John McEachin
President
John McEachin, a psychologist and BCBA-D, has been providing behavioral treatment to individuals with autism for more than 40 years. He received his graduate training under Professor Ivar Lovaas at UCLA on the Young Autism Project. During his 11 years at UCLA, Dr. McEachin served in various roles including Clinic Supervisor, Research and Teaching Assistant, and Acting Director. His research has included the long-term follow-up study of young autistic children who received intensive behavioral treatment, which was published in 1993.
In 1994 he joined with Ron Leaf in forming Autism Partnership, which they co-direct. In 1999 they published A Work in Progress, a widely used behavioral treatment manual and curriculum for children with ASD. Dr. McEachin has lectured throughout the world and co-authored numerous books and research articles. He consults regularly to families, agencies, and school districts nationally and internationally, assisting in the development of treatment programs and providing training to parents, staff, and classroom personnel. Dr. McEachin’s dedication to the advancement of behavioral treatment through research and quality training led to the co-founding of the Autism Partnership Foundation with Dr. Ron Leaf.
Missy Olive
Vice President
Melissa Olive, Ph.D., BCBA-D, is the Chief Clinical Officer of Cultivate Behavioral Health and Education. Cultivate acquired Applied Behavioral Strategies that Missy founded and directed from 2010 until 2020. Prior to working in the ABA space, Missy spent 9 years conducting research and training special education teachers and behavior analysts at the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Nevada, Reno.
Missy currently serves as a Guest Reviewer for the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders and the Review Journal on Autism and Developmental Disorders. She also served on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Early Intervention for 8 years, Topics in Early Childhood Special Education for 10 years, and Young Exceptional Children for 12 years.
Missy has published over 30 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters focusing on assessment and treatment of challenging behaviors, communication intervention, feeding disorders, and ethical issues for behavior analysts.
Missy currently serves on the CTABA Board of Directors and Chairs the CTABA Public Policy and Legislative Outreach Committee (PPLO). She previously served as a Member at Large on the Executive Council for CTABA. Missy previously served on the Executive Board as a Member at Large for the Division of Early Childhood, a sub-division of the Council for Exceptional Children. Missy also served as President of the Texas Council for Exceptional Children.
Her current research interest lies in assessment and treatment of feeding disorders, assessment and treatment of severe challenging behavior, ethical issues in the delivery of ABA services, and ABA services in school settings.
Amy Gravino
Member-at-Large
Amy Gravino, M.A., is an autism sexuality advocate and Relationship Coach in the Center for Adult Autism Services at Rutgers University. She is also the President of A.S.C.O.T Consulting, which offers autism consulting, college coaching, and mentoring services for organizations, schools, individuals on the autism spectrum, and their families. Amy is an international speaker who has given TED talks, spoken twice at the United Nations for World Autism Awareness Day, and presented worldwide to audiences on a variety of topics related to autism, with a dedicated special focus and research on the subject of autism and sexuality. Ms. Gravino obtained her Masters degree in Applied Behavior Analysis from Caldwell University in 2010 and currently serves on the Boards of Directors of Specialisterne USA, Yes She Can, Inc. and the Golden Door International Film Festival of Jersey City, as well as the Scientific Advisory Board of Simons Foundation Powering Autism Research (SPARK). She is an award-winning writer whose work has been featured in Spectrum, the leading online news source for autism research, Reader’s Digest, special education textbooks, and other outlets. Visit www.amygravino.com to learn more.
Malika Pritchett
Member-at-Large
Dr. Malika Pritchett is an Assistant Professor of Practice in the Department of Applied Behavioral Science at the University of Kansas. Dr. Pritchett received an AS degree from Collin College, a BS in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Texas Woman’s University, a MS in Behavior Analysis from the University of North Texas, and a PhD in Health Services Research with a concentration in Behavior Analysis from the University of North Texas. Dr. Pritchett’s research interests include research ethics, human rights, community-based participatory research, youth violence prevention, and positive behavior supports. Her research investigates oppressive, colonial research practices in the science of applied behavior analysis and the impact these practices have on establishing and perpetuating researcher-participant power imbalances. Dr. Pritchett utilizes a behavioral systems science approach, such as ecobehavioral analyses and interventions, to inform collaborative policies, strategies, and research practices that are interwoven with a commitment to social justice, including racial justice. Dr. Pritchett is a licensed and board certified behavior analyst, her clinical experience spans various human services sectors including private practice, residential institutions, nursing facilities, municipalities, public schools, colleges, and universities.
Robert Ross
Member-at-Large
Dr. Bob Ross is the Senior Vice President of Curriculum and Research at Behavioral Education Assessment and Consultation Inc. (BEACON Services of Massachusetts and BEACON of Connecticut). BEACON Services provides intensive behavioral educational services to children diagnosed with PDD/autism and behavioral and learning challenges. Dr. Ross received his doctorate in educational leadership from Nova Southeastern University and his master’s in applied behavior analysis from Northeastern University. Dr. Ross is the co-director of the BCBA certification programs at Cambridge College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth. In addition to his teaching and research roles at BEACON, Dr. Ross consults with programs and works directly with individuals diagnosed with autism as part of his caseload responsibilities at BEACON. He has presented more than 100 applied research poster presentations, workshops, and symposia at ABAI conferences and authored articles on topics such as instructional practices in autism treatment, activity schedules, and application of ABA beyond autism treatment
Rachel Taylor
Member-at-Large
Dr. Rachel Taylor (formerly Dr. Tarbox) has supported individuals diagnosed with neurodevelopmental disorders for more than 25 years. Dr. Taylor started her career working for several prestigious organizations including the New England Center for Children and the Kennedy Krieger Institute. She is the former Co-Director of Research and Development for CARD and the Founder and Director of CARDs Specialized Outpatient Services. In 2008, Dr. Taylor was the founding ABA Department Chair at The Chicago School Los Angeles and has also held faculty positions at California State University Los Angeles and Channel Islands. She has published numerous peer reviewed articles and book chapters, is a previous member of the Executive Council for ABAI and was the 2020 CalABA Conference Chair. Dr. Taylor also serves as a member of the Scientific Council for the Organization for Autism Research (OAR) and as a Board member for The Council for Autism Service Providers (CASP). She is the founder and former CEO for the Center for Applied Behavior Analysis (CABA), a behavioral health organization that provides ABA-based services across a wide range of service settings, diagnoses, ages, and levels of severity. Her current areas of focus include 1) protecting against a potential divide between science and practice and 2) supporting ABA practitioners to maximize desired outcomes and minimize risk.
Shahla Ala’i Rosales
Member-at-Large
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, APBA Board, the advisory board for ASAI and an Associate Editor for Behavior Analysis in Practice. 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).