Ronit Molko
Ph.D., BCBA-D
CA, US"When properly empowered, individuals, organizations, and communities can make a positive, sustainable impact."
Dr. Ronit Molko is a dynamic senior executive and entrepreneur recognized for combining strategic vision and technical expertise to drive business initiatives.
In 2001, Dr. Molko cofounded Autism Spectrum Therapies Inc. (AST), which grew into a highly respected, multi-state provider of services for individuals on the autism spectrum. In 2014, she sold her company to Learn It Systems, a private-equity-backed strategic buyer, and served as President of Autism Services for the combined family of companies until early 2016.
Today, as CEO and Principal of Empowering Synergy, Dr. Molko consults as an expert in the field of service delivery for healthcare, with a special focus on behavioral healthcare and companies that provide services to families affected by autism and developmental disabilities. Drawing on her unique background, which includes both business and clinical expertise, she conducts due diligence for investors looking to make a difference by investing in the behavioral healthcare industry and helps clients think strategically about, develop high-value business relationships, and better articulate their vision, mission, strategy, and corporate culture.
During her time as CEO of AST, Dr. Molko launched and grew the company into an operation that employed over seven hundred people and provided long-term, sustainable solutions that improved daily life for clients and their families across multiple states. Under her leadership, AST continually met the increasing demand for scale and growth while retaining the integrity of its mission, vision, and culture. Dr. Molko forged strong working relationships with both regulators and third-party payers, preserving services for her clients throughout regulatory changes. She also drove strategies to diversify revenue streams, increase profitability, and improve efficiency while providing consistently excellent programs and client service. Dr.
Molko fostered a continuous learning culture, providing extensive training to develop talent in professionals and management while advancing AST's entrepreneurial approach. The company has been recognized by community and government entities as a market leader that provided cutting-edge, highly relevant programs.
Awards & Certifications
- Board member of the Galt Foundation and the Los Angeles Chapter of the Autism Society of America
- Member of the Women Presidents' Organization
- Mickey Weiss Award for Outstanding Alumni from the American Jewish University
- The World of Difference 100 Award in Education from The International Alliance for Women
- Enterprising Women of the Year Award from Enterprising Women Magazine
- The Smart Leader Award from Orange County's Smart Leaders
- Named as one of L.A. Biz's Women of Influence honorees for 2017
Education
- Harvard Business School's three-year Owner/President Management program
- Ph.D. in Applied Behavioral Science and Family Life from the University of Kansas
- Master's degree in Psychology from Claremont Graduate University
- BA in Psychology from the American Jewish University
- Post-doctoral fellowship at the UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences
- Licensed clinical psychologist in California and Washington states
- Board-certified behavior analyst since 1999
"When properly empowered, individuals, organizations, and communities can make a positive, sustainable impact."
Dr. Ronit Molko is a dynamic senior executive and entrepreneur recognized for combining strategic vision and technical expertise to drive business initiatives.
In 2001, Dr. Molko cofounded Autism Spectrum Therapies Inc. (AST), which grew into a highly respected, multi-state provider of services for individuals on the autism spectrum. In 2014, she sold her company to Learn It Systems, a private-equity-backed strategic buyer, and served as President of Autism Services for the combined family of companies until early 2016.
Today, as CEO and Principal of Empowering Synergy, Dr. Molko consults as an expert in the field of service delivery for healthcare, with a special focus on behavioral healthcare and companies that provide services to families affected by autism and developmental disabilities. Drawing on her unique background, which includes both business and clinical expertise, she conducts due diligence for investors looking to make a difference by investing in the behavioral healthcare industry and helps clients think strategically about, develop high-value business relationships, and better articulate their vision, mission, strategy, and corporate culture.
During her time as CEO of AST, Dr. Molko launched and grew the company into an operation that employed over seven hundred people and provided long-term, sustainable solutions that improved daily life for clients and their families across multiple states. Under her leadership, AST continually met the increasing demand for scale and growth while retaining the integrity of its mission, vision, and culture. Dr. Molko forged strong working relationships with both regulators and third-party payers, preserving services for her clients throughout regulatory changes. She also drove strategies to diversify revenue streams, increase profitability, and improve efficiency while providing consistently excellent programs and client service. Dr.
Molko fostered a continuous learning culture, providing extensive training to develop talent in professionals and management while advancing AST's entrepreneurial approach. The company has been recognized by community and government entities as a market leader that provided cutting-edge, highly relevant programs.
Awards & Certifications
- Board member of the Galt Foundation and the Los Angeles Chapter of the Autism Society of America
- Member of the Women Presidents' Organization
- Mickey Weiss Award for Outstanding Alumni from the American Jewish University
- The World of Difference 100 Award in Education from The International Alliance for Women
- Enterprising Women of the Year Award from Enterprising Women Magazine
- The Smart Leader Award from Orange County's Smart Leaders
- Named as one of L.A. Biz's Women of Influence honorees for 2017
Education
- Harvard Business School's three-year Owner/President Management program
- Ph.D. in Applied Behavioral Science and Family Life from the University of Kansas
- Master's degree in Psychology from Claremont Graduate University
- BA in Psychology from the American Jewish University
- Post-doctoral fellowship at the UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences
- Licensed clinical psychologist in California and Washington states
- Board-certified behavior analyst since 1999
Investment opportunities in the autism care industry
The future of autism care for an exponentially growing adults-with-autism community
Over the past few decades, we have seen a huge growth in the number of children born with autism. Autism care services were developed to treat children of autism, but those children are growing up, and we are discovering that there simply is not care for adults-with-autism that meet the needs of this rapidly growing population of adults. The problem and the opportunity: how do we recreate autism care for adults that meets the ever increasing demand in the market?
From independence to interdependence: Rethinking how we think about autism care for the future
