Our Team

Management Team

Clinical Director

Lauren Chapman

Lauren has been a part of Woodbury since 2011 where she started as a Clinical Supervisor and stepping into the role of Clinical Director in 2019.

Lauren started her professional journey with an undergraduate degree in psychology after learning about Autism within one of her lectures. She was fortunate enough to find a position within an ABA school in the UK where she started as a junior therapist. Over the years she progressed to a senior therapist role and a classroom teacher allowing her the opportunity to gain valuable experience within the classroom. Since then she has successfully completed a M.Ed as well as gaining the relevant experience and supervision to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA).

Lauren moved to Australia to be part of the Woodbury team and has played an integral part in the development of Woodbury’s specialised curriculum, and the training and coaching of their highly qualified teaching and therapy team.

Through her experience within ABA, Lauren has had the opportunity to work with a variety of individuals, mainly with a primary diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder, ranging from early intervention through to adult services. This broad experience, across age groups and with a variety of developmental and emotional disabilities, provides her with a very practical and functional application of ABA. She has strong interests in the field of verbal behaviour, group learning and integration. Lauren has a true passion for the discipline and endeavours to continue to support and guide Woodbury in its aspiration to provide quality and meaningful education to our students.

Finance

Martin Binoj

Martin has brought his extensive experience in management and financial accounting to our Woodbury School Team since joining in September, 2019. Coming with extensive finance experience, he is keen to use his skills and knowledge within Woodbury. Martin is keen to ensure excellent financial performance, and meeting all financial compliances. When Martin is not assuming his role as a professional bean counter you can find him completely engrossed in a cricket match or singing just about any song on the radio.

Clinical Supervisor

Bec Freakley

Bec came to Woodbury as a teacher in 2010. After gaining experience in Applied Behaviour Analysis; her first experience and ABA training were through service providers and in-home therapy. Bec has a B. A (majoring in Psychology), and an M.Ed. Recently having completed her BCBA qualification she moved to the role of Clinical Supervisor. Bec brings extensive knowledge into the role not only in the classroom, but of Woodbury.

Her particular interests are helping children develop their self-help skills with regard to daily living tasks, communication, helping students manage and identify their own behaviours (where possible) and making the transition to other schools as smooth as possible for both the children and their families. Bec is also passionate about training others in ABA, including staff and other stakeholders, so more people can see the benefits of this powerful tool.

Woodbury School

Clinical Supervisor

Merryll-Anne Morris

Merryll-Anne has recently joined Woodbury as a Clinical Supervisor. She is a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst (BCBA) with a special interest in the application of ABA in the school setting, and teaching students essential functional skills.

Merryll-Anne started working in ABA in 2011 while studying her Bachelor of Arts (Psychology and Linguistics). Merryll-Anne then worked for various ABA providers in Sydney as a Senior Therapist while studying her Masters in Special Education.

After completing her education and relevant experience hours, Merryll-Anne spent time in London supervising at a “Special Free School” where she fostered her passion for teaching essential functional and toleration skills, as the foundation to building more complex skills. Returning to Sydney she worked with a service provider over the last 3 years as a supervisor, trainer, and clinical subject matter expert.

Merryll-Anne’s experience at the school in London was career altering and she was thrilled to return to this setting as part of the Woodbury family.

Speech Therapist

Katie Pender

Katie joined Woodbury after graduating with a masters in speech and language pathology from Sydney University. She is a member of Speech Pathology Australia (MSPA) and a Certified Practicing Speech Pathologist (CPSP).

During her studies, Katie worked with Speech Pathologists in Western NSW to provide community health services to people in rural areas, as well as providing in-school support for students with sensory and special education needs. These experiences developed a special interest in the field of pediatric swallowing disorders, Aboriginal health, and working with young people and their families from disadvantaged communities.

Katie is passionate about working with each student’s strengths and interests to ensure therapy is individualized to their life and needs, and is excited to continue the development of Woodbury’s “Fruity Friday” program to encourage students to find enjoyment in new foods and support them in forming flexible, diverse, and healthy eating habits.

Teacher

Lori-Anne (Annie) Brennan

Lori-Anne (Annie), started at Woodbury in 2018.

Annie’s initial encounter of Woodbury was after an in class observation when they first opened in 2006. It was this experience which ignited Annie’s passion for teaching. Now, after completing her studies ( and a short break to start a family) she has come back to Woodbury and is excited to be part of this amazing team.

She first began her career in the Early Childhood Sector, completing a Diploma in Children’s Services. She then went on to complete a BEd (birth to 12 year) gaining valuable experience working with children in both the classroom and outside school settings. While on maternity leave she completed post graduate studies in behaviour support teaching.

What she enjoys most about working at Woodbury are the relationships and bonds that are built with your students and their families. Annie says “The students at Woodbury have taught me so much already and I can’t wait to see what my future at Woodbury holds”.

Teacher

Ethan Munday

After graduating with a BA and B.Ed (primary) Ethan moved to the UK to explore different teaching opportunities. During this time he worked in a range of roles including teaching at a behavioural school, special ed needs and disability schools including children with Autism, as well as working on a one to one basis with students who had been excluded from school and looking to return.

Through these schools he witnessed the improvements students could achieve academically, socially and emotionally when the appropriate learning environment and support was provided. These experiences fostered a strong passion for teaching children with additional needs and developed my educational philosophy of inclusion wholism and independence which he brings with him to Woodbury.

Teacher

Celeste Pena

Entering teaching as a second career, Celeste earned her Bachelor of Education (Primary), going on to work in aboriginal education catering for the needs of children with learning difficulties. Celeste went on to study her Masters of Special Education and worked with children with Autism at Macquarie University Special Education Centre. Recently joining Woodbury, she is excited about applying her skills to the students she will be teaching.

Some of the skills and interests Celeste brings are a quiet and calm approach to the many and varied needs of her students. She is passionate about providing a creative and varied classroom using the principles of ABA to draw on the functional strengths of students. She aims to provide a positive environment in which students can acquire independence and flexibility with a particular interest and focus on communication in learning.

Teacher

Emily Grieve

After graduating from university with a B.Ed (Primary), Emily moved to the United States and worked as a teacher in a small preschool for children with Autism. This was where she first encountered ABA in a classroom setting. Upon returning to Australia Emily knew she wanted to continue working in the ABA field and began at Woodbury in 2012.

Emily is extremely passionate about embedding ABA into naturalistic teaching opportunities. She is particularly invested in creating a classroom environment that promotes independence, teaches flexibility and encourages students to express themselves in a functional way.

Rubens Place

Clinical Supervisor

Jenna Ellis

Jenna Recently joined the Woodbury Team as a Clinical Supervisor.

Jenna found ABA by chance when she was studying a Master of Rehabilitation Counselling. She took on a casual position as an in-home ABA therapist advertised on the university’s website and has loved working in the field ever since. She worked for a service provider for 9 years focusing on supporting children in building skills across all developmental domains for in-home therapy and parent training.

Jenna is excited to join the Woodbury team to support children with learning the necessary skills to engage in a group setting. She is passionate about teaching communication skills and self-help skills in a fun and functional way.

Jenna holds a Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology) and Bachelor of Teaching (Primary) double degree, Master of Rehabilitation Counselling and Master of Education and Instruction (Applied Behaviour Analysis). She has completed her clinical hours to sit the BCBA exam in the near future.

Speech Therapist

Jasmine De Aquino

Jasmine joined the Woodbury team as a speech pathologist at Rubens Place Early Intervention.

Previously, Jasmine worked with students with complex communication needs in both mainstream schools and schools for special purposes. These experiences fostered a passion for supporting students through in-house speech pathology in the school environment; because here she can see students daily and work collaboratively with families and educators to best develop a child’s functional communication in all settings. She has a particular interest in developing and implementing Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) for students with disabilities.

Jasmine began her professional journey working in marketing for many years, before re-skilling with a Master of Speech Language Pathology at the University of Sydney.

Room Leaders

Nicole Wright

Nicole started at Woodbury in 2006 when Woodbury first opened it’s doors. With a background in childcare, Nicole discovered ABA therapy, and undertook training, becoming a registered Behaviour Therapist. Nicole started as a therapist, working through to becoming a senior therapist.

In 2021, Nicole moved to Rubens Place, our early intervention centre, recently appointed to the position of Room Leader.

Nicole is a dedicated and passionate therapist, who brings to the position loads of experience and knowledge to ensure our younger children are ready for their transition to school.

Room Leaders

Andrea Berimballi

After completing a diploma in early childhood education, Andrea wanted to further her career and continued to study a Bachelor of Teaching. After 6 years of educating young children within a Montessori learning environment, Andrea joined Woodbury in 2020 as a Junior Therapist. She was eager to learn all about ABA and how to support children with additional needs.

At the start of 2021, Andrea began working with our young children in Rubens Place, recently becoming a room leader supporting our younger children in their growth and education before their big move to primary school. “I believe education is about teaching a child in the way they learn and adapting the learning environment to suit their abilities and needs”.

Therapy Team

Meet the Woodbury Therapy Team.

Woodbury is proud to have a dedicated team of highly trained ABA therapists who work in our school providing vital support within the classroom.

The team here at Woodbury undergo specialist training in ABA, and are drawn from a variety of backgrounds, including education, speech pathology, childcare and psychology.

Our Board of Directors

Woodbury was started in 2006 after a group of parents and a dedicated speech therapist saw how ABA therapy could improve the lives of children with Autism. As the first school of its kind and based in NSW, Woodbury has made ABA therapy accessible to parents and families offering their children acceptance and achievement.

Those parents and Speech therapist, now form our Board of Directors along with a parent representative. The board of directors work closely with our Clinical Director and Finance Manager to ensure Woodbury’s continued development and growth.

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