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A
O
OPPORTUNITY ACRES
Opening Doors for Independence
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Meet Our Staff!
Michelle Wagner - Founder
Michelle has been working with individuals with developmental disabilities since 1990. As a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Michelle has provided treatment for children, adolescents and adults with a variety of developmental disabilities.
Michelle founded her first business, Advance Kids, Inc. in 2000 providing in home services to consumers with autism. After 25 years in business, Advance Kids now provides in- home and clinic-based services for young children, crisis intervention for all ages and operates three Community Crisis Homes.
Expanding her passion to help others, Michelle ventured out of her comfort zone and founded the program now known as Opportunity Acres in 2013. The Adult Day Program provides an environment
where young adults diagnosed with Autism and other disabilities can find their own voice, build their skill set and find theirconfidence to go out into the world with greater independence. The Non-Public School provides teens with an educational program that focuses more heavily on communication, self-regulation, and job skills than academics.
Michelle's love of horses began when her youngest child began riding lessons at the age 6. As her daughter grew more and more involved in riding and competing, Michelle finally decided to join her daughter in the sport and the rest is history. Time with horses, whether riding, feeding, grooming or just hanging out in pasture has proven to be therapeutic respite for Michelle and she wants to share that joy with others. Opportunity Acres is the marriage of her passion for helping those affected by autism and her love of horses and large animals. As a horse owner, she quickly came to recognize how much horses can do for a human being, providing a sense of calm when you need it most, and confidence to do the things you never imagined you could do.
Michelle has been featured in The Business Journal and was also awarded "Business Woman of the Year" by the National Association of Woman Business Owners in 2008 and "2012 Small Business Person of the Year for the Sacramento Region" by the Small Business Administration.
Amanda Laguna - Clinical Director
Mandy started working at Opportunity Acres in 2013, starting as a Direct Care Staff and working her way up to her current position as Director of Opportunity Acres. She has a Bachelor of Science degree from Utah State University, and a Master of Arts degree in Kinesiology from Fresno State University. Mandy continues to enjoy working with the adolescent and adult population, striving to help them reach their full potential. She also enjoys being able to work outside on the beautiful Opportunity Acres ranch. In her spare time Mandy enjoys spending time with her family.
Kristi Molder - Clinical Supervisor
Kristi Molder was hired at Advance Kids in 2005 as a Lead Behavior Technician. She worked in the Clinic based program as well as In-home and Ed Services.
In 2010 she was recruited by Michelle Wagner to help open the innovative program Opportunity Acres. Kristi currently serves as a Clinical Supervisor and is instrumental in Behavior management and the daily functions of Opportunity Acres.
Katelyn Perry - Education Specialist
After earning her B.S. in Animal Science, Katelyn joined Opportunity Acres to fulfill her passion for animals while also learning new skills as a Direct Support Professional. This led her to discover a new calling- teaching. In 2019, she followed this passion to Independent Trails School and began working as a Lead Instructional Aide. At the same time, she returned to school to earn her Master of Education in Special Education. She worked for Independent Trails School as an intern teacher for a year before earning her Education Specialist Instruction Credential in 2022. She worked hard to provide flexible, highly-specialized instruction, designed to meet the unique needs of each of her students.
Cody Ames - Behavior Consultant
Cody began working as an instructional aide in a non-public school in 2011. While working, he attended California State University, Sacramento to attain his Bachelor of Arts in Communications. He began working at Opportunity Acres in 2019 and filled multiple roles, including lead instructional aide in the non-public school, Direct Support Professional in the day program, community outreach for day program clients, and crisis team member. Cody quickly became the go-to person to help students and clients in their most vulnerable, crisis moments. In 2024, he was promoted to Behavior Consultant for the day program and is now responsible for generating client goals, overseeing client progress and behavior, and supervising Direct Support Staff.
Mariah Padilla - Behavior Consultant
Mariah Padilla Beatty is a Registered Behavior Technician who is currently pursuing her Master's in Behavior Analysis Practice at Florida Tech. She has been in the field of ABA for nearly two years including school, in-home and clinic settings and has worked as a nanny and caretaker for individuals with physical disabilities for most of her career. She enjoys using the science of ABA to develop and increase the effectiveness of personal wellness plans as well as to improve business operations. Outside of work, Mariah loves to spend time writing and recording music with her husband and step-daughter, hiking with her dog, Rudy, and reading.
Michael Fragie - Vocational Coach
Mike has been with Advance Kids since January of 2018. He initially was assigned to the in-home services department and as a one-to-one aid for the educational services department working at multiple school campuses. A year later, he was given the chance to work as a DSP and job coach for the adult day program at Opportunity Acres. Eventually, he was fortunate enough to step into a lead role and help with staff training, job searches for the clients, community outreach, as well as assisting with developing the crisis team. He loves this program and all of the clients, he considers himself incredibly lucky to be working at such a beautiful place.
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