Meet Our Alumni

Meet Our Alumni

Avital Deskalo

Avital Deskalo

IU Advisor: 
Dr. Tom Huberty
Hometown: 
Milwaukee, WI
Current City: 
Milwaukee, WI
Current Role: 
I am a licensed psychologist who has worked for Boys Town for over nine years. In April 2024, I will be taking the next step in my professional career by opening up my own private practice, Kavana Behavioral Health. I am very excited for this new opportunity. I will continue to provide outpatient therapy services to children, teens, young adults, and families.
Professional Interests: 
I specialize in providing mental health services. My professional interests include individual and family therapy, parent coaching, collaboration with primary care providers and school personnel, and providing trainings to other helping professionals.
Hobbies/Personal Interests: 
I enjoy trying new restaurants, reading thriller books, and traveling with my family.
Favorite Thing About the Program: 
I loved the friendships and professional relationships I cultivated. It has been a very rewarding experience to have longstanding personal and professional relationships with colleagues in my cohort.
Lauren Gardner

Lauren Gardner, PhD, ABPP

IU Advisor: 
Dr. Scott Bellini
Hometown: 
Clarkston, MI
Current City: 
St. Petersburg, FL
Current Role: 
Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital Psychology Internship Director; Administrative Director, JHACH Autism Program
Professional Interests: 
Neurodiversity, Autism, Program Development, Training, Applied Clinical Research
Hobbies/Personal Interests: 
My children, kayaking, golfing, skiing
Favorite Thing About the Program: 
My favorite thing about the School Psychology PhD program at Indiana University was that it allowed me the opportunity to gain incredible knowledge in the field of School Psychology while providing me training in a variety of school and clinical settings. This program set the foundation for professional success in my career within academic medical centers. The faculty were very supportive and provided excellent mentorship.
Leslie Jenkins

Leslie Jenkins

IU Advisor: 
Dr. Rebecca Martínez
Hometown: 
Jeffersonville, IN
Current City: 
Louisville, KY
Current Role: 
Licensed Psychologist: Since 2017, I have owned/operated a private practice that focuses on second opinion evaluation for the treatment of complex conditions. I provide counseling and assessment services across the lifespan.
Professional Interests: 
Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Complex Medical Conditions, Integrated Behavioral Health & Informatics, Trauma-Informed Care
Hobbies/Personal Interests: 
I have been an avid tennis player for nearly 30 years. I also enjoy interior decorating, and my latest interest is sewing/quilting.
Favorite Thing About the Program: 
My favorite thing about the program was the ability to tailor your program of studies to suit your professional interests. I was able to access a variety of rigorous experiences that competitively prepared me to work in multidisciplinary environments.
Lisa Kelly-Vance

Lisa Kelly-Vance

Hometown: 
Greencastle, IN
Current City: 
Omaha, NE
Current Role: 
Professor and Program Director of School Psychology at the University of Nebraska Omaha
Professional Interests: 
Practicum and Intern supervision, play assessment and intervention, social justice
Hobbies/Personal Interests: 
Reading, yoga, boating
Malena A. Nygaard

Malena A. Nygaard, PhD

IU Advisor: 
Dr. Heather Ormiston
Hometown: 
Dallas, TX
Current City: 
Cambridge, MA
Current Role: 
Postdoctoral Fellow in the Lab for Youth Mental Health in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University: Co-directing an NIMH-funded randomized clinical trial of the FIRST treatment protocol (Weisz & Bearman, 2020), co-managing project procedures, and providing consultation to community clinicians who are implementing FIRST. (I start postdoc on August 1st. I am currently a pre-doctoral psychology intern, let me know if you want that information. My last day of internship is June 30th).
Professional Interests: 
My professional interests focus on the delivery of evidence-based youth mental health services and trauma-informed multi-tiered systems of support in schools. I am particularly interested in examining the continuity and coordination of care for students with intensive socioemotional needs through Mental Health Action Plans (MHAPs). Ultimately, I seek to promote equitable access to culturally-responsive, trauma-informed, and strengths-based mental health care within schools.
Hobbies/Personal Interests: 
I enjoy spending time with my friends and family, being an aunt to twins, walking, biking, dancing, listening to music, trying new restaurants, finding the best latte in town, and watching reality TV shows.I enjoy spending time with my friends and family, being an aunt to twins, walking, biking, dancing, listening to music, trying new restaurants, finding the best latte in town, and watching reality TV shows.
Favorite Thing About the Program: 
When deciding where to attend graduate school for the next four years, I chose Indiana University for a number of reasons. First, the program’s social justice mission was important to me because I knew I wanted to advocate for the protection of minoritized students’ rights, opportunities, and well-being. A social justice perspective was integrated throughout coursework and I especially appreciated group supervision where we applied what we were learning in the classroom to promote equity and fairness in our field work as future school psychologists. Second, I chose this program for the opportunity to individualize my training. For example, I was able to choose a minor of interest to me. Through minoring in counseling psychology, I learned therapeutic skills that have helped me in my work as a school-based mental health clinician. I also tailored my practicum experiences to my interests. This flexibility allowed me to gain assessment and intervention experience in a variety of settings (e.g., schools, private practice, university counseling center) working with various populations. In addition, one of my favorite things about the program was the ability to pursue research projects of interest to me. I received ample faculty support in doing so, and enjoyed collaborating with faculty and graduate students both within and outside of our program. More specifically, I believe the School-Based Mental Health Research and Training Initiative, led by Dr. Heather Ormiston, is a huge strength of the school psychology program at IU. Dr. Ormiston's mentorship was invaluable. I am grateful for the mentors, colleagues, and life-long friendships I made during my time at IU!
Tiffany Otero

Tiffany Otero

IU Advisor: 
Dr. Jack Cummings
Hometown: 
Albuquerque, NM
Current City: 
Albuquerque, NM
Current Role: 
I am a clinical psychologist at the UNM Center for Development. I am the clinical director for the NM START program and conduct diagnostic assessment and therapeutic intervention.
Professional Interests: 
Autism Spectrum Disorder and mental health, trauma-informed clinical care, diversity initiatives, systems supports and capacity building.
Hobbies/Personal Interests: 
Exploring with my kiddos, cooking, hosting gatherings, social Latin dancing, spontaneous adventures with friends and family.
Favorite Thing About the Program: 
I had incredibly supportive people on my side to assist and advise me as I completed the degree at a very complicated time in my life. I honestly could not have done it without their support, flexibility, and care.
Ty Ryan

Ty Ryan

IU Advisor: 
Dr. Rebecca Martinez
Hometown: 
Washington, IN
Current City: 
Indianapolis, IN
Current Role: 
I am a Clinical Psychologist and Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics in the Division of Developmental Medicine at Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health.
Professional Interests: 
I have a strong interest in providing comprehensive psychological evaluations for toddlers and children with suspected neurodevelopmental disabilities. I also have an interest in providing evidence-based treatment, specifically Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), for children with challenging and disruptive behaviors.
Hobbies/Personal Interests: 
In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, taking walks, reading, and trying new foods and beverages!
Favorite Thing About the Program: 
I met so many amazing people!