CLC Staff Members
Adminstration
Cindy Murphy, Executive Director
Cindy Murphy, M.S., BCBA earned her M.S. in Behavior Analysis and Therapy from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Ms. Murphy has been in the field of Special Education for 25 years working with individuals with disabilities from infancy through adulthood, in school, home and community settings, and in a various roles from interventionist, trainer, consultant, supervisor, and administrator. Ms. Murphy co-founded the Comprehensive Learning Center in 2000 and currently serves as the Executive Director.
Aileen Tschirlig, Junior Executive Director
Aileen Tschirlig, M.S., BCBA has been with CLC since 2008 and has 15+ years' experience working with individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Her experiences include working with students from 3-21 years of age and their families. Ms. Tschirlig has participated in various roles during her tenure at CLC from Instructor/Data Analyst/Home Programmer to Trainer, Co-Director of Education and now as the Center's Co-Clinical Director. Ms. Tschirlig holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology from Shippensburg University and a Master's Degree in Psychology with a specialization in Applied Behavior Analysis from Capella University.
Joanne Corless, Director of Development
Motivated by their desire to ensure that their son, AJ, received quality educational services, Joanne and her family founded The AJ Foundation For Children with Autism and its private school, The Comprehensive Learning Center (CLC). Click here to read more on The AJ Foundation's story.
What started as help for AJ grew into a school serving more than 50 families, including both children and adults on the autism spectrum. Joanne has served as the President of The AJ Foundation since its inception in 1997 and the Director of Development of CLC since its opening in 2000.
Before her role in both entities, Joanne was a Pediatric Oncology Nurse. She received her BSN from Villanova University in 1982 and began her nursing career at the Children's Hospital in Philadelphia before moving to NYC to work at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Hospital. In 1989 she relocated back to Bucks County and worked as a pool nurse for St. Mary's Hospital before ending her nursing career in 2000 to help develop, manage, and run The AJ Foundation and Comprehensive Learning Center.
Jennifer Decker, Director of Finance
Jennifer joined CLC in 2018. As the Director of Finance, Jennifer is responsible for all accounting work for CLC and AJF. She maintains the financial and budget records and produces financial reports. Jennifer is a certified public accountant and brings over 20 years of experience to CLC. She holds a bachelor of business in accounting from Temple University. In her free time, Jennifer enjoys reading and spending time with her family.
Matt Ward, Clinical Director
Matt Ward M.Ed., BCBA started at CLC in 2010 in the role of Instructor. His experience includes working with individuals from age three through adulthood. He has participated in various roles during his tenure at CLC from Instructor to Trainer overseeing one Module to Trainer overseeing two modules and now as the program’s Co-Clinical Director. Mr. Ward earned his Master of Education degree with a concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis from the University of Cincinnati in 2016. In 2017, he became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst through the Behavior Analyst Certification Board.
Emily Buckley, Clinical Director
Emily Buckley, M.S., BCBA, has over 10 years of experience working with individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder. She began her career at CLC in 2013 as an Instructor and has since advanced through roles including Trainer and, most recently, Clinical Director. Her experience supporting learners and their families spans a wide age range, from preschool through adulthood. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education from Penn State University and a Master's Degree in Special Education from Saint Joseph’s University. Additionally, Ms. Buckley completed the coursework required to become a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst at the University of West Florida.
Chris O’Toole, Director of Adult Life Skills
Chris O’Toole, M.S., BCBA, earned his Masters in Psychology from Capella University and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Chris has been part of the Comprehensive Learning Center for over 10 years, working with learners at school, in their communities and in their homes. Chris has taught skills that have enabled adult learners to obtain paid employment and to volunteer in a variety of settings, becoming valued members of their communities. Currently serving as the Director of the Adult Life Skills Program (ALSP), Chris continues to strive to make the lives of CLC's adult learners more independent and fulfilling.
Administrative Support
Marytheresa Reynolds
Marytheresa is responsible for implementing and maintaining statistical and student academic record information for the Education Program in accordance with the Department of Education laws and regulations. Other responsibilities include managing student enrollment, implementing district contracts, accounting support and maintaining the ALSP records. She enjoys her interactions with the students at CLC and spending time with her family.
Nicole Price
Nicole is the Development Coordinator at the Comprehensive Learning Center. She has experience leading youth-focused initiatives and prevention programs in Vermont, running social media, planning events and publishing press releases. Nicole received her B.A. in Communication from La Salle University, with a focus in Public Relations and minor in Art History. Nicole is driven by understanding others to create productive and positive relationships, and is pleased to be joining the CLC staff in 2022.
Beth Link
Beth is the receptionist at CLC. She has over 25 years of experience in Early Childhood Education, working as a director and teacher in two preschools. Beth has 3 daughters and 3 grandchildren. In her spare time she enjoys crafting and spending time with her grandchildren at the Jersey Shore.
Kristine Ropars
Kristine Ropars is the Administrative Coordinator at the Comprehensive Learning Center. She received her BA in Professional Writing at Chestnut Hill College in 2015. Kristine is extremely passionate about working in a school environment. She watched her mother, a now retired Pre-K teacher, mold the young minds of many young students for over 20 years. Kristine was inspired to find that enriching environment for herself and knows she discovered it with CLC.
Kim Martin
Kim joined CLC in 2018. She received her BS in Accounting from Drexel University. She has 30 years experience in the accounting field. She feels blessed to have found such an inspiring place to work and loves hearing about the learner’s success stories, She enjoys watching the Phillies, doing yoga, camping and spending time with her family.
Sarah Alpern-Kramer
Sarah is an administrative assistant at CLC. She brings over 25 years of customer service experience across child care, health care, and various administrative roles. Sarah is excited to contribute to CLC and looks forward and being a part of a very special place. Outside of work, Sarah enjoys music and sushi. She has a cat named Maisy and is a proud aunt to two nieces and two nephews.
Trainers
There is a trainer assigned to oversee student programming in each module. Trainers are responsible for providing hands-on training in the delivery of skill acquisition and behavior support interventions. In addition, Trainers provide guidance to instructional staff in writing individualized programs, graphing and analyzing data, and oversee support provided across settings through our family consultation services. CLC Trainers have a minimum of 5 years’ experience working with individuals with autism providing services based on the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis. All Trainers are either pursing or hold a Master’s Degree in a special education related field as well as certification as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.
Karina Bergandino
Tim Moran
Patty Feise
Megan Neavil
Julia MacGregor
Taylor Stek
Leanne Kochenberger
Rhiannon Abrahamsen
Instructional Staff
All instructional staff members at CLC hold a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in Special Education or in a related field. In addition to formal education, instructors receive ongoing hands-on training in research-based intervention techniques including but not limited to designing individualized skill acquisition and behavior reduction programs, collecting and analyzing data, and promoting generalization of new skills to home and community settings. Rigorous evaluations are conducted annually to ensure that all instructional staff members continue to possess the requisite skills for providing quality intervention services.
© 2021 Comprehensive Learning Center
Comprehensive Learning Center
444 Jacksonville Road, Warminster, PA 18974
info@clcschoolprograms.org / 215-956-3861
Tax ID: 23-3043139
The official registration and financial information of Comprehensive Learning Center may be obtained from The PA Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations by calling toll free 1-800-732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement.