ABA Program Faculty

Department of Counseling, Health and Kinesiology

Berenice-de-la-Cruz-ABA Dr. Berenice de la Cruz, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LBA

Assistant Professor & Program Coordinator

(210) 784-2407 | Classroom Hall 214Q
bdelacruz@tamusa.edu

Dr. de la Cruz, Ph.D. has worked with people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities since 2001 in school, home, clinic, and community settings as a teacher, therapist, supervisor, director, and professor. She is the inaugural coordinator for the Applied Behavior Analysis Program in the College of Education and Human Development. Dr. de la Cruz' research and practice focus primarily on advocacy, ethics, and evaluating the application of ABA when used by parents, teachers, and other professionals to support individuals with developmental disabilities in the home, school, and community.

Pronouns: she/her/ella

https://www.name-coach.com/berenice-delacruz

Valeria-Yllades-ABA-Adjunct Dr. Valeria Yllades, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LBA

Adjunct Professor

vyllades@tamusa.edu

Valeria Yllades is a BCBA-D for a San Antonio ABA company and serves clients in the San Antonio area. She received her degree in Educational Psychology with a specialization in special education at Texas A&M University. Dr. Yllades has provided services for individuals with autism and their families for over 10 years, as a behavior therapist, licensed behavior analyst, and project director. Her research focuses on working with bilingual individuals with autism and their families to improve communication.

Language proficiency: English, Spanish

Pronouns: she/her

Lupe-Castaneda-ABA Guadalupe "Lupe" Castaneda, M.S., BCBA, LBA

Adjunct Professor

gcastaneda@tamusa.edu

Mr. Castaneda is an adjunct instructor in the Applied Behavior Analysis Program at A&M-SA. He is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and Licensed Behavior Analyst and has been in the field of developmental disabilities for over 30 years. He has worked in various settings including schools, clinics, homes, and in the community. Mr. Castaneda has worked with individuals with a variety of disabilities of all ages. He currently works as an independent consultant who trains and supervises aspiring behavior analysts. Mr. Castaneda teaches undergraduate courses in special education and ABA at two universities.

Victoria Beaman, M.S., BCBA, LBA

Adjunct Professor

vbeaman@tamusa.edu

Victoria Beaman is an adjunct instructor in the ABA program at A&M-SA. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and a Licensed Behavior Analyst, who has been in the field of ABA for the past decade. Victoria has extensive training in verbal behavior development theory and earned her CABAS Teacher 1 in February 2023. She enjoys conducting small-scale research and has presented posters and lectures at Gulf Coast ABA 2023, TxABA 2023, APBA 2023, and LABAA 2023. Victoria currently teaches adjunct courses for graduate and undergraduate students at four different universities and is working on her PhD in Applied Behavior Analysis.

Pronouns: she/her

J Sanchez Enriquez ABA Janet Sanchez Enriquez, Ph.D., BCBA

Adjunct Professor

jenriquez@tamusa.edu

Janet Sanchez Enriquez is a Bilingual Board Certified Behavior Analyst and earned her doctorate from the University of North Carolina Charlotte. She is an adjunct instructor in the Applied Behavior Analysis Program at Texas A&M San Antonio. Janet has over 15 years of experience working and supporting families and professionals in a variety of settings in school districts and within various community organizations across the US and Latin America. Her research interests include working alongside vulnerable and diverse populations promoting applied behavior analysis for teaching and learning through research and the development of culturally and linguistically diverse verbal behavior assessments and interventions.

Pronouns: she/her

Ruby Cabrera ABA Ruby Mannankara-Cabrera, EdD, BCBA, LBA-TX

Adjunct Professor

rcabrera@tamusa.edu

Ruby Mannankara-Cabrera is a board certified and Texas licensed behavior analyst in the San Antonio area. Dr. Mannankara-Cabrera received her Doctor of Education in Learning and Organizational Change from Baylor University and completed research on culturally responsive care in behavior analysis. She has been in the field of behavior analysis in various capacities since 2006 and has been a BCBA since 2016. She currently oversees behavior analysts and RBTs providing ABA to individuals with autism as a Clinical Director and supervises graduate students seeking their fieldwork hours to meet the BACB requirements. Dr. Mannankara-Cabrera's research focuses on culturally responsive care in behavior analysis by teaching and training behavior analysts' cultural humility and competence skills for culturally responsive and inclusive care in ABA.

Pronouns: she/her

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