BACB Board President Logs First Few Months with PE-Backed ABA Provider Behavior Frontiers

Industry Profile • Governance • July 2026

BACB Board President Logs First Few Months with PE-Backed ABA Provider Behavior Frontiers

Dr. Breanne Hartley will lead clinical strategy at Behavior Frontiers, which is owned by NexPhase, while also serving as president of the board that certifies behavior analysts nationwide.

By BreakingNewsABA Staff | July 2026 (updated August 2026)

A President and a Provider

Dr. Breanne Hartley leads clinical strategy for a private-equity-owned autism provider and also serves as president of the board that certifies its staff. In an appointment announced April 21, 2026, she became chief clinical officer at Behavior Frontiers, a national ABA provider owned by NexPhase Capital, while continuing as president of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board, the nonprofit that certifies behavior analysts and sets their standards.

As president, Hartley leads a certification board that oversees 85,587 board-certified behavior analysts as of July 1, 2026, according to BACB data. At the same time, Behavior Frontiers, where she now works, provides center- and home-based therapy in over 80 regions across 12 states, according to the company. Her board term lasts until August 2028. For the next two years, she will serve as both president of the credentialing body and head of clinical strategy at a major provider.

Both roles are public. In April, Behavior Frontiers announced her appointment and identified her as the current BACB board president. Hartley also serves on the standard-setting committee of the Autism Commission on Quality, which is supported by the Council of Autism Service Providers (CASP).

A Career Built in Indiana ABA

Hartley earned her doctorate in behavior analysis from Western Michigan University in 2009 and has worked in autism care for over 20 years, according to her BACB biography. Her interests include supervision and systems analysis, and she has published in Behavior Analysis in Practice. The biography also notes her expertise in insurance denial and appeals for ABA. According to Behavior Frontiers, her research has focused on RBT (registered behavior technician) training models.

Hartley’s career has been based in Indiana. She joined LittleStar ABA Therapy as clinical director in 2015 after working at the Verbal Behavior Center for Autism, and later became chief operations officer, according to LittleStar and Behavioral Health Business. In 2023, she co-founded UNIFI Autism Care, where she was chief clinical officer and, after a leadership change in late 2024, became president.

Hartley’s involvement with the BACB followed a similar timeline. She joined the board in 2022 and served as treasurer. In August 2024, she was elected president, succeeding SungWoo Kahng, a professor at Rutgers University.

A Private-Equity Platform

Behavior Frontiers stands out as an employer. Founded by Helen Mader in 2004, the company expanded nationally with private-equity support. NexPhase Capital bought it in May 2025 from Lorient Capital, a health-care-focused firm; the terms were not disclosed. At the time of the sale, Behavior Frontiers had 26 centers and provided home-based care in 12 states. Its client base grew by about 217% over five years to 2,850, with a staff of around 3,300, according to the companies and Behavioral Health Business.

NexPhase has experience investing in autism therapy. Since it began, the firm has raised about $2.6 billion, made over 100 investments, and typically invests between $40 million and $150 million, according to its acquisition announcement. It previously owned Action Behavior Centers, which it sold to Charlesbank Capital Partners in 2022.

“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Hartley to the Behavior Frontiers family,” CEO Helen Mader said in the April announcement, highlighting “her clinical vision, leadership depth, and commitment to outcomes.” In the same announcement, Hartley said she was excited to strengthen the company’s clinical systems and invest in its people.

“Joining Behavior Frontiers is an exciting opportunity to be part of an organization that truly puts families first.” – Breanne Hartley, Chief Clinical Officer, Behavior Frontiers (2026)

AT A GLANCE

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