board of directors
Justin Williams, Board President
Justin works in Quality Assurance for Bayer US LLC and serves as the Board President for Evolve-Coaching. He has worked for many years to push Pittsburgh to be a more inclusive, diverse, equitable and accessible place to live for all individuals. He firmly believes in Evolve-Coaching’s mission and is dedicated to helping the organization meet their goals and aspirations. In his free time, Justin enjoys spending time with his family, watching and participating in sports, and cooking.
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Daphna Gans, Ph.D.
Daphna Gans is an expert in health policy, health access, health care delivery, quality improvement, and evaluation research. Daphna is an author and public speaker who serves on a variety of boards and holds a public elected position as a School Board Director at the Upper St. Clair School District. She is a former Associate Research Professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine and a researcher at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. Her research on services for developmentally disabled adults and on modules of care for children with life-limiting health informed health policy implementation in California. As a mother of a young adult who successfully utilizes Evolve coaching services, Daphna is excited to serve on the board and contribute to its mission.
Steven Fisher
Steven is a professional auditor and accountant who has a strong background in the industry working with nonprofit organizations. This includes understanding their user and financial controls, providing data analysis on budgeting expenditures and revenues for programming, and complying with the accounting standards and codifications applicable for nonprofit organizations. Prior experiences include External Auditor and Nonprofit Tax Accountant at Pittsburgh-based S.R. Snodgrass, P.C. and Learn & Earn Grant Accounting Specialist at Partner4Work Pittsburgh. He firmly believes in Evolve's mission to make Pittsburgh an Autism-Liveable city and to use his auditing expertise to carry on this mission. In his free time, Steven likes to go on long walks, watch trains at the World Famous Horseshoe Curve, and spend time with his bearded dragon named Krystal.
Erin McPeak
Erin works for ZOLL LifeVest in New Product Planning and is Secretary of Evolve’s Board. As part of the Evolve Coaching team, she hopes to leverage her business experience to help reach more individuals in the community.
Randy Bartlett
Randy is the Head of School and founder of City of Bridges High School, a small, progressive, project-based high school in Pittsburgh's Friendship neighborhood that serves young people from across the area, many of whom are neurodiverse. Randy is also a senior lecturer in Chatham University's School of Education. Prior to founding City of Bridges, he served as a Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Principal, and Teacher in public schools in Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, and Vermont. He also founded and ran The Pittsburgh Urban Teaching Corp and has consulted with schools and organizations on building leadership capacity, organizational governance, and operations. Throughout his career, Randy has strived to support people in their learning journey as a means of achieving their preferred futures. He is honored to support Evolve Coaching in their critical work offering support along their paths.
Kristen Buonomo, PhD, BCBA
Kristen is an Assistant Professor of Special Education in the Education Department at Carlow University. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in positive behavior support, autism spectrum disorders, transition, and augmentative communication. Kristen’s research interests are centered on bringing a culturally responsive approach to addressing interfering behaviors, including functional behavior assessment and behavior intervention plans. Over the last 20 years, Kristen has worked with caregivers, public and private schools, and state Departments of Education. She has worked extensively with special education students in a variety of settings and looks forward to the opportunity to work with Evolve Coaching.
Renée Camerlengo
Renée brings decades of leadership in student advocacy, success, and higher education to the Evolve Coaching Board of Directors. She began her career in higher education at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), working with the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, establishing an early commitment to accessible and student-focused support.
A family move to Pittsburgh brought Renée to Carnegie Mellon University, where her professional roles have consistently focused on student advocacy, community development, and student success. Her global perspectives in higher education include a 20-year affiliation with CMU’s campus in Doha, Qatar, highlighted by a
three-year residency while serving as Associate Dean of Students.
Having admired Evolve Coaching’s impactful work and dedicated team since its early years, she continues to witness firsthand the positive contributions Evolve makes to the community. Renée is enthusiastic to serve on the Board to support Evolve’s mission and growth.
Renée enjoys trying new recipes, houseplants, gardening, and coffee adventures with friends new and old!
Sam Caushaj
Sam is a customer success manager for the Financial Times, based out of New York City. He has worked in a number of client-facing roles for almost a decade. Sam has been a long time advocate for Evolve, and has been a volunteer at numerous Evolve events over the years. He is also a volunteer of Big Brothers, Big Sisters in NYC. During his free time, Sam can be found on stage performing stand up comedy, or at his home watching movies with his cat, Ducky.
Erica Cochran
Erica is a fundraising professional with over 14 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, spanning direct service and development. Her first experience in the field was working with individuals with physical and/or cognitive disabilities who lived independently in the community. Her time spent providing support to those individuals left a lasting impression on her, and she plans to use her skills to support the mission of Evolve-Coaching. Erica was born and raised in Pittsburgh and enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters.
Molly Kemp
Molly Kemp is a K-12 Partnerships Manager at Niche.com, where she has spent the last six years connecting ideas, insights, and people with both passion and purpose in EdTech. A former teacher and an avid researcher, Molly is a dedicated advocate for meeting learners exactly where they are on their educational journey. She leads with a strengths-based approach grounded in authentic human connection.
​She firmly believes that every individual has a voice worth hearing and is a strong champion for the integration of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) across schools, workplaces, and communities.
​A longtime supporter of Evolve’s mission, Molly is thrilled to bring her energy, experience, and heart to the organization as a member of the Board of Directors.
Ryan McMullan
Ryan McMullan holds a degree in Finance from the University of Pittsburgh and has spent the past 20 years working in Financial Planning and Analysis roles throughout the Pittsburgh area. He currently serves as the Director of Finance for Central Outreach Wellness Center, an LGBTQ+ organization dedicated to supporting and serving the community. Ryan has volunteered with Evolve Coaching for many years and is excited for the opportunity to serve on its board. He is particularly passionate about raising awareness of Evolve’s work and connecting the organization with individuals and organizations who may not yet know about the valuable services it provides.
Tiffany Merriman-Preston
Tiffany Merriman-Preston is a non-profit development and communications professional with more than 20 years of experience in the disability services field and serves as the Director of Development at the Emmaus Community of Pittsburgh. As a mother, family member, professional, and friend, Tiffany believes in the unique power of Autistic and neurodivergent voices and talents and advocates for an inclusive community where everyone can thrive. Tiffany lives in Lawrenceville with her family. In her free time, she enjoys reading, writing, walking, vegetables, and exploring the City’s neighborhoods on all kinds of wheels. Tiffany looks forward to working with others to support the mission and vision of Evolve Coaching.
Paula Pasquinelli
Paula is the owner of TruBlue Home Service Ally of North Pittsburgh, a handyman services business specializing in senior home modifications as well as helping busy adults across the Pittsburgh region. After working in the nonprofit space serving our low income, elderly population, she became passionate about helping individuals age safely in their homes. Her prior experience included working in the healthcare technology space. Paula was born and raised in Pittsburgh, having strong beliefs in community engagement and inclusivity. She is anxious to use her business skills to contribute to the mission of Evolve Coaching.
Matt Pierce
Matt is an Engineering Director for SWCA Environmental Consultants in Pittsburgh. He holds his professional engineering license in 18 states and primarily works on energy projects throughout the country. As part of the Evolve Coaching team, Matt hopes to assist Evolve with their future construction development and support for Evolve's mission. Matt enjoys watching sports, playing golf, and spending time with his family.
Libby Powers
Libby Powers has been a disability rights activist and disability rights advocate for more than 30 years. She graduated from Duquesne University with a Master of Science in Leadership and Professional Advancement in 2018. She obtained a Bachelor of Science in Communication, Media, and Technology with a minor in Marketing from La Roche University in 2013. Libby has worked and volunteered within the Pittsburgh area nonprofit sector for the past 30 years serving multiple healthcare and cross-disability organizations such as the Highmark Caring Place, The Woodlands Foundation, Spina Bifida Association of America, Open Up Pittsburgh, Creative Citizens Inc. Her latest role was working as a product coordinator for a durable medical equipment company.
In 2016, she was a contributing author of “A Teen’s Guide for Medical Transition”, developed and published by two undergraduate students from the School of Innovation and Design at Carnegie Mellon University through a community partnership with ACHIEVA and the Wordout Grant Program through the Clinical Translational Science Institute at the University of Pittsburgh. She is also a co-author of the “Systematic Review: Automated vehicles and services for people with disabilities published in the Journal of Neuroscience Letters in July of 2021.
In 2005, Libby received the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Award for Outstanding Public Service Benefiting Local Communities and was also named a Community Champion by the Pittsburgh Post Gazette and the Multiplying Good Organization. Through her work and community involvement, she hopes to assist in the development and advancement of more equitable and accessible healthcare systems, assistive and rehabilitation technologies, and other related services for those in marginalized populations including those living with disabilities.
Allia Pugh-Mathis
Allia is a recent graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where she earned a degree in Communications and Media Production with a minor in Theatre. She is passionate about storytelling and creative expression. In her free time, Allia enjoys reading fiction novels, which inspire her creativity and love for compelling narratives.
Ali Robinette
Ali Robinette is the Executive Director of People Operations at Vincentian, a Pittsburgh nonprofit serving older adults and families. She leads people strategy, focusing on building workplaces where people with different backgrounds, abilities, and ways of thinking can succeed. One of Ali’s favorite parts of her work is helping managers understand and support employees with different strengths, needs, and abilities. She is passionate about creating workplaces that value neurodivergent individuals and empower them to succeed. Ali also serves as President of the North Hills Art Center and Secretary of the Glade Run Lutheran Services Board of Directors. She is excited to bring her experience in human resources, organizational leadership, and nonprofit governance to Evolve Coaching and support its mission of creating more inclusive communities.
Gerri Sperling
Gerri is a lawyer with the Pittsburgh law firm of Strassburger McKenna Gutnick and Gefsky. She brings over 40 years of legal experience to her diverse practice areas, including health law, adoptions, guardianships, reproductive law and employment law. She has significant experience representing both grassroots and larger nonprofit organizations and has served on several nonprofit boards. As a parent of a neurodivergent young adult who was one of Evolve’s
early clients, Gerri is passionate about Evolve’s mission. In her free time, Gerri enjoys reading, studying French and German on Duolingo, yoga, cooking and following the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Vaishnavi Umalkar
Vaishnavi (she/her) is a Clinical Coordinator at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System and a former coach with Evolve Coaching. She was first introduced to Evolve through a management consulting project while at CMU, which sparked her passion for supporting neurodiverse individuals and helping them navigate academic and professional pathways.
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With dual master’s degrees in Biomedical Engineering and Innovation Management from Carnegie Mellon University, she brings a blend of technical knowledge and strategic insight to her work. Her experience in both healthcare and coaching has strengthened her commitment to creating environments where neurodivergent students feel understood, supported, and empowered.
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Originally from India and now rooted in Pittsburgh, Vaishnavi values community connection, inclusivity, and lifelong learning. She is excited to apply her skills and experience to support Evolve Coaching’s mission in this new capacity.