Leadership Team
Elizabeth Matthews, M.S. Ed., BCBA, LBA, IBA (she/her)
CEO and Owner
Elizabeth Matthews (Liz) completed her undergraduate degree in psychology at Wells College in 2002 and then relocated to Boston to work for Melmark New England. Following two years in the field she began pursuing her master’s degree in Behavioral Education at Simmons College and upon graduation became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst in 2006. She did this while working as an alternative education teacher for the Merrimack Education Center. Liz also spent time assisting with social skills groups for children with autism at Advances Learning Center in Newton, Massachusetts, and as a Lead Behavior Liaison with the Winston-Salem Forsyth County School District in North Carolina. Currently she is a doctoral student at Virginia Commonwealth University and studying leadership.
In February of 2007, Liz relocated to the Tidewater area and accepted a Behavior Analyst position with what is now known as CA Human Services. Liz was pivotal in forming the partnership between CA Human Services and Southeastern Cooperative Educational Programs (SECEP). For over 8 years she was responsible for consulting on the practices of behavior analysis across several divisions.
By October 2008, following her successful collaboration with CA Human Services and SECEP, Liz was inspired to start her own company, EMG Consulting LLC. As owner and Managing Director of EMG Consulting (her current position) she was able guide the organization to be awarded a 3-year accreditation with the Behavioral Health Center of Excellence (BHCOE) in 2020.
In addition, in 2010, Liz held a position as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Mary Washington, teaching students in their Applied Behavior Analysis coursework program. She also served two terms as treasurer for the Tidewater Association for Behavior Analysis (TABA) from 2012-2014. Subsequently, she served as Conference Co-Chair for the Virginia Association for Behavior Analysis (VABA) in 2014 and in 2017 was on their Marketing and Membership Benefits Workgroup.
She has presented at multiple conferences including the Association for Applied Behavior Analysis International’s 37th Annual Conference in Denver, Colorado. Other affiliations include long-time memberships with the Association for Professional Behavior Analysts and the Association for Applied Behavior Analysis International.
Her volunteer work has earned her Sponsor of the Year from the Autism Society, Tidewater Virginia. She has coordinated title sponsorships for EMG with Surfer’s Healing, Autism Awareness Day with the Norfolk Tides, Calming Santa at MacArthur Center, and the Virginia Beach Runway 5k and Plane Pull for Untamed Spirit. EMG has also been a repeated sponsor of the VABA and CA Human Services Conferences.
Liz is a military spouse and lives in Virginia Beach with her husband Charles, son Peyton, and their golden retriever Gracie.
Having watched behavior analysis grow exponentially in the state of Virginia, Liz is passionate about ongoing networking, camaraderie, and quality communication for practitioners.
Jamie Collins-Facteau, BCBA, LBA
COO and Behavior Analyst
Laura Hernandez, BCBA, LBA
Lead Behavior Analyst
Carla Maldonado, BCBA, LBA
Lead Behavior Analyst
Cheryl “Nicole” Leonard, BCBA, LBA
Director of Collaborative Training and Behavior Analyst
Jennifer McMurtrie, M.S. Ed., BCBA, LBA
Crisis Management Coordinator and Behavior Analyst
Jenn became a behavior analyst in 2015 and began working with EMG Consulting in 2016. Previously, she worked for Southeastern Cooperative Educational Programs (SECEP), from 2003 to 2018, holding positions as a Special Education Teacher and an Education Specialist. Jenn received her undergraduate degree at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington in Athletic Training Sports Medicine. While working as a Certified Athletic Trainer for Chesapeake and Virginia Beach Public Schools her passion for working with children emerged and she then completed her master’s degree in Special Education with endorsements for Emotional Disturbance and Specific Learning Disabilities from Old Dominion University. Jenn then went on to complete the coursework to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) at the Florida Institute of Technology. Jenn is a member of the Virginia Association for Behavior Analysis (VABA) and the Association of Professional Behavior Analysts (APBA).
Nadezdha "Ned"Ramirez
Clinical Operations Manager
Ned graduated from George Mason University with a bachelor’s degree in Social work and a minor in Psychology. She completed her senior year practicum with NVFS, a non-profit organization located in Northern Virginia. After graduating, she was offered a position as a Case Manager for Early Head Start programs in Loudoun and Prince William County. A couple of years into her position she was offered a Benefit and Enrollment Specialist position with NVFS through a Fairfax County Contract assisting individuals with disabilities and co-occurring disorders to obtain and maintain health insurance. Ned became a Support Coordinator in 2017 providing case management services to individuals with ID/DD. Three years into her position she was hired as a Clinical Operations Manager with NVIC, an agency providing Therapeutic Behavior Consultation for individuals receiving developmental disability waivers in VA. Ned currently works as the Clinical Operations Manager for EMG Consulting providing daily operations/admin support for BCBA’s and families receiving services. Ned loves providing support for staff/colleagues so they can provide quality services for the individuals they serve.