Our Story
The people behind Inspire
Inspire Center for Autism is a locally owned ABA therapy practice founded in 2022 by its owners, Zach and Karla. It began in family homes across the East Valley — and in summer 2025 it opened the doors of its Mesa center. This page is the story of how, and why.
- Founded
- 2022 — locally owned
- Roots
- In-home ABA, East Valley
- Mesa center
- Opened summer 2025
- Families say
- 4.9★ · 41 Google reviews
How It All Started
Inspire’s story began in family homes across the East Valley
When Zach and Karla founded Inspire in 2022, they didn’t start with a building. They started with home visits — therapists sitting on family-room floors across Mesa and the East Valley, working on communication at snack time and turn-taking at the toy bin, with parents watching and learning alongside.
That beginning shaped everything about how Inspire works. Therapy that lives in a child’s real routines. Parents and caregivers are welcomed as active members of their child’s care team. A team small enough that the owners know every enrolled family by name.
Three years of in-home work also shaped what came next: when Inspire designed its Mesa center, every room answered something the team had learned in families’ homes — children need places to move, places to be quiet, places to pretend, and places to simply be kids.
You can hear that history directly from families in their own published reviews.
The Journey
From first home visit to a center of our own
2022
Founded in Family Homes Across the East Valley
In 2022, Zach and Karla founded Inspire as a local, family-owned ABA practice built on personalized care and meaningful relationships with families. During its first three years, Inspire supported children and families throughout Mesa, Gilbert, Queen Creek, and the wider East Valley through in-home ABA therapy.
Summer 2025
The Mesa center opens its doors
Everything learned in those family homes shapes the center at 7205 E Southern Ave, Suite 115 — a Sensory Room, a Reading Corner, an Imagination Room, spaces to simply be a kid. Families and neighbors packed the grand opening.
The announcement Inspire shared when the Mesa center opened Today
A year in, and growing carefully
The center is now past its first year. Inspire serves families through in-center ABA therapy and hybrid options, still answers its own phone, and families continue to share their experiences on Google.
The Center Today
Rooms designed from years of listening
A Sensory Room for finding calm when it’s needed. A Reading Corner under a painted tree. An Imagination Room with a play kitchen, a dress-up station and a pretend market. A comfortable space where children can relax and play.
And what you see on the tour page is exactly what you’ll find when you visit — these rooms, just as they are.
Respect Guides Our Care
Inspire’s belief is that therapy should go beyond skill-building — it should be rooted in respect, compassion, and dedication. In practice that means goals a family actually cares about, reinforcement built on what a child loves, and progress measured every session. The plan continues to evolve around each child’s needs, comfort, and progress.
Skills aren’t meant to stay in one room — they’re generalized across people, places, and activities at the center, and your BCBA guides your family in carrying them into home and community routines. And families are part of the team: your child’s RBT shares an update at pickup each day, and your BCBA leads scheduled parent-training sessions — because the people who matter most in a child’s life belong right at the heart of the plan.
Our Core Values
Values you can watch happening
Empowerment
Goals are chosen around each child's strengths, interests, and the family's own priorities. Support is thoughtfully faded so each child can use their skills with growing independence.
Inclusivity
The center is built so every child can take part — calm spaces to regroup, visual supports that make expectations clear, and rooms designed for different ways of playing and learning.
Diversity
Plans start from what a child can do and loves to do. Every treatment plan at Inspire is written for the individual child in front of us.
Teamwork
Families hear how the day went from their child's RBT at pickup, BCBAs lead scheduled parent-training sessions, and — with permission — Inspire coordinates with schools, speech and OT providers, and physicians.
Meet the People
The management team
Zach
Founder
Zach founded Inspire to make a meaningful difference for local families — and to build the kind of workplace that makes that care possible. He brings 20 years of upper-management experience across direct-to-consumer and direct-to-business operations, earning top-employee status and awards for performance along the way. He's as committed to his team's work-life balance as he is to the families Inspire serves.
Elizabeth
BCBA, Clinical Program Lead
Elizabeth has worked in ABA for nearly a decade, drawn to the field after seeing the difference it made in her own son's development. She focuses on regulation and communication as the foundations of independence, and celebrates every milestone — big and small. She's equally committed to partnering with parents and caregivers, offering compassionate, personalized support wherever a family is in their journey.
Sam
BCBA
Sam entered ABA in 2016 as a behavior technician, spent time in social work, and returned in 2019 with a renewed commitment to evidence-based, relationship-focused care. She holds a degree from Wright State University and dual master's degrees in Human Services Counseling and Applied Behavior Analysis, graduating summa cum laude in both. Her clinical focus is social-skills development and functional communication, and she's dedicated to neurodiversity-affirming practice. Sam is a mom of three; her oldest daughter is Autistic.
Karla
Behavior Analyst Trainee
Karla has worked in ABA since 2016. Born in Peru and fluent in both English and Spanish, she connects with families across cultures. She earned her bachelor's degree in Liberal Studies from California State University, Northridge and her master's in Applied Behavior Analysis from Arizona State University, has completed her fieldwork hours, and is currently preparing for the BCBA exam.
Monse
Lead RBT
Monse is a Registered Behavior Technician with three years of experience in ABA and an associate's degree in psychology. Her passion for supporting people with disabilities began with Best Buddies, where she built real friendships and advocated for inclusion — and it still shapes her compassionate, client-centered approach.
Christa
Lead RBT
Christa has worked in ABA since October 2023, inspired by close family and friends on the autism spectrum. She believes every child deserves the chance to communicate and to regulate their emotions, and the part she loves most is watching the children she supports grow and blossom.
Meet the team in person on a center tour.
The Trust Ledger
Choosing an ABA Provider Should Feel Informed and Comfortable
DHS Certified Facility
We're a certified facility through the Arizona Department of Health Services. This isn't just a formality. Our space, our safety protocols, and our daily operations meet the state's standards for care. When you walk through our doors, you can trust the environment has been vetted from the ground up.
Arizona-Licensed BCBAs
Our programs are designed and overseen by Board Certified Behavior Analysts licensed in Arizona. Each treatment plan is built around your child's individual needs. Ongoing clinical supervision keeps therapy effective and outcomes-focused.
All Registered Technicians
Every Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) on our team is properly registered and trained. They work directly with your child every session. We treat this credential as non-negotiable — it's the foundation of safe, effective care.
Background-Checked Staff
Your child's safety comes first. Every staff member passes a thorough background check before working with a family. It's one more layer of assurance that the people caring for your child meet the highest standards.
Fingerprint Cleared
Beyond background checks, our team members are fingerprint cleared. This is a rigorous, state-level verification process. Families shouldn't have to wonder who's in the room with their child. With us, that peace of mind is built in.
Locally Owned Small Business
We're owned and operated right here in Arizona. We live in this community and know the local resources, schools, and support systems our families rely on. We're proud to be a local, family-owned small business with leaders who are personally involved in the center, the team, and the families we serve.
Credentials and certificates are available to review — just ask during a tour or call +1 480-269-7709.
Rooted in Mesa
This is our community too
Zach and Karla live and work in the East Valley, and community members joined enrolled families in celebrating the center’s grand opening.
Current community sponsors supporting Inspire:
Find us in east Mesa
Inspire Center for Autism7205 E Southern Ave #115, Mesa, AZ 85209
Mon – Fri 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM · Sat – Sun Closed
Families come to us from across Mesa, Tempe, Apache Junction, Gilbert, Chandler, Florence, Queen Creek and San Tan Valley — see all service areas.
“The owner Zach went out of his way to make sure all of our needs were met… I felt they truly cared about my child.”
Answers
About Inspire — quick answers
Who owns Inspire Center for Autism?
Inspire is locally owned and operated by Zach and Karla, the couple who founded it in 2022. We're proud to be a local, family-owned small business with leaders who are personally involved in the center, the team, and the families we serve.
When was Inspire founded?
Inspire was founded in 2022 as an in-home ABA therapy practice serving families across the East Valley. The Mesa center at 7205 E Southern Ave, Suite 115 opened in summer 2025 and has now been serving families for over a year.
Where is Inspire located?
Our center is at 7205 E Southern Ave, Suite 115, Mesa, AZ 85209 — near the Superstition Springs area of east Mesa. We're open Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, and families come to us from across Mesa, Tempe, Gilbert, Chandler, Apache Junction, Queen Creek, San Tan Valley and Florence.
What therapy options does Inspire offer?
Inspire offers in-center ABA and hybrid services that combine center-based therapy with clinically appropriate in-home support. The BCBA and family determine whether hybrid care fits the child's assessed needs, treatment goals, insurance authorization, staffing, and availability. Inspire does not offer fully in-home ABA as a standalone service. In-center therapy at the Mesa location serves children ages 1–12.
Who designs and supervises therapy at Inspire?
Treatment plans are designed and supervised by Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) licensed in Arizona. Day-to-day 1:1 sessions are delivered by Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs) working under ongoing BCBA supervision.
Can we visit the center before enrolling?
Yes — families are welcome to tour the Mesa center, meet the team, and ask questions before making any decision. Call (480) 269-7709 or use the contact form to arrange a visit.
In-Center ABA Therapy
1:1 therapy at the Mesa center for ages 1–12 — purpose-built rooms, with peer-interaction opportunities when they fit a child’s goals.
Hybrid ABA Therapy
Center-based therapy combined with clinically appropriate in-home support, shaped with your BCBA around your child’s plan. Inspire does not offer fully in-home ABA as a standalone service.
Come See It In Person
Come see the center behind the story
Tour the Mesa center, meet Zach and Karla, and ask anything — about availability, insurance, or whether Inspire is the right fit. We're glad to answer every question.