Introducing the New BACB Board of Directors President

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

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.

SungWoo Kahng, PhD, BCBA-D

President | New Brunswick, NJ
(term ends August 2024)

Dr. SungWoo Kahng is Chair of the Department of Applied Psychology, Director of Academic Programs in Autism and ABA, and Professor 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 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.

He was also 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 of Arts in psychology and received his Ph.D. in behavior analysis from the University of Florida. He was an Associate Editor for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis where he also served on the Board of Editors. Additionally, he is on the Board of Editors for Behavioral Intervention and Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. He is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Dr. Kahng is a member of the Scientific Council of the Organization for Autism Research, Past President of the New Jersey Association for Behavior Analysis, and a member of several advisory boards such as the AutismMVP Foundation. 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 100 peer reviewed articles and chapters. The focus of his research and clinical work has been on assessing and treating severe problem behaviors exhibited by individuals with developmental disabilities. He is also interested in a broader research agenda, which includes topics related to employment and college supports for adults with autism spectrum disorder as well as obesity and aging. Finally, he has mentored numerous undergraduate, master’s level, and predoctoral students as well as post-doctoral fellows.

Chrissy McNair

Vice President | Consumer Representative | Portland, OR
(term ends August 2024)

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.

Breanne Hartley, PhD, BCBA-D

Treasurer | Noblesville, IN
(term ends August 2025)

Breanne Hartley, Ph.D., BCBA-D earned her doctorate in Behavior Analysis from Western Michigan University in 2009 and has 20 years of experience working with patients on the autism spectrum 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.

Julie Koudys, PhD, CPsych, BCBA-D

Secretary | 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.

Sadie Anderson, RBT

RBT Representative | Knoxville, TN
(term ends August 2024)

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.

Ivy Chong, PhD, BCBA-D

Milton, MA
(term ends August 2024)

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.

Molly Dubuque, MA, BCBA

Master's BCBA Representative | Louisville, KY
(term ends August 2024)

Molly Dubuque, MA, BCBA, LBA (KY) earned her master's degree 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.

Through her work in universities and clinical settings, Molly has supervised over 100 exam candidates who are now Board Certified Behavior Analysts. Molly is the Vice President of Clinical Standards and Outcomes at LittleStar ABA Therapy. In this role, she develops professional development sequences for staff and clinical processes for patients to ensure that both have a clear path for achieving their best outcome. Her professional interests include practitioner training, supervision, and the behavioral treatment of developmental disabilities. Molly has served as a board member for the Nevada and Kentucky Associations for Behavior Analysis.

Mark Lister, BCaBA

BCaBA Representative, Gainesville, FL
(term ends August 2024)

Mr. Lister earned his undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Florida and has worked in the field of behavior analysis for more than 35 years. Mr. Lister has worked in a variety of settings applying his skills as a behavior analyst including the direct provision of behavior analysis services, and development/management of service delivery programs.

Furthermore, Mr. Lister had an instrumental role in the development of a nationally recognized treatment program for individuals with Prader-Willi Syndrome (a genetic disorder characterized by life threatening hyperphagia and other serious behavioral issues).

James Moore, PhD, BCBA-D

Cumming, GA
(term ends August 2025)

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

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

Adel C. Najdowski, PhD, BCBA-D received her doctorate in psychology from the University of Nevada, Reno. Dr. Najdowski is an Associate Professor and the Director of the Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) program at Pepperdine University. She has over 20 years’ experience providing ABA-based services to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Dr. Najdowski 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 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 previously served on the board of directors for the California Association for Behavior Analysis (CalABA). Her current research interests include topics related to social justice and teaching higher-order skills to children and teens diagnosed with ASD.

Sarah Richling, PhD, BCBA-D

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.