The New Jersey Association for Behavior Analysis (NJABA), an affiliated chapter of the Association
 for Behavior Analysis International, was founded to promote the discipline of behavior analysis in New Jersey.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS (July 2009 - June 2010)

President - Gregory S. MacDuff, Ph.D. is Co-Executive Director of the Princeton Child Development Institute. He is Adjunct Professor in the Department of Applied Behavioral Sciences at the University of Kansas and the Department of Psychology at The College of New Jersey. He has authored articles and book chapters on incidental teaching, photographic activity schedules, staff training strategies, prompt- and prompt-fading procedures, behavioral intervention for adults with autism and intervention models in residential settings. He has lectured nationally and internationally, and has provided consultation and training to a variety of public and private programs.

President-Elect - John L. Brown, Ph.D., BCBA is the Director of Training and Programs in Applied Behavior Analysis at Hunter College/CUNY. Dr. Brown completed his doctoral studies in the Learning Processes program at the Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York. He has completed a doctoral fellowships in autism intervention at the Princeton Child Development Institute and developmental disabilities at the New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities. His research interests include the development of interventions to address communication deficits experienced by individuals with autism. In addition, he has conducted research on interventions used to reduce problem behavior among individuals with autism. His current research program is designed to evaluate the language content developed during script-fading interventions.

Past-President - Lori Bechner, M.A., BCBA is the Clinical Director of the Educational Partnership for Instructing Children (EPIC), a private nonprofit school serving children with autism and related disorders in Paramus, NJ. She holds a Master’s degree in clinical psychology (behavior analysis track) from the University of Massachusetts (Dartmouth), and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.

Treasurer - Patrick R. Progar, Ph.D., BCBA-D received his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and is currently Associate Professor and the Department Chair of the Psychology Department at Caldwell College in NJ. Pat completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Applied Behavior Analysis and Developmental Disabilities at Children’s Seashore House from 1995-1997. His research interests include functional assessment methodology and treatment development and a number of translational research topics, including behavioral economics and preference assessments, the development of cooperation, and the influence of behavioral history on choices behavior.

Secretary - Tina M. Sidener, Ph.D., BCBA-D is Assistant Professor of Psychology at Caldwell College and a consultant at Garden Academy. She received her Ph.D. from Western Michigan University and completed a predoctoral internship at Kennedy Krieger Institute. Her clinical and research interests include assessment and treatment of stereotypy, feeding disorders, functional assessment, language training, and treatment acceptability and adherence.

Representative at Large & Membership Chair - Sharon A. Reeve, Ph.D., BCBA-D is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Caldwell College where she also directs the Graduate Programs in Applied Behavior Analysis. Her research interests include stimulus control and social skills training for children with autism. Dr. Reeve consults for school and home-based ABA programs and serves on various advisory boards for agencies and schools involved with autism treatment. Previously, she served as Vice President of NJABA and Vice President of the Association for Science in Autism Treatment.

Representative at Large - Dawn B. Townsend, Ph.D., BCBA is the Executive Director of the Institute for Educational Achievement. She earned a doctorate in psychology from the CUNY Graduate School and University Center. Her research has focused on the development of social and language skills in children with autism and she has published numerous articles in both basic and applied behavior analysis journals. In addition, she promotes the application of behavior analysis in the education of individuals with autism through consultation with other programs and professionals.

Representative at Large - Kara A. Reagon, M.Ed. is a doctoral candidate in Special Education with an emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis from Utah State University. She has been doing behavioral intervention with individuals with autism for over 10 years. She is the Assistant Director of Adult and Community Living Programs at the Princeton Child Development Institute. 

Consumer Representative - Mary Beth Walsh, Ph.D. has a doctorate in theology and ethics from Union Theological Seminary in NYC and serves on the Board of the Association for Science in Autism Treatment (ASAT). She teaches in the Master of Arts Program in Pastoral Ministry at Caldwell College and works part time as a Pastoral Associate at St. Joseph's parish in Maplewood. She is the mother of two children, an 8-year-old son who has autism, and a 13-year-old one who does not.

Publications Chair - Kenneth F. Reeve, Ph.D., BCBA-D is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Caldwell College. Ken received his Ph.D. in learning and behavior analysis with a specialization in developmental disabilities from the City University of New York. His research interests are in the areas of concept formation, infant imitation, language development, and teaching applications for children with autism and other developmental disabilities. Ken also serves as a program consultant to early intervention agencies for children with pervasive developmental disorders.  

Government Affairs Chair - Suzanne Buchanan, Psy.D., BCBA earned a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (PsyD) from Long Island University and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and a licensed psychologist. She has worked in the autism field for more than ten years. Dr. Buchanan provides the organization Autism NJ with clinical leadership and training. Her responsibilities include supervision of the provision of applied behavior analytic services to families and professionals, reviewing agency documents and policies for consistency with best practice, and advising advocacy efforts from a clinical perspective.

Public Relations Chair - Kathleen McCabe-Odri, Ed.D., is the Executive Director and Co-founder of Partners in Learning, Inc., a non-profit organization providing inclusive education for young children with autism.  She is Co-President of Advance, Inc., a private consulting practice for children and young adults with language and behavioral delays. She has been an adjunct professor at Rowan University and has presented professional workshops on the use of behavior analysis to improve treatment integrity, staff and parent training, increasing student independence and attending, as well as feeding, sleeping, and inclusive education for children on the autism spectrum.

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