Illinois Association for Behavior Analysis

By Natalia Baires

The Illinois Association for Behavior Analysis (ILABA) is an organization that strives to serve Illinois behavior analysts and their consumers through education and advocacy for the science and practice of behavior analysis. In alignment with the organizational values of curating an inclusive community, providing service and support, promoting learning, and embracing openness, ILABA encourages collaboration among behavior analysts in Illinois; fosters relations between practices and universities in Illinois; and maintains behavior analysts informed about licensure and certification, changes to insurance provision, continuing education opportunities, and public policy.

In 2024, the Board of Directors included Dr. Natalia Baires (president), Zhihui Yi (president-elect), Kelly Russell (secretary), Bridget Muñoz (communications coordinator), Marla Root (treasurer), Stephanie Howard (conference coordinator), Melinda Miller (past conference coordinator), Jasmine Dettmering (member at large; chair of legislative affairs), Ruchi Sharma (member at large; chair of the diversity, equity, and inclusion committee), Manish Goyal (member at large; chair of practitioner affairs), Dr. Lesley Shawler (member at large; chair of academic affairs), and Catrina Barber (student representative).

During the previous year, ILABA hosted an exhibitor table at the 74th Annual State Fall Convention for the Council for Exceptional Children, which is a professional association of educators dedicated to advancing the success of children with exceptionalities. Moreover, ILABA engaged in numerous efforts towards pursuing licensure in Illinois (a history of ILABA’s legislative efforts can be read here). ILABA also released a board position statement on the Middle East and North East Central African Conflict.

To prepare for our first hybrid annual conference, which was held on April 4–5, 2024 in Naperville, IL, ILABA formed a conference workgroup, which created a space for ILABA members to network with one another and lead various initiatives related to conference planning. Finally, ILABA created a new Instagram page (@ILABAofficial), which frequently posts updates from the organization.
To become an ILABA member, interested parties can become a Full member (must hold a minimum of a master’s degree in psychology, behavior analysis, or a related discipline), Student/Technician member (must be 1] currently enrolled in a college degree program or in a post-graduate training program in behavior analysis or a related discipline and/or 2] working full or part time in the delivery of behavior analytic services under the supervision of a behavior analyst), or Affiliate member (i.e., individuals who do not qualify as Full or Student/Technician Member) by visiting the ILABA website.
Finally, there are several ways to connect with ILABA including the ILABA website, ILABA Facebook page, ILABA Instagram, ILABA LinkedIn, and by emailing the ILABA President.