President’s Welcome

December 2021

Hello Members of NJABA:

I hope all of you have had an enjoyable and productive Fall! As 2021 comes to a close, it provides an opportunity to reflect on the past year and all that NJABA has accomplished to support our members.

• In the past year, our membership has grown to the largest it has been in our history – with over 800 NJABA members! We are thrilled to have broadened our reach – and we are always working to improve. If there are ways that we can better support you, please let us know.
• We have welcomed Behavior Technicians as members for the first time this year and have been developing resources to benefit their practice. We welcome them and hope to be a useful resource for their professional development!
• We have also been working diligently to prepare for our 17^th Annual NJABA Conference in April 2022. We are thrilled to announce that our Keynote Speaker is Shahla Ala’I, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LBA. She is a brilliant speaker and an amazing behavior analyst. Her keynote address, entitled Caring Hearts at the Intersection of Autism & Culture, will provide insights to help our members in their efforts to be culturally responsive in our practice. Keep an eye out for registration information coming soon!
• Not only have we been working on the annual conference, but we have also started making preparations for our 1^st Annual Science in Behavior Analysis conference in June 2022. This conference will be geared toward researchers in applied behavior analysis and will feature exciting research from the university training programs we have in New Jersey. The keynote speaker for our inaugural Science in Behavior Analysis conference will be Caio F. Miguel, Ph.D., BCBA-D from California State University. Keep an eye out for more details in the coming months!
• We have also increased our continuing education opportunities throughout the year with our Speaker Series. Make sure you visit NJABA.org to see all of the different CE opportunities we have to offer!
• In exciting licensure news, Governor Murphy has appointed six members to the newly established State Board of Applied Behavior Analysis Examiners. Former NJABA Government Affairs Chair, Suzanne Buchanan has been named as the Chair of the Board with David Wilson serving as Vice Chair. Licensure for Behavior Analysts is an important step in protecting people of New Jersey as well as our profession. NJABA members can stay updated by visiting our website. Additional information about licensure can be found at https://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/abae.

Special thanks to all of the NJABA Board members, workgroup chairs, and volunteers who dedicate their time to support NJABA’s mission. All of these professionals volunteer their time to provide the support that our members need. Finally, I would also like to thank our NJABA members. We all benefit from the brilliant behavior analysts we have in the state of New Jersey. Your support inspires us to evolve and better support behavior analysts in our state.

As always, if there are other ways that NJABA can help to serve your needs, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at larue@rutgers.edu.

Sincerely,