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.

Hannah Long joined the CSAAC team in 2021. She studied Special Education for five years and received her bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in 2020. She loves the beach, dogs, pasta of all kinds, and working with children and young adults. Her love for working with special needs students started during her junior year of high school when she joined a club called Best Buddies. She has been working with students with disabilities ever since. Hannah is proud to work at a school that respects and values the needs of every individual.

Ms. Lori is a licensed Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA/L) and has enjoyed working with children and adolescents on the spectrum for over 10 years and has worked with families for over 15 years. She has worked in a variety of settings in Southern California as well as the DMV area including daycares, public and private schools, rehabilitation hospitals/clinics, and private practices. She has been with the Community School of Maryland for 2-3 years.

Lori earned her B.A in Child Development and Family Studies from California State University Long Beach and her Occupational Therapy Assistant degree at Stanbridge University. Lori’s special interests include sensory regulation exercises/activities, typing, and handwriting.

Lori thoroughly enjoys working with all families and tries to put the fun in FUNctional when it comes to her sessions.

Ms. Margaret Jones is a licensed speech-language pathologist assistant (SLP-A) and has enjoyed working with children and adolescents on the spectrum for over 25 years. She has worked in a variety of settings in Montgomery County, Prince Georges County, and the District of Columbia, including public and private schools, rehabilitation hospitals/clinics, and private practices. She has been with the Community School of Maryland for 8 years.

Margaret earned her B.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Howard University (Washington, D.C.) and an M.S. in Health Promotion/Education from Maryland University of Integrative Health (Laurel, MD). She also holds her certification in special education with an emphasis in Hearing Impairment from Mico University and Teachers College (Kingston, Jamaica).
She has special training in Prompts for Restructuring Oral-Muscular Phonetic Targets (PROMPT), Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), and American Sign Language (ASL). Margaret’s special interests include acquisition articulation, autism, oral motor and dysphagia (feeding and swallowing).

Margaret believes that her passion for working and collaborating with other professionals for the betterment of children and individuals with communication disorders has been rewarding and fulfilling. She views each interaction with students and their support staff as a unique opportunity to impact their communication skills and overall learning.

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.