Virginia Spielmann (she/her), PhD, OTR/L
Executive Director
STAR Institute
USA

Virginia is a well-travelled speaker, coach and educator on topics including sensory integration, DIR/Floortime, child development and infant mental health. She has conducted trainings in Kenya, Australia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and the USA and leads workshops at international conferences.

Virginia is a founder and former Clinical Director of SPOT (Speech, Physical, and Occupational Therapy) Interdisciplinary Children's Therapy Center in Hong Kong, where she led a large and widely respected inter-disciplinary team.

Virginia obtained her BSc in Occupational Therapy in Oxford England (2002) and her Masters in Occupational Therapy from Mount Mary University, Milwaukee (2018). She is a DIR/Floortime Training Leader and Expert and clinical consultant for the Interdisciplinary Council for Development and Learning (ICDL). Her extensive pediatric experience includes children on the autism spectrum, as well as those with Sensory Processing Disorder, infant mental health issues, adoption, developmental trauma.

Virginia has considerable post-graduate training, she is certified on the SIPT and is currently completing her Ph.D. in Infant and Early Childhood Development with an emphasis on mental health, with Fielding Graduate University, in Santa Barbara. She is a published author and contributed to the STAR Frame of Reference as part of the 4th Edition of Frames of Reference for Pediatric Occupational Therapy, alongside Dr. Miller and Dr. Schoen.

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Carol Stock Kranowitz (she/her)
Author
Out-of-Sync Child series
USA

Carol Stock Kranowitz, M.A., is the author of  The Out-of-Sync Child: Recognizing and Coping with Sensory Processing Differences and other books in the "Sync" series about sensory challenges and fun sensory-motor activities.  With Joye Newman, she has developed the “In-Sync Child” approach to weave joyful movement experiences into every child's day.  Carol graduated from Barnard College and earned an M.A. in Education & Human Development (Special Education) from The George Washington University. 

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Daria Brown (she/her), MA
ICDL's Parent Advocate
International Council on Development and Learning (ICDL)
Canada

Daria Brown has a Masters in Personality and Social Psychology and an Advanced Certificate in DIRFloortime. She has worked in the field of research, evaluation, and education for over 30 years at universities, not for profits, and government and has been the Parent Advocate for the International Council on Learning and Development (ICDL) since 2017, facilitating their parent support meetings and leading their new DIR Parent Network. She is the creator of affectautism.com, a website in its 10th year, that supports parents and practitioners in implementing DIRFloortime through blog posts and bi-weekly podcasts. Daria was diagnosed as Autistic in May 2024. She resides in Toronto, Canada and loves going to concerts in the underground music scene and model train shows with her now 15-year-old autistic son. 

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Natasha Nelson (she/her), CPDE
Nonprofit Founder, Disability Advocate, Certified Positive Discipline Educator
Supernova Parenting
USA

Natasha Nelson, also known as Supernova Momma is a disability advocate, Certified Positive Discipline Educator (CPDE) in the home, classroom, and early childhood education center, Certified National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Family Support Group Facilitator, Certified Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences (HOPE) Facilitator, highly decorated veteran, and mother of two autistic Black girls. 

Natasha is also neurodivergent, diagnosed with ASD, ADHD, OCD, GAD, SPD, PTSD, and SSD. Natasha and her family played a prominent role in the highly revered documentary "Navigating Autism in Communities of Color". Produced and directed by the esteemed School of History and Sociology and the School of the Literature Media and Communication and Georgia Tech, in collaboration with The Color of Autism Foundation.

Natasha was chosen by The Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) as its 2022 recipient of the Creating Community Together Award. She is a 2023-2024 Georgia Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (GaLEND) program trainee graduate. Recently, the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) chose Natasha as one of their Emerging Leaders for 2024-2025. 

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Daniela Wachholtz (she/her)
Occupational Therapist
Centro STEPS
Chile

Daniela Wachholtz is an associate professor at the School of Education at Universidad de los Andes in Chile. Beside the academic lectures she gives to graduate and undergraduate students, she participates actively in research regarding inclusive models in education for neurodivergent students. As an Occupational therapist, her focus is self-regulation to promote well-being in different contexts for students, teachers and families. Before joining UANDES, she completed her master’s and her Clinical Doctorate degree at NYU. Currently she has an active participation in the Chilean Corporation for Sensory integration where she participates in the research team. Daniela is the director and one of the three founders of a private center Centro STEPS that delivers therapeutic interventions for children and his families since 2015. Mother of two beautiful children and a dog, enjoys hiking and nature with her husband.

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Greg Santucci, OTR/L
Occupational Therapist
Children’s Specialized Hospital 
USA

Greg Santucci has been a Pediatric Occupational Therapist for 25 years and is currently a Supervisor of Occupational Therapy at Children’s Specialized Hospital in New Jersey. In addition to his clinical work at Children's Specialized, he also serves on the Advisory Council of their Autism Center of Excellence. Greg is the Founding Director of Power Play Pediatric Therapy and the creator of the Model of Child Engagement, a neurodevelopmentally informed approach to improving felt safety, regulation and active participation in children of all levels of ability. Greg presents both nationally and internationally on topics related to sensorimotor development, sensory processing, regulation and behavior. He recently received the Award of Merit from the NJ Occupational Therapy Association for his advocacy work related to neurodiversity-affirming care. He is a proud Penn State and Thomas Jefferson University graduate, but his most cherished title is that of “Dad” to two amazing teenage children. 

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Oswin Latimer (Fae/Faer/They)
Founding Director
Foundations for Divergent Minds
USA

Oswin Latimer is an Autistic, Choctaw, Trans, Queer activist and educator with a long history of working against supremacism in faer disability justice work. Fae has extensive experience doing policy work in education, healthcare, and employment. Oswin also acts as an Autistic consultant and provides anti-ableist education and support for dismantling oppressive practices that particularly harm disabled, 2SLGBTQIA+, and BIPoC folx. Oswin has participated in many presentations, panels, documentaries and podcasts over the last decade. In addition to faer activism, Oswin is most proud of faer children, who range from elementary aged to young adult and who are all neurodivergent. Oswin has applied (and applies) faer work into advocacy for and alongside faer kids.

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Elizabeth Kilmer (she/they), PhD, LP
Psychologist
Save Point Behavioral Health

Elizabeth Kilmer, PhD is a clinical psychologist dedicated to education and research on applied games and resilient gaming communities. Dr. Kilmer is the editor of the upcoming Psychgeist of Stardew Valley book and co-authored Therapeutically Applied Role-Playing Games. They have extensive public speaking experience, featured in conferences in the US and internationally. Dr. Kilmer has ADHD herself, and much of her clinical practice focuses on neurodivergent-affirming assessments for ADHD and autism. In her clinical practice, Dr. Kilmer uses popular games to support insight, growth, and change with clients.

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Sarah McCulloch (she/her), MSc
Occupational Therapist
Founder of Autistic Empire

Sarah McCulloch MSc is an autistic occupational therapist with experience across a range of acute mental health, community, and paediatric settings. She currently works as a healthcare manager of a team transitioning autistic young people to adult mental health services. Her lived experience as an autistic adult and work unidentified autistic people across roles led her to found the Autistic Empire in 2018. The Autistic Empire is an autistic social organisation built by and for autistic adults to form community based on autism as a civic identity and to provide practical tools and services for all autistic people. Sarah’s increasing professional focus is the importance and development of positive autistic identity. Sarah is based in London, UK.

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Lisa Marnell (she/her), OTD, MBA
Teaching Professional at Boston University
Clinical Occupational Therapist, Kids Master Skills

Dr. Lisa Marnell is an autistic occupational therapist with over twenty years of experience. She has worked in a variety of settings including schools, outpatient clinics, and early intervention. Lisa completed her doctorate at Boston University (BU) where she studied emotional regulation and executive function in autism. Now, she is now on the BU faculty. Lisa is the founder of Kids Master Skills LLC and served as a member of the board of directors at the STAR Institute in Denver. Lisa works with teachers and families to cultivate quality of life and self-empowerment in autistic children. She owns a private practice in Thousand Oaks, California, where she provides neurodiversity-affirming and strengths-based supports to autistic clients and their families as well as in-person and online school consultations. Dr. Marnell is an active autism advocate.

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Kathy Platzman (she/her), PhD
Psychologist
Floortime Atlanta 

Kathy is a Licensed Psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia. Her private practice, Floortime Atlanta [www.floortimeatlanta.com], is transdisciplinary and focuses on both assessment and treatment of individuals with a wide range of developmental conditions and their families. 

She received her doctorate from the University of Chicago, Committee on Human Development. Additionally, she completed a re-specialization in Child and Family Psychotherapy from Georgia State University. 

She was on the research faculty at Emory School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, where she worked in the Human Genetics Laboratory taking part in a research team that focused on prenatal drug exposure and long-term developmental consequences thereof. 

Some of her research efforts have been with nonhuman primates at the Harvard School of Public Health’s Nutrition Laboratory, at Georgia State’s Language Research Center, and at Yerkes Primate Center. 

She was the first recipient of the DIR Lifetime Champion Award (2022). 

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Melissa Schwartz (she/her)
Transformational Coach for Highly Sensitive Families
Leading Edge Parenting

Melissa Schwartz transforms the field of child development by bringing fresh perspectives grounded in current research and personal experience. She specializes in helping parents and professionals understand and support children with high sensitivity and sensory processing disorder. With a blend of extensive professional training and deep personal insight, Melissa has assisted highly sensitive families across six continents. As a public speaker, transformational coach, and co-founder of Leading Edge Parenting, Melissa is an internationally respected expert specializing in high sensitivity. She has co-authored "Authentic Parenting Power" and "Rico the Race Car." Melissa and her family (including highly sensitive dog, Maggie, and a flock of chickens) live in Southern California. She is a Stanford University alumna and a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.