Meet Our Team
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Clinical Director
April Higgason, B.S., M.A., BCBA
April Higgason is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) with 12 years of experience serving individuals with various developmental and intellectual (dis)abilities and traumatic brain injury in direct support, behavior management, and intensive ABA roles.
April earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Olivet Nazarene University in 2004 and a
Master of Arts in Applied Behavior Analysis with an Emphasis in Autism from Ball State University in 2015.
April earned her certification from the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) in 2018 and has had the pleasure of using ABA and mental health skills and knowledge for individuals across many settings, including homes, schools, a large variety of
community environments, and intensive ABA clinics.
April also gained experience in executive management prior to earning her Master of Arts degree and holds Organizational Behavior Management certification from the Florida Institute of Technology.
April greatly enjoys using her knowledge and training to lead teams of ABA therapists, Registered Behavior Technicians (RBT’s), and BCBA’s in providing holistic, culturally competent,evidence-based therapies to individuals with autism. April has a passion for providing children and their families with behavioral and skill acquisition supports, where families most need them. She also loves assisting caregivers in identifying their children’s greatest strengths and highest priority challenges and training caregivers to embrace and teach their children new skills for independence and self-advocacy. April strongly believes that applied behavior analysis therapy should be person-centered, collaborative, fun, fluid, and tailored to each individual child and family.
On a personal note, April loves to spend her free time with her husband and two children. April greatly enjoys outdoor activities, such as hiking, playing softball, teaching her children how to play various sports and going to beaches and parks. April also loves coloring and creating pencil portraits and mosaic art, watching movies, and having game
nights with friends. April is an avid, lifelong learner and loves to read everything she finds on neuropsychology, trauma-informed care, executive functioning skills, and medical news.
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Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA)
Rachel-Mae Curtis, M.S., BCBA
Rachel-Mae is a Board-Certified Cognitive Specialist and Board-Certified Behavior Analyst. She obtained her undergraduate degree in Elementary Education from Indiana University and a master's degree in Applied Behavior Analysis with an emphasis in Autism from Ball State. She has experience working with individuals from infants through 50+ since 2008. Rachel-Mae specializes in behavior intervention strategies, mental health, anxiety, trauma, and academic growth.
Rachel-Mae's hobbies include gardening, crafting, and doing activities and outings with her kids. She's a history-buff, an avid learner, and enjoys organizing. She has two children, 11 and 8, and brings a parent's perspective to having a child with special needs.
Founder and CEO
Tracey Lynch Vardiman, B.A., MBA
I am an experienced Sr. Executive and educator with a background in healthcare, operations, finance, post-secondary education, non-profits/social services, and telecom. I am a proven influential leader who has mastered business mentoring, coaching, strategy & funnel development, fundraising strategies, forecasting, and business model design. I am a critical thinker, natural entrepreneur and creative innovator with global business expertise and superior business instincts. I am a focused, goal-oriented, and competitive business organizer who is versatile, resilient, sensitive, and industrious toward corporate, client and team needs.
One of my life themes is that "Life's most persistent and urgent question is, “What are you doing for others?" (MLK) The other is that "Time isn't the important thing. It is the only thing." (Miles Davis) Human resources are our world's most precious resource. And collecting those resources and directing them where needed to serve others, is the building block of my life’s work.
I love learning, literature, writing, teaching, family, the great outdoors, travel, health topics, meditation, and puppies. I love seeing things grow! An avid gardener, I am passionate about life design, personal development and transformation, ideas, innovation, service, and contribution. I share my magical life with my husband Darrell, and our three pups Sunshine, Ali, and Isabella James. I am the mother to two adult children.
Director of Compliance and Financial Management
Co-Founder, Principal Owner, Board Treasurer
Rose Goodman
Rose Goodman is a native of Chicago, Illinois, but has lived in Indianapolis, Indiana off and on for the past 18 years. For nearly 8 years, she served the State of Indiana as a Correctional Officer at the Marion County Jail II Facility.This experience allowed her skills as a hard-worker, team player, and problem
solver to shine. Her time working in the criminal justice system was a rewarding one as she would oversee, manage, and help to rehabilitate individuals daily, especially regarding compliance matters.
After serving in this capacity for nearly 8 years, Rose received an opportunity she could not pass working in compliance for Resilient Minds Family Services. The
company works to service families in the Indianapolis community in six counties, with community-based programs that are court ordered by the State of Indiana’s Department of Child Services.
In her role as the company’s Compliance Manager, she puts her organizational skills of time management, multi-tasking, and meeting deadlines to good use. Rose brings her strengths of financial responsibility and doing things the right way – the first time. New and current employees enjoy working with Rose as she brings a sense of warmth to the company. She is always ready and eager to answer
questions and she goes above and beyond to ensure the company is in great shape regarding compliance. Rose is indeed a pillar to the company ensuring that
they can continue meeting and exceeding standards. Rose is also a valued member of the company’s Board of Directors.
She has faced many challenges in her professional and personal life. Despite all the adversity that has come her way, she has overcome them all with hard-work, prayer, and strength from within. She always makes the choice to be better for herself and
her family.
Aside from work, Rose also enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She frequents between Indianapolis and Chicago to spend time with her loved ones. In addition to this, she enjoys trying new foods, shopping, and traveling. Rose believes that helping others is her calling. She is someone that friends, family, and even strangers can rely on when they’re in need. Rose has a heart of gold and is frequently recognized for her selflessness. She is good-hearted – with the genuine desire to help those she encounters.
Director of Program Expansion and Enrichment
Levi Osborn, B.A.
Levi Osborn serves as the Director of Program Expansion and Enrichment for True Legacy Family Services. Levi brings with him 12+ years of operations management experience, as well as several years of logistical and quality control experience. His management style rallies risk management, forecasting, and compliance to ensure the company is sound, excelling, and always operating on a solid foundation.
He believes that everyone is entitled to the best quality of life that they can possibly achieve and enjoys helping people achieve that goal. He has recently begun working with a team to develop a nonprofit program to help combat food deserts in Indiana and holds a bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies from the IU School of Liberal Arts at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
Levi enjoys the kinship of his grandfather, with whom he is very close. He enjoys cuisine, movie nights, and is a big advocate of self-care.
Director of Project Management and Legal Affairs
Founding Board President
Harriet Briggs
Harriet Briggs is the Owner of Virtuous Solutions, LLC. Virtuous Solutions has been in business for 4 years. She provides Paralegal services such as Preparation of Contracts, Leases, Wills, Power-of-Attorney, Releases, and Mediation. She has 34 years of service with the State of Indiana, 27 of those years were in a Supervisory role. She has supervised the INDOT (Indiana Department of Transportation) Motor Pool Fleet and the Contract Management Section of INDOT’s Contract Administration Division. While serving in this role she also reported to 6 Staff Attorneys as well as the Chief Counsel of INDOT. She’s managed Request for Proposals, monitored Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) utilization, prepared grant applications, drafted policies, overseen Urban Youth Programs, prepared and processed contracts, supplements and contract amendments.
She graduated from Franklin High School in Franklin, Indiana. Afterwards she attended Clark College to enhance her secretarial skills. While attending Clark College she did a Work/Study Program with Offenders Aid & Restoration. She assisted several women in re-entry from the Marion County Jail. Later in life she obtained her Paralegal Degree and worked for Simon Property Group for a season. Most of her career has been with the State of Indiana.
She serves as paralegal to True Legacy Family Services, provides project oversight in order to achieve and maintain steady progress, and serves on the Board of Directors as well.
Things About Harriet: She is a Southern Girl, growing up in Southern Indiana. Princeton, Indiana (Lyle’s Station) is her hometown. She is also a Notary Public. During her career at the State she was known as “The Contract Lady”. She has 2 Sons and is “NaNa” to 3 beautiful granddaughters.
Chief of Staff
Michelle Ruben, B.A., M.S.
Michelle Ruben earned her bachelor’s in religious studies and masters in Bioethics. Over the course of her 25 + years of work experience, she has served in the hospitality industry, and most recently academia. She teaches philosophy and ethics at Ivy Tech Community College.
Michelle is a founding member of True Legacy Family Services and serves as Chief of Staff, handling all the details of the company, directing marketing efforts, publicity, social media, our website, client satisfaction – supporting each staff member with information to meet the needs of the business, as well as interfacing and supporting our referral sources in the community.
Michelle possesses a heart to serve others and has a keen flexibility and sense of authenticity.
She shares close kinship with children on the spectrum and has developed a special concern for children in the space in which we work. Michelle shares her life with her young son, enjoys singing and recording music, outings with family and friends, and travel.
Care Coordinator
Trisha Brown, A.S.
Trisha has an Associates Degree in Health Science, is a Certified Nurse Aide and has a certification for Administrative Medical Front Office Assistant as well. She has over 20 years of experience working with children. Trisha also has 10 years of customer service experience within the healthcare industry, which has included assisting patients and families with enrollment, prior authorizations, and continuation of care.
It’s in her heart to help and care for others as much as she is able. And this empathic spirit makes her perfect for her role as Care Coordinator, where she serves as the heartbeat of the company. Families can enjoy Trisha’s hard work as a client advocate, ensuring they are cared for and not just referred to someone else. Trisha understands the challenges and difficulties client families face. So she works hard to put her arms around them to find resources, provide education, and assist with navigating the pathway to obtaining the care their children deserve and the peace of mind our parents deserve.
Trisha and her husband have two small children and three dogs. She enjoys family time, crafting, gardening, photography, visiting Dale Hollow Lake, spoiling her six nieces and two nephews, crocheting, and going on walks.
RBT Trainer & Program Assistant
Julie Vujnovich, B.A.
Julie has been a Registered Behavior Technician since 2015, primarily working in early intervention with children ages 2-10, across clinic, school, home, community and virtual settings. Julie is True Legacy’s RBT Trainer, guiding new hires through the onboarding process and training our new behavior technicians. Julie also assists BCBAs with creating programming and materials for clients, among other various tasks.
A strike of serendipity led Julie to the field of ABA when she moved from Des Moines, Iowa to Indianapolis in 2015. She graduated from Iowa State University in 2013 with her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. Her late older brother was autistic; growing up with that unique perspective influenced her into being the authentic, patient and empathetic individual she is today. That, combined with her nurturing soul and love for kids, the role as an RBT was a perfect fit. Julie truly enjoys making an impact and being a part of each of her clients and their families’ lives.
Julie has two dogs, Max and Chance. She likes to spend her free time with friends and family exploring Indy, going to concerts and trying new restaurants. Julie is passionate about being able to create, whether it’s dance, makeup, painting, photography and more. She enjoys mindset work, breath work, meditation, and stretching, among other self-care rituals.
Co-Owner, Advisor & Planner
Roderic Strozier, II - B.S.
Roderic Strozier is the youngest co-owner of True Legacy Family Services and works with the team as an Advisor and Planner.
Rod was born in Illinois and moved to Minnesota when he was in junior high and has called it home ever since. He graduated from the Environmental School of Studies in Apple Valley, MN and from Gustavus College in St. Peter, MN with Bachelor’s in Political Science. During college he competed in track and field, was a member of the Student Veteran’s Organization, and rushed Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.
He enlisted into the US Army Reserves at 17 and is now an enlisted Staff Sergeant, specializing in Civil Affairs in Arabic speaking nations. College graduation was postponed several times due to deployments to Kuwait, Jordan, Kabul, Burkina Faso, and India. He was part of a hand picked four-man team that provided security to Major General Pattard, 4-Star General Campbell and 4-Star General Nicholson –Afghanistan (USFOR-A)
During his travels, his deployment provided so much clarity as to how he would live his life – full of movement, wellness, joy, and service to others.
Rod enjoys body movement, gymnastic rings, balance and handstands, nutrition and wellness, family, spirituality, and finding ways to give back. He hopes to bring the power of freedom and creativity of body movement to our clients as we broaden our services to help our clients and their families live life to the fullest.
Principal Owner and Senior Advisor
Darrell Vardiman
Darrell Vardiman serves True Legacy Family Services as a Principal Owner and Senior Advisor.
Darrell was born in Indianapolis to a large family and grew up enjoying learning and boxing. He graduated from Washington High School and was recruited to join the Christamore House boxing club where he learned self-discipline and became a notable young boxer on Indy’s Westside, competing in Golden Glove tournaments.
Darrell served in the US Army in the late 1980’s – mid 1990’s. His work history includes United Medical Manufacturing, Science Applications International Corporation, and most recently retired from AES where he served as an energy consultant.
He is passionate about his community, gardening, mentoring youth, books, travel, the environment, loves nature, hiking, speed walking, inventing, animals, and his aquarium. He is highly skilled in working with his hands, carpentry, and fixing almost anything.
Over the past few years, he became a self-taught market analyst and stock trader, which he enjoys immensely. He shares a home with his wife, Tracey and their three pups Ali, Sunshine, and James. Together, they’ve partnered to bring ABA services to more children in Indianapolis and have founded a non-profit, True Legacy Initiative to provide life skills, jobs, and transportation to youth and adults on the spectrum so they can live capable lives filled with joy.
Registered Behavior Technician/ Assistant Assessor.
Brianna Parish, B.A.
Brianna Parish is currently a Registered Behavior Technician/ Assistant Assessor. She has a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Indianapolis. Currently she is finishing her last semester of her Master's degree in Applied Behavior Analysis at Ball State University. She has been a Registered Behavior Technician for 3 years and has worked with children from ages 3 to 17 with the diagnosis of ASD.
Brianna is currently working alongside BCBAs learning how to create programs for clients, attend meetings, complete assessments, etc., to aid in completing knowledge needed for the BCBA exam.
Brianna's hobbies include gardening, drawing, working out, spending time with family and her dog, and spending time outside. She loves to be organized at home, at work, and with her school work. Some of her strengths are communication, organization, and time management skills. Areas she wants to learn more about are comorbidities of ASD, other intellectual disabilities, and neuropsychology.
Registered Behavior Technician/Behavior Consultant
Kaitlynn Whittaker-Sipos, B.A., M.S.
My name is Kaitlynn Whittaker-Sipos and I have worked in the field of special education for 6 years. For the past 4 years I have primarily worked in the field of ABA as a Registered Behavior Technician/Behavior Consultant working with children ages 2-16 in schools and in clinical settings.
I graduated college at Indiana State University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, then moved on to graduate in 2021 with my Master of Science in Mental Health/Clinical Health Psychology to now graduating with my Graduate Certificate in ABA in December of 2022 to then becoming a BCBA in 2023. My drive to help children and young adults started with my twin brothers who were diagnosed with autism. I remember being a little girl and observing speech and occupational therapists come into our home, PECS on the fridge, daily progress and the amount of love and support that our family provided for them, made me want to advocate for not just them but every child with a disability. My brothers have helped me become a patient, understanding, and loving individual and they have helped me grow into the woman that I am today and I couldn’t be more proud of them!
Lastly, I have an amazing husband and the sweetest little boy along with two cats and a dog! My husband has supported me and constantly motivates me to be my best self. We enjoy going on walks, taking our son to the park, working out, building lego sets, having movie and game nights and just spending our time together and doing the things that make us happy!