ACBIS Board of Governors

ACBIS Board of Governors

Chairperson: Jim Misko, Psy.D. CORE Health Care, Dripping Springs, TX	As co-owner and president of CORE Health Care, Jim Misko, Psy.D. has specialized in neuropsychology for the past 20 years. He has committed his time and energy to helping improve the quality of life for people who have survived traumatic brain injuries and other neurological disorders. Besides coordinating treatment at CORE and a number of other local programs, Dr. Misko lectures nationally and throughout Texas endeavoring to raise awareness of brain injury-related issues. In appreciation of these efforts, the Brain Injury Association of Texas awarded him the 2003 Professional Contribution of the Year. Dr. Misko is currently Chair of the Academy of Brain Injury Specialists (ACBIS) as well as a board member of the Brain Injury Association of America. Dr. Misko received his doctorate from the Florida Institute of Technology in 1988 and is licensed as a Clinical Psychologist.

Chairperson-Elect: Erika Mountz, MBA, OTR/L, CBIST CORE Health Care, Dripping Springs, TX	Erika Mountz, MBA, OTR/L, CBIST has been the Director of Rehabilitation at Core Health Care in Dripping Springs, Texas since January 2010. In this role, she oversees two community-based, adult, post-acute rehab settings. She transitioned to Core Health Care from her position as the Manager of the Occupational Therapy Department at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 2003-2009, where she supervised a department of approximately 65 occupational therapists. She has also had the experience of being the Director of Allied Health Services at the May Center for Education and Neurorehabilitation, Brockton, MA, from 1997-2003. In this setting, she had the pleasure of creating and developing the Allied Health Department, comprised of Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, as well as Speech and Language Pathology services. In addition, she served as an interim Center Director. Although she has worked with pediatric population, including pediatric brain injury since 1994 in a variety of settings from outpatient, home health services, early intervention, public and private schools, it was in 1997 that her specialization and focus on ABI and TBI began. In June 2003, she earned her Master's in Business Administration from University of Massachusetts, Lowell. She has a Bachelor of Science in Allied Health and practices as a Registered Occupational Therapist and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, both degrees from Boston University. Erika has served on the ACBIS board since 2004 and currently holds the position of Vice Chair, in addition to participating on the Curriculum Committee where she assists in the curriculum development for CBIS and CBIST training. She has been invited to lecture about Brain Injury at the University of Pittsburgh and in other settings.

Vice-Chairperson of Governance: Thomas Hall, MA, CBIST Wingate Health Care, Needham, MA	Tom Hall, MA, CBIST is employed as the Director of Special Care Services for Wingate Healthcare in Massachusetts, where he oversees their post-acute ABI and dementia programs. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in psychology with a concentration in learning theory, and a Master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling. Mr. Hall has worked for 25 years in the field of applied behavior analysis, including 20 years with individuals recovering from brain injury. He is a Certified Brain Injury Specialist Trainer, and has presented at numerous conferences. Mr. Hall also serves on the Board of the Massachusetts Brain Injury Association, and their public policy committee.

Vice-Chairperson for Information Management: Heidi Reyst, Ph.D., CBIST Rainbow Rehabilitation Centers, Inc., Ypsilanti, MI	Heidi Reyst Ph.D., CBIST began her career in the field of Brain Injury in 1991. She has experience on both the care side as a Rehabilitation Assistant and Residential Program Manager, and the administrative side as a Program Director, Systems Director, and Director of Clinical Administration. Dr. Reyst is an advocate for ensuring that those who work with brain injured individuals are trained in the specific issues salient to brain injury. She is a Certified Brain Injury Specialist Trainer, and is a member of the Academy of Certified Brain Injury Specialists. In 2008, Dr. Reyst was the recipient of the Brain Injury Association of Michigan’s Legacy Society, “Professional Service Award.” This was awarded based on her involvement in advocating for those with brain injuries, and for her training of individuals working in the field of Brain Injury through the ACBIS program.


Susan Bartlett, LCSW, CRC LakeView NeuroRehabilitation Center, Effingham, NH	Susan Bartlett, LCSW, CRC is Vice President of Development and Contracting for Lakeview NeuroRehabilitation Center and Lakeview Specialty Hospital and Rehabilitation, national leaders in brain injury rehabilitation and neurobehavioral treatment,.She oversees community outreach, admissions, program development and contracting. Susan has extensive experience in brain injury rehabilitation working with various facilities in New England and Northern California. Susan is an experienced case manager for occupational health and vocational rehabilitation. Susan is the co-chairperson of the Maine Extension of the Case Management Society of New England. Susan is the Chairperson for the Cumberland and York Counties Branch of Maine’s National Association of Social Workers Chapter. Susan is the Public Policy Liaison to the Case Management Society of America for the New England Region. She serves on the Business and Professional Council of the Brain Injury Association of America. Susan is an Advisory Group member of the Traumatic Brain Injury Resource Optimization Center (TBI-ROC). Susan has a Masters Degree in Social Welfare Organization, Planning and Administration from the University of California at Berkeley. Susan presents in the areas of Advocacy, Outcome Measurement, Funding for Brain Injury Rehabilitation, Service Plan Development, and on Discharge Planning for Individuals with Severe Neurological Deficits.

Cynthia Boyer, PhD Bancroft Neurohealth, Cherry Hill, NJ	Cynthia Boyer, Ph.D. serves as Senior Clinical Director for Brain Injury Programs at Bancroft NeuroHealth. She has worked in the field of neuropsychology and brain injury rehabilitation for more than 20 years. She has adjunct faculty appointments at Rowan University (Department of Special Education), Widener University (Department of Clinical Psychology), and Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (Department of Clinical Psychology). Dr. Boyer has ancillary privileges in the Dept. of Neurology at Cooper University Hospital and is a medical rehabilitation surveyor for the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). She has a doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Delaware with a specialization in neuropsychology and is licensed as a clinical psychologist in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Julie Buxton, OTR/L, CBIST Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, PA	Julie Buxton, MS, OTR/L, CBIST currently serves as the Clinical Practice Coordinator for the Occupational Therapy department at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Prior to joining CHOP her 20+ year career path has enabled her to gain knowledge and skills in OT evaluation and intervention with patients of varying diagnoses across the age range. Her specialty area is the field of brain injury. She has authored two clinical workbooks entitled: Community Living Skills for the Head Injured Adult and Functional Living Skills for the Brain Injured Child. Ms. Buxton has also served on the Board of Directors for the Head Injury Association of Toronto (HIAT) in Toronto, Canada. Julie received her Bachelor's of Science Degree in OT from Ohio State University and her Master's Degree in Health Sciences from the University of Florida. She has also had the opportunity to utilize her clinical skills in brain injury and sensory integration while on foreign assignments with her husband and children in Paris, France and Brussels, Belgium.

Ellen Deibert, M.D., CBIST Berkshire Medical Center, Pittsfield, MA	Ellen Deibert, MD is a Neurologist who currently works at Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, MA, which is a small community based hospital affiliated with the University of Massachusetts and is a Trauma II Center. Her practice includes some general neurology, but due to her sub specialized training, she mostly takes care of traumatic brain injury, concussion, epilepsy, and stroke patients. Dr. Deibert also see patients with cognitive difficulties after subdural hematomas, subarachnoid hemorrhages, or other neurosurgical events. Dr. Deibert attended medical school at Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia PA, completing one year of internal medicine training at the same institution. Her Neurology Residency training was at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore and it was there that she became exposed to neurointensive care and traumatic brain injury patients. She enjoyed working closely with neurosurgery and became interested in the overall outcomes of neurosurgery patients in regards to function and quality of life. From Johns Hopkins she did further training at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis in a two year Neurointensive care fellowship. In that period of time she took care of many critically ill neurology and neurosurgery patients, many of whom suffered traumatic brain injury. Since she wanted to expand her knowledge on how to improve quality of life for these patients, she did a one-year fellowship in Neurorehabilitation at Washington University School of Medicine. After that fellowship, Dr. Deibert became the Medical Director of the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program at the Rehabilitation Institute of St. Louis for two more years.

Brant A. (Bud) Elkind, MS, CBIST Robin Hill Farm, Inc., Hillsborough, NH	Bud Elkind holds an MS in Human Service Management, has a certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis, and has worked in clinical and administrative brain injury settings since 1985. His work experience includes A-typical Sub-acute, Dual-diagnosis-Neuro-behavior and Residential Treatment and Rehabilitation. Bud is currently the Director of Clinical Operations at Robin Hill Farm, Inc. a brain injury specific Residential Treatment and Rehabilitation company with six programs operating in three New Hampshire communities.In addition, Bud is in his second term as President of the NH Brain Injury Association, he chairs the Wings of Hope Foundation and is in his fourth year as chair of the NH Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Advisory Council.

Caroline Feller, MS, OTR, CCM, CBIST Mentor ABI, Madison, WI	Caroline Feller, M.S., OTR, CCM, CBIST has demonstrated a passionate commitment toward individuals directly affected by brain injury and their families for nearly 25 years. This passion was awakened early in her career as an occupational therapist while she was working with a client who had sustained a traumatic brain injury. Subsequently, her vocational pursuits have been consistently focused in the area of brain injury. Her work history includes positions as a cognitive specialist, clinical supervisor, case manager, program director of post acute services, and director of brain injury services. In addition, Ms. Feller has extensive background in program development, quality assurance, and grant deliverables with CDC and the Federal TBI Grant Program. She served as the first executive director of the Brain Injury Association of Wisconsin, past board member of the Brain Injury Association of America, and as the Director of Affiliate Services for the Brain Injury Association of America. Ms. Feller’s advocacy has focused on the local, state and federal levels to promote quality, accessible services for individuals with brain injury and their family members. Ms. Feller is currently the Director of Brain Injury Services for MENTOR ABI Wisconsin.


Mary Ferraro, PhD, OTR/L Drucker Brain Injury Center, Moss Rehab, Philadelphia, PA	Mary Ferraro, PhD, OTR/L is the Education Coordinator for the Drucker Brain Injury Center at MossRehab in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She has worked as an occupational therapist for over 20 years, specializing in traumatic brain injury. She has done clinical work at several levels of the TBI care continuum in addition to holding supervisory and administrative roles at MossRehab during her tenure. Dr. Ferraro has served as a Research Associate on numerous research endeavors at Moss, and is one of the authors of the Naturalistic Action Test, a standardized assessment that examines everyday action errors. She currently works on a knowledge translation project for the Moss TBI Model System of Care. Dr. Ferraro is the chairperson for the Peer Review Committee at the Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute.

Sharon M. Grandinette, MS, CBIST ABI Educational Consultant and Trainer, Redondo Beach, CA	Sharon Grandinette, MS, CBIST is a nationally recognized consultant, author and trainer in the field of Special Education who focuses her work on children and adolescents with acquired brain injury. She owns and operates Exceptional Educational Services in Redondo Beach, California, and is a Certified Brain Injury Specialist/Trainer through ACBIS. Sharon has worked with children, adolescents and young adults with special needs for over 28 years as a teacher and administrator. Ms. Grandinette has published tip cards, articles and a book chapter in the field of pediatric brain injury, and has presented extensively on the topic at local, state and national conferences. Sharon also holds an adjunct faculty position at California State University Dominguez Hills in the Graduate Special Education Division. She is a founding and current board member of the California Brain Injury Association, board chair of the We Can Pediatric Brain Tumor Network, is a member of the California Department of Mental Health TBI Advisory board and is President of the California Association of Physical & Health Impairments. Ms. Grandinette is also a member of the North American Brain Injury Society.



Ken Handwerger, MA Special Tree Rehabilitation System, Romulus, MI	Ken Handwerger, MA is the Director of Human Resources and Learning Systems for Special Tree Rehabilitation System. Special Tree provides a full continuum of rehabilitation and residential services for youth and adults with brain and spinal cord injuries and has facilities throughout southeast and mid Michigan. Mr. Handwerger administers the HR functions for Special Tree and coordinates both an extensive new employee training series and a comprehensive inservice and employee development program. Mr. Handwerger 's background is in education and training. He has worked in the public school system as a teacher and administrator, director of training for Eastern Michigan University, and at Ford Motor Co. in training and development. Mr. Handwerger helped coordinate the ACBIS project to develop the CBIS certification preparation course, which includes the overall curriculum, student and instructor workbooks with support materials, and the train-the-trainer program for CBISTs to teach this course.

Angie Jackson, MS-CCC/SLP, CBIST Pate Rehab, Dallas, TX	Angie Jackson, MS-CCC/SLP, MBA, CBIST holds master’s degrees in Speech-Language Pathology and Business from Missouri State University. She has practiced in multiple settings and has been at Pate Rehabilitation in Dallas, TX for the last six years focusing on her area of greatest interest, brain injury. She initially came to Pate Rehabilitation as a Program Manager for the Residential Program which included managing, training and providing on-going education for the residential staff. She now works in the Marketing Department doing assessments and insurance negotiation for pending patients to admit to Pate. As a CBIST, she has also been instrumental in the training and certification of 60+ staff as CBIS, and that number continues to rise. Outside of work, Ms. Jackson enjoys traveling the world to soak up as many cultures as possible.

Michael Mason, CBIS Neurologic Rehabilitation Institute at Brookhaven Hospital, Tulsa, OK	Michael Mason is a brain injury projects manager at the Neurologic Rehabilitation Institute at Brookhaven Hospital and serves as the president of the Brain Injury Association of Oklahoma. He also writes and reports about brain injury issues.

Lucille Raia, RN, MS, ARNP, GNP, NEA-BC, CBIST James A. Haley VAMC, Tampa, FL	Lucille Raia, RN, MS, ARNP-BC, NEA-BC, CBIST is the Associate Chief of Nursing Education at the James A. Haley VA Hospital in Tampa. Lucille received her undergraduate degree in Nursing from Northeastern University graduating summa cum laude. Her Master’s in Nursing was from Boston College where she graduated with Distinction. Ms. Raia has been working toward her doctoral degree in Health Policy and Nursing. She is a certified Brain Injury Specialist Trainer, holds certifications in Adult and Geriatric health as well as an advanced certification as a Nurse Executive. Ms. Raia has worked in a variety of areas, critical care, education, and gerontology. Most recently, her practice has been focused on servicepersons who have sustained polytrauma from a blast injury and the continuum of care that these injuries warrant.

Eric Spier, MD Mentis Neuro, El Paso, TX	Eric T. Spier, M.D. is currently practicing as a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation physician. He serves as a medical director of Acquired Brain Injury at Highlands Regional Rehabilitation Hospital, and with the Mentis post-acute Traumatic Brain Injury program. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Texas at El Paso, and at The Paul Foster School of Medicine in El Paso. Dr. Spier attended medical school at the University of Texas in Houston Texas. His medical residency training occurred between the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven Connecticut and the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston Texas. Dr. Spier is currently working to coordinate a spectrum of resources that will serve Acquired Brain Injury patients in the El Paso community.

Beth Spriegel, MS ReMed, Philadelphia, PA	Beth Spriegel, MS, CBIS has nearly 20 years experience working with both adults and pediatrics following acquired brain injury. She completed a Master’s in Counseling Psychology from Gannon University and has specialized training in Neuropsychological Testing, Cognitive Retraining and Behavior Management. She started her career at the Lake Erie Institute of Rehabilitation in Erie, Pennsylvania and continued her clinical work at Great Lakes Rehabilitation, which eventually became HealthSouth. She currently holds a certification as a Brain Injury Specialist and is a member of the Governor’s Board for the Academy of Accreditation in Brain Injury Certification. She has been employed at ReMed, a specialized TBI Post Acute Rehabilitation Program in Pennsylvania, since 2004 as the Marketing Representative and Intake Evaluator for Ohio, Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia.