Lisa Sosnowski-Founder/Board President/CEO
Creator of the W.E. R.I.S.E. Dynamic Autism Learning Ecosystem™
Lisa is the creator of the W.E. R.I.S.E. Dynamic Autism Learning Ecosystem™, a nation‑first framework built after years of research, program visits, and witnessing firsthand how traditional systems failed her son Stephen — a non‑speaking autistic child who was repeatedly underestimated, misunderstood, and harmed in environments meant to support him.
Her advocacy began in 2008, when Stephen was diagnosed at age two. What followed were years of fighting for his safety, dignity, and access to meaningful education. When Stephen was nine and still not speaking, school programs told Lisa to remove expressive speech goals from his IEP because “it was highly unlikely he would ever speak.” But Lisa refused. She knew her son was desperately trying to communicate through sounds, and she promised him she would help unlock his voice.
Her belief in Stephen’s intelligence was confirmed again and again — like the day he was five years old and used his flash‑card app to show her a picture of a swamp and the flag of Turkey to tell her he wanted to go to one of his favorite places: Turkey Swamp. Even when she shared these moments with professionals, Stephen continued to be underestimated and placed in “life skills” classrooms that deprived him of academics. Lisa knew that autistic individuals still need access to reading, writing, and math — the tools required for independence, financial literacy, and lifelong learning.
A turning point came during one of the many classes Lisa attended. A speech‑language pathologist explained that neurotypical children can describe a dog with 40 words, while autistic children often use only four — not because they lack intelligence, but because they lack exposure. Practical education models have not caught up to neuroscience, which shows that nonspeaking is not correlated with cognitive deficits. This truth mirrored Stephen’s experience exactly.
Lisa also witnessed firsthand how harmful traditional systems could be. From a BCBA suggesting a hood be placed over Stephen’s head “like blinders on a horse” to force him through an overstimulating hallway, to discovering he had been placed in CPI (Crisis Prevention Intervention) holds for hours without her knowledge — holds that left him physically injured — she saw how deeply broken the system was. She now urges parents to check their state laws regarding restraint and seclusion; her state did not require disclosure at the time, though laws have since changed.
These experiences — inflicted on a child who could not speak for himself — fueled Lisa’s relentless pursuit of a better way. She spent more than seven years learning from autistic adults, medical research, trauma‑informed practice, parents, and therapists with unique expertise. She completed over 100 courses in neurodevelopment, education, and therapeutic approaches; attended Autism New Jersey conferences annually; returned to college to study Anatomy & Physiology and Developmental Psychology; and earned an 18‑credit‑hour trauma certificate from the National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine (NICABM), studying under leading experts including Bessel van der Kolk, Pat Ogden, Ruth Lanius, Dan Siegel, and Stephen Porges.
Through this journey, she created the W.E. R.I.S.E. Dynamic Autism Learning Ecosystem™, a model built on presuming competence, honoring autonomy, and providing truly individualized plans that were missing from every program she encountered.
Stephen began speaking at 11 years old — not because the system believed in him, but because his mother did.
Spectrum Tech exists so no autistic child is ever underestimated, silenced, or deprived of opportunity again.
Corporate & Nonprofit Expertise
Lisa earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Rutgers University and brings over 15 years of corporate accounting and auditing experience, along with 6 years of nonprofit financial management. As Regional Accounting Manager for Covanta Energy (now Reworld Energy), she oversaw $250 million in annual revenues across 13 Energy‑from‑Waste facilities in multiple states, leading multidisciplinary teams, managing budgeting, fiscal closings, consolidations, and SEC reporting with precision and strategic oversight. She was also part of the corporate team that implemented PeopleSoft across the entire organization — a large‑scale systems transformation that strengthened her expertise in operational efficiency, enterprise‑level integration, and organizational change management.
Lisa later led licensing and audit compliance at Miro Consulting, guiding clients through complex Oracle licensing regulations, and in her early career served as Accounting & HR Manager for Polmar Technologies, a Computerland franchise, where she developed foundational skills in financial operations, human resources, and organizational leadership.
Her nonprofit expertise includes grant funding, sustainability planning, and program development. She holds a certificate in nonprofit essentials and fundraising from Non‑Profit Ready.
But Lisa’s most defining experience — the one that shaped Spectrum Tech’s intensive therapeutic model — came from her years supporting her son Stephen. For years, she took Stephen to seven therapies per week, including a three‑hour round‑trip drive to work with a specialist whose methods ultimately helped Stephen go from silence to speech at age 11. In addition to transporting him to therapy, Lisa completed 20 hours per week of therapy homework with Stephen, learning firsthand what true intensity, consistency, and individualized support can accomplish.
This lived experience showed her what an intensive, neuroaffirming, multi‑disciplinary program could do for an autistic individual — and it is why Spectrum Tech’s model is intentionally intensive, therapeutic, and individualized, unlike anything she encountered in traditional programs.
Lisa’s blend of corporate systems expertise, nonprofit leadership, trauma‑informed training, and lived experience as a parent of a non‑speaking autistic child uniquely positions her to build a transformative ecosystem — one that presumes competence, restores dignity, and provides the level of support autistic individuals truly need to thrive.
Advocacy & Community Leadership
Lisa has served as a parent‑to‑parent mentor with SPAN New Jersey and was appointed to the Monmouth County Children’s Inter‑Agency Coordinating Council, contributing to the Education and IDD subcommittees. Her advocacy is rooted in lived experience and driven by the belief that autistic individuals deserve systems built around their strengths, humanity, and potential.
A Movement for Neurodiverse Futures
Lisa has spent more than seven years building Spectrum Tech Trade School, Village, and Training Center into a groundbreaking ecosystem that fosters independence, skill‑building, and career readiness for neurodiverse individuals. Under her leadership, Spectrum Tech is becoming a nation‑first ecosystem integrating vocational training, agricultural innovation, sensory‑aligned environments, and community‑based living — all grounded in the W.E. R.I.S.E. Dynamic Autism Learning Ecosystem™ Framework.
Her leadership blends business acumen, trauma‑informed practice, and a fierce commitment to ethical, non‑coercive support. Through her unwavering dedication, Lisa is shaping a future where neurodiverse individuals rise to their fullest potential — and where no child is ever silenced, restrained, or underestimated again.
