Faculty

Brian Tureck has been at the Community School since 2017. He has worked in education for 25 years, including more than 10 years working in special education settings.  Brian has a BA in Public Policy from the College of William and Mary and a MEd in Counseling from the University of Virginia. Throughout his career, Brian has been focused on student-centered education – looking at the whole child and doing what is necessary to meet the individual needs of that student.  Brian believes that the more students feel respected and supported in their classes, the better they will perform and the more progress they will make.  The desire to provide this sort of classroom is what drew Brian to special education and the Community School of Maryland.

Alida has been employed with CSAAC and working with individuals with Autism for over 20 years, and has been serving as the school coordinator for over a decade. Alida has Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) from the University of Liberia.

Mr. Anthony Gillum affectionately known as “ Mr. Tony” is the Administrative Specialist here at the Community School of Maryland. He has served at CSM for 16 years in numerous capacities supporting our students, our staff and our administration. He is a veteran who served 8 years in the U.S. Navy and brings over 25 years of management and administrative experience to us. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Leadership and Development Program. 

Carly Salimbene, M.A., CCC-SLP is an American Speech-Language-Hearing-Association (ASHA) board certified and Maryland licensed speech-language pathologist. She is originally from Pittsburgh, PA. She graduated from Kent State University with a Bachelor of Science in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology and Master of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology. Carly joined the Community School of Maryland (CSM) team in May 2021 with a pediatric therapy background in both the educational and outpatient settings. She has a passion for working with pediatric and young adult populations with a variety of disorders and has a special interest in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Carly feels fortunate to work at CSM alongside such a dedicated team of professionals that are invested in helping and empowering each student to reach his or her full potential.

Ms. Colleen Williams, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA is a Board-certified Behavior Analyst and Licensed Behavior Analyst in the state of Maryland. Colleen found her passion for Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) at Ivymount School in 2006, where she was able to utilize her love for working with children, as well as her love for science - by being able to analyze data to visually see behavior progress and program effectiveness. Watching individuals make progress is one of the most rewarding aspects of behavior analysis and why she chose this field of service. Colleen has been working in the field of ABA for 12 years, with children and adults ages 2-92 with a variety of behaviors and diagnoses.

Colleen Williams has expertise as an ABA supervisor, trainer, director, adjunct professor, in-home and school consultant, and she recently served as a court-approved ABA expert witness for behavior plan creation and implementation. She recently was appointed as Communications Officer for a non-profit ABA organization in DC, which works to spread understanding about the science of ABA to lawmakers and insurance companies for families who need services and to promote ABA implementation and funding for families and professionals in our nation's capital. Colleen also seeks to reduce dangerous behaviors, increase language, and increase independence and quality of life for all her students. Colleen started with CSAAC in 2016 and joined the Community School of Maryland in January 2018. She is grateful to be a part of team CSAAC.

Kathleen graduated with a Master's Degree from Teachers College, Columbia University in Speech & Language Pathology in 2007. After working for 4 years in the New York City public schools, and in Early Intervention in New York for more than 10 years, she and her family moved down to Maryland. She joined the Community School of Maryland in April of 2021 and has loved getting to work with such dedicated faculty and staff.  

Mr. Jake Spence has worked at CSAAC since 2016. Jake believes that having fun in the classroom is just as important as being serious and that caring for and respecting each and every student will bring out their full potential.  Jake graduated from West Virginia University in 2014 with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology.

Miezan Daniel Tanoh hails from Cote d’Ivoire, but has since found his home in Maryland.  Earning degrees in Electro Physics and Accounting from Strayer University, he now shares his caring and positive attitude with the students here at Brookeville Community School.  When not playing the violin or enjoying a game of soccer, he works as a nurse technician at a drug and alcohol addiction program.  The message of helping individuals with Autism develop their potential and real-world skills are what attracted Miezan to CSAAC.