Welcome to Ad Astra

LeeAnna is passionate about helping others, driven by the challenges and difficult circumstances she has personally faced. Her own experiences have cultivated a motivation to make a positive impact in the lives of others, believing that offering support and understanding can create a meaningful difference, fostering resilience and hope. LeeAnna’s journey has fueled a strong commitment to helping those navigating similar paths, and she is dedicated to contributing to a community where compassion and assistance thrive.

In the realm of STEM, LeeAnna finds her curiosity sparked and a space for creative problem-solving and innovation. What excites her most is the potential for a positive impact on society. STEM is where LeeAnna’s inquisitive nature meets the opportunity to make a meaningful difference, aligning perfectly with her commitment to helping others.

Beyond her passion for ABA, LeeAnna discovers joy in outdoor pursuits like hiking, snowboarding, and backpacking. An avid traveler, she loves exploring new places and trying new things. LeeAnna’s goal is to share and disseminate the knowledge of ABA, extending its applications beyond the conventional, all while embracing the outdoors and her adventurous spirit.

Valerie’s passion for ABA can be traced back to her pre-professional days. Whether as a member of a volunteer program for children in special education or as an aunt to a nephew on the spectrum, she’s been intrigued by this field from the start. The reason? She likes analyzing people, understanding what makes a person click, and creating lasting behavior change.

Valerie have been in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) for 5 years. She started as a Behavior Technician where she fell in love with the field. From there, she moved on to a supervisory role where she was in charge of client programming and parent training. Valerie went on to obtain a Master’s in ABA and has since become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.

Outside of the office, she enjoys getting lost in a great book and labels herself, a bad, but enthusiastic calligrapher. She’s fluent in Spanish, but loves to dabble in other languages. She’s an unashamed Disney adult with a vast knowledge of all things Disney. Valerie’s a sucker for punny jokes, so she’ll leave you with her favorite–Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?

Growing up with an older brother with special needs and not able to receive the help he needed, Stephanie became determined to go to school and enter the field of psychology to help others like him. During her time at CSUSB she was able to take her first step and become a BT in the ABA field. After her very first session she felt that this was the exact field she needed to be in and went on to work in the home and school settings working directly with clients and being able to advocate for them as well.

Stephanie has worked with children directly for three years in both the home and school settings, and enjoys the rewards and challenges in each setting. In her role as an administrator she is able to assist the kiddos make progress on a global scale by ensuring schedules are optimized and communication with staff and families are maintained.

Some of her personal interests are volunteer work in her community serving in gardening, door to door food distribution and educating the community of the benefits of composting and how it helps maintain our local community gardens.

With over 15 years in the field of ABA and a love of learning, Alfredo Montiel created and developed Ad Astra Behavior Analytic Services with the idea of blending Applied Behavior Analysis with other sciences, specifically S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). The concept of Ad Astra BAS was born many years ago when Alfredo noticed a significant disconnect in the utilization and knowledge of current technology within most ABA companies. This is not meaning the use of the latest and greatest high tech equipment but more so in understanding how current technology trends deeply impact the individuals and families we work with.

Although the majority of our services are based on a medical necessity, the educational concepts of S.T.E.M. also play a key role with long term individual independence and accessibility to resources. Ad Astra BAS strives to incorporate these concepts, when optimal and ethical, within its practice of behavior analysis in order to produce long term individual changes beyond tomorrow!

On his spare time, Alfredo enjoys spending time with his wife and two young daughters. He enjoys creating and building various play activities and structures for his kids and showing them how things work.

Skylar has always had a love of science and teaching. She’s been in the ABA field for five years now and is working towards her BCBA. She’s most passionate about functional communication training and empowering others to find and use their voice. She has worked with children in a variety of environments and roles throughout her life. In the ABA field she has supported children as a technician and case manager in homes, classrooms, clinics, and the community.

In her spare time, she enjoys hiking and traveling.

Lizette has always had a passion for being a part of something bigger and more meaningful. She was not sure where or how, but as she got exposed to the field of ABA-being a resource for families and helping make a difference in peoples lives -is what gave her a sense of fulfillment and purpose.

One day she would love to make a difference in underdeveloped communities expanding her knowledge in Applied Behavior Analysis. She has been exposed to rural locations with a need for ABA knowledge and no access, everyone deserves a better quality of life.

When Lizette is not out in the field or working behind a computer you can find her enjoying nature on a hike, exploring new places, and traveling to different cities, states, and countries. She loves to experience new cultures and learning through the world around her. She also enjoys photography while doing all of the above.

Her enthusiasm and drive to succeed as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) have been influenced by experiences over the last eight years of her life. In 2013, her son was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and she became determined to help him in every way imaginable. Researching the available literature, becoming involved within the autism community, and networking with the large number of supportive parents with special needs children, she was fascinated by the importance and the power of early intervention. ABA therapy has greatly helped her child discover his individual gifts and talents, and is continuously helping him reach his full potential. It also provided her with an aspiration to learn more. In 2016 she enrolled in a master’s program at Arizona State University to obtain a degree in special education with an emphasis in applied behavior analysis and in 2020, she became a BCBA. Her ultimate goal is to make meaningful changes not only in the clients that we serve, but their families as well.

As a BCBA, she has worked with clients from infancy through adulthood. In the last 5 years, working in the field of ABA, she has participated in many different roles such as a registered behavior technician (RBT) providing individualized 1:1 therapy, social skills leader for preschool and elementary school-aged clients in the clinical setting, program supervisor, and behavior analyst in both home and school settings.

As relationships are very important to her, she finds a good life-work balance by spending time with her family and friends. On the other hand, photography is her artistic output that allows her to express her creative side and she enjoys capturing beautiful images of the things she loves – family, animals, and nature.