President
President
Following the completion of my doctoral degree, I co-founded the New York Child Learning Institute (NYCLI). NYCLI was the first Princeton Child Development Institute (PCDI) replication site in New York City. This experience gave me a strong foundation in nonprofit ABA NPS services and board management. In 2003, I returned home to California as the Regional Director for Therapeutic Pathways, where I later served as the Director of Quality Assurance/Compliance. I was extremely fortunate to serve on the CalABA Board of Directors during some of the most exciting years in our history – the “ABA insurance mandate” years. What a time it was for CalABA and for our science and practice. What an impact the healthcare environment has made on our practice. In 2023, I started a new chapter in my career taking a position with Carelon Behavioral Health overseeing utilization management and autism services for the West Coast. This is a critical time of funding and staffing challenges, we need all hands on deck to protect quality services and improve accessibility. These are big challenges and I am convinced it is more important than ever to have an effective, powerful State organization. We’ve come a long way, but there is still much work to be done. I believe my experience and knowledge will offer significant contributions to finding solutions for the challenges currently confronting practitioners and provider agencies.
President Elect
President Elect
Dr. Valerie Rogers, BCBA-D, is the Clinical Director of Santa Clara County Services for The ABRITE Organization. Valerie earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the Lee Honors College at Western Michigan University in 2004. Dr. Rogers graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno with a Master of Arts in Psychology in 2008 and a Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Psychology in 2011.
Throughout her educational and professional experiences, Dr. Rogers has held multiple roles within behavior analytic organizations including Behavior Specialist for the Nevada Center for Severe Behavior Problems, Staff Trainer at the Person-Centered Assessment Treatment and Habilitation program, and as the Associate Director of UNR Early Childhood Autism Program. In 2011, Dr. Rogers joined The ABRITE Organization in her role as Clinical Director of Santa Clara County Services, where she has helped to establish and grow ABRITE’s clinical work within home, school, and community locations across Silicon Valley as well as ABRITE’s research and training practices throughout the organization.
Dr. Rogers has served on the California Association for Behavior Analysis conference committee since 2019. She has also created and implemented many continuing education trainings for BCBAs. Dr. Rogers has served as a guest reviewer for various behavior analytic journals and recently co-authored two articles on the implementation of telepractice during the pandemic. In addition to telepractice, her research interests also include response variability and extinction effects relating particularly to the behavior of children with autism, clinical outcomes related to ABA intervention, habit reversal procedures with children with autism, and the acquisition of relational responding and executive functioning skills. She has presented her research at several national and regional conferences.
Past President
Past President
Dr. Lisa Britton’s current interests revolve around the delivery of quality supervision for trainees completing their fieldwork experience, supporting BCBAs who are building their skills as supervisors, and ethics within the field of behavior analysis. She obtained her B.S. from the University of North Dakota. She then completed her graduate training at the University of Nevada, Reno under the direction of Dr. James Carr. Upon graduating, she worked at a non-public school for over 15 years where she focused on supporting the Senior Behavior Analysts who provided behavioral supports to students with Special Education needs in their educational environment. In 2015 Dr. Britton launched Britton Behavioral Consulting, a company designed to provide fieldwork supervision for people working to become a BCBA/BCaBA. Her primary focus is on the delivery of remote supervision for those who are unable to obtain quality supervision in their immediate community. In the spring of 2019, Dr. Britton coauthored a book on the topic of remote supervision with The Behavioral Observations host, Matt Cicoria. More recently she has published on the topic of ethics in the journal Behavior Analysis in Practice.
Secretary/Treasurer
Secretary/Treasurer
Liz Herrera Knapp, MA, BCBA (she/her), who identifies as a Mexican American cisgender female, was born and raised in Stockton, Ca. Liz graduated from the University of the Pacific she with a BA in Psychology in 2009. Shortly after graduation she began working as a Behavior Interventionist/Team Manager at CVAP, Inc., where Liz fell in love with the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and helping others. She chose to return to Pacific in 2011 to work toward her MA in Behavior Analysis. After passing the exam she continued her work at the University as a Program Director in the Psychology department, mentoring graduate student interns completing their fieldwork experience hours. Liz has always had a passion for bringing people together, serving others, and mentoring the next generation. With that drive, following her time at Pacific, Liz founded KBCS Behavior Services in 2016. Liz took a short time away from KBCS when she was hired as the very first BCBA at Valley Mountain Regional Center in 2020. Missing her work in the community and with her clients, Liz returned to the business she created, and is currently the Executive Director at KBCS Behavior Services, which provides Behavior Consulting services to individuals who are diagnosed with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. This includes partnering with Community Care Facilities, Adult Day Programs, Schools, and Regional Center Consumers in the California Central Valley and surrounding areas.
Liz is currently a member of the CalABA Board of Directors serving as the Professional Association Liaison, Stakeholders Advisory Committee Chair, Public Policy Committee Member and sits on the Conference Committee as the Conference Special Events Chair. Liz also developed and is the President of the CalABA Adult Service Providers Special Interest Group for those who provide Adult Services. This is a first of it’s kind mentorship network for practitioners serving the Adult ID/DD population and their families. Liz is passionate about social justice and reform, as well as equity, diversity, and inclusion within Applied Behavior Analysis and beyond. Liz served as a Leadership Board Member for the CalABA Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Special Interest group, and also co-founded and serves as a Leadership Board Member of the Equity, Diversity & Inclusion in ABA, a non-profit Organization. Liz was on the planning committee for the first annual 2021 Equity in ABA Virtual Conference.
Additionally. Liz serves on the Valley Mountain Regional Center (VMRC) Board of Directors as the Elected Provider Representative, as well as the VMRC Coalition for Local Area Service Provider (CLASP) Board of Directors. She developed the Special Events and Social Media Chair positions for CLASP, sat on the Planning Committee for the Inaugural CLASP Provider Conference, and is the Co-Chair of the 2023 Provider Conference. Liz sits on VMRC Legislation Committee, Consumer Services Committee, and is the chair of the VMRC Diversity, Equity, Belonging and Inclusion Committee (DEBI). Liz also developed the NorCAL Behavior Analysts Meet-Up, and works to bring her professional community together for education, community, and mentorship.
Liz was named the 2023 Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce Young Professional of the year, is a mentor for the Cortopassi Family Foundation Achievement Program, and is currently a member of California Association for Behavior Analysts (CalABA), Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI), Association for Professional Behavior Analysts (APBA), Latino Association for Behavior Analysis (LABA), ABA Task Force, Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce, San Joaquin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and Eleanor By Women United.
Diversity Chair
Diversity Chair
Dr. danyelle s. goitia beal earned her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Her dissertation: Trauma and Resiliency in Black American Women began a journey of breaking the stigma of traumatic events that can plague the Black community. She earned her Masters in Teaching Deaf and Hard of Hearing Studies with an emphasis in ABA from National University and her Bachelors in Child Development with an emphasis in Communicative Disorders from California State University, Long Beach. Dr. beal contributed to an anthology titled "Shenomenal Women: that became a #1 Best Seller. Simultaneously, she completed her pre and post doctoral internship supporting survivors of domestic violence, sexual abuse and within the LGBTQIA2+ communities.
Dr. beal began her journey through ABA in 1997 when she was pregnant with her first baby. She answered a job posting for a child with autism and fell in love within 2 weeks of working with him. Since then, dr. beal has worked in some capacity of leadership over 25 years. Currently, she supports children, families and women who are underrepresented. Dr. beal has held positions as a direct service provider, clinical supervisor, clinical director, program director of a non-public school to owner of a non-public agency, called Loving Hands Family Support Services in Southern California. She provides educational and behavioral support to school districts in the protection of their Black and Brown student population. She trains community agencies on how to safely de-escalate sensitive members of the community who are in behavioral and mental health crises. Finally, Dr. beal teaches School Psychologists who want to become certified in Applied Behavior Analysis and mentors BCBAs who have ethical violations through the BACB to support them in getting back into good standing.
Dr. beal is a highly regarded Psychologist/Behavior Analyst who specializes in developmental disorders and trauma. She is considered a servant leader because she leads with compassion and unconditional regard for anyone who sits across from her. As a trauma survivor, dr. beal has overcome insurmountable odds that has formed her journey through healing which she calls “heart work”. She understands that to truly begin to live a life of intention; one must get to the “heart work” of their own healing journey. This incorporates every aspect of a person's environment and her approach to healing is comprehensive and multi-faceted.
PR / Marketing Chair
PR / Marketing Chair
Amanda Nicolson, Ph.D, BCBA-D received her M.A. in Psychology from the University of Nevada, Reno in 1998, and her Ph.D. from Florida State University in 2000. She became a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst in 2000. Early experience includes being the director for services for ABC School in Sacramento and the lead behavior analyst for Washoe County School District in Reno, NV. In 2006 Dr. Nicolson moved to Fresno, CA to accept a faculty position at Fresno State. Over 8 years as a professor in the Psychology department, she was received two Provost awards, served as the coordinator for the Master’s program in ABA and founded the autism center at Fresno State. After receiving tenure and promotion and growing the Fresno State Autism Center to a booming clinical training center, Dr. Nicolson moved into community practice in the central valley developing 3 autism centers in the area over the past several years.
Dr. Nicolson has also been a school consultant for over a decade, working in over 25 districts across the state to provide consulting services to school districts in several capacities including training for school teams and serving as an independent evaluator for districts and families. Dr. Nicolson has performed Independent Educational Evaluations in over 25 districts across the State of California.
In 2021, she founded Education Behavior Consultants (EBC) to bring together a diverse team of professionals with background and training that focus specifically on the needs of students in schools. This timing was especially relevant as children returned to school after the COVID pandemic had disrupted the educational and social development for students of all ages and abilities. The EBC team currently serves over 50 students in the public school setting.
Dr. Nicolson has also been prominent in her professional community. She served on the California ABA Board of Directors and held the position of President for 2021-2022. She has published peer-reviewed articles, magazine columns, and book chapters and regularly presents at regional and national conferences. Dr. Nicolson has traveled to Bosnia, Jordan and the country of Georgia to work on autism projects in those countries. On a personal note, she is the mother of two, a huge movie buff, teaches yoga and fitness, and loves traveling!
Conference Chair
Conference Chair
Liz Krulder Kumar is a behavior analyst dedicated and committed to the dissemination of our science. She focused her studies in behavior analytic applications to community organizations and organizational behavior management. She has been in the field for over a decade and has been involved in community and event organization for even longer. Combining her two passions, Liz enjoys coordinating behavior analytic events. In 2014she joined the planning committee for Fresno State’s annual ABA conference and fully directed it in 2016. She also directed the planning and coordination of Fresno State’s community colloquium which brought together local area community leaders and behavior scientists for important discussions on real-world solutions. In 2018, she joined CalABA as the Volunteer Coordinator, helping ensure the capture of continuing education attendance and enjoyment experience for all attendees and still serves this role today. Outside of behavior analysis, she founded and directed the first ComicConvention at a university, FresCon, which won awards three years in a row from 2015-2018 for its value to the Fresno State student body as well as the local community. She currently wears many hats including Customer Success Manager with CentralReach, Executive Board Member for the Values to Action organization, adjunct faculty teaching OBM at Shenandoah University,as well as both wife and mother.
Conference Chair Elect
Conference Chair Elect
Jessika Feil, MA, BCBA is the co-founder and Executive Director of Bella Vista Behavior Services. Jessika has been providing ABA services to the Autistic community in the San Joaquin Valley for over ten years. She has also provided four years of services in San Diego County, and Los Angeles County. She received her bachelor’s degree in English with a Minor in Education with an Emphasis in Applied Psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2006. In 2010, she obtained her Master’s Degree in Education with an emphasis in Special Education and a Specialization in Autism from San Diego State University. Her professional interests include Autism, Education, Verbal Behavior, and Multicultural Behavior Analysis. Most recently Jessika was part of a panel presentation on mentorship at CalABA 2022 and is scheduled to be part of another panel at ABAI in May 2022. She has also provided a tutorial and presentation for the LatinoAssociation for Behavior Analysts (LABA) in February and May 2018, and November 2020. She has presented to private organizations on Covert Racism in August and September 2020, as well as presentations with various community organizations within Tulare County on Autism and Behavior Management. She is an active member of CalABA, and the Latino Association for Behavior Analysts in addition to being a member of the FastTrack group within LABA and a member of the LABA Advisory Board. Within LABA, Jessika’s primary area of focus is on membership and increasing membership diversity. Jessika is also on the Leadership Board of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion an ABA Org. with a primary focus on bringing diversity to the field of ABAthrough diverse presenters and a variety of presentation topics. With this organization, she helped to provide free virtual conferences for over 600 registrants on a variety of topics from CRT to Neurodiversity.
Professional Standards Chair
Professional Standards Chair
I joined the field of applied behavior analysis serendipitously in 2009 and fell in love with the science, the philosophy, and the immense impact of our field in empowering individuals to create meaningful and long-lasting behavior change. My passion for behavior analysis continued to grow with each new clinical and academic experience, and I obtained my doctorate in ABA from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology under the advisement of Dr. Henry Schlinger. Over the last decade, I have cultivated expertise in the areas of autism and developmental disabilities, organizational behavior management, and the dissemination of behavior analysis. My professional experience spans across a variety of clinical settings, populations, and age ranges along a spectrum of mild to severe challenging behaviors and skill strengths/deficits. I have also developed expertise as an organizational consultant, working with ABA-based agencies to improve their systems for optimal clinical and organizational outcomes. I am currently a Clinical Professor and the Associate Program Director of the Masters in Applied Behavior Analysis program at Pepperdine University as well as a lecturer at California State University, Los Angeles. Being an educator has been a lifelong dream, and my mission in the classroom is to create an atmosphere of curiosity and intellectual stimulation to motivate my
students to evaluate content objectively, think critically, and apply their knowledge within their professional, academic, and personal lives. Our field is currently experiencing a pivotal moment where we must rise to demand antiracist policies, hold institutions accountable for their commitments to diversity and multiculturalism, and teach students to have greater cultural understanding, appreciation, and humility. Working alongside my colleagues, I am passionate about our work in reimagining graduate program training methods to establish and raise the standard of personal and professional responsibility, aiming to use this as an opportunity to advance the field of behavior analysis forward toward cultural humility, to uphold our shared values of equity and inclusion, and to provide effective services and support to our communities. In considering the direction and tone of our 2022 annual conference, my vision is to highlight the diverse voices, interests, and values of our CalABA community. Having participated on the CalABA conference committee since 2018, I hope to be considered for the role of conference chair-elect. Given my professional experience, I feel well prepared to create a strong and positive conference experience for our community. I value the tireless work of our CalABA board and membership and would be honored to have the opportunity to work alongside them in this role.
Public Policy Chair
Public Policy Chair
Penny began her career in the field of behavior analysis in 2004 working in a full inclusion model preschool. She has provided clinical supervision to technicians working with individuals diagnosed with developmental disabilities, and supervised the clinical experience of BCBAs and individuals seeking BACB certification. In addition to providing direct care services, Penny has held leadership positions in multi-state organizations, spearheading the efforts to develop and implement practice standards to support the clinicians and clients receiving in-home, clinic-based, and school services. Penny is currently a Director of Product, Research and Development, for a practice management software company aiming to transform behavioral healthcare practices. In addition to serving as the CalABA Secretary/Treasurer and Public Policy Committee Chair, Penny volunteers as a BACB Subject Matter Expert and as a member of the Autism Commission on Quality Standards Committee.
California Academic Liaison
California Academic Liaison
Dr. Jackson received her Master’s and Doctoral Degrees in Psychology (with an emphasis in Behavior Analysis) from the University of Nevada Reno. She is currently a Professor of Psychology at California State University, Fresno where she serves as the director of the Master’s program in Applied Behavior Analysis and as the clinical director of ABA Services at Fresno State. Her research interests include complex social skills including humor, perspective-taking, and safety skills, the motivational functions of verbal behavior, and interventions to increase health and fitness behaviors. Dr. Jackson has served on the ABAI executive council, the CalABA Board of Directors, and as an advisor to the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies. In 2011, she was selected as the PsiChi Faculty of the year, in 2014 was named as one of the Provost’s Outstanding New Faculty, and in 2017 received a Distinguished Faculty Service award from the College of Science and Mathematics. While at Fresno State, she has secured grants and contracts totaling over $6 million. She presents regularly at state and national conferences and has provided teaching, training, and clinical services in the countries of Scotland, Ireland, Jordan, Bosnia, and Georgia.
Californa Academic Liaison
Californa Academic Liaison
Dr. Linda Haymes’ current work is at the university level as chair of special education and coordinator of a verified course sequence. Dr. Haymes’ passion is preparing candidates to become BCBAs and special education teachers with a behavioral focus. Her most recent research interests involve preparing neurodiverse individuals for college and career and the development of assessment and interventions for hard-to-treat behaviors (e.g., stalking,pica). Dr. Haymes obtained her B.A. at The University of Albany (SUNY) where she first was introduced to behavior analysis under V. Mark Durand. After a few years as a teacher at New England Center for Children, she completed her master’s degree in HDFL at the University of Kansas studying with many incredible researchers and founders in the field of behavior analysis. Dr. Haymes completed her doctorate in psychology at ClaremontGraduate University where she was Clinical Director of the Claremont Autism Center under Marjorie H. Charlop. Dr. Haymes is a BCBA-D and licensed psychologist in California. Dr. Haymes has held many positions including, working at Spectrum Center for over 12 years as a behavioral consultant and then Senior Clinician establishing both home and school programs for individuals with autism. Dr. Haymes has maintained a private behavioral and educational consultant business since 2006. In 2011 Dr. Haymes joined the faculty at Touro University California where she established an ABA master’s program. As a business owner, professor, long-time member of CALABA, and mentor she has served on many committees and has demonstrated the organizational skills to serve on the Calabar Board as Academic Liaison.
Executive Director
Executive Director
McAlear has dedicated his 20-year career to successfully developing and leading programs focused on the needs of individuals with disabilities and the professionals who serve them. He has worked as a special education teacher and principal of a non-public school, a behavior analyst, and program administrator. In addition, McAlear is a speaker and consultant at the national and international level. McAlear holds a bachelor’s of social work from Marist College, a master’s of special education from San Francisco State University and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.
