Valerie is an enrolled member of the Oglala Lakota Nation, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), and a Hawai'i Licensed Behavior Analyst (LBA). Valerie was raised in Northern California and aside from her Lakota tiospaye, she learned indigenous protocols more specific to the Wintu and Pit River nations of their place. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Communication with a minor in Marketing from Pepperdine University’s Seaver College in Malibu, California. After discovering the field of ABA and working with children diagnosed with ASD on the big island of Hawai’i, Valerie completed her Master of Arts in Applied Behavior Analysis with an Emphasis in Autism from Ball State University. During this time, her career roles shifted from an ABA Clinician to acting Clinical Director of Reaching Milestones in Evans, Georgia. 

Valerie has since returned to Hawai'i to continue working together with the ASD community in her current role as the Clinical Director at Windward Synergy Center. With more than 15 years' experience working with children in different capacities to improve quality of life and increase opportunities for the independence and growth of those she serves, Valerie is passionate about the field of ABA and its applications across the lifespan. Collaborating with teams across Hawai’i, California, South Carolina, and Georgia has inspired Valerie to be a good relative and e mālama pono by improving verbal communications, adaptive skills, and social strategies in an endeavor towards lasting behavioral change. Valerie is passionate in the application of her unique skill set to support native Hawaiian self-advocacy across the pae 'āina.