Awards

The Jon Peterson Lifetime Achievement Award is given to a recipient who embodies the qualities and characteristics of the late Jon Peterson, a selfless leader and a great connector of people and developer of partnerships. He continually helped channel new ideas and suggestions into action and results.

First elected in 1998, Representative Peterson served five terms in the Ohio State House of Representatives. He also served as Delaware County Treasurer. Among his numerous accomplishments and achievements over the years, Representative Peterson was instrumental in sponsoring the legislation that started OCALI. This work was a direct result of the testimonies of hundreds of Ohio families who appeared and shared their individual stories before the Ohio Autism Task Force.

Representative Peterson served as OCALI governing board chair for several years, and was awarded OCALI's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016. After his passing in 2019, that annual award is now known as the Jon Peterson Lifetime Achievement Award.

Lynn and Robert Koegel
Stanford University School of Medicine

Drs. Lynn and Robert Koegel are the developers of Pivotal Response Treatment®, a resarch-based intervention for individuals with autism. Over the past 30 years, the Koegels, their graduate students, and their colleagues have published over 200 research articles in peer-reviewed journals that support the effectiveness of PRT®, and have written over 30 books and manuals. Dr. Robert Koegel has focused his career in the area of autism, specializing in language intervention, family support, and school integration. Dr. Lynn Koegel has been active in the development of programs to improve communication in children with autism. Their work has also been showcased on ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, and the Discovery Channel. The Koegel Autism Center, named in recognition of their work and contributions, is located on the campus of UC Santa Barbara in Santa Barbara, CA.