Amy M. Wetherby, PhD, CCC-SLP, is a Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences in the College of Medicine at Florida State University (FSU). Dr. Wetherby is a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association with over 45 years of clinical experience and recognized for her distinguished contributions with Honors of the Association Award. She was the Executive Director of the FSU Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD) from 1994 – 2025 and served on the National Academy of Sciences Committee for Educational Interventions for Children with Autism and the DSM-5 Neurodevelopmental Workgroup of the American Psychiatric Association, which revised the diagnostic criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other developmental disorders for the 5th edition of the DSM. She is Project Director of the FIRST WORDS Project, a longitudinal research investigation on early detection of communication delay and ASD, funded by the US DOED, NIH, and CDC. Dr. Wetherby was Principal Investigator (PI) of two randomized controlled trials (RCTs), an efficacy study of the Early Social Interaction (ESI) model to teach parents of toddlers with ASD how to embed intervention strategies into everyday activities funded by NIMH, and another efficacy study training teachers to support communication of students with ASD in the classroom funded by US DOED. She was PI at FSU for a collaborative research site in the HRSA-funded Autism Intervention Research Network on Behavior Health.

Dr. Wetherby brings unique research and clinical expertise infusing technology to improve early detection, parent-mediated early intervention, and classroom strategies and supports. She has extensive experience developing and implementing screening tools for ASD and communication delays in large population-based samples of children 9-24 months of age, which has culminated in the development of Baby Navigator™. She also has experience directing multisite RCTs. She was lead investigator of an RCT that is part of the Emory University Autism Center of Excellence to test the efficacy of teaching parents of infants with early signs of ASD how to embed evidence-based intervention strategies into everyday activities. She was co-developer of Autism Navigator®, an innovative collection of online tools and courses designed to bridge the gap between science and community practice using a highly interactive web platform with extensive video footage to illustrate effective evidence-based practice. She was PI on an Autism Center of Excellence Network—the ACE ACTION Network, that blended clinical effectiveness and implementation research designs to study individual and combined effects of 2 evidence-based interventions in real world settings. She was PI on a collaborative research project to implement an effectiveness RCT of Mobile Coaching with the ESI model for parents of toddlers with ASD identified at 18 months. The overarching goal of the collective efforts of Dr. Wetherby’s research is to build the capacity of healthcare and education systems to improve early detection and provide access to cost-efficient evidence-based early intervention and classroom education that is feasible for far-reaching community implementation.

Charly Nottke, MS, has her Master’s Degree in Special Education. She is the Assistant Director of Early Detection and Prevention. Ms. Nottke has clinical and research training administering the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) and the Systematic Observation Rating of Features of Autism (SORF). She has extensive experience evaluating and diagnosing very young children with autism and developmental delay. With nearly 30 years of experience working with young children with autism, developmental disabilities, and behavioral challenges, she brings extensive expertise in early diagnostic evaluation, family-centered practice, and training of future professionals.

Renee Daly Holland, MS, CCC-SLP, is the Assistant Director of Early Intervention Services at Autism Navigator. She has a Master’s degree in Communication Science and Disorders and is a Speech-Language Pathologist with a certificate of clinical competence with ASHA. She serves as an Autism Navigator Master Coach and Global Trainer. Renee has over 27 years of experience as a Speech-Language Pathologist in home, school and clinic settings, and has been involved in autism intervention research at FSU for the past 15 years.

Joy Moore, MS, CCC-SLP, has a Master’s degree in Communication Science and Disorders and is a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) with a certificate of clinical competence with ASHA. She serves as a Master Coach and Global Trainer for the Early Social Interaction Project at the Florida State University College of Medicine. She has over 36 years of clinical experience as an SLP and has been involved with autism research at Florida State University for the past 15 years.

Patricia Armstrong , MSW, has her Master’s degree in Social Work. She serves as a Master Coach and Global Trainer for Autism Navigator at the FSU College of Medicine. She has 17 years of experience in Autism research training parents and professionals in the Early Social Interaction (ESI) intervention model. She has over 25 years of clinical experience in early intervention and Social Work focused on home and community-based services.

Laura Rosenthal has decades of experience guiding families of children with concerns about autism and communication delays through the screening and diagnostic process.

Catherine B. Zenko, MS, CCC-SLP, has worked with individuals on the autism spectrum for over 26 years. In 2016, she became the Director of the FSU Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD) after working for 16 years at the University of Florida CARD. Mrs. Zenko has served hundreds of persons with autism, their families, and caregivers and has conducted hundreds of trainings on local, regional, and national levels on a wide range of topics related to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). She is co-author of three books on understanding and providing intervention for children with autism.

Lerena Fleck, MS, has her Master’s degree in Special Education. She is an autism consultant for the FSU Center of Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD) at the Florida State University College of Medicine with over 10 years of experience working with children with autism. She is also involved in autism intervention research. Prior to joining FSU CARD, she taught with the public school system as an early childhood special educator for over 20 years.

Atma Maris, M.A. is a Clinical Diagnostician at Autism Navigator. She has worked with children and families for more than four decades as a teacher, therapist, and behavioral specialist, with the past twenty years dedicated to specializing in autism. Atma also taught in the Psychology Department at the University of Hawai‘i for twenty years. Her work centers on guiding families with practical insight and warmth, drawing on her expertise in early diagnosis and her commitment to clear, supportive communication.

Stephanie Moore, M.A., CCC/SLP, is a diagnostician with nearly 20 years of experience as a speech-language pathologist. Her professional career has focused on collaborating with families and intervention teams to provide whole child centered services to children on the autism spectrum. Stephanie is a staunch advocate for early intervention and is passionate about working with children and their families to develop a trust-based relationship to promote a child’s social, emotional, behavioral, and academic success.

Amy M. Wetherby is a Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences at the Florida State University College of Medicine and the Laurel Schendel Professor of Communication Disorders in the Florida State University College of Communication and Information.

Cara North, PMP is the Director of Management and Operations at Autism Navigator. She is a certified Project Management Professional with over 20 years of experience leading IT development projects in both public and private sectors.

Marc Nottke is the Information Technology Projects Director at Autism Navigator. He has over 20 years of experience as a business systems analyst in the healthcare and insurance industries and 10 years as Director of IT projects. Marc especially enjoys his creative role in the conceptualization and design of new technologies at the Institute.

Hector Holguin is the Lead Software Engineer at Autism Navigator. He has over 25 years of software engineering experience across multiple industries and research institutions. He is passionate about creating software solutions to enhance accessibility to education and healthcare across various socio-economic groups. Hector has a BS in Systems Engineering from the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM).

Askia Jones is the web and app designer. Askia draws upon more than 20 years of experience in graphic design, branding, and advertising to design dynamic digital solutions that serve Autism Navigator’s needs.

Diana Jones-Ellis is the Learner Engagement Manager at Autism Navigator. She has over 15 years of experience leading IT development projects in the public.

Nancy D. Rich is Chief Operating Officer for Autism Navigator LLC. She has over 40 years of experience in marketing and communications and has provided content development for the FSU College of Medicine for the past 10 years. She is the Founder and former President of First Signs.

Steve Barnes is the Media and Technology Coordinator for Autism Navigator.

Amy M. Wetherby is a Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences. She served as Executive Director of the FSU Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD) from 1994 to 2025 in the Florida State University College of Medicine and as the Laurel Schendel Professor of Communication Disorders in the Florida State University College of Communication and Information.

Juliann J. Woods is a Professor Emeritus in the College of Medicine at the Florida State University.

Renee Daly Holland is the Assistant Director of Early Intervention Services Research at Autism Navigator. She also serves as an Autism Navigator Master Coach and Global Trainer. Renee has over 27 years of experience as a Speech-Language Pathologist in home, school and clinic settings, and has been involved in autism intervention research at FSU for the past 15 years.

Joy Moore is a Master Coach and Global Trainer for the Early Social Interaction Project at the Florida State University College of Medicine. She has over 36 years of experience as a speech-language pathologist and has been involved with autism research at Florida State University for the past 15 years.

Dr. Morgan is the Executive Director of the Sandra Dunagan Deal Center for Early Language and Literacy and a Professor of Education at Georgia College and State University. She is a licensed speech-language pathologist with 30 years of experience with communication sciences and disorders, autism, and language and literacy development. Previously she was Associate Professor in Pediatrics at Emory University and Co-Director of the Education Sciences Research Core at Marcus Autism Center as well as the Co-Director of the Louise and Brett Samsky Preschool at Marcus Autism Center. Prior to joining the faculty at Emory, Dr. Morgan served as the Director of the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities and the Associate Director of Implementation at the Florida State University College of Medicine. Her work was selected by Autism Speaks as one of the ‘Top Ten Autism Studies of 2018’. Dr. Morgan is a developer of the Autism Navigator, a unique collection of web-based tools and courses designed to bridge the gap between science and community practice and is one of four authors of the Autism/Communication Navigator for Early Intervention Providers. She is an appointee to the Georgia Council on Literacy, served on the American Speech Language Hearing Association’s School Issues Advisory Board, and is a current 2024 participant in the national Education Policy Fellowship Program. Her articles have been published in a number of leading journals including Pediatrics, the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, and Educational Research.

Patricia Armstrong is a Master Coach and Global Trainer for Autism Navigator at the Florida State University College of Medicine. She has 17 years of experience in Autism research training parents and professionals in the Early Social Interaction (ESI) intervention model. She has over 25 years of experience in early intervention and Social Work focused on home and community-based services.

Lerena Fleck is a consultant for the FSU Center of Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD) at the Florida State University College of Medicine with over 10 years of experience working with children with autism. She is also involved in autism intervention research. Prior to joining FSU CARD, she taught with the public school system as an early childhood special educator for over 20 years.

Nancy D. Rich is Chief Operating Officer for Autism Navigator. She has over 40 years of experience in marketing and communications and has provided content development for the FSU College of Medicine for the past 10 years. She is the Founder and former President of First Signs.

Steve Barnes is the Media and Technology Coordinator for Autism Navigator.