Eleanor Castillo Sumi, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Eleanor Castillo Sumi, Ph.D., BCBA-D, has over 16 years’ experience as a licensed psychologist and Board Certified Behavior Analyst.  Her areas of expertise include new program development and implementation, evidence-based practices, research and evaluation, and quality assurance in behavioral health and education settings.  Currently, she is the Vice President of Research and Program Development at Uplift Family Services, a statewide nonprofit behavioral health and social services agency.  In her role, she oversees the agency’s outcomes and evaluations and provides leadership in the implementation of evidence-based practices, including Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).  Previously, Dr. Castillo Sumi served as the agency’s Director of Outcomes and Quality Assurance. Prior to returning to Uplift Family Services, Dr. Castillo Sumi provided training and coaching to school districts implementing school-wide Positive Behavior Supports and Interventions (PBIS) as a consultant of the National Technical Assistance Center for PBIS in Northern California.  In addition, she was the Founding Clinical Director of the May Institute Pediatric Specialty Center, then a start-up center that served children with developmental disabilities, mental health concerns, learning disabilities, and other behavioral healthcare needs.  In this role, she developed the administrative and clinical infrastructure of this new service. Dr. Castillo Sumi’s previous experience include Best Practices Specialist at the State of Hawaii Department of Health, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Division (CAMHD) where she provided leadership in development of statewide mental health policy and practice guidelines regarding evidence-based treatment for youth in the state’s system of care that included social services, mental health, education, and juvenile justice.  Her experience related to Quality Assurance includes serving as a Director for Didi Hirsch Community Mental Health Center and Manager at the Santa Clara County Mental Health Division.  Dr. Castillo Sumi has also served as a grant reviewer for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA) and Bureau of Primary Health Care Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA); manuscript reviewer for various journals and publications; and faculty at various universities in Northern and Southern California.  In addition, Dr. Castillo Sumi has authored and co-authored several articles and technical reports. Dr. Castillo Sumi received her doctoral degree at Palo Alto University, master’s degree at Chaminade University of Honolulu, and bachelor’s degree at California State University, Northridge.