Meet the Team
Board of Directors
Gerin Gaskin (Co-Founder, Chairman, Research & Development) has a strong history of working with children and adults with disabilities. She is Board Certified Behavior Analyst and a Registered Psychological Assistant. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from UCSD, a M.A. from Claremont Graduate University (CGU) in Developmental Psychology, and obtained her PhD at CGU. She is dedicated to applying research-based principles to create positive impact for the ASD community.
Casey Hoffman (Co-Founder, Vice Chairman, Strategy, Operations & Development) is deeply passionate about educational equity and supporting the autism community. He served as Lab Coordinator of the UCSD Autism Intervention Research Program for five years and also worked directly with children and families as an Early Childhood Interventionist. He also served as Director, Growth & Strategy and Chief of Staff at Aspire Public Schools and Sr. Project Manager at Portland Public Schools. He has a M.S. in Global Leadership from University of San Diego and B.A. in Psychology from UCSD.
Rowa Barashi has a Ph.D. in the new area of Marketing ‘Customer experience management’ and she is a strong believer in the power of people and technology in the workplace and its impact on performance. She is a Marketing and IT specialist with experience in different fields, and she has a humbling experience as an academic lecturer and a junior researcher. Rowa is a single mother of a bright girl, who is diagnosed with Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia and Epilepsy. During her journey, she found it fascinating to learn more about her daughter and explore more about her special sensory needs. Her mission is to help all mums to be more connected to their kids, to help kids to reach their full potential and learn to love themselves the way they are.
Schuyler Fox is passionate about broadly disseminating mental health treatment and education. She has a B.A. in Psychology from Pomona College, and an Ed.M. in Learning Design, Innovation, and Technology from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She conducted research and led therapy groups at Columbia University Clinic for Anxiety and Related Disorders (CUCARD), and has since dedicated her career to promoting children's mental health and social emotional learning through media and television. She has experience in production, curriculum design, and creative development for children's media, and is currently an Associate Producer at FableVision studios. She hopes to continue to use storytelling as a vehicle for impact and education.
Jennifer A. Smith holds a Bachelors in Sociology from UC Santa Barbara, and M.Ed. from Indiana University in Curriculum & Instruction, as well as multiple teaching credentials. She presently owns a Business, Education, and Autism Consulting Firm, and has an extensive professional background in the Autism services sector. Jennifer's over 26 years of experience in Curriculum Development, Curriculum and EdTech Sales and Operations, Teacher Training and Professional Development, Adult Education, Partnerships and Growth, Marketing and Public Affairs, Social Services, and Community Engagement have equipped her with a wealth of knowledge to provide guidance and support as See Beneath continues to grow. Jennifer is mom to an autistic adult son, whom she is incredibly proud of. Jennifer's LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/japerkinssmith.
Research, Development, and Marketing
Ashley Griffith (Research Associate) received a dual B.A. in Psychology and Criminology, Law & Society from the University of California, Irvine (UCI). Ashley has worked with autistic children and children with developmental disabilities as a Respite Healthcare Provider and Behavioral Interventionist administering Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) techniques for over five years. She is currently attending a Master's Program in Marriage and Family Therapy at the University of San Diego and aims to become a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist serving autistic adults and families with children with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities holistically.
Ambassadors
Jim Turner (Co-Founder, Creative Advisor) is an experienced entrepreneur and an owner of an event/flower design studio in Sonoma County. Jim has worked alongside many nonprofit organizations, through art direction and project management. He has a lot of experience creating and performing educational and entertaining materials, as he was the creative director for projects that were implemented for over 10,000 children. Jim looks forward to helping create new programs to help local children with ASD meet their potential.
Renee Anderson, MA, BCBA, works in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis as a clinical supervisor. She has a Master’s degree in Teaching with a specialty in ABA and has a B.A. in Sociology from UCSD. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and is passionate about the ethical dissemination of Applied Behavior Analysis therapy. She was inspired to enter the field when her daughter was diagnosed with autism. She works toward a future where all children have access to therapies which give them the skills to reach their full potential.
Advisory Board
Kayvon Pourmirzaie is an IP & Startup attorney and serial entrepreneur. He is currently working on two e-commerce startups in OnMyWhey (www.onmywhey.com) and Sriracha2Go (www.sriracha2go.com). He previously co-founded two venture backed startups in Nasseo, Inc. and WhatNow, Inc. He is passionate about social entrepreneurship and giving back to the community. He received an M.B.A from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, a J.D. cum laude from the University of San Diego School of Law, and a B.S. in Bioengineering from the University of California San Diego.
Aubyn Stahmer, Ph.D., is an expert in autism treatments. Dr. Stahmer is an Associate Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the UC Davis MIND Institute. She serves as a researcher at the Autism Discovery Institute, which has been in operation for over 10 years. She is well published in several domains related to autism including parent coaching, inclusion, and early intervention services. Dr. Stahmer is heavily involved in the autism community is currently investigating the ESDM (Early Start Denver Model) and how best to support families in rural and underserved communities.
Sarah Dufek, M.S., BCBA, is a post-doctoral scholar at Weill Cornell Medical College and works in the Center for Autism and the Developing Brain. Sarah was awarded her Ph.D. in experimental psychology from the University of California, San Diego. She has been working with children with ASD and related developmental disabilities in clinical and research contexts since 2000.
App Development Team
Production Team
Karl Benitez (Sound Engineer and Musician) received his A.A.A. for Audio Production from the Art Institute of Seattle and is currently attending the University of Washington to obtain his B.A. He has a strong professional background in sound engineering, including working for a television station. Music has always been passion of Karl's and he has expanded his area of work to musical composition for various local bands, sonic art, and video production.
Kathryn Beers (Puppeteer and Voice Actor)
Jake Turner (Theme Song)
Kathryn Beers (Puppeteer and Voice Actor)
Jake Turner (Theme Song)
