Marie Fierro is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of S.L.A.T.E. Family Services, LLC and the driving force behind its mission to empower individuals and families through advocacy, education, skill development, and meaningful support.

Marie brings decades of personal and professional experience supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, autism, behavioral challenges, and complex support needs. Her professional background spans human services, developmental disabilities, behavioral support, education, child welfare, advocacy, community-based services, and family support.

Role and Responsibilities

As Founder and CEO, Marie provides overall leadership and strategic direction for S.L.A.T.E. Family Services. She guides organizational development, services, advocacy, training, quality, community relationships, and the long-term vision of the organization.

Marie also provides private-pay Coaching & Personal Development services. Her coaching style is practical, authentic, supportive, and direct. She helps individuals and families identify goals, strengthen self-advocacy and communication, develop practical life skills, establish healthier boundaries, navigate transitions, and turn insight into meaningful action.

Education and Professional Experience

Marie holds a Bachelor of Science in Human Services from Southeastern University and an Associate degree in Early Childhood Education. She is a former Certified Behavior Technician and is currently completing graduate education in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with an emphasis in trauma.

Her extensive professional experience includes human services, developmental disabilities, autism, behavioral support, education, child welfare, advocacy, and community-based services.

Personal Insight and Commitment

As a mother of seven, including two children on the autism spectrum, Marie understands firsthand many of the challenges individuals, parents, caregivers, and families experience while navigating disability services, education, behavioral needs, advocacy, community resources, and everyday family life.

These personal and professional experiences have shaped Marie’s belief that effective support must recognize the whole person—not simply a diagnosis, disability, behavior, or challenge.

Proactive Support and Early Intervention

Marie strongly believes in being proactive rather than reactive. Her philosophy emphasizes early support, education, skill development, and practical non-clinical intervention whenever appropriate. She believes individuals and families should have access to tools, guidance, and support before challenges become more complex or reach a point where a higher level of professional or clinical intervention may be necessary.

Early non-clinical support is not intended to replace clinical care when clinical care is needed. Instead, Marie believes in helping individuals and families build skills, recognize concerns, strengthen protective factors, and access appropriate resources as early as possible. Addressing needs earlier may help prevent some challenges from escalating and may reduce the need for more intensive—and often more costly—services later.

When needs fall outside the scope of S.L.A.T.E.’s non-clinical services, Marie believes in recognizing that boundary and connecting the individual or family with appropriate licensed clinical, medical, medical, behavioral-health, crisis, or other professional support.

Coaching and Clinical Counseling — Clear Separation

S.L.A.T.E. Coaching & Personal Development is a non-clinical service and is separate from mental-health counseling and psychotherapy. Coaching does not include mental-health diagnosis, psychological assessment, psychotherapy, clinical treatment planning, or treatment of mental-health disorders.

Faith-based coaching is available for individuals and families who would like Christian faith incorporated into their personal-growth journey.

Attributes and Impact

Marie’s leadership reflects a lifelong commitment to Social Skills, Life Skills, Advocacy, Training, and Education. Her goal is to help individuals and families develop tools they can carry into everyday life—strengthening independence, self-determination, communication, advocacy, confidence, and quality of life.

For Marie, S.L.A.T.E. is more than a business. It represents decades of lived experience, professional service, family advocacy, and a commitment to ensuring individuals and families feel heard, understood, respected, valued, and supported.