The professionals who advise Understood are all experts in their fields. They include educators, researchers, learning specialists, physicians, psychologists, lawyers, and more. They share a commitment to helping individuals who learn and think differently thrive in school, at work, and in life.
If you would like to interview with one of our experts, please fill out our form below:
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Andrew Kahn is an Associate Director, Behavior Change & Expertise at Understood.
Expertise: special education, ADHD, social-emotional functioning, K-12 development
Bob Cunninham, EdM, serves as executive director of learning development at Understood.
Expertise: special education, learning disabilities and ADHD, school administration
Sarah Greenberg, MEd, MFT, BCC, serves as the Executive Director of Behavior Change & Expertise at Understood.
Expertise: mental health & wellbeing at work, prevention, coaching
Ellen Braaten, PhD, is the director of the Learning and Emotional Assessment Program (LEAP) at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Expertise: neuropsychology, mental health, learning disabilities, ADHD
Claudia Rinaldi, PhD, is the Joan Weiler Arnow ’49 Professor at Lasell University, where she serves as chair of the education program.
Expertise: bilingual special education services, learning disabilities, and multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS), pre-service and in-service teacher preparation, bilingual (Spanish)
Kristin J. Carothers, PhD, is a clinical child psychologist devoted to the destigmatization of mental health problems.
Expertise: clinical psychology
Kara Ball, MEd, is an elementary science and STEM education specialist with Baltimore City Public Schools.
Expertise: teaching strategies, dyslexia, personal experience, teacher professional development
Adiaha Spinks, MD, MPH, is an assistant professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine and a developmental-behavioral pediatrician for Texas Children’s Hospital.
Expertise: developmental-behavioral pediatrics
Manju Banerjee, PhD, is vice president of educational research and innovation at Landmark College.
Expertise: college transition, young adults
Afrika Afeni Mills, MEd, helps educators develop and sustain student-centered learning experiences that are diverse, inclusive, and equitable.
Expertise: racial equity
Jerome Schultz, PhD, is a clinical neuropsychologist and lecturer in the Harvard Medical School Department of Child Psychiatry.
Expertise: anxiety, ADHD
James Emmett, MS, is the lead workplace strategist for Understood, where he supports efforts to create more inclusive workplaces for people with disabilities.
Expertise: workplace, inclusion
Donna Volpitta, EdD, is the founder of Pathways to Empower. Her work draws on the latest research in neuroscience, psychology, and education.
Expertise: resilience, mental health
Elizabeth Harstad, MD, MPH, is a developmental-behavioral pediatrician at Boston Children’s Hospital.
Expertise: developmental-behavioral pediatrics, medication management
Juliana Urtubey, MA, 2021 National Teacher of the Year, is an Understood Mentor Fellow and a special education teacher and instructional strategist in inclusion and resource settings.
Expertise: special education, bilingual (Spanish)
Karen Wilson, PhD, is a clinical neuropsychologist who specializes in the assessment of children and adults through comprehensive evaluations.
Expertise: neuropsychology, ADHD, learning disabilities, transitions
Keri Wilmot is an occupational therapist who works with children of varying ages and abilities in all areas of pediatrics.
Expertise: occupational therapy, sensory processing
Michelle Lassiter, MA, CCC-SLP, serves as Understood’s expert relations and editorial research associate.
Expertise: speech/language development and disorders, executive functioning, learning disabilities, culturally sensitive assessments and intervention practices, bilingual (Spanish)
Kareem Neal, MA, is an Understood Teacher Fellow and a self-contained special education teacher in Phoenix.
Expertise: postsecondary education, school leadership, diversity, culturally responsive teaching, special education
Shaquala Butler, MA, is an Understood Mentor Fellow and a reading specialist in Huntsville, Alabama.
Expertise: teaching strategies, interventions, critical race theory, teacher professional development
Christina Gutierrez, MSEd, is an Understood Teacher Fellow and a response to intervention (RTI) coordinator and interventionist with early elementary students in New York.
Expertise: English language learners, teaching strategies, interventions
Brian Smith, MA, is an Understood Teacher Fellow and a kindergarten teacher in Claremont, North Carolina.
Expertise: dyslexia, teaching strategies
Lynn Abrahams is a professor at Curry College, where she runs the Program for Advancement of Learning (PAL). Expertise: language-based learning disabilities, executive function issues, ADHD particularly in early adulthood