Pablo Juárez
Pablo Juárez, M.Ed., BCBA, is a leader within the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (VKC) Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (TRIAD), the VKC University Center on Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD), and Tennessee, supporting the inclusion of children and adults with autism and I/DD in their communities. He has built bridges within communities, the state, and the nation by directing TRIAD activities that promote best practices in supports and services for people with I/DD, and helping to bring systematic change for sustainable growth in service provision.
With his leadership, TRIAD has grown in number of expert educators and providers as well as diversity, quality, and impact of programming. His teams have developed and provide educational and service opportunities from birth through early adulthood. In strengthening and redefining TRIAD’s relationship with the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE), he has been able to develop services embedded within state systems that support the needs of families and individuals from birth through high school. His focus on extending services and educational opportunities to rural and low-resource areas across Tennessee has resulted in innovative approaches to service provision, including the use and evaluation of telepresence and online resources. His teams also provide direct educational and support opportunities for families of children newly diagnosed with ASD, as well as community engagement activities linking together 15 of Nashville’s most prominent arts, education, safety, and sports organizations.
Over the past two years, he has been the principal investigator on four new technical assistance and training grants from TDOE to support this work so that educational opportunities and services are available to families, individuals, and educators at no cost. In addition, he is a key or principal investigator on projects funded by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Health Resources and Services Administration, and Simons Foundation.