Here you can learn about the care providers that work daily with the children and the young adults who attend Lodestone Academy. We at Lodestone Academy are committed to building a workforce of quality candidates that exude the Lodestone Academy values. All of our Clinical Staff must have attained a B.A., B.S. or Equivalent in the field of Psychology or Early Childhood Education with Concentration in Psychology or Applied Behavior Analysis. For our Admin staff an M.A. in Special Education with Concentration in Applied Behavior Analytics and Board Certification as a Behavior Analyst is highly encouraged. At Lodestone we make it our mission to groom our team for LSA’s future and for their own future goals and aspirations. Often you will see that a majority of our staff are pursuing their M.A. or B.A. in an applicable field. We work with our staff to offer an exceptional work life balance so they can pursue their education while also engaging in the field they are earning a degree in. Please take a look at our stellar staff as well as our admin teams credentials and if you have any questions or are interested in becoming apart of the Lodestone Academy team please navigate to our Careers page for further instructions. Make sure you send a cover letter, resume, and any references to the link located at the bottom of the job listings available on the careers page if you are eager to join the LSA team.
Founder
Joshua Pritchard, PHD
Dr. Joshua Pritchard has been in the field since 2000 and has worked with a wide variety of populations with diverse behavioral issues. In addition to his clinical work, he has been involved in academia since 2010. He has been the chair of the Florida Institute of Technology’s Hybrid program and the Program Director of Southern Illinois University’s hybrid degree program. He received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Florida Institute of Technology and his Ph.D. in behavior analysis from the University of Nevada, Reno. His professional experience includes providing direct consultation services for a wide range of ages and populations in behavior acceleration and deceleration. Pritchard has served as a consultant with state facilities under review by the Department of Justice, consulted internationally on behavioral programs and setting up practicum experience, and conducted remote supervision of international students desiring certification in behavior analysis. His expertise is requested from around the globe to consult on setting up, refining, and maintaining behavior analytic centers for folks with autism and other disabilities.
He started his consulting company, JKP Analysts, in 2006 and has worked both domestically and internationally to provide educational services to children and adults with behavior issues. In 2013, Dr. Pritchard launched Lodestone Academy with the express purpose of filling a need for high-quality behavior analytic services for folks suffering from severe behavior problems. He used his wealth of experience to structure the center programming and staff training to provide the highest quality of care to Orlando’s students.
In addition to clinical practice, Dr. Pritchard is the associate editor of two flagstone journals and has published in multiple journals within the behavior analytic field on a wide range of topics from teaching verbal behavior to changing driving habits. Dr. Pritchard also served as President of the Association for Science in Autism Treatment, on the Executive Council of the Association for Behavior Analysis International, President of the Tennessee Association for Behavior Analysis, and was a member of the Supervision Task Force of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board.
Dr. Pritchard’s passion lies in utilizing behavior analysis to enhance the education of students who are otherwise unable to be served by the standard educational practices. He fervently believes that every student should access the best education available despite any disabilities or behavioral disorders. While the use of behavior analysis is certainly helpful in reducing problem behavior, its real power lies in the ability to best teach skills that will make the problem behavior unnecessary.
Clinical Director
Jason Lewis, MS, BCBA
Jason graduated from Michigan State University in 2002 with a degree in Criminal Justice. Following graduation, he moved back to his home state of Pennsylvania and discovered Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) by working with children diagnosed with Autism. While working with kids in the Behavioral Health Rehabilitation Services (BHRS) in the state of Pennsylvania, he learned that Behavior Specialists who supervised him did not produce much behavior change for those kids with whom he worked. Convinced that there was a better system to teach skills to kids diagnosed with Autism, Jason discovered the field of ABA and its successful work with kids in this population.
Upon discovering the field of ABA, Jason enrolled in the Graduate, Criminal Justice program at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, PA. Here, Jason learned the principles of ABA and earned a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice with a concentration in ABA. Upon completion of his Master’s degree in 2005, Jason became a Behavior Specialist in the BHRS system to begin implementing behavioral interventions for kids diagnosed with Autism.
Jason did in-home consultations in the BHRS system for about 4 years before moving to a new position at center created to provide services for kids and adults diagnosed with Autism. The center, known as the Autism Resource and Community Hub of Lehigh Valley (ARCH of LV), located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, provided different types of services; however, Jason oversaw the after-school and summer camp programs. In this position, Jason designed programs, based on the principles of ABA, in order to teach social and daily living skills to all clients receiving services. Jason worked in this position for more than 5 years before moving to Florida to further pursue his long-term goals.
Currently, Jason is attending the Florida Institute of Technology at the Orlando campus. There, he is pursuing a second Master’s degree in ABA in order to fulfill his dreams of earning a Ph.D. in ABA. His interests include effective teaching interventions and language development and how it applies to social development. Outside of school and work, he enjoys music, particularly writing and playing songs on his guitar and studying music theory, exercising and enjoying the Florida weather.
Clinical Lead
Brittany Shory, BS
Brittany Shory earned her B.S. in Psychology from UCF in 2011. She currently finished the BCaBA coursework at Florida Institute of Technology and will soon be taking the exam to become a certified Assistant Behavior Analyst. She has been teaching individuals and groups in different settings such as in-home therapy and in-center with school aged children. At an early age she always knew she wanted to work with children. Throughout her life, Brittany has mentored and volunteered with children of all different natures. Caring for ill children in shelters to working with disabled children. She enjoys teaching new life skills, eating habits, reading, writing, and other functional skills to improve the quality of life for these individuals. Regardless the amount of time she spends with these kids, she loves the fact that she can influence and make a difference in their lives.