BACB GOVERNANCE

Board of Directors

The BACB’s Board of Directors is responsible for establishing the organization’s mission and vision, and overseeing its management. Elected directors traditionally serve a three-year term and may serve a second term if reelected. Directors serve in an unpaid, volunteer capacity, and represent a cross section of stakeholders that includes practitioners, consumers, employers, faculty, and administrators. Additional information about the Board of Directors is available in the BACB’s bylaws.

Bridget Taylor, PsyD, BCBA-D
President | Paramus, NJ (term ends August 2021)
Bridget A. Taylor is co-founder and CEO of Alpine Learning Group and is Senior Clinical Advisor for Rethink. She holds a Doctorate of Psychology from Rutgers University, and received her master's degree in early childhood special education from Columbia University. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and a Licensed Psychologist. Dr. Taylor serves on the Autism Advisory Group for the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies.

She is the past Associate Editor for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and currently serves on the editorial board. She also serves on the editorial board of Behavioral Interventions. Active in the autism research community, Dr. Taylor has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on effective interventions for autism. She is a national and international presenter, and serves in an advisory capacity for autism education and treatment programs both locally and abroad. Dr. Taylor was recently recognized by the Association for Applied Behavior Analysis International for her outstanding contributions to behavior analysis and was given ABAI's Fellow designation. Dr. Taylor is considered a leading authority on effective, and innovative interventions for autism.

Molly Dubuque, MA, BCBA
Vice President | Master's BCBA Representative | Louisville, KY (term ends August 2024)
Molly earned her MA in psychology (with an emphasis in behavior analysis) from the University of Nevada, Reno, in 2008. She has over 20 years of experience working with children and adults with developmental disabilities in the United States and overseas. Molly has supervised over 100 exam candidates who are now Board Certified Behavior Analysts. She is currently the Clinical Director of the Clarksville, IN LittleStar ABA Therapy program where she oversees clinic, home, school, and community-based applied behavior analysis services.

Molly serves as the Past President of the Kentucky Association for Behavior Analysis (KYABA) and is a member of Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) and the Association for Professional Behavior Analysts (APBA).

Mark Lister, BCaBA
Treasurer | BCaBA Representative | Gainesville, FL (term ends August 2021)
Mark Lister earned his undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Florida and has worked in the field of behavior analysis for 28 years. He has worked in a variety of settings applying his skills as a behavior analyst, including the direct provision of behavior analysis services, supervision of behavior analysts, and the development/management of service delivery programs.

Mark was instrumental in the development of a nationally recognized treatment program for individuals with Prader-Willi Syndrome (a genetic disorder characterized by life threating hyperphagia and other serious behavioral issues). In 2004, he co-founded Behavior Analysis Support Services, Inc. (BASS), which currently provides a variety of behavior analytic services, intensive early intervention for children with autism, community based services for persons with development disabilities, parent training for the Department of Children and Families, and the sub-contracting of behavioral services for a large not-for-profit agency. BASS presently has 50 employees, 18 of whom are board certified at the doctoral, master's, or bachelor's levels.

Marlene Brown, MS, BCBA
Co-Secretary | Master's BCBA Representative | Hackensack, NJ (term ends August 2022)
Marlene Brown has worked at the Douglas Developmental Disabilities Center for over 10 years. She has a BS in psychology from Rutgers, The State University of NJ, and a master's degree in applied behavior analysis and autism from Sage College. She has over 25 years of experience in statewide advocacy, influencing policy development, and working with learners with autism spectrum disorders.

Marlene has also presented at local and national conferences on a variety of topics surrounding home-based services and supports for families of learners with ASD. Her clinical interests include the application of behavior analytic principles with families in community-based settings.

Angelika Anderson, PhD, BCBA-D
International Representative | Hamilton, New Zealand (term ends August 2022)
Angelika Anderson is an Associate Professor at the University of Waikato, New Zealand. She earned her PhD in educational psychology at the University of Auckland (New Zealand) in 2002. Her early work included evaluations of large-scale programs and school-based innovations, and also the development and delivery of the curriculum for Resource Teachers Learning and Behavior (RTLB), a new kind of professional charged with facilitating inclusive education in New Zealand.

Her major achievement in her previous position at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, was to establish the first Verified Course Sequence in Australia. Today, Dr. Anderson's research interests continue at the interface of developmental psychology, applied behavior analysis, and educational psychology. Her primary research interests are in developing and trialing efficient, often technology-based behavioral interventions that can be implemented in low resource environments, and targeting diverse populations that include adults with ASD and typically developing children in schools. She also aims to promote evidence-based practice by engaging with local stakeholders. In her current position, Dr. Anderson is responsible for the behavior analysis programs at the University of Waikato, which lead to dual qualifications in psychology and behavior analysis.

Kristin Etherton, MS, RBT
RBT Representative | Gower, MO (term ends August 2021)
Kristin Etherton earned her undergraduate degree in psychology from Park University and her master's degree in counseling with a specialty in elementary school counseling from the University of Central Missouri. She has worked in the field of education and applied behavior analysis for seven years, providing services to children with behavior disorders, autism, and other related disabilities. Kristin has worked as an RBT since 2017. Professional interests include crisis intervention, working with multi-cultural populations, and ethics.
SungWoo Kahng, PhD, BCBA-D
New Brunswick, NJ (term ends August 2023)
SungWoo Kahng is an Associate Professor and Director of Academic Programs in Autism and ABA in the Department of Applied Psychology at Rutgers University. Prior to his current position, he was an Associate Professor at the University of Missouri (MU) where he was also the chair of the Department of Health Psychology, the Founding Director of the MU graduate programs in applied behavior analysis, and Director of the Applied Behavioral Intervention Service of the MU Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders.

Prior to moving to MU, he was a faculty member in the Department of Behavioral Psychology and a senior behavior analyst on the Neurobehavioral Unit at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, as well as an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Kahng graduated from Kalamazoo College with a bachelor's degree in psychology and received his PhD in behavior analysis from the University of Florida. He was an Associate Editor for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis where he also serves on the Board of Editors. Additionally, he is on the Board of Editors for Behavioral Intervention and has served as an ad hoc reviewer for numerous other journals. A Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Dr. Kahng serves on the Scientific Council of the Organization for Autism Research. He is the recipient of the 2003 B.F. Skinner New Researcher Award given by Division 25 of the American Psychological Association. Dr. Kahng has co-authored over 70 peer-reviewed articles and chapters, and has focused his research and clinical work on assessing and treating behaviors exhibited by individuals with developmental disabilities. He is also interested in a broader research agenda, which includes topics related to obesity and aging. Finally, he has mentored numerous undergraduate, master's level, and predoctoral students as well as post-doctoral fellows.

Julie Koudys, PhD, CPsych, BCBA-D
International Representative | Ontario, Canada (term ends August 2024)
Julie Koudys is an Assistant Professor and Clinical Coordinator in the Department of Applied Disability Studies at Brock University, Ontario, Canada (Canada's largest face-to-face Verified Course Sequence). She completed her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at York University, Toronto, Ontario. She is a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst and a Registered Psychologist. She has worked with children and youth with ASD, developmental disabilities, learning disorders, and mental health challenges for approximately 20 years.

She has served as a member of several government appointed provincial expert/advisory committees and chaired numerous committees for the Ontario Association for Behaviour Analysis. Additionally, she has been involved in the creation of evidence-based treatment guidelines, and standards for the professional, ethical and legal practice of behaviour analysis in Ontario. Her primary research interests include exploring the impact of treatment fidelity and instructional strategies on the communicative behaviour of people who use augmentative and alternative communication systems, evaluating in-home behavioural parent training to treat sleep challenges and problem behaviour, and exploring long-term outcomes of youth who previously received intensive behavioural intervention. She is passionate about the integration of research into practice and partners with community providers to support clinical research and evidence-based practice.

James Moore, PhD, BCBA-D
Purvis, MS (term ends August 2022)
Currently Dr. Jim Moore is the Chief Clinical Officer at Apollo Behavior Services in the greater Atlanta-metro area. He is also a Visiting Assistant Professor in the online hybrid Professional Behavior Analysis program at the Florida Institute of Technology. Prior to this, Dr. Moore served as Director of Autism Solutions for Canopy Children’s Solutions in Jackson, MS. Previously, Dr. Moore was the Director of Training for the Master’s Training Program in Applied Behavior Analysis at the University of Southern Mississippi.

He completed a pre-doctoral internship in Pediatric Psychology from the Kennedy Krieger Institute at Johns Hopkins University Medical Center and the Marcus Behavior Center through Emory University. He was the Director of School Consultation and Applied Research at the May Institute in Atlanta, GA before returning home to work as both an academic counselor and Assistant Dean of Students at Pearl River College. He has been a Board Certified Behavior Analyst since 2002 and became Mississippi’s first Licensed Behavior Analyst in 2015. His research has been published in such journals as the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Behavior Analysis in Practice, Behavior Modification, Behavior Analysis: Research and Practice, Child and Family Behavior Therapy, Journal of Behavioral Education, Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, Proven Practice, Focus on Autism and other Developmental Disabilities, School Psychology Review, and School Psychology Quarterly. His research interests include teaching matching and discrimination skills to children with Autism, integrating Relational Frame Theory into Autism services, Behavioral Economics, Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention, Functional Analysis Methodology, Behaviors Maintained by Negative Reinforcement, Teacher/Staff training, integration of service delivery across home and school settings, the PEAK Relational Training System for children with autism, Parent Training in Behavior Analysis, and health, fitness, and coaching using behavior analysis. In 2015, he was appointed as the first chair of the Mississippi Autism Board; the licensure and regulatory board for behavior analysis in the state of Mississippi. In August 2019, Dr. Moore became a Director for the Behavior Analyst Certification Board, after being elected to Seat B by his peers. As a Director on the BACB, Dr. Moore currently serves as Chair of the Elections Committee.

Adel Najdowski, PhD, BCBA-D
Oak Park, CA (term ends August 2023)
Adel Najdowski, Ph.D., BCBA-D is an Associate Professor and the Founder and Director of the Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis program at Pepperdine University as well as the Director of Research at Halo Behavioral Health. Dr. Najdowski has over 40 publications including her books, Flexible and Focused! Teaching Executive Function Skills to Individuals with Autism and Attention Disorders and A Workbook of Ethical Case Scenarios in Applied Behavior Analysis.

She currently serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and has previously served for Behavior Analysis in Practice and as a Guest Editor for a special issue in Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders. She currently serves on the board of directors for the California Association for Behavior Analysis (CalABA) and the disciplinary review committee (DRC) for the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB). Her research interests include teaching higher-order skills to children with autism. She is a frequent speaker at conferences and on radio and web-based shows.

Florence DiGennaro Reed, PhD, BCBA-D
Lawrence, KS (term ends August 2023)
Florence DiGennaro Reed, Ph.D., BCBA-D received a doctorate in school psychology from Syracuse University. She also completed a clinical post-doctoral fellowship at the Institute for Child Development and a pre-doctoral internship in clinical psychology at the May Center for Education and Neurorehabilitation and the May Center for Child Development. Presently, Florence is an Associate Professor in and Chairperson of the Department of Applied Behavioral Science at the University of Kansas where she directs the Performance Management Laboratory.

Her research examines effective and efficient staff training and performance improvement practices. Florence has published over 75 articles and book chapters and two edited books on a variety of topics including training, performance management, assessment, and intervention. Moreover, she has been an Associate Editor for Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Journal of Behavioral Education, and Behavior Analysis in Practice.

Jennica Velasquez-Nill
Consumer Representative | Center Moriches, NY (term ends August 2021)
Jennica is the mother of three. Her son, Dustin, was diagnosed with Autism in 2001. Since his diagnosis, she has dedicated herself to becoming an educated consumer and advocate of applied behavior analysis through networking with parents and professionals, attending workshops on behavior analysis and autism, and writing informational literature for consumers and educators.

Jennica is a 2004 graduate of the Partners in Policymaking program, an innovative national model of leadership training for people with developmental disabilities, parents and family members. She applied this advocacy training in providing testimony before New York state officials and committees in support of behavior analysis and the recognition of BACB certifications. In 2006-2007 she successfully completed the Special Education Advocate Training, an intensive education advocacy project of the USC UCEDD and COPAA. Since 2009, she has been employed at the Long Island Advocacy Center as an education advocate, parent trainer and intake coordinator. Jennica previously served as Consumer Representative to the BACB Board of Directors from 2005-2012. She wrote the article, "Professional-Consumer Partnership," which was published in the March 2006 BACB Newsletter.