Brittany Tipton, BA, Program Manager
Brittany graduated from Azusa Pacific University with a Bachelor of Arts in Youth Ministry with an emphasis in social services. She started her career in ABA Behavioral Autistic therapies and is trained in both discrete trial training (DTT) and Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT). In her free time Brittany is a line dance instructor, avid hiker, and loves spending quality time with her husband and two belgian malinois.
Brenda Acosta, BS
Brenda graduated from La Sierra University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Exercise Science. She began working for THRIVE in 2017. She serves families in the Highland, San Bernardino, Fontana, and Rialto communities. She enjoys the opportunity to give her kiddos a stronger head start in life. When she is not working she is out playing with her puppy, Rex.
Evetta Herrera, BA, Lead
Evetta graduated from California state University of San Bernardino in 2017 with a Bachelor of Arts in Human Development, with a concentration in Early Childhood Development. She is honored to have the opportunity to help and teach kiddos grow into their full potential, which is extremely rewarding for her. In her free time, Evetta enjoys traveling and spending time with her loved ones.
Cassandra Ponce, AA, Lead
Cassandra graduated from San Bernardino Valley College with an Associates degree in Liberal Arts. She holds a teacher permit and has worked as a preschool teacher throughout the Inland Empire. She is currently working on her Bachelors degree in Human Development at Cal State San Bernardino. On her free time, she enjoys reading and spending quality time with loved ones.
Nadeen McPheeters, BA, Lead
Nadeen McPheeters graduated from California Baptist University in 2017 with a Bachelors Degree in Liberal Studies with a concentration in Elementary Subject Matter. She has been working with THRIVE since August 2018. Her experience began with working with a baby with Down Syndrome which led her to infant teaching here at THRIVE. When not working with her kiddos, she enjoys working out, family time, and exploring new places.
Morgan Travillion, BA
Bio Coming Soon…
Adrian Delgado, AA, Lead
Adrian is a mother of two beautiful daughters. Adrian and her oldest daughter successfully completed an early intervention program when her daughter was an infant in 2004 due to high risk factors, and therefore she can relate to families that have medically fragile babies or toddlers. Adrian completed her child development units at San Bernardino Valley College then went on to getting her A.A. in Education from the University of Phoenix in 2009. Adrian served families at Loma Linda for about 10 years. She joined Thrive Pediatrics in March 2016 and feels completely honored to be a part of the team. On her free time Adrian loves to spend time with her family.
Betina Wilcots, BA, ECSE
Betina Wilcots is the mother of 3 adult children from San Bermardino CA. She has a BA in Liberal Studies and an Education Specialist Credential in Early Childhood. She has been working in the field of early intervention professionally since 1999 both as an infant teacher and as a special education preschool teacher. She is passionate about working with families with young children who have severe disabilities.
Charlotte Penington, R.N.B.S., P.H.N.
Charlotte graduated from Loma Linda University with a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing and a Public Health Nurse certificate. She is certified in Bayley Scales of Infant Development assessment and has completed the American Nursing Child Assessment Satellite Training(NCAST), Parent Child Interaction Training for feeding and teaching along with several other assessment tools. Charlotte initially started her career working in intensive care at Loma Linda University Medical Center, but decided to apply her skills in public health nursing by working at Inland Regional Center (IRC). Thirty-nine of the forty-two years she worked at IRC, Charlotte did intake and assessment for infants and toddlers along with case management services. She retired from IRC in July 2019 and joined Thrive Pediatrics Assessment Team in November 2019, working part time. She enjoys baking, crafting and spending time with her family.
Angela Cervantes
Bio Coming Soon…
Devin Marino
Devin Marino was born and raised in Southern California and graduated from California Baptist University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish. She is now continuing her education at the California State University of San Marcos, studying Communication Sciences and Disorders. Devin has spent time in South Africa, leading a Mom & Tots group, volunteering in multiple childcare centers, substance abuse recovery programs, and providing medical attention to families. This experience is where she found her purpose and passion for working with children and creating a stable foundation for child development. When Devin is not working or studying, you can find her traveling, trying new food spots, spending time in scripture, hanging out with family, and taking trips to the beach with her dog, Copper.
Francine Cazeau, BA
Francine has enjoyed working with the Early Intervention population for over 15 years. She has worked with adults with special needs but has a heart for the little ones. Francine is originally from NY and her first job in California was at the Regional Center of Orange County. She loved helping her families get the services that they needed but wanted to make more of a difference in the lives of the kids. She decided to work as an Infant Teacher and loved it. Francine is currently in the process of becoming a SLPA and is excited to continue making a difference, one kid at a time. In her spare time, Francine loves to read, going to the beach, hanging with friends and family and trying new recipes on Pinterest. Fun fact, Francine was a background actress in a few shows like Criminal Minds, The Closer and Sons of Anarchy. If you blinked, you would most likely miss her acting debut.
Shanteal Martinez
Bio Coming Soon….
Ashley Ponce, BA
Ashely is a wife as well as mother to a joyful baby girl. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Christian Studies with an emphasis in Global Studies and a minor in Christian Behavioral Science from California Baptist University. Ashely has been working with alongside people in their homes for 8 years in caregiving and now in early invention with infants and toddlers. She enjoy working with families and watching kiddos meet their milestones. In her spare time she enjoy building and collecting Lego sets, trying new foods and spending time with her husband and daughter.
Leah Booker, BA
Leah graduated in 2020 from California State University San Bernardino with her Bachelor's degree in Liberal Studies with a concentration in art, music, and theatre. she currently attends La Sierra University to continue her education in Curriculum and Instruction to earn a Masters in Teaching by December 2024. Leah wants to continue her education to become an educational specialist to help students who are falling behind in their learning. She has worked with students on the spectrum since 2018 ranging from the ages of 4-16 years old. In her free time, she likes to explore, travel, and go to Disneyland with her boyfriend.
Riley Barnes, BA
Riley grew up in a small town in the San Bernardino mountains and was actively involved with the youth in the community. She assisted a day care provider with infants and young children for 8 years and was a basketball coach for youth for 2 years. Riley graduated from Cal State San Bernardino in 2022 with her Bachelor's degree in Sociology. After graduation, she became a behavioral therapist for children with autism. While working with children on the spectrum, she was encouraged to broaden her field and begin to work with children with developmental delays at Thrive in September of 2022. Riley plans to return to school to begin her masters degree for Occupational Therapy in the fall. Riley is also a published author and enjoy spending my time writing, surfing, roller skating, and spending quality time with friends and family.
Samantha French, MA
Samantha graduated from the University of California, Riverside with a B.A. in Theatre, Film, & Digital Production. She then went on to receive her M.A. from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2021. She started her career in ABA Behavioral Autistic therapies and is currently working full time as an infant teacher and also assists with intakes. She loves equipping families with the resources they need to help their little ones flourish. In her free time, Samantha enjoys teaching acting classes, attending theatre productions, and creating memories with her spouse and fur babies.
Carmen G Lopez, BA
Carmen Lopez graduated from Riverside City College with an associate degree in communication studies. She then transferred to the University of California, Riverside where she received her Bachelor’s in Linguistics and Spanish. Carmen is currently enrolled at Santa Ana Community College and is working towards becoming a Speech-Language Pathology Assistant! In her free time, Carmen enjoys hiking in nature, exploring botanical gardens and spending quality time with loved ones.
