Meet our Leadership Team
Meet the compassionate leadership team at Lighthouse Autism Center
Colin Sheridan
Colin is responsible for driving strategy leadership, clinical and operational excellence, and supporting growth to bring the Lighthouse mission to more communities and families.
He brings over three decades of leadership experience across diverse industries working with founder led organizations to take the next step in their growth. He has also served on the board of several national and state industry associations and nonprofit organizations including the Indiana Providers of Effective Autism Treatment (InPEAT) and Foodlink, a Rochester, NY based foodbank.
Colin has an MBA from University of Chicago Booth School of Business and BS in Industrial Management from Purdue University.
“The Lighthouse organization and mission is unlike anything I’ve experienced in my career. To know I get to work with such an incredible team of individuals who are committed to making a difference in the communities they serve is inspiring.”
Jeff Hulburt
As CFO, Jeff leads the Finance, Accounting and Insurance Teams. Jeff has deep experience in the healthcare industry serving as CFO, CEO and other leadership roles for other ABA therapy organizations and in the acute care provider space. Jeff served as a board member and board chair for Riverside Community Care, a behavioral health and human services organization in Massachusetts. Jeff earned his bachelor’s degree in Cardiopulmonary Science from Boston University and his MBA with a concentration in Healthcare Finance from the University of Massachusetts.
“While I have worked in healthcare for many years, working in ABA, and specifically with Lighthouse, is quite meaningful. it is clear the services we provide are life changing for the learners and families we serve. It’s a privilege to be a part of that and I look forward to continuing to be a part of the good work that is being done here.”
Leila Allen
Leila Allen oversees clinical outcomes and compliance at Lighthouse. A BCBA with over 20 years in the field, Leila has worked in various clinical settings including home, school, center and community, delivering therapy to children and adults with autism. Leila joined Lighthouse in 2012 and has held various leadership positions during her time with the organization. Leila also serves on the Standards Committee for the Autism Commission on Quality. Leila earned her MA from Ball State University and MBA from Strayer University.
“Having been at Lighthouse for so long has given me the opportunity to see so much growth, not only in the company, and our learners, but in our team, and the industry. Watching our learners and team evolve, grow, and adapt has truly been so much fun and makes working at LAC incredibly rewarding. I’ve always believed that our learners are the absolute best thing about this job, and they are, but our team is a close second.”
Barbara Gromacki
Barbara Gromacki is responsible for serving as the organizations people leader, leading Human Resources and Talent Acquisition. She is an experienced leader with diverse experience across multiple industries including healthcare, entertainment, manufacturing and industrial technologies both in the public and private sectors.
Committed to serving her community, Barbara has been involved for many years with nonprofit board service. She was elected Chairwoman of Rogers Behavioral Health (RBH) Board of Directors in 2022. Serving as the first female Chair in the organization’s history. She also chairs the RBH executive compensation committee and has served as Secretary, Vice Chair, and on the Governance Committee. Other non-profit board experience includes, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Northeast Wisconsin, Board Member, American Society of Training and Development NE WI, Board President, and Friends of the Arts – Catholic Memorial High School, Board President, to name a few.
Barbara earned her Bachelor of Art’s degree in Human Resources from St. Norbert College and her Master of Science degree in Leadership and Organizational Behavior from Silver Lake College.
“An organization’s greatest asset is it’s people. That is no exception at Lighthouse. From our therapists and BCBA’s to our Learner Support Team, you can see and feel that you are a part of something bigger with Lighthouse.”
Todd Frech
Todd serves as the Chief Technical Officer at Lighthouse Autism Center, where he oversees all aspects of our clinical applications, data management, and integration with various cloud providers. This role is crucial in supporting our comprehensive enterprise data and analytics platform.
Before joining Lighthouse, Todd was a partner at Accenture and has held several prominent CIO and CTO positions within the healthcare and technology sectors. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer and Electrical Engineering and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University.
“I am deeply passionate about Lighthouse’s mission to support autistic children and their families. Being part of a team that is dedicated to making a meaningful difference is something I truly value.”
Katie Meyer
Katie oversees the clinical operations of all centers across all states, including ABA services, diagnostic services, speech therapy services and clinical training.
A BCBA since 2014, Katie began as a behavioral therapist at our first center in Mishawaka, IN. Over the years, she worked in various clinical positions, gaining a comprehensive understanding of our services and the needs of our learners and their families.
Katie graduated with a BA in Psychology from Indiana University and a Master’s in Applied Behavior Analysis from Ball State University.
“Lighthouse has always fostered this profound sense of community, even as we have grown to serve new states. Many of our team members have been with us since our small beginnings, and their dedication in leading our next generation of Lighthouse Legends is something I really enjoy being a part of.”
Maggie Gendel
Maggie leads the Marketing, Family Outreach, and New Center opening teams. Maggie previously worked in fundraising and business development at the University of Notre Dame. She first developed her passion for families with special healthcare needs after beginning her early career as a direct support associate working with adults with autism.
Maggie graduated with a BS in Diplomacy from Seton Hall University and an MBA from Western Governor’s University.
“Working at an organization with such an impactful mission attracts not only highly talented individuals, but also just really, really good people. To work with such a highly talented and compassionate team that are so deeply committed to our learners and families is something thing that brings so much joy and fulfillment.”