FACULTY & STAFF

Pamela Clark, Senior Director of Schools, joined The Help Group in 1986 and played an integral role in the origination and continued development of the Village Glen Schools. In her position as Senior Director, Pamela is responsible for the oversight of all educational aspects of the Village Glens in both Culver City and Sherman Oaks. Together with the Heads of School and the Director of Learning, Pamela has ensured that Village Glen Schools are educational leaders in serving students who present with high-functioning autism. Educational excellence in Village Glen can be evidenced by many markers including twelve consecutive years of WASC Accreditation and of course, the heartwarming success stories of our very unique students.
“My work with Village Glen Schools is always an incredibly rewarding experience. It gives me much satisfaction to know that we are maximizing our students’ academic and social potential. I will never tire from overhearing our new students say that they finally found in Village Glen a place where they belong – a place where for the first time, they have a friend.”

School administrator of The Help Group since August 2017. Kalee is a Kent State University and Cleveland State University alumna. Kalee is from Cleveland, Ohio where she started as an Invention Specialist teaching middle school and high school students with disabilities. After completing her Master of Education degree and Education Administration coursework, Kalee left the classroom and role as district mentor teacher to become an Educational Consultant. During this time, she provided professional development trainings for educators (certified and classified) throughout NE Ohio in the areas of Autism, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, Functional Behavioral Assessments, Classroom Management, Academic and Behavioral Data Collection, Functional Behavioral Assessments and Behavior Intervention Plans, and much more. Kalee is a mother of three young adults and grandmother to one toddler. She is excited to be a part of the VGW family and believes in creating a positive school culture and climate where everyone feels a sense of belonging.

Dr. Laurie Stephens is a developmental psychologist who has been working with children, teens, and young adults on the autism spectrum for over 30 years. She currently serves as The Help Group’s Senior Director of Autism Programs. Previously, Dr. Stephens served as the Director of Clinical Services for Education Spectrum for 12 years. She provided diagnostic and psycho-educational evaluations, individual & family therapy, social skills training, educational consultation and professional, academic and parent training. Dr. Stephens has lectured around the world, focusing on social skills development and intervention strategies.

Dr. Stephens received her BA in Experimental Psychology from UC San Diego, and her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from SUNY Stony Brook. Prior to working with Education Spectrum, Dr. Stephens served for 8 years as the Director of Autism Spectrum Disorders Programs at The Help Group. In her position then, Dr. Stephens created Young Learners Preschool for Autism and designed comprehensive education, behavioral and social skills programs for all the specialized day schools. She established an intensive social skills summer camp program for children with Asperger’s Disorder, which had an international reach with campers coming from the United Kingdom, El Salvador, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the UAE and other countries.

Dr. Stephens’ primary area of specialty is in designing social skills curriculum, with a new-found passion for the changing nature of social expectations in the digital age. She has designed, run and supervised social skill groups for children as young as two years of age up through young adults. Dr. Stephens has focused much of her work on the development of theory of mind and how it relates to all aspects of a person’s functioning.

Nicole Jorenson is the Director of Behavioral Services for The Help Group’s Sherman Oaks Schools. She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She attended UC Santa Barbara where she received a BA in Psychology and then attended Pepperdine University for her MA in Clinical Psychology. She has worked with children with special needs for over 15 years, 13 of which have been in non-public school settings. She currently teaches a graduate level course for educators through UCLA Extension focused on building partnerships with learners and coaching de-escalation and conflict resolution.

After earning his Degree from UCSB and receiving his teaching credentials, Jason Petro taught SDC/ED classes for 5 years at a public school while also coaching Varsity Basketball. Mr. Petro has been the P.E. Coach and Athletic Director for Village Glen for 12 years after deciding to leave the classroom. He was instrumental in developing a very successful sports program for Village Glen High School in which the Knights won numerous championships while competing in Flag Football, Soccer, Basketball, Softball, Beach Volleyball, and Track and Field. He is responsible for teaching Specially Designed P.E. classes for all of Village Glen. He has a Master's degree in Special Education and is passionate about helping his students in any way he can.