Dr. Wehman has been a Professor of Physical Medicine with joint appointments in the Departments of Rehabilitation Counseling and Special Education / Disability Policy at VCU for over 30 years. He serves as Chairman for the Division of Rehabilitation Research in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and has managed NIDILRR funded RRTCs and DRRPs. He was one of the pioneers in the development of supported employment in the early 1980s and has published over 200 articles and authored/edited 40 books and has served as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation,(JVR) since 1991. Dr. Wehman has three adult children with disabilities to include congenital heart disease, severe rheumatoid arthritis and ADHD/LD and brings a strong parental perspective to the project. He has been recognized as one of the 50 most influential people in special education for the millennium and on a daily basis works with PWD, communicates regularly with VA DARS and other VR Directors, policy makers, and professionals related to disability and diversity. Dr. Wehman is active in teaching and mentoring undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students.
Jennifer Todd McDonough has been a faculty member at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and working in the field of employment for people with disabilities for over 25 years. She earned her M.S. from the Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University in Rehabilitation Counseling. Ms. McDonough is the Director of Training at VCU-RRTC. She is also the Project Director for a national research study related to employment for individuals with IDD and a subcontract related to providing technical assistance to vocational rehabilitation agencies across the country. Ms. McDonough serves as the business liaison for the RRTC and assists with building business relationships to improve competitive integrated employment for individuals with disabilities.
Additionally, Ms. McDonough provides technical assistance and disseminates resources nationally to individuals with disabilities interested in employment. Ms. McDonough is a national expert on Social Security Disability Benefits and Work Incentives. She also serves as the Virginia Project SEARCH Statewide Coordinator and directly oversees four Project SEARCH sites for youth with autism and/or intellectual disabilities. Throughout her career with VCU-RRTC, Ms. McDonough has worked directly with individuals with disabilities assisting them in locating employment and determining accommodation needs.
Lauren Avellone, Ph.D., BCBA, LBA. is a research associate at the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center at Virginia Commonwealth University. She is also a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. The majority of her clinical and professional career has been spent completing research and providing behavioral analytic services to youth and young adults with autism spectrum disorder. Her research interests include improving transition outcomes for students with intensive disabilities and psychological disorders by developing assessments, and implementing behavior management techniques to reduce maladaptive behaviors for individuals with challenges related to impulse control, self-injurious behavior, and aggression. She graduated with a master's degree in clinical psychology from University of South Carolina-Aiken and a Ph.D. in special education from Kent State University.
Alissa Brooke, M.S., CRC, PBSF, has worked for the Virginia Commonwealth University Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (VCU-RRTC) since 2008. Alissa has extensive experience supporting individuals with Autism and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) in employment, training them on their jobs, as well as training their colleagues on the best ways to work with them. She has been devoted to developing and honing the skills and techniques required to develop and maintain relationships with employers to result in employment for people with disabilities and disseminating this information to others in the field. Alissa also serves in a leadership role with five Project SEARCH sites in Virginia. She has provided training nationally and internationally to Employment Specialists and other vocational rehabilitation professionals on Supported Employment and Customized Employment
Jaclyn Camden is a faculty member at Virginia Commonwealth University and has been supporting individuals with disabilities in a variety of capacities for over 10 years. She has experience with research and demonstration projects that look at planning for and supporting employment for individuals with disabilities in K-12, postsecondary education, and in the community. She serves as the career coordinator for VCU's postsecondary education program for students with I/DD: ACE-IT in College. Ms. Camden is the study lead for Effects of Trained Personnel Providing Employment Supports in Higher Education on the Employment Experiences of College Students with I/DD: A Quasi-Experimental Study.
Dr. Schall has over 40 years of experience supporting adolescents and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) as a teacher, group home supervisor, administrator, researcher, and consultant. In addition, she has provided service to the autism community as an advisor on numerous critical projects in the areas of transition to employment, including regular international training. She provided positive behavior support consultation and instructional technical assistance for the Project SEARCH Plus ASD Supports program at Virginia Commonwealth University. She developed the ASD Supports Model for Project Search and was the research coordinator for this project. She developed the Community Based Functional Skills Assessment with Autism Speaks. Additionally, she has consulted nationally and internationally on issues related to adolescents and young adults with ASD. Finally, she has extensive research experience development and implementing quantitative and qualitative studies regarding interventions to increase employment outcomes for individuals with IDD.
Joe is our Communications Assistant and Peer Mentor, who joined the RRTC-ACE team in February 2024. He has a background in writing and past experience in autism education, and is himself on the autism spectrum. He hopes that in this position, he will be able to use his skills and talents to help other people on the spectrum to explore their opportunities and find their voices. Outside of work, Joe’s hobbies include photography and outdoor recreation.
Whitney Ham, Ph.D., BCBA, LBA., is a Training and Technical Assistance provider for the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center at Virginia Commonwealth University. She is also a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor. The majority of her professional and clinical career has been spent engaged in research in supporting adults with developmental disabilities to access competitive integrated employment and also in building the capacity of youth and adult service providers to implement evidence-based practices. Her research interests involve identifying strategies to facilitate employment for individuals with intensive support needs and in building the capacity of stakeholders to support individuals with behavioral challenges. She graduated with her master's degree in Rehabilitation Counseling and a Ph.D in Special Education and Disability Policy from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Crystal Hence., M.Ed., has over 10 years of experience supporting individuals with IDD in employment; Leads training activities on various projects; provides training and TA to state VR agencies on supported and customized employment; Provides TA and training to school educators. She started working with VCU - RRTC in 2013 as a job coach, supporting individuals in locating and maintaining employment in the Richmond area. Crystal earned a B.S. in Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University, and in 2022, Crystal earned her Master's in Education with a concentration in Early Childhood Special Education. Crystal is the site coordinator for the Fort Gregg-Adam's Project SEARCH site and works closely with the Autism Center for Education to support the Region 1 and 8 CoLA groups. She also supports additional grants within the center that focus on improving employment outcomes for people with disabilities.
Lucian Friel, M.S., is a Marine veteran and a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University. In 2017, Lucian received his bachelor of science in mass communications with a concentration in public relations and a minor in general business. He joined the RRTC team in January 2018. In 2021, he graduated with a Master of Science in mass communication with a concentration in integrated communications. With more than 15 years of communications experience, Lucian's skills in dissemination include media relations, campaign management, photography, videography, and social media content creation and management. In the Marine Corps, he was a combat correspondent, otherwise known as a military journalist, who wrote more than 175 feature and news stories with accompanying photos of Marines, combat operations in Iraq, and training operations during his enlistment.
Chris Claude, Ph.D., is a research associate at the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center at Virginia Commonwealth University. After receiving his Bachelor of Science in Health Science from The College of William and Mary in 2017, he spent three years as a high school special educator for Fairfax County Public Schools. Chris then completed his Master's in special education at George Mason University and was awarded the Policy and Research-Intensive Special Education grant from the Office of Special Education Personnel to pursue a Ph.D. in special education. Chris completed his Ph.D. at George Mason University in 2024. His research interests include assessment of individualized education program quality and special education teacher preparation as vehicles for improving postsecondary outcomes for individuals with disabilities.
Peter Temple, Ph.D., is a research associate with the VCU RRTC. He has been teaching graduate and undergraduate students at VCU for over a decade with the VCU School of Education. He graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University's Bachelor of Psychology program in 2008, the Master of Science in Rehabilitation Counseling from the Medical College of Virginia in 2011, and finished his Doctorate in Special Education and Disability Policy in 2022. His research interests involve online education, the application of Universal Design for Learning and Universal Design for Transition to curriculum development, and professional training opportunities for educators and students. Doctor Temple believes in meeting the needs of all learners, allowing them to develop their strengths and successfully set and meet their goals.