Barbara Tobias Josephs – Member at Large

Barbara is a native New Yorker who moved to Huntersville in 2017. She holds an undergraduate degree in Math and Economics and an MBA in Finance from Fordham University. She worked as a financial analyst at AXA/Equitable for ten years, leaving the corporate world to be a stay at home parent when she was expecting her second child, Matthew, who is now 25 years old. Matthew was an easygoing, delightful baby, but as he grew older, he exhibited delayed speech, sensory processing disorder, and academic difficulties. Barbara and her husband spent years searching for answers and help for Matthew, until he was finally diagnosed with autism in the fifth grade. Getting a diagnosis was just the beginning of the odyssey of navigating the public school system, obtaining the appropriate educational services for Matthew, and equipping him with the necessary skills to become an effective self-advocate. Autism After 18 has made a world of difference for Matthew. For the first time in his life, he finally feels a sense of belonging to a community of his peers.