Our Team

To provide children and young adults with autism effective science-based intervention, and to disseminate our work through research, publication, presentation, and collaboration both nationally and internationally.

Jonathon Trichter

Co-founder

Jonathan Trichter spent a major part of his career in finance and on Wall Street, where he was an investment banker at J.P. Morgan before becoming a founding principal at a corporate restructuring firm. He later went on to work for the New York City venture capital fund, Lerer Hippeau Ventures, which is run by his family. Jonathan and his family were personally touched by autism; he himself became deeply involved in the delivery of therapies that are now available for children with neurological and behavioral differences. He is passionate about making sure many others receive the best therapies available, and he works fulltime and onsite at the schools he’s co-founded.

Joel Maute

Co-founder

Joel Maute graduated from Boston University with a degree in Occupational Therapy. He began his career in the Milton Public Schools and transitioned to a home care specialist providing therapeutic services to children with varying disabilities. Realizing the critical need for children to generalize their skills outside of their home, he co-founded a successful school-based alternative education program that was widely known for its excellence. Subsequently, he partnered with Jonathan Trichter and expanded that program to include two locations: The Foundry Learning Center in Manhattan and Hubbard Day School in Stamford, Connecticut. He has intricate knowledge of the special education space from a clinical and managerial perspective and works fulltime and onsite at Foundry.

Susan M. Vener

Co-founder

Susan M. Vener, Ph.D., S.A.S. is the Founder and Director of RISE NY. She received her doctorate in learning processes and behavioral science from the Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York, and her New York State certification in School Supervision and Administration. Sue services as the Vice Chair of the Alliance for Scientific Autism Intervention, an organization dedicated to preserving and disseminating effective, science-based intervention worldwide. Over the past 30 years, Sue
  1. Served as a Founder and past Director/Principal of the New York Child Learning Institute;
  2. Published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals;
  3. Contributed chapters in behavior-analytic textbooks; and
  4. Presented at national and international conferences on various topics related to autism intervention and organizational systems needed to ensure effective outcome measures.
Her areas of interest include applied behavior analysis intervention procedures and research methodology for individuals with autism, language training for individuals with autism, human service evaluation systems, staff training and management, and systems to promote the generality of behavior change.

Katie Wilson

Associate Director

Katie Wilson serves as an Associate Director at RISE NY. She has been providing behavioral intervention in both home and school settings since 2010. Katie previously served as a behavior consultant at the New York Child Learning Institute, delivering behavioral interventions, providing training to staff and families, and contributing to research initiatives. Currently, Katie oversees parent training activities, staff training activities, and vocational training opportunities. Her research interests include self-management interventions and social skills training.

Allison Kanner

Associate Director

Allison Kanner-Murray serves as the Associate Director at RISE NY. Over the past 10 years, she served as a behavior consultant at the New York Child Learning Institute. With over 11 years of experience, Allison has provided behavioral intervention to children and young adults with autism in both home and school settings. Allison has overseen vocational programming for young adults, and intervention for children as young as three. She actively trains her colleagues, helping them to develop skills in behavioral science, and to understand and employ current data analysis and graphing conventions. Additionally, she oversees the training of parents in educational and home settings, oversees curriculum for these programs, and ensures the success of learners and families. Allison leads professional development in-services, conducts staff performance evaluations, and participates in research activities targeting the use of scripts and script fading strategies.

Lauren Jaworski

BCBA

Lauren Jaworski, M.P.S., BCBA., NYS LBA is a dedicated behavior consultant and Board-Certified Behavior Analyst with nine years of experience in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology at Pace University and obtained her master’s degree in Applied Behavior Analysis at Manhatanville College. Lauren provides supervision, training, and direct therapy at RISENY. She oversees programming, data collection, and direct therapy with many staff and family members. She is committed to improving the lives of individuals with developmental disabilities and behavioral challenges. Her interests include early intervention, self-care skills, and natural environment training.

Alison Gillis

BCBA-D

Alison Gillis, Ph.D., BCBA-D, NYS LBA is a research coordinator and behavior consultant at RISE NY. She also assists in the supervision of staff attaining RBT and/or BCBA certifications. She received her doctoral degree in learning processes and behavior analysis psychology from the Graduate Center at the City University of New York. She has been providing behavioral intervention to individuals with autism for nearly 20 years. She has published research in peer-reviewed journals, contributed chapters in behavior-analytic handbooks, and served as a reviewer for submissions to behavior-analytic journals. Her interests include areas such as scripts and script fading, social interactions, affective behavior, and generalization of behavior change.