""We started seeing Sara in October 2017. My 3 year old son took to her right away (which he never does!) and really loved going to her! It's been amazing to see his development. When we started going, his speech was pretty incomprehensible; he left the ends off of most words and was struggling to say sounds in a consistent way. By February (non even 6 months later!) he's now almost completely understandable and we're getting SO MUCH SPONTANEOUS SPEECH. It's really wonderful, and we credit Sara with a big part of that. We highly recommend her!
-Mother/Attorney
who is reaching new heights?
Heather Closen is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) at Reaching New Heights. She earned her BA in psychology and early childhood education at the College of Wooster. During her seven years in roles ranging from classroom teacher to school administrator, Heather provided ABA services as a tutor during the after-school hours. Soon after, she decided that ABA therapy was her passion and pursued a M.Ed. degree with a focus in special education and behavioral interventions from Kent State University. Heather loves working with the children and their families and brings a unique perspective of both early childhood education and behavioral therapy to her sessions.
Heather lives in Lakewood with her husband, Kyle, two young sons, Brayden and Crosby, and cat, Mazel. Though she grew up in Michigan, Lakewood has become home and she can't imagine leaving. She loves spending time outdoors, especially during the summertime when she and her family go camping and visit the beach as often as possible. One of her favorite things about living in Cleveland is Playhouse Square and all the great shows that come through - she loves musicals!
Heather lives in Lakewood with her husband, Kyle, two young sons, Brayden and Crosby, and cat, Mazel. Though she grew up in Michigan, Lakewood has become home and she can't imagine leaving. She loves spending time outdoors, especially during the summertime when she and her family go camping and visit the beach as often as possible. One of her favorite things about living in Cleveland is Playhouse Square and all the great shows that come through - she loves musicals!
Heather holds licenses from:
- The Ohio Board of Psychology
- Behavior Analysis Certification Board
Laina Culley is an ABA tech at Reaching New Heights. Laina received her Bachelor’s degree in education from Ohio University, and spent the last couple years teaching in public schools and at Monarch Center for Autism. During these years, she developed a passion for behavior, where behavior comes from, and how it can be taught. She is now pursuing her Master’s at Cleveland State, and is completing coursework that fulfills requirements to become a BCBA! She is so happy every day she spends at RNH, and is thankful to be able to work side by side with such incredible, kind, loving people. When Laina is not at work, she enjoys spending time with her fur baby (a three-legged rescue dog named Champion), reading, and doing jigsaw puzzles. Laina also has a burning passion for Mexican food, and would eat it every single day if she could! She thoroughly enjoys getting to know the kiddos and parents and working as a team to teach and foster growth!
Jen Craig is an ABA tech at Reaching New Heights. Jen and Donna were co-workers in Solon City Schools and Donna knew she wanted her to be part of this new team. She has over 10 years of experience working with children, in grades K-12, including those with multiple disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorder. Jen was instrumental in facilitating social skills and language groups where she used behavioral management skills and tools including visual schedules, token economies, and augmentative communication devices. Jen worked with a multi-disciplinary team that included a BCBA, Intervention Specialist, School Psychologist, Speech Language Pathologist, Occupational Therapist, and Physical Therapist. Jen lights up when she sees a child succeed using the tools and strategies she has provided, and it is her passion to be able to help them reach their highest potential. When not at work, she can usually be found either snuggling with her cat Rosie or doing her son's laundry, as he is involved in track and field almost all year round. Jen also has a 19 yr old daughter who attends Ohio University.
Kara Miller is an ABA technologist at Reaching New Heights. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Communication Disorders at Baldwin Wallace University. After graduation, Kara worked for Akron Community Learning Centers and the Monarch Center for Autism as an associate teacher. Kara quickly learned she had a passion for making a difference in the field of special needs, specifically autism and behavior management.
Every day, Kara comes to work with a positive and enthusiastic attitude. When she is not at work, Kara enjoys playing volleyball, exploring local restaurants, and traveling to new places (mostly the beach!). She is so excited to be a new member of the RNH team!
Every day, Kara comes to work with a positive and enthusiastic attitude. When she is not at work, Kara enjoys playing volleyball, exploring local restaurants, and traveling to new places (mostly the beach!). She is so excited to be a new member of the RNH team!
Elexa Petrovic is a Registered Behavior Technician at Reaching New Heights. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Criminology with a minor in Psychology from Kent State University. During that time, she spent her senior year teaching a toddler classroom and found her love for the education field. Shortly after that, Elexa stumbled upon ABA through a Google search “jobs that change people’s lives”! This lead to her working in the field and enrolling as a graduate student at The University of Cincinnati where she will obtain her Masters of Education in Applied Behavior Analysis in August and will continue to work towards her BCBA certification soon after. Elexa loves teaching through play and is so excited to continue shaping little minds at Reaching New Heights!
Although Elexa was born and raised in Cleveland, she loves to travel! Elexa spent 5 months abroad in college and found a love of other cultures- especially their food! Elexa loves learning about animals and our Earth, so she spends anytime outside of ABA, pursuing that passion. You can find her anywhere that has good food, a beach, or animals!
Although Elexa was born and raised in Cleveland, she loves to travel! Elexa spent 5 months abroad in college and found a love of other cultures- especially their food! Elexa loves learning about animals and our Earth, so she spends anytime outside of ABA, pursuing that passion. You can find her anywhere that has good food, a beach, or animals!
Alex Clevenger is a Behavior Technician at Reaching New Heights. She received her bachelors degree in psychology at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). She always knew she wanted to help people but didn’t know exactly how. After working in a nursing home through college, she decided to take a leap and move to Cleveland from Pennsylvania. After working at Monarch Center for Autism she knew exactly how she could help people- applied behavior analysis! Alex is currently finishing up her masters degree in applied behavior analysis with an emphasis in autism at Ball State University.
When Alex isn’t working she loves to visit her family back in PA, specifically cheering on her youngest brother at his football games, hang out with her 2 cats, Roscoe and Leo, and loves going on vacation to explore new places with her fiancé David!
When Alex isn’t working she loves to visit her family back in PA, specifically cheering on her youngest brother at his football games, hang out with her 2 cats, Roscoe and Leo, and loves going on vacation to explore new places with her fiancé David!
Brittany Sterling is a Behavior Technician at Reaching New Heights. She is a graduate of Baldwin Wallace University where she studied Communication Disorders and Dance. During her clinical rotation in the program at BW, she completed her internship at the Cleveland Clinic Center for Autism. She fell in love with both the population and the impact early intervention has on the development and overall growth of students.
Brittany has serviced families various settings including classrooms, community and in the home. In addition to her part-time position with RNH, she is a dance teacher at three studios in the Cleveland area. Her classes currently focus on pre-k ballet, hip hop, tap, modern, jazz, and adapted/special needs classes to all ages.
Brittany is completing coursework towards her BCBA certification along with her master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a certification Dance/Movement Therapy at the Kinections institute in Rochester, NY. In 2017, she obtained her 200 hour Yoga Teacher Certification and enjoys practicing in her free time. Other hobbies include dancing (of course), cooking, playing soccer, DIY crafts, crossfit, and rollerblading.
Brittany has serviced families various settings including classrooms, community and in the home. In addition to her part-time position with RNH, she is a dance teacher at three studios in the Cleveland area. Her classes currently focus on pre-k ballet, hip hop, tap, modern, jazz, and adapted/special needs classes to all ages.
Brittany is completing coursework towards her BCBA certification along with her master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a certification Dance/Movement Therapy at the Kinections institute in Rochester, NY. In 2017, she obtained her 200 hour Yoga Teacher Certification and enjoys practicing in her free time. Other hobbies include dancing (of course), cooking, playing soccer, DIY crafts, crossfit, and rollerblading.
""We had tried speech and OT therapies for our kiddo for over 2 years at two other places, but our child didn’t make progress. I threw a lot of money away before I talked with Donna, the owner of Reaching New Heights. How she has handled our child is heartwarming and we see the light at the end of the tunnel. Her assessments and goals are to the point. She talks to you and understands you like a friend who means well. Donna works very hard and treats all her patients as her own children. She is the greatest!
We also started ABA therapy for potty training at RNH six weeks ago. Heather understood what would work for our child as soon as she met him. And guess what? Our kiddo just started going potty this week. She never ceases to amaze me with her knowledge. Love her!
The whole RNH team is very good at communication. We have worked with most of Donna's team and we have come to the conclusion that she hires only the best. Since we started going there we have had countless numbers of tear jerking moments because our child is now excelling at all the goals and milestones. Hats off to this group of professional and compassionate women!"
-Mother
