CHICAGO, Illinois, March 22, 2021 – The Place for Children with Autism (“The Place”), a leading provider of applied behavior analysis therapy services for children with autism, announces that Allison O’Neill has been named Chief Executive Officer of the rapidly growing healthcare services provider.
Allison has nearly 25 years of experience in leading and managing growth-oriented teams focused on clinical quality and operational excellence. Most recently, Allison served as the President and Chief Operating Officer of ChanceLight Behavioral Health, Therapy and Education.
“When I founded The Place for Children with Autism, I believed that we could truly change the face of autism therapy treatment in this country through unmatched clinical quality and compassionate care,” said The Place Founder and Executive Chairman Daniel Blank. “Under Allison’s leadership, I believe we will continue to not only deliver on that promise, but will generate best-in-class clinical outcomes that will serve to enrich the lives of the children, families and communities that we serve.”
“I am thrilled to be joining the highly energized and mission-driven team at The Place,” said Allison O’Neill, “I believe that our unique combination of passion, commitment to quality and therapeutic approach based on individual needs truly sets The Place apart, and we are very excited to continue making real, measurable improvements in the lives of the children and families that we serve in Illinois and beyond.”
Allison began her professional career as a teacher in Milwaukee Public Schools, where she created an alternative education program for at risk students that was implemented throughout her assigned school. She then joined Chicago-based Ombudsman Educational Services (acquired by ChanceLight, Inc. in 2005), where she took on multiple operational and leadership roles of increasing responsibility. As President and Chief Operating Officer at ChanceLight, Allison managed four service divisions providing ABA therapy; speech language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy; and alternative and special education programs for approximately 20,000 children and young adults across over 150 locations throughout the United States.
Allison received a BA Degree from Marquette University in Teaching History in the Broad Field.
More About The Place for Children with Autism
The Place for Children with Autism specializes in providing the highest quality autism therapy (i.e., applied behavior analysis: ABA therapy) in a preschool-like setting for children with autism ages 2-6. Utilizing one-to-one therapy in a structured, center-based environment, their full day programs target a variety of skills across many key areas of development, including – communication, socialization, independent living, and school readiness. It is The Place’s mission to deliver best-in-class therapy based on the individual needs of their clients, and their goal is to make significant and measurable improvements in the lives of the children, families, and communities they serve.
The Place for Children with Autism first opened its doors with a single therapy center in January of 2017 and has quickly grown to become a leading provider of ABA services in the state of Illinois. As an accredited Behavioral Health Center of Excellence company, The Place for Children with Autism operates nine (9) therapy centers in the Chicagoland area and one in Urbana, Illinois. Three (3) new centers are slated to open in the first half of 2021, with additional new centers planned to meet the growing need for best-in-class autism therapy services in the community.
