About
Raising the standard for special education.
Lilac Learning Center has provided special education services in Washington since 2016. We operate day school programs and consult with district teams at three sites across Washington.
Our mission
A standard, not a slogan.
Raising a standard means being specific about what it is. Ours is that instruction should be designed for the individual student, measured directly, and judged by whether the skills hold up in the student's actual life. That's a claim we can be held to, because the data either shows it or it doesn't.
Our story
Where Lilac started.
The concept of Lilac Learning Center began to take shape in 2006, when founder Jeffrey Kalles was completing his undergraduate studies and student teaching while serving as an aide in an after-school program. Several students in that program had moderate to severe disabilities but gained more ground during that two-hour program than throughout an entire day in their public school classrooms. They learned essential daily living and social skills — such as navigating the building independently, waiting in line, washing their hands, and participating in gym games. What left a lasting impression on Jeffrey was the progress that was made when students received appropriate support and the opportunity to be challenged to learn. Recognizing the gap between student potential and available support in traditional school environments inspired him to act, ultimately leading to the creation of Lilac Learning Center a decade later.
Jeffrey has devoted his career to serving this underserved population since age fifteen, progressing from volunteer to special education teacher and eventually to Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). After completing his graduate studies at the New England Center for Children in Southborough, Massachusetts, he launched Lilac City Behavioral Services in 2016 as a home-based Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) program, with an on-site clinic opening two years later. Applied Behavior Analysis has been and continues to be the cornerstone of Lilac's approach.
In September 2021, while supporting students within the Cheney School District, Jeffrey envisioned a model where specialized services provided in our own environment by internally trained staff could deliver a higher standard of education. Lilac Learning Center opened with three students in Spokane and a focus on deliberate, quality-driven growth. The program expanded to a second site in Tacoma in 2023 with three students, followed by a Longview location in 2024, with each site continually growing to serve more students.
One decision was made early and has not changed. Students in this population lose ground over long breaks, so Lilac runs year round — five weeks of closure spread across the calendar rather than a summer off.
Our vision is a world in which every student, regardless of disability, is supported well enough by their school and community to thrive in day-to-day life. Much of our effort occurs directly within school district buildings, where we offer consultation, training, and direct support to help students succeed in their current placement. When students need more, Lilac Learning Center often provides a more ideal learning environment.
What we do
Day school and district consultation.
Day school
Full-day special education placement for students with moderate to severe developmental disabilities whose needs exceed what a district setting can currently provide. Students are placed by their school district, which funds and contracts the placement.
Consultation
Support for district teams serving students in their own buildings, designed to keep a student in place and build the capacity of the staff around them.
We are not an insurance-funded provider. All services are contracted directly with school districts.
Our team
Who works here.
Certificated special education teachers, board certified behavior analysts and assistant analysts, behavior technicians, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, and educational psychologists.
An approved ACE provider
We're an approved Authorized Continuing Education provider through the Behavior Analyst Certification Board, which means our analysts earn continuing education in-house at no cost to them. Keeping expertise current is part of the job here rather than something staff fund on their own time.
Jeffrey Kalles
CEO, Owner · M.S., BCBA, LBA
Final accountability for the organization — clinical standard, contracts, and where Lilac goes next.
Ricci Goguen
Chief of Staff · M.Ed., BCBA, LBA
Oversees clinical operations across all three sites, and turns direction into daily practice.
Tim Gallagan
Chief Financial Officer · M.B.A.
Responsible for the organization's finances, from district contracting and billing through to payroll.
Megan Graeber
Site Director — Spokane · M.A.T., LABA
Day-to-day operations at the Spokane site.
Vanessa Zavala
Site Administrator — Tacoma · B.A.
Day-to-day operations at the Tacoma site.
Colin Nelson
Site Director — Longview · M.Ed.
Day-to-day operations at the Longview site.
Marija Horvatek
Operations Director · B.A.
Makes sure every site and every staff member has what they need — scheduling, systems, vendors, and the projects behind them.
John Goodwin
Human Resources Director · SPHR, SHRM-SCP
Hiring and the whole employee life cycle — benefits, leave, policy, and staff wellbeing.
Flint L. Simonsen
Training & Professional Development Director · Ph.D.
Owns staff training end to end — the scope and sequence, the delivery, and the quality and safety metrics behind it.
Work with us