Leadership

Introducing the Neurodivergence Campus Board of Directors

Founder & Executive Director

Executive Director - Stephanie Tharp

Stephanie is part of the administrative support team at UVA’s Virginia Institute of Government (Weldon Cooper Center). She previously worked as an Education and Outreach Coordinator, commonly referred to as a “Family Navigator” for autism support at UVA, where she helped families with newly diagnosed children and implemented innovative strategies statewide. Her varied career spans project management, teaching, customer service, website design, and entrepreneurship. She holds a master’s degree in teaching from the University of Virginia and a bachelor’s degree from UNC-Chapel Hill. As the Founder and Executive Director of Neurodivergence Campus, Stephanie will guide the team in decisions related to website design, research, and grant writing.

Board of Directors

Board Member – Marian Toledo Candelaria

Dr. Toledo Candelaria will soon join the University of Missouri Libraries as the Head of Special Collections. Previously, she served as the Manager for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at the UVA School of Education and Human Development. Her professional experience also includes roles as Program Manager for Rare Book School and Writing and Multimodal Communication Specialist at the University of Waterloo. Dr. Toledo Candelaria holds a PhD in History and Scottish Studies from the University of Guelph, as well as an MSLIS from Simmons University. Marian's commitment to inclusivity makes her an excellent fit for Neurodivergence Campus.

Board Member – Kelly Garrett
Kelly is the Program Coordinator for the Virginia Education Science Training (VEST) program at UVA's School of Education and Human Development. She began her career as a high school English teacher, earned an MEd from Penn State University, and continues to be passionate about K-12 education. Before joining UVA, Kelly spent 20 years as an instructional designer and technical writer. Her background in education and her editorial skills will greatly benefit the website.

Board Member – Gabriela Garcia Largen
Gabriela is a Senior Director in the Service & Experience Department at the University of Virginia's Department of Human Resources. Her work focuses on improving response times to inquiries, reducing the time required to resolve complex issues, minimizing transaction errors, and enhancing self-service support frameworks. She also has extensive experience in complex, challenging international manufacturing and corporate environments. Gabriela is bilingual in English and Spanish. Her recent professional development in "design thinking" demonstrates her commitment to innovative trends that yield results in large-scale operations, making her well-suited for website development initiatives.