About Us

Anika Kitson

A native of Santa Barbara, Anika Kitson turned her passion for children into her career with the creation of CIELO (Center for Improvement, Esteem, and Learning & Opportunity) in 2008. While studying child and adolescent psychology at St. Mary's College, Anika was introduced to the field of early intervention for children who have been diagnosed with mild to severe disabilities. She has worked with children and adolescents on the Autism Spectrum in private settings and public capacities such as the Santa Barbara School District, providing ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) and PRT (Pivotal Response Treatment), among other therapeutic interventions. Anika's educational repertoire was expanded after attending Boston University, in which she earned her Master's Degree in Special Education, with an emphasis on moderate to severe disabilities. She was the Learning Specialist for Laguna Blanca School, working with students in grades 5-8. In addition, she has been in the certification process to become an ADHD Coach, which has similar qualities to that of a Life Coach. This aspect of coaching seems to make sense to her; most individuals with ADHD have challenges with executive functioning and simple task management. She aims to teach her clients skills such as organization, goal setting and achievement, time management, and personal development. While most of her clients are of school age or in college, she works with families and individual adults to achieve balance and organization in their lives.

Jana Garnett

Jana Garnett is the co-founder of CIELO (Center for Improvement, Esteem, and Learning & Opportunity) which was founded in 2008. Jana Garnett brings a wealth of experience working with students who learn differently. She currently works for Santa Barbara City College, as the Director of Disabled Student Programs and Services, providing support and guidance to students receiving academic services at the collegiate level. Prior to working at SBCC, Jana was a Learning Specialist at Laguna Blanca School. In addition, she has worked with the Santa Barbara School District, both in the classroom and in administration. In addition, Jana has been a lecturer at California State Monterey Bay and University of California Santa Barbara in the Teacher Education Program. Jana's specialized areas of interest are interpersonal skills, curriculum development, and teacher training. She currently holds a Single Subject Teaching Credential, a Specialist Credential, an Administrative Services Credential, and a Master's Degree in Education. Jana's goal is to develop partnerships in the community that can support all types of learners and build capacity.

Krista Wright

Krista Wright is a licensed and certified Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) based in Santa Barbara, California. She works for the Santa Barbara School District and for CIELO (Center for Improvement, Esteem, and Learning & Opportunity). Since 2003, she has also worked for the San Bernardino City School District as a school-based SLP. Krista earned her Bachelor of Science from New Mexico State University in 2002 and her Master of Science in Communicative Disorders from University of Redlands in 2004. In her current role, Krista works with school-aged children exhibiting speech and/or language delays/disorders. Her duties include assessment and treatment in the areas of articulation, phonemic awareness, verbal expression, auditory processing/memory, oral-motor, voice, fluency (stuttering), auditory habilitation (hard of hearing/deaf), social communication (pragmatics), and related disorders. These services are delivered in either individual or group settings. In addition, she is proud to offer social skills groups on the weekends and camps in the summer. Krista strives to collaborate with her client's family, teachers, and other service providers to create an individual plan that best serves the needs of her clients.

Catie Chase

Catie Chase delivers her expertise and experience in preparing students for college readiness and post-secondary planning. She is a native of Santa Barbara and received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts. She continued her education at the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Santa Barbara; earning her Master's Degree in Education, with an Emphasis in Special Education, Disabilities and Risk Studies. The study of her Master's thesis was on self-determination in college students with learning disabilities. Catie's experience working with youths and adults in the community, and as a consultant, educator, and professional in higher education, has found a common element that one-on-one assistance and support is a need for students and their families. Her teaching and tutoring students in higher education, with and without disabilities, as well as assisting and supporting high school students with college applications and community college students with transfer applications makes her a valuable resource for our clients. Her work experiences, coupled with warm interpersonal skills, will assist you and your family in your application process. Catie's goal is to make college planning a positive experience for students that will facilitate self-independence, self-advocacy, and responsibility; these skills are essential for a successful post-secondary transition, college graduation, and meeting professional endeavors.

Kendra Sysum

When she became an ABA therapist in 2002, she soon knew this was not just a job, but a career with kids that she is passionate about. As she moved forward in her education, she also became interested in further supporting the parents and siblings of children with autism and other developmental, social and emotional delays. She pursued her Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology and began the Relationship Development Intervention (RDI©) Certification process. She is excited to offer a wide array of services that focuses not only on the child, but also on the quality of life for those who love the child most. Working with kids and families affected by autism and other childhood disorders has been a rewarding and exciting journey of learning!

Leslie Lannan

Born and raised in Santa Barbara, Leslie Lannan is a registered and licensed pediatric Occupational Therapist (OTR/L). She earned a Bachelors degree in Communicative Disorders from the University of Redlands in 2006, and expanded her education by completing her Masters in Occupational Therapy at the University of Southern California. Leslie has experience providing holistic care though occupational therapy in the hospital, therapeutic riding, school based, and early intervention settings, and holds a special interest in the human/animal bond and Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT). Additionally, she has provided pediatric OT services internationally, working with a variety of physical and developmental abilities in Ghana, West Africa. In addition to her services through CIELO, Leslie also currently provides early intervention occupational therapy through Mariposas Project Inc. Aiming to serve the local population as a "full service" practitioner, she works to support client engagement in a variety of occupations and experiences throughout the community. By practicing a sensory integrative approach to therapy, Leslie can work with your infant, child, or teen on concerns from head to toe including: sensory processing issues, sensory based feeding disorders, sleep routines, difficulty accessing the home, school or community environment, poor emotional regulation, social and life skills training, handwriting difficulties, caregiver education and much more.

Elvis Nunez

Elvis Nunez is a bilingual international science educator and curriculum consultant from the Caribbean. He has been a part of CIELO since 2009 where he currently holds the position of Math and Science Learning Specialist. Elvis holds a Master's degree in Biology with a minor in Science Education from the University of Florida, where he graduated with top honors and was awarded the 2008-2009 UF Biology Teaching Award. He also has a Bachelor's in Marine Science with minors in Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics from the University of Hawaii at Hilo. Over the last five years, Elvis' portfolio has grown to include cancer research at the University of Michigan Medical Center; genetics research at the University of Hawaii at Hilo; conservation projects at Marine Reserves in Belize and Hawaii; fossil excavations in Florida; and biology curriculum consultations with the Caribbean Examination Council. Elvis has almost a decade of teaching experience working with students from multiple cultures and learning abilities both in the US and abroad. He is sensitive to the needs of students, particularly those with disabilities. His main interest is using alternative teaching strategies in an effort to make science more relevant and meaningful to teachers, students and the community. Other interests include curriculum reform, conservation biology, climate change and evolutionary biology. Elvis currently tutors K-12 and university students in Algebra, Trigonometry, Geometry, Pre-Calculus, Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Geography, History, and Spanish. He also works with students on time-management, study skills and organization.

Courtney Ferriera, EdM

Courtney is a credentialed Special Education Teacher and a certified Learning Specialist. After studying Mild to Moderate Learning Disabilities in graduate school at Azuza Pacific Unviersity, Courtney went on to teach at the Elementary level before joining the team at CIELO. Courtney gained experience working in the Santa Barbara Elementary School District where she taught the Resource Program for 6 years. Through this position in the Elementary District, Courtney has worked with children who have learning disabilities as well as ADD, ADHD and developmental delays. Also familiar with goals and objectives designated within the IEP, Courtney arranges her sessions based on specific areas of need and can provide appropriate interventions. Aiming to provide clients with the appropriate tools to be successful is the goal of our sessions. Specific academic areas which Courtney has served are: spelling, phonics, reading comprehension, auditory and visual processing deficits, as well as math facts.