Meet the Team

At Zephyr, we love what we do. We are passionate about building relationships with children and families that allow us to provide the highest quality services, and we have so much fun doing it.

Join Our Team

Liza Ashley

Founder, CEO

Alex Marquez

Co-Founder,

Executive Director

Kim Lariviere-Meader

Board Certified

Behavior Analyst

Katherine Severini

Board Certified

Behavior Analyst

Liza grew up in Western MA on an organic farm in Leyden. She has been in the field of autism services since 2016, working in both direct service and supervision roles in ABA as well as in roles surrounding family support and resource connections.

Liza is a licensed and certified Behavior Analyst with a Master’s in Education and concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis. With a passion for providing the most empathetic, client-centered care, Liza returned to her hometown area to start Zephyr after finding out that her passion aligned with a need in the region.

She envisions Zephyr as a community organization that celebrates unique personalities and where children and staff members alike come to have FUN.

Liza’s favorite activities as a kid were imaginative play with stuffed animals and building fairy houses in the woods of Leyden!

Alex grew up in the Windy City of Chicago, but quickly decided the East Coast was his preferred environment after attending Connecticut College in New London. He has worked in various startup environments and enjoys anchoring daily operations in a mission and purpose.

At Zephyr, he works to ensure staff have the resources and support they need to provide energetic, high quality services. Alex envisions a workplace where efficient and effective work can coincide with a fun and inclusive work culture without overlooking the power of meaningful relationships.

His favorite activity as a kid was running to his neighbor’s garage after school and learning about restoring antique cars like MGs and Crosleys with the occasional Model A and Model T.

Kim grew up in Millbury MA and fell in love with Western MA after completing her undergraduate degree at UMass Amherst. She has worked in the field of autism services since 2015 when she began providing in-home ABA services to families throughout the valley. While working in direct service she completed her Masters of Education and became a BCBA.

Since then she has expanded her experience in supervisory and management roles within the field of ABA. Kim is passionate about providing high quality, individualized support so that each child can express themselves fully and thrive within their community.

As a child her favorite activities were turning anything she could into an instrument and making her older brother play Pretty Pretty Princess with her.

Katherine grew up in the Chicago area and moved around a bit until putting down roots with her husband in Western MA when she joined the Zephyr team in 2022. After graduating from Vanderbilt with her Master's degree in Early Childhood Special Education and receiving her BCBA certification, Katherine held a variety of roles working with young children. She worked for many years as a preschool teacher and most recently as a preschool education coach, supporting teachers to implement classroom practices that supported all children.

Katherine is passionate about using play and joy to build relationships with children, to teach skills that are meaningful to them, and to foster their authentic interest in the world around them. She enjoys thinking creatively about supporting each child's skill development in ways that feel fun and collaborative!

Katherine's favorite activity as a kid was hosting all her dolls at her pretend restaurant to make them elaborate playdoh pizzas and desserts!