About Us- Learn about our BCBAs and Mission

Meet Our Growing Team

Tenisa Turnbaugh, MS, BCBA, LBA (CT and VT)- Owner/Founder/CEO:

Tenisa started her career in education by earning a B.S. in Early and Elementary Education from Lyndon State College in Vermont. While a licensed educator, she developed a desire to support students with disabilities and became a Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA) in 2012. After raising her two young boys, Tenisa went on to earn a M.S. in Applied Behavior Analysis from Western Connecticut State University and is now a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). She has also recently served as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) for the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB).

As a BCaBA, Tenisa worked under the supervision of highly skilled and experienced BCBAs in Vermont and Connecticut. She served children and young adults, providing ABA services in their home, school and community settings. She was also the Program Coordinator for a private ABA special education school in Vermont before moving to Connecticut in 2019.

While Tenisa has extensive experience working with those on the autism spectrum and other developmental disabilities, she also focuses her practice on culturally responsive and trauma-informed ABA consultation within dozens of school districts throughout Connecticut and Vermont.

During the pandemic shutdown, Tenisa shifted her focus to helping students “catch-up” academically utilizing a practice of ABA called Precision Teaching. The success of her students is the motivation for the founding of Illumine Collaborative, LLC. She believes that through the collaboration of educators, behavior analysts and other service providers beyond the treatment of autism and challenging behavior, all students can benefit from the effective application of behavior analysis.

Abigail Howard, M.Ed, BCBA, LBA (VT)- Behavior Analyst

Abigail began her career in applied behavior analysis in 2015 in Vermont. She provided direct service to children and teens in a private school setting and within homes and communities. After earning her Masters in Education from Arizona State University, she went to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). Abigail now lives in Coupeville, Washington.

Throughout her career, Abby has found that teaching and training others to implement treatment and lesson plans has been her favorite part of the job.

Abby specializes in and particularly enjoys organizing complex behavioral concepts into visual aids and illustrations. She also has developed her practice to include Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for children and teens to address a variety of social and emotional challenges.

She looks forward to utilizing this talent in her development of dynamic staff training resources and her consultation and programming for clients in schools and home/community programs.

Jennifer Omelianoff, MA, BCBA, LABA (TX, VT)- Behavior Analyst

Jennifer grew up in Los Angeles, California and dreamed of being an English teacher, so she packed up and moved to rural Vermont where she obtained a degree in English Literature. From there she taught middle school in Vermont and then English in China. After a stint as a dog walker in New York City, she ventured into her current career serving children and adults with disabilities.

When Jen started in the field, she was a vocational skills educator and has been an ABA therapist/Registered Behavior Technician for the past 9 years. She gained the Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst credential in the spring of 2021, obtained a Master of Arts in Behavior Analysis in Practice in 2022 and became a board certified behavior analyst in 2023.

Jen has worked extensively with early learners using the ESDM (Early Start Denver Model) and has lead social skills groups for the past 4 years. When asked what she is passionate about she will say, “advocacy, teamwork and most of all, transparency”.

A focus of her current practice is on parent training and RBT assessment and supervision. She will be bringing this skill to developing parent training materials and content as well as providing programming and consultation with schools and families.

Ashley Fournier, MS, BCBA, LBA (MA, VT)- Behavior Analyst

What We Stand For

Our Mission

To create a community of inspiring professionals committed to equitable access to education, vocation, community and life’s pleasures for all

Our Values

Model Collaboration:

We strive to be exemplars of collaboration to our colleagues, external team members and those we influence

Grow Continuously:

We are committed to professional growth, learning from others, seeking different perspectives and actively listening

Prioritize Equity:

We seek to identify areas where access can be expanded to others and share with team members. We seek out the perspective of those not afforded the same access as ourselves

Elevate Others:

We aim to encourage those around us in achieving their goals and dreams. We support others through challenges and celebrate their successes.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Statement

Illumine Collaborative is dedicated to intentionally creating and maintaining a diverse, equitable and inclusive community for all of our employees and clients that we serve. Our commitment to providing culturally responsive services and a work culture of acceptance is only realized through weaving together the lived experiences, knowledge, and perspectives of people of diverse backgrounds and cultures.

We celebrate differences in age, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, physical and mental ability, neurodiversity, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, family and marital status, and all the various backgrounds that help expand our own individual repertoires of relating to one another.

We strive to embed our efforts for diversity and equity throughout our business operations to include our approach to leadership, hiring practices, promotions, pay, benefits, corrective/restorative actions, professional development, clinical assessments, plans and procedures. Prospective employees and current employees alike are expected to treat each other and our clients, as well as be treated, with respect, dignity and kindness. It is important to us that we foster a climate and culture that promotes:

A healthy, collaborative, and kind atmosphere across all of our client teams and operations
Engagement from all employees during trainings, meetings and other work-related activities that allows for more varied insights, ideas and representation.
Adjustability, where appropriate, to allow for an individual’s personal health, wellness, cultural or other individualized needs.
Being stewards of diversity, equity and inclusion through our actions and advocacy towards one another and when out in the field and the communities that we serve

Gabi Davis, MEd, Licensed Special Educator (VT)- Co-Founder/Education Director 2022-2024:

Gabi is proud to be a licensed special educator that is certified to teach individuals with intensive needs aged birth through 21 years old. She has been a teacher for 44 years in both public and private schools. She also directed summer camps and provided direct consultation to families. In her personal life, Gabi has also been a foster parent through Department of Children and Families (DCF) and a professional parent through local mental health agencies.

Gabi has a true passion for working with individuals who learn differently and are challenged by their different abilities. Helping individuals in all areas of their development- academic, social, emotional, behavioral, language and motor skills- across all settings- school, community and home- is a challenge that she has committed to since 1972. She strives to help individuals know that they are capable learners and have a place in our communities. Her motto has always included knowing that everyone needs to have people who are irrationally crazy about them.