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Devereux Pennsylvania Leadership

Melanie Beidler, M.S.

 

Melanie Beidler, M.S.
Vice President of Operations - Children’s Services

Melanie Beidler, M.S., serves as Devereux’s vice president of operations - children's services. In this role, Beidler oversees the organization’s Pennsylvania operations, focusing on the care, education and treatment of children and adolescents with emotional, behavioral and cognitive differences.

Beidler joined Devereux in 1982 as a group counselor for children with autism and intellectual and developmental disabilities. Since that time, she has taken on positions of increasing responsibility, serving in multiple direct care and supervisory roles at three Devereux centers. From 2011-2018, she served as executive director of Devereux Pennsylvania’s Children's Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Services center.

Beidler earned both a Bachelor of Science in Individual and Family Studies and Master of Science in Business Administration from Pennsylvania State University. She is a graduate of the Leadership Main Line Program, an intensive leadership program. Beidler sits on the boards of the Pennsylvania Council of Children, Youth and Family Services (PCCYFS) and the PCCYFS’ Southeast Region Council. She also serves as a board member of Devereux’s staffing agency - QualityHealth Staffing, LLC. In addition, Beidler participates on the Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association Pediatric Care Work Group and Residential Treatment Center Work Group, and was a former board member of Safe Harbor, a shelter providing housing and services for Chester County’s homeless population.

 

Stephen Bruce, M.Ed., BCBA

   

Stephen Bruce, M.Ed., BCBA
Vice President of Operations - Adult Services

As Vice President of Operations - Adult Services, Stephen Bruce, M.Ed., BCBA, manages the care, treatment and outcomes of our adult population - living with emotional, behavioral and cognitive differences throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. He previously served as executive director of Devereux Pennsylvania - Adult Services, where he oversaw the care and treatment of nearly 400 adults served by the center’s day habilitation and employment programs, and residences throughout southeast Pennsylvania.

Bruce brings more than 30 years of nonprofit leadership and behavioral healthcare experience to his role. Before joining Devereux in 2015, he was president and CEO of Midland, a provider of educational, residential and day services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in New Jersey. Prior to that, he served a significant part of his career at Bancroft, a nonprofit provider of services for individuals with brain injuries, autism and intellectual disabilities. During his 25-year tenure at Bancroft, Bruce served as director of pediatric and adolescent services, vice president of planning/marketing/admissions, vice president of clinical operations and vice president of strategic planning.

Bruce holds a Master in Special Education, with a concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis, from Temple University. In addition, he is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and has served as an adjunct professor at Temple University, where he has taught courses in Applied Behavior Analysis.

 

Christopher Betts, M.A.

   

Christopher Betts, M.A.
Executive Director, Devereux Pennsylvania - Adult Services

Christopher Betts, M.A., serves as executive director of Devereux Pennsylvania - Adult Services. In this role, he oversees the care and treatment of nearly 400 adults served by the center’s day habilitation and employment programs, and residences throughout southeast Pennsylvania. Betts holds more than 20 years of behavioral healthcare experience.

He joined Devereux Pennsylvania in 2000 as a residential counselor at the organization’s Children’s Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Services (CIDDS) center; he was promoted to lead counselor in 2001. In 2002, Betts became program coordinator and, that same year, was promoted to treatment manager. In 2010, he began working at Devereux Pennsylvania - Adult Services as a program director. Later, Betts became program administrator and, in 2016, was promoted to assistant executive director.

Prior to joining Devereux, Betts held behavioral health positions in the United Kingdom, including youth worker positions at the Somerset County Youth Service and the Somerset Rural Youth Project. He holds a Professional Diploma in Youth/Community Work and a Bachelor of Arts (with Honors) in Youth and Community Work from the University College of St. Mark and St. John (Exeter University, UK). In addition, he holds a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership from Immaculata University.

Betts serves as a board member of the southeastern Pennsylvania provider organization Moving Agencies Toward Excellence (MAX).

 

Patricia Hillis-Clark, Psy.D., BCBA

   

Patricia Hillis-Clark, Psy.D.
Executive Director, Devereux Pennsylvania Children’s Services

Patricia Hillis-Clark, Psy.D., holds more than 20 years of experience in the child and adolescent behavioral healthcare field. She is a licensed psychologist in Pennsylvania and Delaware, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and a Certified Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapist.

Dr. Hillis-Clark joined Devereux Pennsylvania in 2000 as a clinician at “Gateway,” which was located in Newtown Square, Pa. In 2018, she was named executive director of Devereux Pennsylvania Children’s Behavioral Health Services (CBHS) (now Devereux Pennsylvania Children’s Services) after serving as CBHS’ clinical director since 2009. Hillis-Clark specializes in working with highly-traumatized populations, including sexually exploited and trafficked youth. Before joining Devereux, she was a social worker at the Children’s Aid Society.

Hillis-Clark has earned the following degrees: a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Cabrini College; Master in Social Work from Temple University; and a Doctor in Clinical Psychology from Chestnut Hill College. She has completed certification programs including: Financial Success for Nonprofits Cornell University; Behavior Analysis - Florida Institute of Technology; and School Psychology - Eastern University. She holds a Diplomate from the Academy of Cognitive Therapists. Hillis-Clark has presented locally on the topic of sexually exploited and trafficked youth, and has served as adjunct teaching faculty at the graduate level. She serves as an advisory board member of the Devereux Cleo Wallace and Devereux Cleo Wallace Foundation, and is the chair of the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Division 12 Mentorship Sub-Committee. In addition, she has served as a past Division 12 reviewer for the APA’s Annual Convention Submissions for Presentation.

 

Tina Skoda

   

Tina Skoda
Executive Director, Devereux Pocono

As Devereux Pocono’s executive director, Tina Skoda oversees the center’s day-to-day operational, clinical and administrative functions.

Skoda holds more than 20 years of behavioral healthcare experience. She joined Devereux Pocono in 2003 as director of operations, overseeing the center’s residential, day and community programs. In 2012, Skoda moved into the role of assistant executive director, responsible for the center’s overall operations and quality improvement initiatives, as well as all licensing, financial and administrative processes. She was promoted to executive director in November 2017.

Prior to joining Devereux, Skoda worked with the elderly as a behavioral health program director for Wayne Memorial Hospital in Honesdale, Pa. In addition, she worked with children as a regional director of behavioral health rehabilitation services for New Hope of Pennsylvania, Inc., in Wyoming, Pa.

Skoda is a licensed social worker and has earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work from Marywood College. She also is a certified paralegal.

 

Megan Robinson Joy, Ph.D., BCBA

   

Megan Robinson Joy, Ph.D., BCBA
Director of Autism Services

Megan Robinson Joy, Ph.D., BCBA, joined Devereux Pennsylvania in June 2017 as director of autism services. In her role as state director, Dr. Joy provides clinical oversight of Devereux’s autism programs and services in Pennsylvania, including: The Devereux Center for Autism Research and Educational Services (CARES), the CARES consultation program, and the Community Adult Autism Partnership Program. She also oversees the implementation of the Devereux Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (D-PBIS) autism model across our Pennsylvania centers.

Prior to joining Devereux, Joy was the regional director of Home and School Consultation at the May Institute in Randolph, Mass. There, she provided clinical and operational oversight to more than 70 clinicians providing Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services to children with autism in homes and public schools.

Joy earned a doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Stony Brook University under the mentorship of Dr. Edward Carr, one of the founders of Positive Behavior Support. She also holds a Master of Arts in Psychology from Stony Brook University and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Hamilton College, Summa Cum Laude. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.

Joy’s work focuses on using the principles of ABA to develop contextually appropriate interventions to teach skills and reduce problem behaviors in natural settings. She has presented at a number of regional and national ABA conferences on supporting families with children with autism, functional behavior assessment, training therapists and educators on the principles of ABA, and using multi-tiered systems of support to develop effective staff training and supervision models.