About Us
Empowering Families, Strengthening Communities
At the Autism Resource Project (ARP), we believe that knowledge, connection, and access to high-quality resources can make a world of difference for individuals with autism and those who support them. Our mission is to empower families, caregivers, educators, and advocates by providing essential tools and insights, along with access to community-driven services and solutions. Equally important, we recognize that differences between people should be celebrated and that it is incumbent upon us to understand the value everyone has to contribute to improving quality of life for all community members.
Our work is built on four key pillars designed to support, inform, and uplift the autism, neurodiverse and disabled communities:
Community: A Network of Support and Guidance
Navigating life with autism and other challenges can feel overwhelming, but no one should have to do it alone. ARP's Community Pages connect families and allies with vital support networks, ensuring that no parent or caregiver feels isolated. We provide access to support groups, educational programs, and expert guidance on securing essential services for people of all ages and needs and are working toward establishing networking groups for parents of newly diagnosed children in every state to help them navigate different laws, available resources, and key personnel who can assist in securing support. We will also build an area specific national – and eventually global - calendar of events and vetted resources. Our goal is to be a lifeline for families asking, "What can we do?" by offering guidance, encouragement, and practical solutions.
Staying informed is crucial for making the right decisions. Our digital library will offer a selection of periodicals, scientific studies, books, and expert-authored articles that provide the most accurate and relevant information available. As science and technology continue to evolve, we work to ensure that families and professionals have access to vetted, evidence-based knowledge. Our commitment to accuracy and accessibility can help empower parents, educators, and advocates with the information they need to support autistic and neurodiverse individuals effectively.
Living with autism and other neurodiversity presents unique challenges, and finding the right tools and products can mean the difference between thriving or surviving for individuals, and contributing to society as opposed to simply existing in it. Our marketplace features carefully selected items designed to meet the needs of individuals and their families. Every product is vetted for quality, effectiveness, and real-world impact, with testimonials from the community guiding our selections. From sensory-friendly tools to educational or training resources, our marketplace will be a trusted destination for families seeking solutions that truly make a difference.
The Autism Resource Project exists because families, caregivers and those living with autism need answers, resources, and support, as well as the opportunity to become active members of society who can contribute positively to it as well. By donating, you help us expand our reach, improve our offerings, and connect more people with the tools they need to thrive. Every contribution goes toward strengthening our community, advancing autism education, and ensuring that no one has to navigate this journey alone.
Together, we can improve the lives of individuals with autsm or other neurodivergences or disabilites, along with those who provide the daily love and support for them. Join us in making a lastng and positve impact on our world now, and long into the future!
Board of Directors
Gilda Evans, President
The founder of the Autism Resource Project (ARP) and host of the Autism Resource Podcast. With decades of experience advocating for neurodivergent and disabled individuals, and as a single mother to three children, the youngest son being autistic, she is passionate about helping others facing similar challenges. After navigating through schools, regional centers, and government offices to support her youngest son’s educational and life needs, Gilda recognized the necessity for a central knowledge hub. ARP was established to bring together the scattered supports and services and provide a reliable, 24/7 global community resource where people, whether neurodivergent/disabled or supporting someone who is, can find answers from trusted professionals and sources.
Debbie Carlitz, Vice President
Debbie Carlitz is Founder, President & CEO of Chiromatic LLC. Chiromatic gives the world a better place to sleep. Chiromatic provides a clinical sleeping system that blends science and luxury to help those with back and neck pain experience the healing power of sleep. As CEO since 2008, Deb has combined her passion for restorative sleep with her vision to build an unprecedented mattress that reduces pressure and relieves back pain.
She has held numerous executive roles in strategy, sales, product development, marketing, logistics and promotion. Deb serves on the executive committee of the Avocado Green Brand as a founding partner. She is a former practicing attorney in New York state and the mother of an amazing young adult with autism.
Christopher Cope, Vice President
Chris has spent the past 30 years in marketing, business development and business strategy. His career spans across multiple industries including hotels, wines, live music and event production, and film production studios. In 2021 he co-founded a film and television production studio utilizing the Virtual Production technology. He now provides business plan development, marketing, and business strategy consulting services for a variety of companies. He lends his experience and knowledge of marketing strategy as a volunteer to ARP and as a mentor to entrepreneurs.
Christine Monaco, Secretary
Chris Monaco is a Senior Director, Clinical Science Analytics & Insights, Oncology Solutions at Precision for Medicine with thirty plus years of clinical research experience helping large pharma, and small to mid-sized biotechnology companies support next generation approaches to drug development outcomes and commercialization.
Direct experience has been the cornerstone of Chris’s hard work, dedication, and drive. Starting her carrier as a clinical data coordinator, Chris was able drive people and process to high levels of productivity and desired outcomes. These skills afforded Chris promotion opportunities with greater responsibilities over the years. A few notable accomplishments from a portfolio of many, include successfully implementing the “first of its kind” FDA required Pregnancy Risk Management program, iPledge, for isotretinoin. Chris was instrumental in supporting the implementation of a fourteen thousand (14000) patient cardiovascular outcomes study with fast patient enrollment maintaining greater than 90% key performance indicators for data quality ahead of plan and within budget, but Chris’s greatest accomplishment of all is being “mom” to three (3) amazing human beings.
Amy Bergrud, Treasurer
Amy has an undergraduate degree in Accounting from University of Illinois, Urbana- Champaign and an MBA from UCLA. She has over 25 years of professional experience in business operations, management and financial analysis. She is currently the General Manager of Rosenthal – The Malibu Estate Vineyard and oversees the operations and winemaking.
Commissioner Jack Darakjian
Jack was appointed in 2018. He brings expertise and knowledge of mental illness, developmental disability, and advocacy for those with developmental disabilities to the Los Angeles County Commission on Disabilities.
Commissioner Darakjian serves as the Chief Executive of Modern Support Services, LLC (MSS), a Glendale based agency that provides individualized community and home-based services, such as Supported Living Services (SLS) and Independent Living Skills (ILS) to individuals with significant psychological, emotional and physical challenges. The goal is to enhance the health and quality of life for individuals diagnosed with Autism, Down Syndrome, Intellectual Disabilities, Seizure disorder, Cerebral Palsy, Schizophrenia, OCD, Bipolar, etc.
Denise Sherman
Denise Sherman provides website and administrative support for the Autism Research Project. She brings strong skills to the organization from her three decades of experience as the Transportation Coordinator for a local school district where she transports over 3,000 students each day. She spent 20 years as the Treasurer of her church and as an active member of the church council.
Denise is passionate about autism research and supports. After going from doctor to doctor for several years, one of her sons was finally, correctly diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum. Denise saw firsthand how the proper resources and interventions can turn someone’s life around, and now she is working with ARP to provide resources to other families with neurodiverse children.
Patrick Rood
Patrick Rood the Tax Strategist & Fractional CFO of Rood Financial Services is a 10X Coach & Speaker, 2 time award-winning international best-selling author and author of the new book “The IRS Dirty Little Secrets”, a Guinness Book of world record holder. As a serial entrepreneur having several business throughout the years and witnessing many successes and failures from entrepreneurs around the country his passion became helping people succeed in Life and Business. He also spent 8 years while in university traveling around the country doing volunteer work and educating people through the medium of drama and the arts. He is also the proud father of three beautiful babies. Currently, his business helps entrepreneurs from Start-ups to multi-million dollar companies with structure, compliance, and retaining profits while minimizing tax liability.
Advisory Board
Richard Rove, MBA, CPA, CFP
Business career spent in the investing, financing, and ownership of a variety of businesses, ranging from residential real estate to farming. Experience in all aspects of bookkeeping, accounting, and financial statement preparation for non-profit as well as for profit companies. Current ownership of 9 residential buildings with 116 units and over 1,000 acres of pasture and irrigated farmland.
Dr. Nora Baladarian
Dr. Baladerian is a licensed psychologist and marriage & family therapist and author with a private practice in Los Angeles, CA. She specializes treating trauma, anxiety, depression, and other difficulties. She is also a Certified Sex Educator and is fluent in Spanish. She began her work with individuals with intellectual & developmental disabilities as one of the first 10 employees when Harbor Regional Center opened in 1973, moving in 1975 to North Los Angeles County Regional Center. She has also worked in a private special education school. Now she focuses her work on providing psychological treatment for individuals with disabilities and their families, focusing on depression, anxiety, interpersonal relationships and conducting sexuality information classes. She also deals with trauma experienced by people with disabilities. She not only provides therapy for the survivors, but advises on how to reduce the risk of abuse in the first place.
Dr. Nancy Irwin
Dr. Irwin is an addictions specialist and trauma expert in private practice in West Los Angeles. She is also a primary therapist on staff at Seasons Recovery Center, a luxury rehab facility in Malibu, California. Dr. Irwin is also the author of YOU-TURN: CHANGING DIRECTION IN MIDLIFE, and co-authored BREAKING THROUGH! STORIES OF HOPE AND RECOVERY. As well, she is a frequent media guest, having appeared on Anderson Cooper, The Doctors, Dr. Drew, Nightline, E!, Megyn Kelly, HLN, CNN, and more.
KD Harris
(pronouns: she/her/hers) KD is a physically disabled cisgender Black woman who has served for the past 40 years as a scholar-practitioner-activist with a practice centered around the advancement of social and educational justice for learners who have been historically marginalized. Her career has included serving as a higher education administrator for the University of Southern California for over a decade, an Organizational Change Management Director for two Fortune 100 multinational media and information services conglomerates for five years, and a social impact entrepreneur and non-profit executive for the better part of two decades. She is one of the co-founders and for the past 8 years have served as the Executive Director of the social impact non-profit, Let's Talk LD, which provides student advocacy, parent education, and professional training and development services designed to improve outcomes for individuals who are neurodivergent. In addition, Let’s Talk LD produces one of only a few full-day annual post-secondary transition conferences in the nation that is designed and produced specifically for learners who are neurodivergent. As a parent of two neurodivergent/gifted adult children and the wife of a neurodivergent/gifted man, Dr. Harris recognizes how critically important educational attainment is for individuals with hidden dis/abilities.
Dr. Daniel Franklin, PhD
Daniel Franklin, PhD, BCET, is the author of Helping Your Child with Language-Based Learning Disabilities (2018). He holds a master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in Reading, Language, and Learning Disabilities, a PhD from UCLA in Education, and he is a Board Certified Educational Therapist (BCET). Daniel has over 30 years of experience in education as an educational therapist, teacher, administrator, and educational consultant. Daniel is the founder, president, and clinical director of Franklin Educational Services, Inc.
Chris Latham
Chris Latham is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and has worked with clients for the past 27 years, helping to ensure their financial wealth. He focuses on making smart money decisions for clients, tax mitigation, taking care of heirs, protecting assets, and magnifying charitable contributions. Owning his own practice for nearly 20 years, Chris has been able to focus on the things that truly matter to his clients and will benefit them most.
Chris guides his clients, whom he is privileged to call friends, by helping to preserve their assets, building their wealth, and creating financial confidence and health for themselves and their families. He believes planning/saving for the future is the most important thing an individual can do and there is a direct link between financial wellness and physical health. Regardless of the circumstances, there is always an opportunity to save, grow, and create financial stability for the future.
Richard Schreiber
Richard Schreiber is an IT and AI expert with over twenty-five years of experience working for some of the largest Fortune 500 companies and mega law firms. But there were rocky moments in his life that became part of a journey towards his real callings through devotion to his Lord Jesus Christ. As an autism advocate, his deepest passions as the father of an autistic daughter pushed him to found the NYC Autism Community Group in Manhattan to help parents with children on the spectrum navigate the day-to-day challenges, and the Autism Innovation Community Foundation to promote more homeopathic, innovative and tech/AI autism solutions. His best-selling book, Autism Care Revolution, describes his family's story and how they had to pivot greatly to get the right care for their daughter.
John Mews
John Mews, LMFT, NMT, is the CEO, Owner & Founder of Mewsic Moves LLC, a private practice dedicated to supporting families of neurodiverse individuals as well as individuals with mental health challenges. With over 20 years of experience, John is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and Neurologic Music Therapist, specializing in family and individual counseling.
Inspired by his upbringing alongside an intellectually disabled uncle, John has a deep commitment to seeing the potential in every individual. He founded Mewsic Moves with a "family first" approach, providing music therapy and counseling services tailored to the needs of the entire family unit.
Rian Denich
Early on in his life Rian knew that he wanted to do meaningful work, the thought of helping others has always been his biggest source of motivation, and he is passionate about finance. During his college years Rian attended California State University Northridge where he earned honors degrees in both Business Administration and Finance with an emphasis in Financial Planning.
Now in his own practice, Rian specializes in comprehensive financial planning which allows him to relate the assets he manages to his client’s individual circumstances and create unique strategies that help clients reach their many life goals. In his opinion a financial plan is incomplete without conversations around investments, retirement, insurance, education, tax, and estate planning. Under Prosperitas, he has access to strategic partners that specialize in these areas, and he is able to bring them into the conversation when needed. Rian firmly believes that nobody plans to fail, but rather people fail to plan.
Scott Frank
Scott is the President of AT&T Intellectual Property. He is responsible for the
identification, development, protection, management, marketing, licensing, and sale of all
company-wide intellectual property for AT&T. Scott is Chair/President of the Global Intellectual
Property Alliance, and a Board member for multiple other IP and tech research organizations.
He is a former White House Advisor on International Trade Related to Intellectual Property and
former Chair of the State Bar of Georgia’s Intellectual Property Law Section. He is also the Chair
of the Swift School for Dyslexic children, Chair of the Peace, Harmony, Joy Alliance, and former
Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of the Mary Hall Freedom House for rehabilitating women
with addiction problems. Scott received his Bachelors in Electrical Engineering from Georgia
Tech, and his Law Degree and Masters in Business from Georgia State University.