Lorell Marin
Founder/CVO 
 M.Ed, LCSW, BCBA, DT 

Lindsey grew up in the western suburbs of Chicago and received her Master's degree in Occupational Therapy from Midwestern University in Downers Grove, IL. Lindsey also has a Bachelors of Social Work (BSW), which she received from Indiana University, Bloomington. Lindsey has enjoyed working at both LEEP Forward and Quantum LEEP Academy locations for the past 2 and a half years. Her demonstrated passion is to provide services to promote and support participation in everyday activities across multiple environments. She finds joy in seeing every child flourish and grow to their greatest potential. Lindsey has substantial experience with the DIR® Floortime approach, sensory processing, and feeding. 

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In her spare time, Lindsey loves traveling (to both warm and cold destinations!), exercising, and spending time with family and friends!

Alex was born and raised in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. She received her Bachelor’s of Science in Speech-Language Pathology at The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She went on to earn her Master of Science in Speech, Language and Learning from Northwestern University. 

Alex is passionate about fostering meaningful relationships with her clients and their families to create an environment that promotes development. Alex has experience working with a wide variety of pediatric clients, including those with language delays and disorders, phonological and articulation disorders, and autism spectrum disorder. She’s a firm believer in the undeniable value of an interdisciplinary approach to care and she’s excited to be a part of the teams at both LEEP Forward and Quantum LEEP Academy. After work, Alex enjoys trying new restaurants around the city, listening to live music, and traveling with family and friends.

Katie grew up in Columbus, Ohio and just recently moved to the windy city to start her career as an occupational therapist. She obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Exercise Physiology with a minor in Psychology from Ohio University and went on to get her Doctorate in Occupational Therapy from Nova Southeastern University. Katie spent time during her doctoral capstone researching evidenced-based interventions and strategies for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to engage in daily occupations and has experience working with children with ASD during graduate school. Katie is interested in feeding and reflex integration and has plans to take courses to specialize in these areas. She enjoys being silly with kids and helping them maximize their potential through meaningful activities.

In addition to work, Katie enjoys concerts, walks/runs around the city, cooking, spending time with friends and family, and taking her pup, Lola, to the dog park.

Kim grew up in upstate New York with her three siblings before moving to Cincinnati, Ohio. She graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science, in Health Promotion, Nutrition, and Exercise Science. She fell in love with the idea of working with children and went on to get her Doctorate in Occupational Therapy from The Ohio State University. During Kim’s doctoral capstone, she spent a year researching and implementing evidence-based, sensory-based interventions for youth who have experienced trauma. Throughout graduate school, she continued to work with children in a variety of contexts, from preschools, to community centers, to assisting with aquatic research. Kim loves using the power of play to communicate with children, helping them achieve their highest potential physically, emotionally, and socially. She recently moved to Chicago to start her career as an occupational therapist and is excited to be a part of the incredible LEEP Forward team!

During Kim’s free time, she enjoys discovering new restaurants in Chicago, fostering service dogs, and spending time outside with friends and family.

Abbey is from Moline, IL of the Quad Cities. She received her Bachelor’s of Science degree in Speech & Hearing Science from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and her Master’s degree at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions in Provo, UT. She has experience working with children on a wide variety of skills including expressive language, auditory comprehension, implementation of augmentative and alternative communication, phonological and articulation disorders, fluency, social skills, voice, and expanding their food repertoire. She believes that the only thing more rewarding than advocating for her clients is seeing her clients learn to advocate for themselves.

During her time in graduate school out west, Abbey fell in love with the outdoors and continues to enjoy hiking, camping, and exploring new places. She also enjoys embroidery, cooking, rollerblading with her dog, live music, and spending time with her pets.

Izzy was born and raised in the western suburbs of Chicago as the youngest of four children, however she has been back and forth between living in Texas and Chicago. Izzy received her Bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, TX in May 2019. She received her Master’s degree in Speech Language Pathology from Midwestern University in Downers Grove, IL in May 2021. Izzy holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) and is licensed in the state of Illinois. Throughout her professional career, Izzy had the opportunity to work in the public schools and outpatient settings with children of all ages with a wide variety of speech and language disorders including receptive/expressive language disorders, articulation disorders, fluency, autism spectrum disorders, Down Syndrome, social skills, auditory processing disorders, and other developmental delays.

As a speech language pathologist, Izzy is committed to celebrating vulnerability, showcasing differences, finding commonalities, and employing creative techniques so that her clients can thrive at their own pace and in a style that suits them. Izzy is thrilled to be a part of the teams at both LEEP Forward and Quantum Leep Academy.

Ofelia was born and raised in Chicago, near Rogers Park. She graduated from Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) with both a BSW and MSW, and is a licensed social worker (LSW). During her MSW program, Ofelia interned at an agency where she ran skills groups for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). During grad school, she was a mental health therapist for children and adolescents. Ofelia has always been passionate about working with children and adolescents. Before completing her BSW, Ofelia had also worked at a daycare and as a full-time nanny.

Outside of work, Ofelia enjoys being in the kitchen. She enjoys making new dishes and trying out new flavors. During the pandemic, she also picked up baking as a new hobby. She likes visiting different coffee shops and exploring new restaurants. Did I mention she is a foodie? She also enjoys reading mental health related memoirs. Although she may not be very artistic, she enjoys anything related to arts and crafts and playing instruments (and also going to concerts).

 

Karina was raised in northern suburbs of Chicago. She received her bachelor’s and master’s Social Work degrees from Northeastern Illinois University. Karina has worked with a variety of populations including children, adolescents in a therapeutic setting, as well as adults and geriatric in a skilled nursing facility setting. Over the last year Karina has found a passion in working with children and youth and supporting them in achieving their social and emotional goals through play, art and music.

When not at work Karina enjoys antique shopping, watching movies, and reading daily.
 

Bio Coming soon 

Rachelle grew up in southeast Michigan and received her bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from University of Toledo and her master’s of Education from Ashland University. Prior to moving to Chicago, she lived in Columbus, Ohio where she taught 1st grade for 9 years years and worked as an Intervention Specialist through the Ohio Autism Scholarship Program for 2 years. As an Intervention Specialist she worked 1:1 in the homes for school aged children with Autism. When Rachelle moved to Chicago, IL she began working at Leep Forward as a Lead Therapist while pursuing her Developmental Therapist credential. She is now a Developmental Therapist Clinical Supervisor for Leep Forward and happy to be a part of the Leep Family! She enjoys working collaboratively with Leep’s comprehensive team to support the children and their families at Leep Forward.

In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, traveling, and hiking.