Are you ready to change lives?
Easterseals PORT Health is dedicated to achieving positive outcomes for our clients, transforming lives in the process through our autism services. To facilitate this mission, we recognize that successful Behavior Analysts require two crucial elements: the ability to leverage their strengths for impactful work and a work environment that values the time required for their clinical duties. We have established a high-performing and supportive culture for autism careers that encourages the appreciation of each team member’s unique strengths, fostering robust collaboration and enhancing the skills of our clinicians.
We have alleviated the overload on our clinicians, providing them with more time for analytical thinking and curiosity as they determine the best course of action for their clients. Our clinicians have the opportunity to cultivate leadership and mentorship skills, contributing to successful autism careers and empowering the next generation of technicians and behavior analysts. This enables them to confidently excel in their roles. We deliberately create avenues for mentorship, underscoring the significance of both offering and receiving guidance within our organization.
Unique organization with unique opportunities
We are a large, unique organization. Easterseals PORT Health’s diverse and inclusive 2,600-member team proudly provides more than 10.2 million hours of meaningful support to 40,200 kids, adults and families in 11,000 home and community locations. In addition to Autism + ABA services, our organization also provides exceptional disability, behavioral health and addiction treatment services. As a result, our team members have unique opportunities rarely found in one organization. Our Autism + ABA team is close-knit and has the privilege of working with and learning from interdisciplinary teams of professionals across our organization who have with diverse expertise and perspectives.
If you are interested in expanding your career in innovating ways, we have opportunities for you!
Meet our leadership team.
Natalie Kulesza
M.S., BCBA
Statewide Clinical Director, Autism + ABA Services
Natalie Kulesza, M.S., BCBA
Statewide Clinical Director, Autism + ABA Services
“I burn bright for Easterseals PORT Health because this organization provides me with the space and support I need to achieve my goals while demanding alignment between our actions and our values. My top 5 CliftonStrenghts are Learner, Connectedness, Strategic, Responsibility and Developer.
Natalie is the Statewide Clinical Director of Autism + ABA Services at Easterseals PORT Health (ESPH). She joined the team in 2023 and is responsible for supervising the clinical progress of the ABA clinics across North Carolina. She ensures the entire ABA program is providing high-quality evidenced based services to the learners they serve, as well as professional and clinical development opportunities for BCBAs, students and RBTs/BTs.
Natalie has worked in the ABA field for almost 15 years. Prior to joining ESPH, Natalie served as Clinical Director at The Cardinal Center for Behavior Analysis. She has also worked in key roles within other organizations offering ABA services that have included Senior BCBA, Apprentice Mentor and Student Coordinator.
Natalie holds a Master’s degree in Psychology with a concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis from Kaplan University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from North Carolina State University. She has also obtained licensure in North Carolina as a Licensed Behavior Analyst (LBA). In her time away from work, Natalie enjoys cooking, tending to her plants and spending time with her large family.
Learn more about Autism careers and open positions
Audrey Shen
M.A., BCBA
Special Projects, BCBA
Audrey Shen, M.A., BCBA
Special Projects, BCBA
“I burn bright at Easterseals PORT Health because we are mission forward! I love that we mentor and empower our clinicians to provide compassionate, effective and client-centered ABA services. My top 5 CliftonStrengths are Individualization, Woo, Ideation, Positivity and Futuristic.”
Audrey Shen manages Special Projects for Autism & ABA Services at Easterseals PORT Health (ESPH). She joined the team in 2016 and leads a wide-range of projects that support intentional program growth, clinical outcomes and staff development. She is passionate about facilitating a strength-based culture, where the unique talents and abilities of clients and staff are celebrated and leveraged, resulting in growth and progress.
Audrey has more than 20 years of experience providing evidence-based Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) interventions to individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Prior to joining ESPH, she was a Clinical Manager at Easterseals Northern California. She has also conducted research on the effectiveness of ABA treatments and presented it at the annual ABA International Convention. In addition, she has conducted research at the University of California at Davis’ MIND Institute, where she helped carry out a brain imaging study to examine how the brain develops in children with ASD and presented the success of this study at NCABA. Audrey is currently collaborating with UNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine to teach their neuroscience research team how to implement ABA techniques to teach children with ASD to lie still in an MRI scanner.
Audrey was recently appointed by the North Carolina governor and state legislature to launch a state licensure board for behavior analysts, responsible for ensuring high quality services are delivered to all individuals with ASD in North Carolina.
Audrey earned a Master’s degree in Education with a specialization in Autism Education from San Diego State University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Appalachian State University in North Carolina.
Learn more about Autism careers and open positionsHere’s what our team members are saying…
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