in the Fall of 09.
West Coast Florida
During Tara's nine years working as a behaviorist in California, she assessed the needs of over 150 children, designing early intervention programs based on the principles of ABA and B.F. Skinner's verbal behavior. Ms. Mills has presented her original research at the International ABA conference in Boston, MA; the California ABA conference in San Francisco, CA; and at the National McNair's Scholars' conferences in Davis, CA and Delevan, WI.
After moving to Florida in the summer of 2007 and enjoying a brief stint as a stay at home mom, Tara felt the need to once again be doing the work she loves. Being part of a team that helps make changes that are small and yet are so profound and lasting is something she feels lucky to be doing. She found Butterfly Effects by chance and believed it was a perfect fit. She was hired in the fall of 2007 and served briefly as an Implementer while learning the unique online platform at Butterfly. A short month later, Tara was promoted to Program Developer, the first for the newly created West Coast office.
Ms. Mills has recently been promoted to Area Manager for the West Coast and hopes to spread the word about Butterfly Effects so that more families can enjoy the benefits. When not working, Tara enjoys spending time at the beach with her husband, her elusive teenage daughter and son, and her new baby boy.
Jill Pignatiello, BCABA®
Area Manager
Jill brings with her to the Butterfly Effects Program East Coast Developement Team over 8 years of experience in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis. She is described by her team members as an excellent communicator with an incredible passion for teaching. Miss Pignatiello's studies began at the University of Florida where she had the opportunity to study under renowned professors in the field of ABA, such as Dr. Iwata, Dr. Pennypacker and Dr. Vollmer. After graduating she persued training to become a Board Certified Associate Behavior Analyst (TM) and received certification in 2003. After living in Maryland, New Jersey, and Texas, Jill finally returned to where she grew up in South Florida in 2007 to join the Butterfly Effects Organization.
East Coast Florida
Miss Pignatiello's past experience includes work as an associate behavior analyst providing services to individuals with developmental disabilities in the home, residential, in patient mental health, and group living settings. Her responsibilities included authoring behavior reduction and skill acquisition plans, training caregivers in program implementation, and monitoring on going services. She has also worked as a special education teacher for three years at the Bancroft School in South Jersey and a director of a school in Texas for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Miss Pignatiello is an engaging speaker and has provided numerous parent and staff trainings in the areas of behavior reduction, language, social and self-help skills.
Her wide array of experiences and skills has made Miss Pignatiello one of Butterfly Effects most influential figures on the Management Team. In her effort to keep the platform as cutting edge as possible, Jill is constantly presenting the team with new ways to enahnce our current service delivery model. It can be concluded that the Butterfly Effects Organization would not have the same drive to improve and inspire without Miss Pignatiello on board.
Mitzie P. Henson, BSN, RN
Vice President Sales and Marketing
Mitzie eagerly accepted the offer to start the Florida West Coast office of Butterfly Effects. Having been a previous business partner of Michael Penman, the CEO and Co-Founder, she knew the expertise was in place to expand this very successful business model to Florida's West Coast. Mitzie has a Bachelors of Science degree in Nursing, but left that field to pursue her natural talent for sales and marketing. In the late 1980s, she joined Genentech, the world's first biotechnology pharmaceutical company. Over the next ten years, Mitzie helped grow Genentech into the largest biotechnology company in the United States. She held a number of sales positions in various regions and was consistently a top performer in the sales force. She left her position as Clinical Marketing Specialist in 1997 to care for her two young children.
During the next ten years, Mitzie helped start, manage, and market two successful medical practices and co-founded an online weight loss and nutritional counseling company.
Joining the Butterfly Effects team is the perfect fit for Mitzie. She can combine her clinical background with her sales and marketing experience to introduce Butterfly Effects to markets where behavioral services are badly needed. Insuring that families, schools, physicians, and other health care professionals are aware of the cutting edge behavioral and educational programs provided by Butterfly Effects, is Mitzie's mission and new passion.
When Mitzie isn't working, she can usually be found on soccer fields, tennis courts, and volleyball courts cheering for her 13 year old son and 10 year old daughter. She is also an avid hiker, loves to rock and ice climb and enjoys scuba diving.
