Facilitators

Danielle Bentz holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology from Adler University in Chicago, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Illinois. As Director of Communications, Ms. Bentz oversees the marketing of our Social Bridges ToolBox Curriculum, clubs and hangouts, and manages our social media. As a facilitator, Ms. Bentz is dedicated to giving kids and teens the tools to connect, communicate, and cope more effectively. Her previous work as a Child and Family Therapist included the diagnosis and treatment of various emotional and behavioral disorders, providing parent education, and supporting kids and teens with learning variabilities. Ms. Bentz has been a facilitator for Social Bridges® since 2019.

Emily Foote holds her Master’s degree in Social Work from Boston College and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She has spent her professional career working with children preschool aged through early adolescence and their families in a variety of settings. Emily has been a Social Bridges® facilitator since 2006 and also provides social coaching both at the center and in schools, as well as counseling for families at Social Bridges®. As Director of Family Support, Emily connects children, parents, and families to additional resources to support social and emotional wellness.

Meredith Gibbs holds a bachelor’s degree in Exceptional Education K-12 and an Early Childhood certification. She has taught in a variety of classrooms in both public and private schools.  Mrs. Gibbs has been a Social Bridges Coach in a private school setting since 2018 and is now facilitating at the Social Bridges Center and serving as part of the Onboarding and Professional Training and Development Team for the Social Bridges ToolBox Curriculum.

Allison Schnoor holds a Bachelor's of Social Work (BSW) from the University of Central Florida. She is currently pursuing her Master's of Social Work (MSW) also at UCF. She interned at Social Bridges beginning in 2019 until her graduation in 2022. She was given the opportunity to work with children of all age groups while using the Social Bridges curriculum to help them learn and practice social skills. She is passionate about working with children and plans to continue at Social Bridges upon the completion of her MSW. She was born and raised in Orlando, Florida and is a proud Floridian.

Judy Keith is a certified K-12 school counselor and has worked for 25 years in a local private school.  As a school counselor, she developed individual and group interventions to meet the social, emotional, and academic needs of children.  She has served as a member of a crisis team working with children, teachers and administrators.  She holds a Master's in School Counseling Psychology from Nova Southeastern University, a Bachelor’s in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from Florida State University and is certified in Play Therapy from the University of Central Florida.  Judy enjoys working with children exploring and incorporating nature and the arts.

Rachel earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Special Education from Penn State University and has been working in the field for over 30 years. Rachel has taught special education in the K-12 system and was Special Education Department Chair of a public school district in Pennsylvania before moving to Central Florida. For 20 years, Rachel served on the faculty of Seminole State College and is now the Inclusion Director at Shalom Orlando, running RAISE, a work and social skills training program for neurodiverse adults. Rachel was a facilitator for Social Bridges for 17 years and now serves as a supervisor for other facilitators.

Amy Weston is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (MH3812).  She received her Master of Arts from Rollins College in 1992. She has extensive experience working with individuals dealing with major psychiatric disorders in a community mental health setting.

 Currently, she provides job coaching services through RAISE and area businesses. She works with individuals with Down Syndrome and those coping with mental health issues. She is an independent consultant for the Down Syndrome Association of Central Florida and Families Exploring Down Syndrome of Brevard. She facilitates training classes based on curriculum she has developed, targeting social skills and employability training, for teens and adults with Down Syndrome.

Additionally, Amy provides tutoring services for adults with Down Syndrome, with a concentration on reading and math. Amy also provides social coaching and counseling for families at Social Bridges®.

Victoria O'Brien is a certified elementary school teacher with five years of experience in a classroom. Mrs. O'Brien graduated from the University of Central Florida in 2019 with a Bachelors in Elementary Education and again in 2022 with a Master’s of Science in Early Childhood Development and Education. Victoria is an advocate for family engagement and teaching to the whole child. Mrs. O'Brien has been a Social Bridges® facilitator since 2022.

Samantha is an intern with UCF earning her bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Development. She has primarily served the pediatric population throughout her career in applied behavioral analysis and plans on continuing her education to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She continues to be a dedicated advocate for children with varying exceptionalities.

Jaime Pollack holds her MS in Early Childhood Development and BS in Exceptional Education from UCF. She has been working for over 25 years for OCPS, first as PK ESE teacher and now as a district coach. She also works part time as an infant and toddler developmental specialist for Central Florida Early Steps and volunteers for Autism on the Seas. Jaime is excited to join the Social Bridges team as group facilitator.

Sarah Hineline graduated from the University of Akron with a Bachelors in Early Childhood and Special Education. Since then she has been teaching in Orlando with experience teaching self contained autism, gifted, and general education. She is currently in classes to receive her gifted endorsement. Sarah started with Social Bridges in 2023.

Sam Millner earned his Bachelors degree in Psychology at the University of Central Florida. He plans to pursue a Masters degree in mental health counseling. He is passionate about holistic healing and believes everyone should have the opportunity to be their best self.

Jennifer Latterell has worked in the field of Early Childhood Education for over 25 years. She earned her Masters degree in Early Childhood from the University of Central Florida where she also teaches for the Early Childhood Development and Education Program. Jennifer works with child care centers and local agencies as a consultant offering professional development, mentoring, coaching and continuing education opportunities. She also teaches Early Education courses at Valencia College. Jennifer has also worked for Social Bridges and is excited to be back on the team. She is passionate about children and families and she continues to be an advocate for both.

Marcella Crutcher holds a bachelors and masters degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Central Florida. She is in her eighth year teaching, with experience in preschool, kindergarten and second grade. She aims to build relationships with children while fostering a safe place to grow and learn. Miss Crutcher is also an adjunct professor at UCF, focusing on assisting future educators find their passion and voice as advocates for young children.

Michele Niemi has been working with children and young adults who have special needs since 1981.

Michele has earned a bachelors degree at the University of South Florida in Specific Learning Disabilities and a Masters degree at the University of Central Florida in Reading Education.

Michele has been able to use her knowledge to work with children from K-12 in both the public and private sector. She has helped children to reach their true potential with the use of many techniques providing multi modalities.

Michele's last position was working at a private school for children with learning disabilities and on the autistic spectrum. In addition to academic learning, children were also taught how to detect social cues and how to respond in a social and academic environment. She has also participated in the RAISE program coaching young adults in a working environment.

Andrea Simkanich is a certified teacher for Primary and Exceptional Student Education. Ms. Simkanich graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Master’s Degree in Exceptional Student Education and a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work. She has experience in teaching self-contained Exceptional Education in the classroom for five years. She has worked with students in the general education population, students with autism spectrum disorder, Downs Syndrome, Epilepsy, and many other special needs.