The ABPathfinder team has a varied background, but it is made up of individuals dedicated to the thought that the application of technology to the field of Autism therapy will enable therapists to be efficient and effective at their jobs. In the end, we hope that kids will gain skills and reduce maladaptive behaviors faster because of our autism software.
Our Team
Jeff Blackwood
CEO/President
Jeff Blackwood is the co-founder, CEO and President of ABPathfinder, where he is responsible for the strategic vision for the company. Jeff ‘s passion for helping children combined with his management skills drove him to be a founder of ABPathfinder, giving him an opportunity to positively affect the lives of children on the Autism spectrum.
Jeff is also the founder, CEO/President of GreenTree Technology Partners which provides software and technical consulting to the life-sciences industry, and he previously held management roles for major businesses including The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Black & Veatch, MCI Telecommunications and VeriSign Communications Services.
Jeff has an MBA with an emphasis in Entrepreneurship from the University of Missouri-Kansas, and a Bachelor of Journalism in Advertising from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He resides with his wife and two children in Overland Park, KS where he is involved in community organizations like Autism Speaks, Cub Scouts, KansasBio and the UMKC EMBA Alumni Organization.
Kelly Kerns
COO
Kelly M. Kerns is co-founder, COO and Chief Architect of ABPathfinder. Kelly’s unique combination of technical skills and understanding of healthcare provided him the vision to create ABPathfinder’s solution. Kelly also serves as CIO of GreenTree Technology Partners providing software and technical consulting to the biosciences industry.
Kelly served as a Navy Hospital Corpsman, and then entered the Information Technology field with a focus in biotechnology and medicine. He has worked as the senior technical resource for a drug development pipeline company and a cardiovascular research organization at a nationally recognized cardiac care center.
Kelly holds a Masters of Computer Science in Bioinformatics and Database Management, and a Bachelors of Science in Computer Science and Telecommunications. He is also an Adjunct Instructor teaching database management at the University of Missouri–Kansas City. Kelly lives with his wife and two children in Kingsville, MO.
Brandi Wahlers
Director of Client Services
Brandi Wahlers serves as ABPathfinder’s Director of Client Services, handling all customer implementations and support. Brandi has a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education with Special Education from Iowa State University.
Brandi’s special education experience includes working with the birth-3 population doing home-based interventions while living in Des Moines, IA. Upon moving to Kansas, she taught for over 5 years in an Early Childhood Disability class for children ages 3-5 in the Olathe School District.
In addition to teaching, Brandi also worked privately alongside a BCBA as the lead therapist in a home-based ABA program. Her experience working as a teacher and as a therapist has provided a true understanding of the challenges today’s professionals face as they try to balance the desire of providing the best services given limited time.
Our team has and continues to work tirelessly in support of our mission to help children with ASD live more social lives. We hope that our therapy management tool will allow you to focus more on progress and not paperwork. If you're curious as to how we do it, sign up for a free virtual demo today and we will show you how.
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