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Donna Muirhead
President & CEO
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Ciro Castaldi, CPA
Treasurer & CFO
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Ethan Tripp, BCBA, LABA
Clinical Director
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Lori Jupin, BCBA
BCBA
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Jessica Viera, BCBA
BCBA
Donna Muirhead
When my daughters were in kindergarten, I was so happy to be deemed the daily milk mother at snack time. My life was so fulfilled at that moment, I got to watch my daughters while they were in school, and I was able to talk to other “milk moms”. That kept me going for a while, whereas, I had just come out of working for McDonald’s Corporation for 16 years and was happy to settle into a mom routine. That milk mother job is what opened me up to working with children with autism, 23 years ago.
I had gone to college, I had an opportunity to graduate with a political science degree, that wasn’t really my passion. My passion was exposed when I worked at McDonald’s, my passion was people and serving them. It was working from the bottom up, scraping gum from under the tables to working in field services. Managing people is what I spent my time doing, from a very young age. I learned the value of appreciating the people you manage. “Train people well enough so they can leave. Treat them well enough so don’t want to.”- Sir Richard Branson.
I had begun a social skills program 8 years ago for kiddos with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. I quickly realized this population was greatly underserved within the ASD community. I increased enrollment from 3 to 30 within 5 years and managed about 15 staff. Under my support, our BCBA, Ethan, grew from being a timid clinician to now a powerhouse in treating our kiddos with mild to moderate social deficits. The never-ending, “never giving up on” motto became my mission as the staffing grew to all different levels of expertise and diversity.
I was blessed with a grandson who proudly owns an autism diagnosis and a great nephew who is new on this journey. My husband, Jim and I are adventurous and spontaneous, we love to ride our quads, hit the beach, and take some time out on the ocean in our boat. I have a small group of friends that I share my personal self with and a wide range of family members. My Mom and Dad are with me in spirit, every day.
Combining autism, great management of people, and a whole lot of compassion and commitment gives you a recipe for success, at least this has worked on my journey.
I look forward to serving this unique population, forever more.
Ciro Castaldi, CPA
Ethan Tripp, M.S., BCBA, LABA
One of the things you learn in art school is to appreciate the process. So far, my life can best be described as an on-going process. Starting out, I received my undergraduate degree in fine art, with a concentration in sculpture. This lead to an unexpected path of going back to school to pursue a second undergraduate degree, but this time in psychology.
During this time, a special topics class I took on Autism Spectrum Disorder acted as the catalyst for a new course into the field of Applied Behavior Analysis. Soon after, I entered UMass Dartmouth's ABA program and studied under renowned Behavior Analyst, Dr. Gary Pace, who informed me I "breathe heavily", but still gave me top grades.
I have since been serving the Autism community from May, 2016 to present. On my first day, I met Donna, who immediately shoved a data sheet into my hands and told me to start working. Since this fateful moment, I have gone on to receive my BCBA certification against the backdrop of 2020 and have been working with a wide range of ages of kiddos ever since.
In my spare time, it's a well-known fact I am a wannabe Ghostbuster. With my trusty flight suit and proton pack loaded into the back of my customized Rav4 Ecto-84, I have been active locally at events such as Trunk-Or-Treats, special appearances, and parades, including the 2023 Boston St. Patrick's Day Parade. In between working with my kiddos and Ghostbusting, I try to spend as much time with my amazing girlfriend, my absolute better half, Janice.
I look forward to continuing my personal process in working with individuals with ASD, as we work as a team to find new and innovative ways of helping them be independent in their lives and integrate as a social individual into the larger society.
Lori Jupin, BCBA
I have been working with children and families for over 35 years in many different settings. After several years of wanting to return for my advanced degree, I received my Master’s Degree from UMass Dartmouth in Psychology and Applied Behavior Analysis. I passed the Board certification exam and received my BCBA. Since obtaining my certification I have spent time working with families in their homes, in the school setting and now in a center based program.
In my personal life, I recently married (2023) and together we have a large blended family. I enjoy reading, beach time, making puzzles, going to the gym, doing yoga, meditation and playing pool. I also look forward to traveling to new destinations.
Looking ahead to my 5 year plan, I don’t have much desire to make many changes. I plan on continuing to work with children and families, live in the area and travel. I look forward to developing relationships with the families at Blue SEAS. I am blessed to have found this place that feels like family.
