PM-Ready Team

Laura Casey, Primary Investigator
lpcasey@memphis.edu

Laura Casey received her doctorate from Mississippi State University. Following coursework, she completed an internship in behavior analysis at May South, inc. a subsidiary of the May Institute affiliated with Hughes Spaulding Children's medical center in Atlanta. Prior to joining the University of Memphis's ABA program she was a visiting Assistant Professor in the psychology department. She has also worked as a behavior consultant in Georgia public schools, a behavior specialist in Mississippi public schools, and a children's behavior therapist for a community counseling agency in Mississippi. She has recently been published in Education and Training for Autism and Developmental Disabilities and the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and has published in The Encyclopedia of School psychology, ACA encyclopedia, Phi Delta Kappan, Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, Children & Schools, and The Family journal. Her research interests include assessment and early intervention for academic and behavioral difficulties, effective assessment and intervention for children diagnosed with Autism, ADHD, working with parents and families of exceptional children, and merging applied behavior analysis with other disciplines. She is on the board directors of the Autism Society of the Midsouth. She has been a BCBA since 2008.

Charmaine Sego, Program Coordinator
cssego@memphis.edu

Charmaine is a native Memphian and has been the Director of Early Intervention service programs at the University of Memphis since 2014. Charmaine has more than 3 decades of experience working with families in Memphis, she has been an Early Interventionist since 2000, primarily at the University of Memphis. Charmaine works closely with Project Memphis program sponsor, Tennessee Early Intervention System (TEIS), to enhance the mission and values of the University and to serve our community with high-quality service in a diverse and inclusive learning environment. Charmaine values inter-disciplinary and collaborative practices with Project Memphis staff, colleagues, and the early intervention community of Shelby County and Tennessee. She has 4 children, 1 grandchild, and enjoys gardening, listening to audiobooks, and cooking.

Rebekah Willliamson, Director of Interdisciplinary Clinical Services
rwhite8@memphis.edu

Rebekah is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and a Licensed Behavior Analyst (LBA) concentrating in early intervention, functional communication training, and social-emotional development. She is from the greater Memphis metropolitan area and received both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Memphis. Her passion to serve children and their families began through her undergraduate experience at the University of Memphis where she earned a degree in Child Development and Family Studies. Rebekah earned a Master's degree in Applied Behavior Analysis in 2020. She has clinical experience working with children from birth-15 years. Currently, she supervises clinical fieldwork for graduate students and is researching multidisciplinary approaches to early intervention. 

Darriel Westbrook, Family Support Specialist
dneely1@memphis.edu

Darriel Westbrook is a native Memphian with over nine years of childcare and social work experience in various settings. Darriel received her Bachelor of Social Work with a minor in Leisure, Sports and Tourism Studies from Middle Tennessee State University and went on to obtain her Master of Social Work from Union University. She currently serves as a Temporary Family Support Specialist for the Project Memphis Ready program. She provides support to families that are a part of the program and helps facilitate family events. In this role, she is also providing center-based play therapy to students in the PM-Ready program. She truly enjoys the opportunity to work with children and families and finds deep gratitude for helping others break through barriers and enhancing the lives of those whom she serves. Outside of work, Darriel enjoys spending quality time with her husband and daughter, traveling, cooking, being active outside and reading good books. ed Clinical Social Worker and a Registered Play Therapist. Outside of work, she enjoys gardening, practicing yoga, traveling, and spending time with her two dogs.

Liberty Goranson, Early Interventionist
Liberty.Goranson@memphis.edu

Liberty (Libby) Goranson is a Developmental Therapist with an emphasis in behavior in our center-based interdisciplinary program. She began her journey at the University of Memphis by representing the university as a varsity softball player in 2011. She went on to graduate cum laude with a bachelor's degree in Psychology along with a minor in Criminal Justice in August of 2014. After graduation, she became a Community-Based Special Education teacher in her home county in Mississippi. She found her way back to the University of Memphis in 2019 after gaining employment with her alma mater as a part time Registered Behavior Technician at Project Memphis vendor services. Liberty has individual in-home, clinical, and center-based behavior and interdisciplinary group therapy working experience. She is now a lead therapist for PM-Ready extended option program where she provides support to children and families that qualify for the TEIS extended option service. She believes that working to enrich the lives of children and families is her purpose. She plans to further her education in the university's Education and Psychology Research Master's program in the spring of 2024.

Sydney Smith, Undergraduate Intern

My name is Sydney Smith and I recently graduated with my undergraduate degree in Child Development and Family Studies from the University of Memphis. I joined the Pm-Ready team as an intern, and I am continuing to work with children providing center-based play therapy. I am very passionate about working with children and providing support to parents and families. In the future, I plan to pursue becoming a Certified Child Life Specialist, but currently I am working on studying to get an RBT certification to expand my knowledge.