Brian R. Lopez, Ph.D., BCBA
Chief Executive Officer and Clinical Neurodevelopmental Psychologist
Dr. Lopez has specialized in the diagnostic assessment and evidence-based treatments of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and other neurodevelopmental disabilities. Dr. Lopez is a New Mexico native who returned to the Land of Enchantment after training and working in California and Colorado. At JumpStart, Dr. Lopez is a member of our early diagnostic team providing parent training and behavioral consultation. In his role as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), he collaborates with JumpStart’s Clinical Directors and Supervisors to oversee our Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) programs as well as mentor and interact with members of our team at all levels to foster growth and encourage professional development.
Before founding JumpStart in 2008, Dr. Lopez worked at the University of New Mexico’s School of Medicine’s Center for Developmental and Disability and UNM’s Department of Psychiatry’s Center for Neuropsychology. There he specialized in the diagnosis of young children with ASD and helped supervise clinical psychology interns and post-doctorate candidates. At UNM’s Center for Development and Disability (CDD), Dr. Lopez was an Assistant Professor in Pediatrics and a member of the multidisciplinary diagnostic team that conducted ASD evaluations, collaborated on a range of research projects (e.g., social skills groups, early treatment initiation in newly diagnosed families with ASD, and MEG studies on very young children diagnosed with ASD). Prior to moving back to New Mexico, Dr. Lopez worked in San Diego at the Center for Autism Research Evaluations and Services. He earned his Ph.D. from the California School of Professional Psychology-San Diego in 2001, where he specialized in the treatment and diagnosis of individuals with ASD. Similarly, he completed his APA Internship at Denver Health Medical Center and his post-doctorate training at San Diego’s Children’s Hospital Institute for Developmental Research.
Outside of JumpStart, you can find Dr. Lopez spending time with his family, getting into the great outdoors, and traveling. He enjoys working on his golf game as well as attending professional baseball and hockey games with his two sons and daughter.
Emmie Hebert, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Clinical Psychologist
Dr. Hebert has always been very interested in autism diagnosis and treatment as her younger brother is diagnosed with ASD. While earning her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, she had an internship at an ABA Autism clinic as an undergraduate student and loved it! “I sought further education to not only learn what ABA could do for those with autism, but for everyone!” says Dr. Hebert. She then continued on to receive her Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology and her Doctorate Degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Mississippi. Her specialties within Applied Behavior Analysis include Contextual Behavioral Science and Clinical Behavior Analysis. Dr. Hebert boasts, “Working with individuals with learning differences allows me to see the world through different lenses and experiences. I have had to think about things in novel and unexpected ways to better serve my clients. They have helped me to not only grow as a clinician, but as a person. I love working at JAC because of the collaborative atmosphere and caring co-workers.”
Professional activities and associations:
- Member of the Association for Behavior Analysis International
- Member of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science