Bridge Project

Meet the Advisory Board



Linda Cobuzzi	Linda Cobuzzi's professional credentials include an M.S in Special Education/Assessment, B.A. in Psychology/Education and holds professional licenses from New York State and New York City Departments of Education. Her experience as Special Education Teacher, Education Evaluator and Member of the Committee on Special Education in the NYC schools provided her opportunities to work with diverse populations. Linda’s goals and efforts are focused on providing optimal services to maximize positive outcomes for children and families faced with developmental challenges. In 2013 Linda and Debra Dinielli co -founded Nurturing Tots, a multi-disciplinary in-home Early Intervention program in the surrounding San Fernando Valley.
Annie Cox	Annie Cox is the Executive Director of Early Education Programs for the CHIME Institute. She holds a Masters in Early Childhood Special Education and her professional experience in the field of education extends for more than thirty years. She worked as an early intervention specialist and joined the CHIME Institute in 1989 by supporting young children with disabilities. Ms. Cox has contributed significantly to the development of the CHIME Institute mission and philosophy, and mentored newer members of the staff and leadership team. Ms. Cox also serves as a part-time instructor for the Department of Special Education at CSUN and provides mentoring and supervision for Early Childhood Special Education students. She is a strong advocate for inclusive practices.
Debra Dinielli	Debra began her career as a preschool teacher, then developed a program for infant-toddler parenting classes before shifting over to the field of Early Intervention providing in home services to support the growth and development of young children. Debra took a position as an Early Start Regional Center coordinator that provided additional understanding of government systems relating to the disability community. In 2013, Debra co -founded Nurturing Tots with Linda Cobuzzi, a multi-disciplinary in-home Early Intervention program. Debra is committed to the whole child/family approach to intervention and believes in the paramount importance of fostering healthy parent child interactions as the primary means of optimizing child’s developmental progression.
Caroline Gelfand	Cara Gelfand is an administrator for Los Angeles Unified School District’s Early Childhood Education Department after acting as an Autism Specialist and as an administrator in the District’s Nonpublic Services Department. Previously for Seattle Public Schools and The Board of Education in New York, she worked as a Behavior Consultant, Autism Program Specialist and Principal of a high school for students with autism. She has taught students from preschool through high school, her favorite years as a middle school teacher. She was the director of a 3-year federal grant to address issues of abuse prevention and individuals with disabilities. Cara received a Master’s in Severe Disabilities from the University of Washington and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at Claremont Graduate University.
Michelle Heid	Michelle Heid is the Director of Advanced Behavioral Pathways which provides behavior analytic consultation services in the Santa Clarita Valley and surrounding areas. She holds an M.A. in Special Education with a specialization in ABA and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). Michelle has had opportunities to provide direct intervention to clients of all ages and has also provided supervision to BCBAs and other professionals. Michelle has also served as an active member of several professional committees in behavior analysis including education and training, ethics, and public policy. Through her public policy work she has met with legislators, testified before Senate and Assembly Committees, and built relationships with legislators and other policy makers. This legislative involvement has allowed her to advocate for high quality behavior analytic services and ensure access to serves for those in need.
Jamie Kiffel	Jamie Kiffel-Alcheh (www.jamiekiffelalcheh.com) is the mother of a differently-abled kindergartener who spent four years enjoying the CHIME Infant/Toddler and preschool programs on the CSUN campus. Through CHIME, Jamie learned advocacy skills for children of all abilities. Professionally, Jamie is an editor, a journalist and a children's book author. She firmly believes that speaking or not, standing or not, seeing or hearing or smelling, or not…all kids read! We might do it in different ways. We might need help from people or from computers or even from animals. But reading is for everyone! Jamie is a regular contributor to National Geographic Kids magazine and National Geographic Family. She is a Wellesley College alumna.
Ramses Magana	Ramses Magana’s professional credentials include an M.S in Education Psychology and Counseling, B.S. in Sociology. He is also a Licensed Educational Psychologist (LEP) and Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). He has worked with diverse group of children from the age of three to eighteen as a General Education teacher and School Psychologist. Ramses has more than twenty years of experience trying to preventing the development and advancement of maladaptive behaviors; intervening at a behavioral, academic, and social emotional level; and developing and implementing programs that systematically create environments where students can succeed. Ramses has also supervised numerous students in CSUN’s ABA master’s program who are working towards obtaining their certificate in behavior analysis.
Wendy Murawski	Wendy W. Murawski, Ph.D. is the Executive Director and Eisner Endowed Chair for the Center for Teaching and Learning at CSUN, where she is also a full professor in the Department of Special Education. She is the Director of SIMPACT, an immersive learning simulation experience and is the national Past President of the Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children and an internationally known speaker and author. She has published fourteen books and numerous articles. Dr. Murawski has won many awards for her teaching, research and publications, to include Teacher Educator of the Year in California and Outstanding Faculty Member for her university. She is the CEO and President of 2 TEACH LLC, a consulting company focused on inclusive education.
Ivor Weiner	Dr. Ivor Weiner received his Ph.D. in Special Education from Texas Woman’s University and is a Professor in the Department of Special Education. Dr. Weiner is also the Principal Investigator for CSUN’s Family Focus Resource Center, which supports families who have children with disabilities. His scholarship focuses on autism, especially access barriers faced by historically marginalized populations. Since 2007, Dr. Weiner has been awarded over $7 million in grant and contract funding. Dr. Weiner received the 2018 Wang Family Excellence Award for Outstanding Faculty Service, which is the highest honor in the entire university system and awarded to only 4 California State University faculty members each year.