Michelle Mannella is a center director at SPARKS, where she oversees three Learning Centers across Springfield and Fairfax County. She leads clinical teams, supports staff development, and works to keep care consistent for children and families.
She became interested in applied behavior analysis (ABA) while volunteering in high school. She saw a clear need for support for children and their families. That interest grew during her graduate studies at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she completed student teaching in an ABA classroom and saw the progress children can make with the right support.
She began her career as a special education teacher in Pittsburgh, where she helped open the district’s first ABA classroom. She later moved to the Washington, D.C., area and taught in Fairfax County Public Schools while earning her master’s degree in ABA from the Florida Institute of Technology.
She joined SPARKS in 2020 as a clinical fellow. She advanced to a behavior analyst role, then managing behavior analyst, and now center director. In her current role, she focuses on clinical quality, team growth, and helping families access steady, effective care.
“I want every child to have the support they need to grow and succeed.”