Introducing the New President of the BACB Board of Directors.

Chief Executive Officer

James E. Carr, PhD, BCBA-D, ICE-CCP

James E. Carr, PhD, BCBA-D, ICE-CCP is the Chief Executive Officer of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board. His professional interests include behavior analyst credentialing, practitioner training, behavioral assessment and treatment of developmental disabilities, and verbal behavior. Dr. Carr has published over 150 journal articles on these and other topics and his work has been cited over 8,000 times. Dr. Carr is a Fellow of the Association for Behavior Analysis International and has received awards from APBA, APA’s Division 25, and Autism Speaks.

He is the past editor-in-chief of The Analysis of Verbal Behavior and has served on the editorial boards of 11 behavior analysis journals, including 4 appointments as associate editor. Dr. Carr is the past president of the Colorado, Alabama, and Mid-American Associations for Behavior Analysis. He received his doctorate in 1996 from Florida State University under the mentorship of Dr. Jon Bailey and previously served on the behavior analysis faculties at University of Nevada-Reno (1996-1999), Western Michigan University (1999-2008), and Auburn University (2008-2011).

Board of Directors

As the governing body of a nonprofit corporation, the BACB’s Board of Directors is responsible for establishing the organization’s mission, overseeing its Chief Executive Officer, and deciding important matters about the organization’s activity. Directors typically serve a three-year term and may have the opportunity to serve a second term. 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.

Breanne Hartley, PhD, BCBA-D

President | Noblesville, IN

(term ends August 2028)

Breanne Hartley, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LBA is the Chief Clinical Officer at UNIFI Autism Care. Dr. Hartley earned her doctorate in Behavior Analysis from Western Michigan University in 2009 and has over 20 years of experience working with patients with autism spectrum disorders and their families. She is passionate about integrating behavior analysis and healthcare for the optimal benefit of individuals with autism.

Dr. Hartley’s areas of interest include optimizing patient progress, effective supervision of staff, and systems analysis. She has publications in Behavior Analysis in Practice, and she has spoken across the country on topics through workshops and presentations regarding issues concerning behavior analyst practitioners, such as staff training, supervision, treatment plan development, and navigating the insurance denial and appeals process for insurance funded ABA therapy.

Chrissy McNair

Vice President | Consumer Representative | Portland, OR

(term ends August 2027)

Chrissy McNair is a Neurodiversity and Developmental Disabilities Advocate and Consultant specializing in the areas of DEI, accessibility, strategic planning and public policy advocacy. She is mother to three boys, one of whom is a young adult on the Autism Spectrum. Chrissy has served on boards and committees, including Autism Living (Columbus, OH) The Autism Society of Nebraska, FEAT of Nebraska, The Munroe Meyer Institute’s Autism Center Strategic Planning Committee, the CDC’s State Act Early Team, and is currently the Board Chair for PHAME, a performing arts school for adults with developmental disabilities located in Portland, OR.

Chrissy is the former Director of Employment Services at Embracing Autism (Columbus, OH) where she led the organization to find meaningful employment for adults experiencing developmental disabilities. She is passionate about supporting parents and caregivers of loved ones with special needs, is a public speaker in the areas of relationship building between families and teachers/therapists, as well as improving self-care for the caregiver. Chrissy enjoys hiking, tennis, paddle boarding, is an avid podcast listener, and fully into the pickleball craze. She lives in Portland, OR with her husband, sons, two loyal dogs, a feisty rescue cat, and three backyard chickens.

Ivy Chong, PhD, BCBA-D

Treasurer | Melbourne, FL

(term ends August 2027)

Ivy Chong, PhD, BCBA-D is the Chief Clinical Officer at Little Leaves Behavioral Services and holds adjunct faculty appointments at Brock University and University of Massachusetts (Lowell). She received a doctorate from Western Michigan University in Behavior Analysis and received a post-doctoral MBA in Healthcare Management, from Florida Institute of Technology.

Ivy previously served as Senior Vice President of Children’s Services at May Institute (2017 – 2023), overseeing the operations of home, school, and center-based services. From 2008 – 2017, Ivy served as the Director of Autism Services and Training at the Scott Center for Autism Treatment and Associate Professor in the College of Psychology and Liberal Arts at Florida Institute of Technology. Ivy is a licensed psychologist (FL, MI) and BCBA-D and maintains leadership roles on several advisory boards and has presented at numerous conferences nationally and internationally.

Sarah Richling, PhD, BCBA-D

Secretary | Auburn, AL

(term ends August 2026)

Sarah Richling is an Associate Clinical Professor and Director of the Applied Behavior Analysis Master’s Program in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Auburn University. She completed her Ph.D. in Behavior Analysis at the University of Nevada, Reno and has 20 years of experience working with children, youth, and adults with ASD, developmental disabilities, learning disorders, and justice-involved individuals.

Sadie Anderson, RBT

RBT Representative | Knoxville, TN

(term ends August 2027)

Sadie Anderson is currently an RBT at Spectrum Specialists LLC. in Knoxville, TN. She brings 15 years of professional experience as a behavior technician to the BACB’s Board of Directors and has also served as a consumer advocate for Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services in the capacity of a big sister. Sadie was introduced to ABA when her younger brother began receiving ABA services in 2005.

As a teenager, she became really passionate about the benefits that ABA had to offer for improving the lives of individuals with disabilities. The inspiration to help others in her community through ABA lead to her work in vocational support for individuals with disabilities seeking job-related training, helping to build inclusive environments, and teaching organizations how to create systems that support accommodations in the workplace. Sadie has been a community resource in Tennessee, serving on various panels to provide support related to inclusion, caregiver training, and compassionate care in treating individuals with disabilities.

Marlene Brown, MS, BCBA

Master's BCBA Representative | Hackensack, NJ

(term ends August 2025)

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.

Jennifer Genovese, BCaBA

BCaBA Representative | Sandston, VA

(term ends August 2027)

Jennifer Genovese is currently a BCaBA at River City ABA in Mechanicsville, Virginia. She earned her undergraduate degree in education from The State University of New York at Fredonia and completed her BCaBA certification courses from Florida Institute of Technology. Jennifer discovered the field of ABA while working in an inclusion classroom in Virginia Beach, VA. She made the decision to become an RBT while completing her FIT courses. It was during this time that her son received a late diagnosis of ASD at the age of 13.

Jennifer brings her experiences as a parent of a child on the spectrum, her work in the school setting, and her work in the field of ABA as an RBT and later as a BCaBA to the BACB Board of Directors. She is deeply honored to have the opportunity to serve alongside a distinguished group of individuals committed to enhancing a field that she feels passionate about.

Julie Koudys Ph.D., C.Psych., R.B.A. (Ont.), BCBA-D

International Representative | Ontario, Canada

(term ends August 2027)

Julie Koudys is an Associate Professor and Clinical Coordinator in the Department of Applied Disability Studies at Brock University, Ontario, Canada. She is a Registered Psychologist and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst at the doctoral level. She has worked with children and youth with ASD, developmental disabilities, learning disorders, and mental health challenges for approximately 20 years.

She is passionate about the integration of research into practice and partners with community providers to support clinical research and evidence-based practice. Dr. Koudys serves as the International Representative on the Board of Directors for the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB). Dr. Koudys was an appointed member of the Government of Ontario’s Clinical Expert Committee for ASD and the Autism Advisory Panel for the Ontario Autism Program. She was Chair of the Ontario Scientific Expert Taskforce for the Treatment of ASD and is an active contributor to various volunteer committees.

James Moore, PhD, BCBA-D

Chandler, AZ

(term ends August 2025)

Currently Dr. James Moore is the Chief Clinical Officer at Therapy Matters, Incorporated (TMI) in Chandler, Arizona. Prior to his appointment with TMI, Dr. Moore served as Chief Clinical Officer for Apollo Behavior Services in the greater Atlanta-metro area. From January 2019 through August 2021, he was also a Visiting Assistant Professor in the online hybrid Professional Behavior Analysis program at the Florida Institute of Technology. More recently, Dr. Moore served as a Visiting Professor for the University of Kansas. 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 has served as Chair of the Elections Committee.

Adel Najdowski, PhD, BCBA-D

Los Angeles, CA and Flower Mount, TX (term ends August 2026)

Adel C. Najdowski, PhD, BCBA-D (she/her) is a Full Professor and the Director of the Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) program at Pepperdine University. Dr. Najdowski has over 20 years’ experience providing ABA-based services to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). She has over 45 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 has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis as well as Behavior Analysis in Practice and as a Guest Editor for a special issue in Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders. She previously served on the board of directors for the California Association for Behavior Analysis (CalABA). Her current research interests include topics related to teaching higher-order skills to children and teens diagnosed with ASD and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

Rebecca Womack, MS, BCBA

Master’s BCBA Representative | Stilwell, OK

(term ends August 2027)

Rebecca has extensive experience in applied behavior analysis (ABA), serving diverse populations across various settings. She is committed to developing, disseminating, and upholding standards of care having served as a member or board of director for various non-profit organizations within the profession of ABA.

Rebecca has been privileged to deliver ABA services to children, adolescents, and adults both in the United States and overseas. She enjoys providing education and consultation services to ABA professionals and organizations. Through her advocacy efforts and dedication to quality, her ultimate goal is to make a significant impact through effective and efficient services utilizing the science of behavior analysis.