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About Our Team
William Mauldin, M.S., BCBA, LBA
While growing up, I experienced difficulties with learning and struggled to understand the “one size fits all” approach my teachers used. I realized that I was most successful when I dedicated my attention to topics I was most interested in, and sought support to learn about them in my own way. This allowed me to attend undergraduate school at Mississippi State University and earn a bachelor's degree in Psychology. After graduating, I was interested in gaining further knowledge on the technology of teaching. I worked with individuals with intellectual and emotional delays at a Summer Treatment Program at University of Alabama Birmingham and in a private clinic as a behavioral therapist. Using science to allow individuals to replace their motivation to engage in aggression, self injurious behavior, and major disruption with effective communication was the switch I needed to pursue a Masters in Applied Behavior Analysis in Developmental Disabilities at Auburn University and become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). However, after years of practice as a BCBA I began to realize that the majority of interventions I wrote were built from control and didn’t allow the learners to fully follow their self-motivation. I then began to research, develop, and teach strategies to support learners in gaining control of their own environment in positive ways. After finding success with this approach, I decided to dedicate my professional life to creating behavior intervention technologies that understand and emphasize the value of autonomy. Just like I found success through valuing my own autonomy, it is my mission to allow every individual to find success in similar ways.
Evelyn Reese, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA
I knew from a young age that I wanted to work with children. However, with so many options available, I wasn’t sure what type of position in this area would suit me best. I explored many options while majoring in Psychology at Mississippi State. After learning about the field from my brother, William, I became intrigued and decided to pursue a similar career. I attended Vanderbilt University and earned my master’s in Early Childhood Education and Applied Behavior Analysis. After graduating and becoming a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), I worked for four valuable years at a very small company that focused on using ABA to support children in everyday settings, caregiver and teacher training, and training other BCBAs. This opportunity helped me develop a strong sense of autonomy by providing guidance, yet also allowing decision making power when individualizing clients’ treatment plans. Through this autonomous approach, I was able to create treatment plans that challenged traditional ABA techniques and focused on “compassion-based ABA.” Once the pandemic started, I began working at a larger company, where the same levels of autonomy were not provided. Through this experience, I began to understand the importance of increasing autonomy not only in my clients’ lives, but also in my own life. After discussing the value of this philosophy with William, I decided to join GATE ABA and continue the journey of learning to support myself and others in living autonomous lifestyles.
Tamara H. Rowland, M.A., MT-BC, RBT
I enjoy helping people, so working in an educational or therapeutic capacity has always been the right fit for me. I studied music performance in high school and knew after graduation that I wanted to use my musical training to help people with disabilities. I earned my BA in Music Therapy from Colorado State University and began my career as a music therapist in local schools. I worked closely with students who had emotional and behavioral disabilities, including autism, and decided that it would work well for me to become a teacher with a music therapy background. I earned my MA in Special Education with an emphasis in social/emotional disorders from The University of Northern Colorado and, over the past 25 years, have worked between Tennessee and Colorado as an educator and therapist in school settings, private practice, and as a small business owner. In 2020, I accepted a teaching position at the Susan Gray School at Vanderbilt University and was introduced to Applied Behavior Analysis. I saw first-hand how the science and success of ABA complements educational and therapeutic goals, and I loved how nicely it melded with my experience. I met William while on a project together at Vanderbilt and accepted his invitation to join GATE ABA in 2023. I have enjoyed my work in this new capacity and am currently working toward the BCBA credential. One area I appreciate most about working at GATE has been discovering ways to use my creativity in a science-based field, while being encouraged to embrace my own autonomy as I work with clients to help them with theirs.