Panel of Advisors

Vanessa Gill

Vanessa Gill

Panel of Advisor

Board of Directors

Learning from her own experiences as an individual with Asperger syndrome, Vanessa founded Social Cipher, an empowering video game for children with Autism. Her remarkable interdisciplinary team works to develop the game’s design based on scientific research and the needs of real children and families affected by Autism.

Blake Baxter

Panel of Advisor

Blake Baxter is an artist and technology specialist.
Born in Los Angeles, he attended UCLA School of Arts and Architecture before completing his BA in Fine Art at UC Santa Cruz. He has exhibited in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Oakland, Seattle, Buffalo, and Palm Springs. His work is included in the permanent collection of the Palm Springs Art Museum, as well as notable private collections.
Baxter also has extensive technology industry experience, having worked in a variety of roles from Systems Engineer to Global Account Manager, for major manufacturers and systems integrators, driving digital transformation across a wide range of business verticals and within the public sector.
Sydney Edmond

Sydney Edmond

Panel of Advisor

Sydney Edmond is an artist and poet from Temecula, CA who has autism and apraxia which makes it difficult for her to control her movement. She learned to communicate by typing on a keyboard at the age of 10 and has given many presentations at conferences, workshops, and classrooms about autism, emphasizing the importance of giving nonverbal people a means to fully communicate.

Kelly Londenberg

Kelly Londenberg

Panel of Advisor

Kelly Londenberg, BS, COTA/L is an autistic adult and licensed pediatric occupational therapy assistant working in a school-based setting, primarily serving children on the spectrum.  She has served on the boards of several autism organizations, including Autism Society Inland Empire, where she ran the teen/adult group, AAC group, family events and organized numerous trainings.  Kelly speaks at local and national events educating others on topics related to sensory processing and living on the spectrum.

Imari Nicoloff

Panel of Advisor

Educational Consultant working in the Coachella Valley for over 22 years with M.A. in Special Education and Doctorate in Counseling/Psychology

Aaron Saenz

Aaron Saenz

Panel of Advisor

My name is Aaron Gray Saenz. I’m an male, autistic adult. I’m a writer, director, actor, high-school graduate, college student and autistic self-advocate. In addition to being in showbusiness, my aspirations are advocating for the autistic community. I’ve written many pieces, including one full-length play about a story I came up with on my own. I’ve spoken on many panels put on by the Autism Society of the Inland Empire about my experience as a person on the autism spectrum. As one person with autism, I can only truly advocate for myself, but I try my best to represent the rest of the community in terms of asserting our unchanging presence in society and demanding respect for our culture. I’m proud to be part of this group and continue to advocate for the betterment of the autistic community.