Carmela has been in the field of developmental services, specializing in Autism Spectrum Disorder, for 15 years. She has been responsible for overseeing various ABA programs for children and adults, as well as transition programs to employment. She has consulted to group homes, worked with parents and teachers using a mediator model of teaching for children, youth and adults with complex needs and has developed trainings and presentations for a variety of partnerships and conferences.

She graduated with a Bachelors degree in Psychology from York University, a Masters degree in Psychology (specialization in Applied Behavior Analysis) from the University of Nevada, and became a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst (BCBA) in 2007. She also has a background as a Certified Pharmaceutical Technician.