ABOUT US
PIC’s goal is to provide early intervention services for infants and toddlers with special needs.
This goal is achieved by using resources and supports from PIC, as well as the community.
The Naufah Family
PIC’s mission is to promote the growth and development of young children who experience developmental delays by supporting and strengthening parents. PIC believes:
All families are special, unique and respected
Families make choices and decisions about the services they receive
Families receive information in a sensitive and unbiased manner so they can make the best choices for their child and family
Families receive the service they need to help them achieve their goals
Goals are achieved by using resources and supports from PIC, as well as the community
Learning happens every day in the places children live and play, doing the things the enjoy, with the people who care about and love them
OUR MISSION
Our Staff
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Amy Simpson - Executive Director
Amy Simpson began working at PIC in 1995 as a speech therapist and became the Executive Director in 2004. She was raised in Colorado and lived in Utah for many years before moving to Alaska. Amy enjoys all things Alaskan including bicycling, fly fishing, and skiing.
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Victoria Kendall - Deputy Director
Victoria Kendall earned a degree in social work and holds a clinical license in the State of Alaska. She assists families in addressing their children’s delays and mental health concerns as an early interventionist. When away from work she enjoys spending time with her family, the outdoors, and running.
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Stacey Winslow - Finance Manager
Stacey Winslow is PIC’s Finance Manager. She has lived in Alaska for 28 years and has five children. She is very involved in her church and enjoys cross-country skiing, knitting, sewing, and watching her children play sports.
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Micheala Phillips - Office Manager
Micheala (Mc-Kella, like Nutella, umbrella, or goodfella) Phillips has lived in Alaska her whole life. She’s worked in the medical field for over 10 years and has a double BS in Exercise Science and Applied Human Biology from Seattle Pacific University. She’s a proud beagle momma of two, sci-fi/fantasy book nerd, cooking enthusiast; and of course, all things outdoor in Alaska.
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Julia Ramirez - IT Manager
Julia Ramirez holds an Associate of Applied Science in Human Services from the University of Alaska, Anchorage. She began working at PIC in 2006 and is part of the administrative and management team. Julia enjoys spending time with her family and spends her spare time reading and catching up on the latest movies.
Support Staff
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Rose Bradley - Referral Specialist
Rose Bradley is an Early Interventionist and joined PIC in 2017. Rose has a bachelor's degree in social work and has worked with a diverse population connecting them to local resources. Rose is a military wife and a mother of two beautiful girls. When Rose is not at work she enjoys spending time with her family making new memories.
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Julie Foraker - Referral Specialist
Julie Foraker has been an Early Interventionist at PIC since 2005. She was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska and holds an Associate Degree in Early Childhood from the University of Alaska Anchorage and an Associate degree in Speech and Language Pathology Assistant through Prince William Sound Community College. Her hobbies include making jewelry, scarves and exploring the great outdoors with friends and family. Julie enjoys her job and makes sure families are getting the services they need through PIC.
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Elizabeth Trenor - Health Information Technician
Elizabeth Trenor is from Gainesville, Florida. She moved to Alaska in July 2020 and has been working with PIC since September 2020. She enjoys reading, cooking, playing board games, watching scary movies, going sledding with her kids and exploring Alaska!
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Virginia Stolt - Health Information Teachnician
Virginia Stolt is a Health Information Technologist and joined PIC in 2023. She is the mother of one incredibly creative son who loves world building. Virginia enjoys spending time with her family, playing games, going on long walks and reading in her spare time.
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Amber McClelland - Administrative Assistant
Amber is a born and raised Alaskan. She and her partner of 20 years have 4 children; one grown daughter, one grown son, two boys ages 12 and 9, as well three grandchildren. Amber has spent most of her career working in the LGBTQ+ community, as well as counseling pregnant teens. In her spare time, she likes to cook, make jewelry, play softball and go swimming. Mostly she just likes hanging with friends and family.
Team Managers
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Team Manager - Donna Kelley
Donna Kelley is an occupational therapist with a Master’s degree in early childhood special education. Originally from Maine, she has provided early intervention services for families in New Hampshire, Texas, and Germany. After spending several years homeschooling her two sons and moving frequently due to her husband’s career, she and her family have settled permanently in Alaska. When not working, Donna enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, quilting, knitting, reading, and helping with social activities at her church.
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Team Manager - Jessica Gardner
Jessica Gardner has been a Developmental Specialist at PIC since 2009. She was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska. She enjoys spending time with her family doing all the wonderful things life in Alaska has to offer-camping, hiking, fishing, and snow machining.
Developmental Specialists
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Yolanda Cruz-Cabanzo
Yolanda Cruz-Cabanzo is an Early Interventionist. She has been providing early intervention services at PIC for since 2007. Yolanda has five children. She has lived in Alaska on and off for the past 21 years. She has lived in Anchorage since 2003. She enjoys working with children and families. Yolanda assists families with Spanish translation when needed. In her free time she enjoys cooking, reading, and spending time with her family.
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Yulia Chen
Yulia Chen began at PIC in 2015 and serves a Development Specialist. She is bilingual (Russian and English) and holds degrees in Psychology, Early Childhood Development, and Special Education; she has more than 20 years of experience working with children and families with special needs. She specializes in providing assistance with learning disabilities, cognitive impairments, and social/emotional development. Yulia enjoys travel, fine arts, literature, playing music, cooking, and spending time on the wonderful outdoors of Alaska with her family
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Shannon Lloyd
Shannon Lloyd is a Developmental Therapist who has been in Early Intervention for the past 12 years. Shannon got her Master’s degree in Master of Arts in Teaching from Alaska Pacific University, and AAS degree in Speech Language Pathologist from Prince William Sound Community College. Shannon enjoys exploring Alaska by camping and flying out to remote parts of the State. Shannon feels blessed to be part of such a wonderful community and she feels privileged to support families through home visiting services.
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Amy Bristol
Amy Bristol moved from Oregon to Alaska in 2004. She begin working at PIC in 2008 as a Developmental Specialist. She has two young children and enjoys playing outdoors with her family.
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Kate Moyers
Kate Moyers moved from Northern California to Alaska in 2010. She began working at PIC in 2017 as a Developmental Therapist. She received her degree in Early Childhood Education with a focus on Special Education from University of Alaska Anchorage, and is currently working on her Masters in Infant and Toddler Mental Health. Kate loves working as an Early Interventionist, and is passionate about social-emotional development, regulation, and family relationships. She enjoys the opportunity to empower families, and impact children’s development for the better. When not working at PIC, Kate loves to explore the outdoors, travel, read, and play music.
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Kayla Miller
Kayla Miller moved to Alaska from Texas in 2020. She has worked with many families and children in multiple settings and age ranges as a Special Education teacher. She is very excited to be working with PIC and the Anchorage community.
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Kristin Nygren
Kristin Nygren has lived in Alaska since 1998 and started working at PIC in 2009. She has a master’s degree in Early Childhood Special Education from UAA. Kristin has received extensive training in working with children with social communication issues from Profectum, a relationship-based program. She has a passion for working with children who experience autism and their families. In her spare time, Kristin enjoys playing games with her family and going on long Pokemon walks
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Whitney Street
Whitney Street moved to Toksook Bay, AK in 2014 after graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Education from Central Michigan University. After teaching in the village for two years, she moved to Anchorage and taught five more years for the Matanuska-Susitna Borough and Anchorage School Districts. In 2019 she graduated with a Master Degree in Early Childhood Special Education from the University of Alaska Anchorage. When Whitney is not working, she enjoys traveling, spending time with family, sleeping in and relaxing.
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Hamimah Bjorkman
Hamimah “Ima” Bjorkman received her degree in Adult Education and vocational training from Charles Sturt University, Australia. She went on to pursue Masters in Arts, K-8 from Alcorn State University, Mississippi. Ima was hired as an educator with the Anchorage School District as classroom teacher from 2001 - 2003, Gifted Teacher from 2003 - 2006, Special Education Teacher from 2007 - 2016, Elementary Teacher from 2016 - 2021, and a special education middle school teacher from 2022 - 2023. Ima also holds an M.E.D. in Early Childhood Special Education - Birth Through 8 from University of Alaska, Anchorage. She is very excited and grateful to be afforded the opportunity to provide service for children and families. Ima enjoys reading, her dogs, traveling, and just chilling with her husband and daughter.
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Cassia Teuscher
This is Cassia, a seasoned professional in the realms of early childhood and special education for over a decade. Recently, she accomplished a master’s degree in early childhood education and development. Venturing overseas, Cassia embarked on an adventure to China, collaborating with a company and employing their expertise in occupational therapy and sign language. Back in Alaska in the Northwest Arctic Region, she actively contributed to language support using American Sign Language in both early childhood and the school district setting for ten years. With an unwavering passion for nurturing young minds and fostering inclusive learning environments Cassia enjoys making the continuous impact on the little lives she serves. Her journey is a testament to her dedication to lifelong learning and compassion in the Early Childhood and Development practice.
Occupational Therapists
Erin Main
Erin grew up a farm kid in rural Nebraska and received her graduate education from Creighton University. She holds a bachelor’s degree in management and marketing from Johnson and Wales University. She is passionate about simple, effective therapeutic practice founded in relational, occupational, and environmental connection. Erin possesses experience on interdisciplinary diagnostic teams for autism, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, and neurodevelopmental disorders.
Hannah Tashjian
Hannah Tashjian is an occupational therapist who earned her graduate degree at Dominican University of California. With a background in early childhood education and a previous career as a preschool teacher at Children’s World Montessori, playing and learning with children has always been her passion. As someone who enjoys travel and adventure, it was no big surprise when she chose Alaska as a place to build upon her career. She was thrilled to begin working in early intervention at PIC in the summer of 2019.
Karina Wong
Karina Wong’s background is in recreation therapy, where she enjoyed working in adaptive sports and behavioral health. She earned her occupational therapy doctorate through Creighton University’s partnership program with the University of Alaska Anchorage. Karina feels honored to have the opportunity to support children and their families during the earliest years of development, knowing that early intervention can profoundly impact a child's growth and future potential.
Sarah Sherman
Sarah Sherman is an occupational therapist from Vermont who earned her graduate degree at Tufts University in 2018. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Human Development from Cornell University. Sarah has several years of experience at a private outpatient pediatric clinic in Anchorage serving children from birth to 18, and is passionate about helping children to play, learn, and grow. She is excited to have the opportunity to support children and empower families through early intervention services. When she’s not working, she enjoys playing with her dog, reading, and getting outside: camping, hiking, mountain biking, paddling, and backcountry skiing!
Physical Therapists
Kristen Cassens
Kristen Cassens is happy to be back at PIC since November 2019, although was initially employed at PIC when she moved to Alaska from the Midwest in 1993. Kristen has worked in a variety of settings since becoming a P.T. in 1989, but her primary interest is pediatrics. She has worked in school and private practice settings, but her favorite is infant and toddlers and working with families and other caregivers. She makes the long commute each day from Girdwood, but loves working with in the home setting and meeting many new people, and so makes the trek to PIC. She dislikes working at a desk and “being stuck inside a building” all day and enjoys taking long walks and hikes all around Alaska.
Shelby King
Shelby was raised in a small town in Idaho and grew up with a passion for the outdoors, so it's no wonder that when she first came to Alaska as a physical therapy student she instantly felt at home. Shelby has several years of experience at a private outpatient pediatric clinic in Soldotna serving children from birth to 21. She also spent time working with adults as an acute care therapist at a hospital in Washington state, but she couldn't stay away from Alaska for long. In her free time, Shelby enjoys baking sweet treats, hiking with her golden retriever Quinn, and traveling. Patagonia is her favorite destination to date, but there are lots more places on her list!
Amy Caudillo
Amy Caudillo earned her doctoral degree in Physical Therapy from Mount St. Mary’s College in Los Angeles. She has lived and practiced physical therapy in California and Arizona before moving to Alaska in 2013. When not working with families receiving services with PIC, Amy enjoys travelling, hiking, camping and spending time with her family.
Colette Ravinet
Colette Ravinet is a physical therapist. She received her degree from the University of Wisconsin. Colette grew up in South America and Alaska. She enjoys traveling, dancing, hiking, and biking.
Speech Language Pathologists
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Martina Rudzinski
Martina Rudzinski has been an early interventionist with PIC since 2016. She loves working with kids and families and is active in the special needs community in Alaska. When not working, Martina loves to build forts, explore Alaska and have movie nights with her 2 kids.
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Nora Werner
Nora Werner is a speech therapist who began working at PIC in 2015. She completed her graduate degree at Gallaudet University and has continued to specialize in working with children and families who are Deaf/hard of hearing. She also enjoys working with children with a variety of other needs related to speech, language, and feeding. Nora is originally from the Bay Area in California, and lived in Phoenix and Washington, D.C. before moving to Alaska. When not working with families, she enjoys cooking, traveling, and exploring the outdoors of Alaska through hiking, camping, and skiing.
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Destiny Harris
Destiny Harris is a speech and language therapist who was born and raised in Louisiana before adventuring across the continent to Alaska. She received her degree from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette with a concentration in the social communication of children with autism spectrum disorder. When she is not spending time working with families, Destiny enjoys exploring outdoors, cooking, reading, or lounging with her cat.
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Cristine Aki
Cristine is a speech-language therapist who was raised in southern California. She lived in Washington, the Philippines and Texas, before moving to Anchorage in1997. In 2007, she earned a master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from East Carolina University in partnership with University of Alaska Anchorage. She worked in Anchorage School District,from 2003 to 2014, before entering the world of ILP, and she has been enjoying it ever since. Outside of work, Cristine enjoys cooking, crafting, Tai Chi, seeing new places, and spending time with family and friends.
Social Work
Sue Armstrong is a licensed clinical social worker with a BA in Early Childhood Special Education from Saint Louis University. Originally from St. Louis, Mo, Sue has lived in Anchorage since 2010. Prior to working with PIC, Sue has spent most of her career supporting teachers, students and parents as a mental health and disability coordinator with Early/Head Start in MO, NM and AK. Sue enjoys working with families to support their journey as advocates for their children. When not working with families, she enjoys hanging out with her family and friends, knitting, traveling, and exploring the outdoors of Alaska through walking her dogs, camping, and driving around searching for berries
Sue Armstrong
Kate Saft
Kate Saft, an Early Intervention Behavioral Health Therapist, received her Master of Social Work (MSW) degree in 2024 and a Graduate Certificate in Children’s Mental Health in 2023 from the University of Alaska Anchorage. Additionally, she completed the LEND Without Walls (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities) fellowship with the UAA Center for Human Development in 2022. When not working with children and families, Kate enjoys taking walks in nature with friends and family.
Dana Cross
Dana Cross received her Master’s degree of Social Work from the University of Southern California. Dana’s past work experiences include working with adults in substance abuse treatment facility, with children and preteens in mental health, and working with new mothers in a hospital setting in the NICU and Maternity Center.
Originally from Indiana, Dana was brought to Alaska with her husband via the military. When not working, she enjoys time with her family and getting outdoors to see Alaska!