Our Team
We bring together diverse backgrounds in clinical care, operations, and service delivery, but we’re united by a shared commitment to thoughtful systems, meaningful support, and creating real, lasting impact for the families and communities we serve.
Dr. Stephanie Ross, PhD, BCBA-D, LBA
Founder, Executive Clinical Director
Dr. Stephanie Ross, PhD, BCBA-D, LBA, is the founder and Executive Clinical Director of Learning Beyond the Spectrum. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of San Francisco and her master’s degree in Applied Behavior Analysis from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She began her career providing direct ABA services in Southern California and later served as a Clinical Managing Supervisor before moving to New York City, where she helped develop a model program providing home- and community-based services for children and adults with developmental disabilities.
After her youngest child was diagnosed with autism, Stephanie returned to graduate school to pursue her PhD in Applied Behavior Analysis, focusing her research on burnout among autism caregivers and direct-care professionals. She earned her doctorate in 2024 after six years of balancing graduate school, a pandemic, raising two children, and running a company—because apparently she prefers to complete major life goals on the highest possible difficulty setting.
Becoming both a clinician and the parent of an autistic child fundamentally shaped Stephanie’s approach to ABA. She believes effective treatment should never come at the expense of a person’s dignity, autonomy, communication, or joy. Her work emphasizes assent-based, neurodiversity-affirming, and evidence-based care; meaningful collaboration with families; and goals that improve a person’s actual quality of life—not simply how convenient their behavior is for the people around them. She is especially passionate about supporting caregivers, developing compassionate clinicians, and creating systems in which clients, families, and staff all feel understood and valued.
Stephanie also loves writing for the Learning Beyond the Spectrum blog, where she combines research, clinical experience, parenthood, advocacy, and humor to explore the complicated realities of autism, ABA, and disability parenting. She believes the field of ABA is capable of learning from its past, listening more carefully to the people it serves, and growing into something better. Her hope is not merely to participate in that bright future, but to help lead the field toward it—with curiosity, humility, strong coffee, and a healthy willingness to question the way things have always been done.
Outside of work, Stephanie can usually be found spending time with her husband and two children, planning their next Disney or national park adventure, experimenting with sourdough, decorating something for a holiday far earlier than strictly necessary, or writing down an idea that absolutely could have waited until morning.
Dakota Gutierrez is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) who earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Sonoma State University. During her time there, she volunteered weekly at the nonprofit organization Forget Me Not Farms, where she supported and mentored children and pre-teens with autism through animal-assisted and horticultural therapeutic activities.
She went on to earn her Master of Arts in Applied Behavior Analysis, with an emphasis in Autism, from Ball State University’s Teachers College. Dakota began her career with Learning Beyond the Spectrum in November 2021 as a Behavior Technician, providing support to clients in both home and school settings.
After obtaining her BCBA certification, Dakota chose to continue her work with Learning Beyond the Spectrum. She values building meaningful, in-person connections with her clients and takes an active, hands-on approach by providing supervision and mentorship to the Registered Behavior Technicians who work directly with them. She has served as a BCBA with the organization for the past two years and was recently promoted to Associate Clinical Director. Her passion for the science of Applied Behavior Analysis continues to grow, and she looks forward to continuing her work in supporting Learning Beyond the Spectrum and the families it serves.
Associate Clinical Director
Dakota Gutierrez, M.A., BCBA
Alexandria Stone
Alexandria Stone is the Operations Manager at Learning Beyond the Spectrum, where she has been a dedicated team member since September 2023. Originally from Altadena, California, she relocated to Santa Barbara to pursue higher education and found her home at LBS, growing within both clinical and operational spaces along the way.
She holds associate degrees in Psychology and Criminal Justice and went on to transfer to the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her extended training in ABA therapy at LBS gave her a grounded understanding of what quality service delivery looks like from the inside, a perspective that now informs how she builds systems, supports staff, and strengthens the internal operations that keep families receiving consistent, high-quality care.
A Latina professional passionate about social justice and advocacy for marginalized communities, Alexandria is committed to creating systems that are ethical, effective, and equitable - and to making a meaningful, lasting impact for the communities she serves.
Operations Manager
Emma Brown
Emma Brown is a graduate student pursuing her M.S. in Applied Behavior Analysis with a concentration in mental health. She began working with individuals with autism during her undergraduate studies and quickly developed a passion for becoming a BCBA!
After earning her B.S. in Psychological and Brain Sciences from UCSB, she joined Learning Beyond the Spectrum, where she is currently accruing her supervised clinical hours toward BCBA certification.
She is committed to deepening her understanding of ABA to support meaningful, individualized, and person-centered outcomes for her clients.
Lead RBT, Assistant Supervisor
Eliot von Ehrenstein-Smith
Lead RBT, Assistant Supervisor
Eliot von Ehrenstein-Smith is Eliot is an Assistant Supervisor at Learning Beyond the Spectrum, and has three years of experience providing Applied Behavior Analysis services as a Behavior Technician in clinic, home, school and community settings. Throughout his time as a BT, he has developed a strong foundation in clinical practice while building meaningful relationships with clients, families, and fellow team members. His experience on the front lines of service delivery has shaped his collaborative leadership style and commitment to supporting both staff and the individuals they serve.
He earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Brain Sciences and a Bachelor of Arts in German from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Eliot is currently pursuing a master's degree in Applied Behavior Analysis at Arizona State University as he works toward becoming a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Looking ahead, he hopes to continue his education through a doctoral program in ABA or a PsyD, with the long-term goal of contributing to the assessment and diagnosis of individuals on the autism spectrum while continuing to advance evidence-based care.
Passionate about improving the lives of individuals with autism and their families, Eliot is dedicated to fostering compassionate, ethical, and high-quality services. He believes that strong leadership, ongoing learning, and meaningful collaboration are essential to creating positive outcomes for clients while supporting the growth and success of the clinical teams around them.
Fathiah Bauman, MA, LMFT
Fathiah Bauman is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) who received her BA in English Literature from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She then studied clinical psychology at Antioch University where she received her M.A. in Clinical Psychology.
Fathiah worked as a group and individual therapist in a small nonprofit Substance Abuse Treatment Facility in Santa Barbara while completing her education. After graduation she became the Clinical Manager of the treatment facility before leaving to pursue a career with Child Welfare Services (CWS). The work with Child Welfare Services was demanding, and exhausting but rewarding. Fathiah then left CWS to work in the Santa Barbara Elementary School System as a school-based therapist. She now currently works with Santa Barbara Counties youth providing services and resources, assessing for suicide and involuntary hospitalizations, as well as supporting the community with a small private therapeutic practice.
Fathiah works as client centered therapist focusing on goals and treatment plans created by the client. She supports a collaborative effort and works with the client’s family and other professionals if appropriate, utilizing CBT therapy, family systems and solution focused theories when appropriate.
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
Joe Isaacson, M.A., LEP
Joe Isaacson is a Licensed Educational Psychologist who received his B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He went on to earn his Master’s degree in School Psychology from Alliant International University, where he also completed a School Mental Health Certificate.
For more than 15 years, Joe has worked in public education supporting children, families, and schools throughout Santa Barbara County. He has served as both a School Psychologist and Coordinator of Special Education, providing psychoeducational evaluations, counseling, behavioral consultation, program development, and leadership in special education services. Joe has also served as an Adjunct Professor at Antioch University Santa Barbara, where he taught graduate-level courses to future general and special education teachers in the areas of behavior, autism, and family collaboration.
Joe has extensive experience evaluating students with a wide range of learning, developmental, behavioral, and emotional needs, including learning disabilities, ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disabilities, emotional and behavioral challenges, and other educational concerns. His evaluations are comprehensive, practical, and designed to provide families with clear answers and meaningful recommendations that can be implemented at home and at school.
In addition to his assessment work, Joe has provided professional development to educators across Santa Barbara County in areas including behavior intervention, crisis prevention, special education law, MTSS, and evidence-based educational practices. He is a Certified Nonviolent Crisis Intervention (CPI) Instructor and has supervised graduate students in school psychology. Before beginning his career in education, Joe played three seasons of professional baseball, an experience that continues to shape his understanding of resilience, perseverance, and human performance.
Joe is passionate about building meaningful relationships with students and families. He believes the best evaluations begin with trust and genuine connection, allowing each child’s unique strengths and challenges to emerge. His goal is to help families gain clarity, answer difficult questions, and provide practical recommendations that empower students to thrive both in school and beyond.
Licensed Educational Psychologist