Aymen Shakeel (Owner, Occupational Therapist)
Aymen is a licensed pediatric occupational therapist with over 12 years of experience supporting children and families across schools, clinics, and home-based settings. She is certified in DIR/Floortime and integrates sensory and reflex-based approaches into her work to help children build skills, confidence, and independence.
She believes that parents are the most integral part of a child’s journey and enjoys collaborating with families, empowering them to actively participate in therapy, and providing guidance that supports growth both during sessions and at home.
Aymen resides in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with her husband and two children (and two cats!). In her free time, she enjoys running, spending time with family, and traveling.
Ashley Noonan (Practice Manager)
Ashley brings a strong background in leadership and organization to her role as Practice Manager at Lead the Way Therapy. Before joining, she managed a busy coffee shop location in the North Shore, leading a team of 15. She also pursued her passion for creativity by attending culinary school for baking and pastry and running her own custom sugar cookie business.
After becoming a mom, Ashley experienced firsthand the life-changing impact of occupational therapy when her son began receiving services with Aymen. Inspired by that journey, she is proud to now support the Lead the Way Therapy team and help make a difference in the lives of children and their families.
Mayra Chavez (Occupational Therapist)
Mayra has been working in pediatrics for about 5 years now. During OT school, she worked as an RBT providing therapy services in-home and in-clinic. While completing her clinical rotations, she was placed at a rehabilitation unit, learning from traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries and progressive conditions. This opportunity helped her grow as a clinician. Though she continues to work with children, those skills can always be useful. She holds a Master’s degree in occupational therapy and continues to learn everyday through families and children she treats. Outside of work, Mayra loves spending time with her family and cherishing the small moments in life. She loves desserts, but likes to balance it by staying active.
Katie Zielinski (Developmental Therapist)
Katie is a dedicated early intervention developmental therapist at Lead the Way Therapy. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, where she also obtained her Professional Educator License (Birth–Grade 3) and Early Childhood Special Education Approval (Birth–Age 5) in 2016.
Before joining Lead the Way, Katie gained extensive experience working one-on-one with young children in a variety of supportive roles. Her background includes serving as a special education paraprofessional in an elementary school, working as a nanny, tutoring elementary students, and teaching both small-group and individualized online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Across all positions, Katie’s goal has been to build confidence, independence, and joy in early learners.
Jamie Mills (Developmental Therapist)
Jamie is a Developmental Therapist with over 20 years of experience working in Early Intervention. She received her BS from Northern Illinois University with a focus in early childhood education. Jamie believes in an all inclusive approach to therapy, where the entire family dynamic is a part of each therapy session. Jamie has a strong love for working with children on the autism spectrum, and offers an abundance of knowledge on how to form strong bonds with young children. She believes in the power of laughter, fun, and play centered, child-led therapy.
In her free time, Jamie loves spending time with her husband and children, getting together with good friends, trying new restaurants, staying active, and hanging at home with her beloved cats.
Terry Romero (Physical Therapist)
Terry is a fun-loving, passionate early intervention physical therapist. She obtained her Bachelor’s of Science in exercise science at Elmhurst College, then pursued her Doctorate of Physical Therapy at University of Illinois at Chicago. She has dedicated the last 6 years to helping people of all ages receive quality physical therapy care in various clinical settings and roles. Terry has always enjoyed working with kids, as she has experience volunteering at multiple daycares and participating in several mentorship programs. During her last year of graduate school, she completed a clinical rotation in school based physical therapy. Her passion for working with kids became apparent as they constantly inspired her. This led her to pursue a career as a pediatric physical therapist, where she is very excited to make a difference in kids’ and families’ lives and help kids reach their full potential.
When Terry is not at work, she enjoys spending her free time cuddling up with her very sassy cat and watching cooking competition shows. She loves to travel and explore outdoors while also keeping busy at the gym and training martial arts.