Chelsea Jackomis advances person-centered behavioral care in Tampa Bay

Chelsea Jackomis, CEO of Southshore ABA and Quality Crisis Management, is being spotlighted for leading ethical behavioral services for adults with developmental disabilities and forensic needs in Florida’s Suncoast region. Her work spans clinical care, clinician training, and pro bono support, with a focus on dignity, collaboration, and access.

Why it matters: - Chelsea Jackomis is expanding behavioral health access for adults with developmental disabilities and complex needs in the Greater Tampa Bay Area. - Her work centers on ethical, person-centered care for people who often face gaps in service, including forensically involved populations. - Southshore ABA also provides pro bono ABA services for people without insurance, which can close a major access gap. - Jackomis’ leadership affects not only clients and families, but also clinicians through field placements, continuing education, and mentorship.

What happened: - Influential Women spotlighted Chelsea Jackomis, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and executive leader in Tampa, Florida. - Jackomis serves as CEO of Southshore ABA and CEO of Quality Crisis Management. - She works across Florida’s Suncoast region with adults who have developmental disabilities and behavior support needs. - The profile highlights her path from education into applied behavior analysis and business leadership. - More information is available through her Influential Women profile.

The details: - Jackomis holds an Associate of Science in Early Childhood Education and Teaching, a Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Phoenix, a Master of Education in Literacy and Mathematics from Walden University, and a Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis from the University of West Florida. - She also holds a Board Certified Behavior Analyst credential and a teaching license. - Her clinical experience includes pediatric settings and adult services after changes in Medicaid funding and service delivery. - She has specialized in the Intensive Behavior population across residential, community-based, and day training settings. - Her experience includes supporting people with Prader-Willi Syndrome, intellectual and developmental disabilities, cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, DDX3X syndrome, and other medically and behaviorally complex needs. - Jackomis also works with the forensically disabled population, including people involved in judicial systems and those with serious behavioral and legal histories. - Her focus in those settings includes ethical treatment, risk mitigation, behavioral stabilization, skill acquisition, and environmental systems support. - Southshore ABA operates as a boutique behavior analytic company with a smaller, hands-on model and direct leadership involvement in day-to-day clinical work. - Her specialties include adult applied behavior analysis, forensic cases, intensive behavioral support, social reintegration, residential behavioral services, and analyst mentorship. - Jackomis serves on one of the Local Review Committees in the Suncoast region. - She is an approved ACE Continuing Education provider. - She hosts the podcast Behavior Across History on Spotify and YouTube, where she discusses behavioral histories, systems analysis, and forensic populations. - Southshore ABA is an approved graduate field placement site for University of South Florida students pursuing advanced training in behavior analysis. - She also collaborates with behavior analysts from other agencies serving people in the homes her team supports.

Between the lines: - Jackomis’ career path shows a shift from film and television into teaching, then into behavior analysis after classroom experience exposed gaps in support for children with complex needs. - Her emphasis on collaboration suggests a model built around continuity of care across home, school, and community settings. - The profile frames faith, persistence, and personal adversity as central to her leadership style, but those are presented as her own perspective rather than measurable outcomes. - Losing a forensic group home contract after recommending higher staffing levels underscores the tension between ethical care recommendations and business risk. - Her advice to young women entering the field reflects a broader message about finding a niche, rather than following a single linear career path.

What's next: - Jackomis plans to keep building collaborative relationships with other analysts and mentoring emerging clinicians. - She remains focused on strengthening ethical, community-based care across the Suncoast region. - Southshore ABA is likely to continue using field placements, CE offerings, and cross-provider coordination to expand its reach. - Her ongoing advocacy suggests she will keep pushing for service levels that match client needs, even when that creates professional pressure.

The bottom line: - Chelsea Jackomis is positioning behavioral health as a dignity-first service, not just a clinical one. - Her work blends direct care, training, and advocacy to support some of Florida’s most complex and underserved populations.