Dr. Karen Rader Toussaint attained her doctoral degree in psychology from Louisiana State University, specializing in applied behavior analysis. Presently, she holds the position of an associate professor and serves as the chair of the Department of Behavior Analysis at the University of North Texas. Within UNT, she plays a vital role in co-directing a training and research clinic situated at the UNT Kristin Farmer Autism Center. In this capacity, she oversees graduate students engaged in providing early intensive behavioral intervention. Dr. Toussaint’s research pursuits encompass several areas, including training behavior-change agents, cultural responsivity training, conditioned reinforcement of social behavior, and instructional approaches designed to facilitate generalized behavior. Her contributions extend to published research in notable journals like the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and Behavior Analysis in Practice.

Dr. Morrison is a Principal Lecturer and directs our online program. She has worked for the University of North Texas since 2011. Dr. Morrison received a Ph.D. in Developmental and Child Psychology from the University of Kansas in 1999 under the mentorship of Dr. Donald Baer. At that time, she also became a certified Early Childhood Special Education teacher. Dr. Morrison utilized ABA to support children with autism and their families for 28 years. Her early work was with the Early Childhood Autism Program in Lawrence, KS. She also worked at the UCLA Young Autism Project and Princeton Child Development Institute. Dr. Morrison has published research in peer-reviewed journals and has presented talks and workshops throughout several states. She was a charter certificant of the Behavior Analysis Certification Board (BACB) and currently serves as our Verified Course Sequences (VCS) coordinator.

Shahla Alai-Rosales, PHD, BCBA-D, CPBA-AP is a Professor in the Department of Behavior Analysis at the University of North Texas. She has taught courses in Texas, Europe and the Middle East on a variety of topics, including ethics, early autism intervention, parent training, behavioral systems, applied research methods, technology transfer, behavior change techniques, and cultural diversity. Shahla has published and presented research on social justice, ethics in early intervention, play and social skills, family harmony, and supervision and mentoring. Shahla has more than four decades of experience working with families and has trained hundreds of behavior analysts. She has received awards for her teaching (SGA ‘Fessor Graham Award), her work with families (Onassis Scholar Award), and for her sustained contributions (UNT Community Engagement Award, TXABA Career Contributions Award, the GSU Lutzker Distinguished Lecturer, the ABAI Donald M. Baer Distinguished Lecture, and the 23-24 University of Kansas ABS Outstanding Alumni Award). She was a member of the Behavior Analysis Certification Board, the ABAI Practice Board, the ABAI DEI Board and an Associate Editor for Behavior Analysis in Practice. She currently serves on the board of directors for APBA and the advisory board for ASAI. Shahla is co-author of Building and Sustaining Meaningful and Effective Relationships as a Supervisor and Mentor (LeBlanc, Sellers & Alai, 2020) and Responsible and Responsive Parenting in Autism: Between Now and Dreams (Alai-Rosales & Heinkel-Wolfe, 2022). Shahla lives in Denton Texas and is honored to be a mother and grandmother to three amazing humans!

Dr. Lugo earned her Ph.D. in Applied Behavior Analysis from The University of Nebraska Medical Center and M.S. in Applied Behavior Analysis from Florida Institute of Technology. Dr. Lugo held previous faculty appointments at Saint Louis University and Southeast Missouri State University, and Florida Institute of Technology. Her behavior analytic interests include improving the efficiency and effectiveness of skill acquisition interventions, parent and staff training, and the assessment and treatment of treatment nonadherence. Dr. Lugo has over ten years of clinical experience in the implementation of behavioral interventions in the pediatric population. Her experience includes early intensive behavior intervention (EIBI) and the assessment and treatment of children diagnosed with pediatric behavior disorders. Dr. Lugo has published in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Behavior Analysis in Practice, and Behavioral Interventions, among other peer-reviewed journals.

Dr. Mann is the Head of School at Jane Justin School (JJS) in Fort Worth. Jane Justin School is part of Cook Children's Medical Center and provides state-of-the-art, evidence-based special education to children with complex developmental, intellectual, and learning disabilities. She is a licensed behavior analyst, and received her Master's and Doctorate degrees from University of Kansas under the mentorship of Don Bushell, Ed Morris, and Greg Hanley. Dr. Mann has spent her career in various roles in education: teacher, preschool director, principal, behavior analyst, and head of school. She feels fortunate to have only worked in programs that recognize the value of a behavioral approach to special education. Dr. Mann rounds out her professional activities with a little bit of research and service. For the former, her interests lie in instructional design (particularly for reading), social skills instruction, staff development, and programming for adolescents and adults with autism. Several studies have been conducted at Jane Justin School in these areas. For the latter, she is a member of Cook Children's Institutional Review Board and other various committees at Child Study Center and Cook Children's. She occasionally serves as a guest reviewer for various behavioral journals, and spends as much time as possible advocating for individuals with disabilities and their families.

Dr. Rone attended the University of Florida for her undergraduate and graduate studies, and earned her Ph.D. in Applied Behavior Analysis in 2010 under the advisement of Dr. Brian Iwata. She has worked in clinical and research settings, where her focus has primarily been on the assessment and treatment of problem behavior and caregiver training. Dr. Rone has worked with individuals and care providers in a variety of settings and with a variety of challenging behavior, and she has published research in peer-reviewed journals and presented at regional and national conferences. Dr. Rone lives in Florida, where she works for the Agency for Persons with Disabilities and also provides consultative services for families. Dr. Rone enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters, volunteering, traveling, and reading. She is an avid Gator fan and enjoys attending as many UF-related activities as possible.

Dr. Janie A. Funk currently serves as Psychology Administrator of the Iowa Center of Excellence Outreach Team, housed within the Department of Health and Human Services. She earned her doctoral degree in psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno, and received training and mentorship within the Nevada Aging and Disabilities Services Division. She is also a Nevada Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities graduate and maintains the NADD-CC certification, underscoring her specialized clinical competency in supporting individuals with dual Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities and mental health conditions. Dr. Funk’s professional and personal endeavors are rooted in a deep commitment to developing and sustaining communities that uphold the dignity and quality of life of their members, translating her mission into tangible leadership practices that empower teams and advance meaningful, integrated care for individuals with dual diagnoses.

Dr. Joseph H. Cihon received his B. S. in special education from Fontbonne University, M.S. in behavior analysis at the University of North Texas, and his Ph.D. in applied behavior analysis at Endicott College. He is currently the Director of Research at Autism Partnership Foundation, Certification Coordinator at the Progressive Behavior Analyst Autism Council, and on the council for the Autism Special Interest Group. Joe has 20 years of experience working with children, adolescents, and adults on the autism spectrum and with other developmental disabilities in home, school, and community settings. His research interests in behavior analysis are broad and include evaluating assumptions within practice, examining historical foundations in behavior analysis, training thoroughgoing behavior analysts, examining the effectiveness and training professionals in shaping techniques, increasing favorable interactions among children, their families, and interventionists, developing contingencies to promote generalization and maintenance, and improving mealtimes for selective eaters. Joe serves on the editorial boards for the International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education and Behavior Analysis in Practice and has published over 90 peer-reviewed articles, books, and book chapters.

Dr. Villone received her master’s and Ph.D. in Behavior Analysis from the University of Kansas, under the advisement of Dr. Donald Baer and Dr. Barbara Etzel. Her research in the University’s Edna A. Hill Child Development Center focused on training preschool teachers to effectively facilitate peer interactions between students with developmental disabilities and their neurotypical peers. Dr. Villone earned her Bachelor of Psychology from UCLA. She completed her pre-doctoral training with Dr. Ivar Lovaas and Dr. Tristram Smith at UCLA’s Young Autism Clinic. For the past 25 years, Dr. Villone has served as a Clinical Director for school-based ABA consulting programs. She created consulting programs for 2 large behavioral healthcare organizations in southeastern Pennsylvania.

Dr. Mannankara-Cabrera received her EdD in Learning and Organizational Change from Baylor University and MS In Applied Behavior Analysis from Northeastern University. She has been in the field of behavior analysis in various capacities since 2006 and has been a BCBA since 2016. She has supported and served autistic individuals with Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI) over the last several years across home, clinic, and telehealth-based settings. Dr. Mannankara-Cabrera’s research includes culturally responsive care in behavior analysis, teaching, and training behavior analysts the components of high-quality clinical care in ABA. She is currently a Texas and New York Licensed Behavior Analyst practicing in San Antonio, Texas.

Crystal Fernandez earned her B.S. and M.Ed in Special Education from Vanderbilt University, and her Ph.D from the University of North Texas studying under the mentorship of Dr. Jesús Rosales-Ruiz. She has over 10 years experience working with individuals with disabilities and their families in various roles, including as a special education teacher and as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst in early intervention settings. Crystal also has taught undergraduate courses at UNT on shaping and autism intervention and worked with Behavior Analysis Online as a teaching assistant. Crystal’s research interests include the development of behavior and its stimulus control, shaping and errorless learning techniques, practitioner training, and increasing access to services for traditionally underserved populations. Crystal has presented research at national conferences and conducted workshops for practitioners on topics such as building reinforcement systems and shaping. She also has published research in peer-reviewed journals. Crystal enjoys being active with her family, especially her two young boys.