Get to Know Our Hardworking and Compassionate Team
Staff Bios
Toni Fuller Merfeld, M.S.Ed
President/Founder
Toni is the President and founder of Metro West Learning Center. She has extensive experience working with students on the autism spectrum with learning and behavior challenges both in the classroom and as a consultant in the public and private sectors. She has been trained in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and structuring classrooms for students with Autism and challenging behavior. Her experience in ABA teaching strategies provide students with the individualization of instruction necessary to create a meaningful learning experiences at school, home and community. In addition to her work at Metro West Learning Center, she is a board member of the Autism Society of Iowa, past Executive Board Secretary for the International Council for Exceptional Children’s Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities (DADD), past President, Iowa Council for Exceptional Children; and was the Children’s Mental Health Consultant for the Iowa Department of Education. She is a member of CEC’s Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities and the Division on International Special Education, The Association of Positive Behavior Supports, National Autism Society and the Iowa Autism Society. She also sits on the Regional Autism Program (RAP) Advisory Committee and RAP Expert Panel.
Management Team
Megan Christensen
Megan holds a bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies from The University of Iowa, along with two minors; Business Administration and Human Relations. She has worked in the insurance industry and brings a wealth of knowledge to Metro West. As a designated Fellow, Academy for Healthcare Management (FAHM), she stays up-to-date on healthcare management and insurance industry standards. She is also a green belt with Lean Six Sigma, utilizing the six sigma methodology to improve operational efficiencies. Along with her business background, her professional experience includes four years as a Teacher’s Assistant, providing specialized care for diverse youth. She also worked for Camp Adventure® (a partner with the United States Department of Defense) spending time overseas in Germany on the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center base.
Natalie Ramirez
Natalie has education in both Early Childhood Special Education and Pre-Medical/Pre-Professional Health from The University of Northern Iowa and Iowa State University. She is also designated a Professional, Academy for Healthcare Management (PAHM) which proves her knowledge of healthcare management and the insurance industry landscape. Natalie has many years of experience working in non-profit organizations with Adult Intellectual Disability and Mental Health waiver services. She is a member of the National Associations for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and is a coach for the Special Olympics and a NAMI volunteer.
Katie Bunting, M.A., BCBA, LBA
Katie holds a master's degree in Special Education with an emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis from Brandman University and received her bachelor's degree in Psychology from William Penn University. Katie has several years of experience working in the school, in-home, and clinical setting with a variety of diagnoses and ages. She is motivated by her work and driven to utilize the principles of ABA to teach and improve the overall quality of life for the families that she works with.
Molly Warner, M.S., CCC-SLP
Molly holds a master’s degree from Rockhurst University. Molly has experience working with children in a variety of settings including: schools, home-based early intervention, and outpatient rehabilitation.
She strives to support the academic success and future endeavors of her students. Molly is passionate about helping children of all ages and abilities succeed. Molly is a member of the American Speech-Hearing Association and has advanced training in the Lindamood-Bell Programs, Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) approach to feeding, with an emphasis in autism.
Office Staff
Megan Christensen
Megan holds a bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies from The University of Iowa, along with two minors; Business Administration and Human Relations. She has worked in the insurance industry and brings a wealth of knowledge to Metro West. As a designated Fellow, Academy for Healthcare Management (FAHM), she stays up-to-date on healthcare management and insurance industry standards. She is also a green belt with Lean Six Sigma, utilizing the six sigma methodology to improve operational efficiencies. Along with her business background, her professional experience includes four years as a Teacher’s Assistant, providing specialized care for diverse youth. She also worked for Camp Adventure® (a partner with the United States Department of Defense) spending time overseas in Germany on the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center base.
Lottie Montgomery
Lottie graduated from Altamonte Spring City College with a degree in Medical Billing and Coding as well as Medical Assisting. She has extensive experience working with medical insurance and coding. She also has many years of experience working in early childhood education with diverse youth. Some of her past experience includes working with kids on the autism spectrum as a Behavior Technician at Blue Sprig autism centers.
Natalie Ramirez
Natalie has education in both Early Childhood Special Education and Pre-Medical/Pre-Professional Health from The University of Northern Iowa and Iowa State University. She is also designated a Professional, Academy for Healthcare Management (PAHM) which proves her knowledge of healthcare management and the insurance industry landscape. Natalie has many years of experience working in non-profit organizations with Adult Intellectual Disability and Mental Health waiver services. She is a member of the National Associations for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and is a coach for the Special Olympics and a NAMI volunteer.
LISW
Emily Donovan, LISW, BCBA
Emily loves working with children of all ages, especially teenagers. As a mom of two teenagers herself, she appreciates the complex world they are growing up in and the need for a space for them to talk out loud and share their thoughts and feelings without judgment. We all know that children do not come with instructions, especially children with special needs or developmental disabilities. As a school social worker and behavior analyst with 20 years of experience working with challenging behavior, she would love to provide the same coaching and support to parents.
Emily specializes in working with children with challenging behavior, parenting support, and coaching. She utilizes acceptance and commitment therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, positive psychology, applied behavior analysis, and mindfulness.
Speech-Language Pathologists
Molly Warner, M.S., CCC-SLP
Molly holds a master’s degree from Rockhurst University. Molly has experience working with children in a variety of settings including: schools, home-based early intervention, and outpatient rehabilitation.
She strives to support the academic success and future endeavors of her students. Molly is passionate about helping children of all ages and abilities succeed. Molly is a member of the American Speech-Hearing Association and has advanced training in the Lindamood-Bell Programs, Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) approach to feeding, with an emphasis in autism.
Emily Hart, M.A., CCC-SLP
Emily received her master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Northern Iowa. She has experience working with a variety of children with various disabilities, with the pediatric population being her passion. She loves watching kids progress in their communication skills and seeing the confidence in their abilities grow. Emily enjoys working in the outpatient setting because she believes in order for the child to grow in his/her communication skills, collaboration with parents is crucial. She is a member of the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA).
Lisa Schippers, M.S., CCC-SLP
Lisa holds a master’s degree in speech pathology from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and a master’s degree in Behavior Analysis from the University of Cincinnati. She has worked with children with speech and language disorders, developmental disorders and autism spectrum disorder in private clinics, schools, and homes since 2008, and has worked in multidisciplinary settings since 2016. She has advanced training in the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM), PECS, and Relational Frame Theory and is enthusiastic about learning and advancing her skill set. She is passionate in collaborating with parents and other providers. She is a member of the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA).
Occupational Therapists
Dr. McKenna Novak, OTD, OTR/L
McKenna Novak, OTD, OTR/L, Occupational therapist, holds a doctorate degree in occupational therapy from Drake University and received her Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology from the University of Iowa. McKenna has worked with children of various ages and diagnoses and is passionate about helping children grow through play. She has certifications in kids’ yoga, infant massage, and mindfulness. She has a special interest in working with children with feeding difficulties and has completed additional training in Beckman Oral Motor and Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) approach to feeding. McKenna is expanding this special interest in feeding to infants. She recently completed a mentorship with Dr. Giselle Tadros, PT, DPT with Milk Matters and can help infants with challenges related to tethered oral tissues (lip/tongue ties) pre and post frenectomy including tension, oral motor dysfunction, and feeding challenges. McKenna is excited to collaborate with families to see their children thrive.
Maddi Ranney OTR/L
Maddison holds a master’s degree in occupational therapy from American International College and received her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and Health from Iowa State University with a minor in Psychology. She is also a Registered Behavior Technician. Maddison gained experience working with children of varying disabilities/diagnoses in a variety of settings including the school system, home-based early intervention, supported community living, recreational facilities, and home-based applied behavior analysis. She is passionate about helping children meet their goals using a play-based and creative approach. Maddison is a member of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) and plans to continue expanding her knowledgebase to provide best practices to the pediatric population.
Therapy Classroom Staff
Alyson Waldorf
Alyson holds a bachelor's degree in special education from Upper Iowa University. She is endorsed in special education to teach grades K-12 BD/LD/ID and grades K-8 mild/moderate. Alyson has many years of experience working with a diverse population of students as a classroom associate and a Special Education Teacher. She is dedicated to ensure the highest quality of education for each student she has the opportunity to teach!
Gabby Martinez
Gabby attended Morningside College for two years as a student-athlete on their softball team. She is currently finishing her Bachelor's Degree at Bellevue University in their Professional Psychology Program, with an emphasis in Counseling Psychology. She has years of experience working at in-home settings with adults as a Direct Support Professional, as well as working in the classroom setting as a Paraeducator. She has a passion for helping students reach their highest potential!
ABA Staff
Katie Bunting, M.A., BCBA, LBA
Katie holds a master's degree in Special Education with an emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis from Brandman University and received her bachelor's degree in Psychology from William Penn University. Katie has several years of experience working in the school, in-home, and clinical setting with a variety of diagnoses and ages. She is motivated by her work and driven to utilize the principles of ABA to teach and improve the overall quality of life for the families that she works with.
Mikayla Whitmer, M.S., BCBA, LBA
Mikayla hold's a master's degree in Developmental Disabilities with a concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). She received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Health from Graceland University. Her extensive experience includes working with both children and adults diagnosed with a variety of special needs across multiple settings.
Amanda Olson, M.A., BCBA, LBA
Amanda holds a master’s degree in Educational Psychology from the University of Iowa and a Certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis from Ball State University. She received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Iowa State University. Amanda has extensive experience working with children on the autism spectrum in a clinical setting and working with children with behavior disorders in an elementary, junior high, and senior high school settings.
Hannah Alberts
At age 11, Hannah started volunteering as a counselor at Camp Jubilee (now based in Indianola, IA), a week-long summer program for individuals with disabilities. She continued to do that each year while attending school and graduated from University of Iowa with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. Post graduation, Hannah started working as a paraeducator in a K-2 modified classroom for children with autism in Iowa City. She became even more passionate about teaching and creating profound relationships with students, while also providing behavioral support and supporting students’ independence. As an educator, she believes that every learner deserves genuine compassion, patience, and understanding. The thing she enjoys most about being an RBT is the fun she can have with clients and feeling rewarded and proud in seeing their progress.
Kimberly Knuth
Kimberly started her journey of working with children as an Infant/Toddler Teacher in an Early Head Start program. She enjoys learning all the unique characteristics of each child she works with and is passionate about advocacy for individual needs. She is excited about her role with Metro West and the opportunity to work one-on-one with children to help them learn and grow. She is continuing her education online and plans to achieve a degree in social work.
Mindy Barchenger
Mindy earned her bachelor's degrees double majoring in Psychology and Health Promotion and Exercise Science from Waldorf University. She will be continuing her education by working on a master’s in School Counseling from Grand View University. She has experience working with a wide range of both adults and children with a variety of special needs diagnoses through her volunteer work.
Danielle Mercado
Danielle has been working with children of all abilities since 1993. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies with a minor in Psychology from Iowa State. Getting to know what makes each child unique is her favorite part of working with young people.
McKenna Roche
McKenna earned her bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies from Iowa State University. She has experience working with children across multiple environments and is excited to be working one-on-one with clients at Metro West! She loves how rewarding it feels to help children learn and grow with her help.
Perla Silva
Perla many years of experience working with children with different abilities. She greatly enjoys working with children with autism! Prior to her RBT, she has worked as a DSP and a Special Education Assistant at an elementary school. She obtained her Associate's Degree from DMACC and is excited to continue her education.
Doug Pepper
Doug earned his bachelor’s in Marketing from Central College while being a student athlete. He has years of experience working with children, adolescents, and young adults. Doug has spent the past few years working in various settings with children with differing needs, including being a special education associate at an elementary school this past year.
Nikki Stiles
Nikki has a passion for helping children! She has worked in special education and respite care for ten years. She has a wealth of knowledge working with children with differing abilities from experience as a school associate and substitute teacher. She also has a great skillset in web-design as she obtained her degree from DeVry University while in Ohio. She moved to Iowa eight years ago and greatly enjoys it! Nikki is excited about working with children providing ABA to help them develop new skills and see them grow!
Paradise Cain
Paradise is very excited to work at Metro West with our staff and clients! She has years of experience working in the healthcare field. She also has great experience working with young children in a daycare setting. Paradise plans on continuing her education in behavioral health.
Diagnostics
Our Diagnostic Team is pleased to partner with our colleagues at the University of Iowa Center For Disabilities and Development and Kavalier and Associates.