Iowa ABA

By Sean Saito

The Iowa Association for Behavior Analysis annual member’s meeting was held in-person at Stoney Creek Inn, Johnston IA, on Friday, October 13th in conjunction with the 11th annual conference. There were a number of newly elected board members. Sara Jeglum was elected president-elect (3-year term), Meghan Faria was elected secretary (2-year term), Autumn McKeel was elected Member At-Large (2-year term), and Amanda Weaver elected as Student Member.

In 2023, Iowa ABA offered 14 CEUs to members through conference and workshop opportunities. In the summer of 2023, a 4-hour supervision workshop was held for members. Dr. Elizabeth Hughes Fong was invited to present (virtually) which included supervision CEUs on the topic of Supervision and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. In the fall of 2023, Iowa ABA held a pre-conference workshop offering four CEUs led by Dr. Kelly Vinquist from The University of Iowa on Interdisciplinary Teams and the Use of Applied Behavior Analysts within a Hospital Setting. At our annual conference, six CEUs were offered and presenters included Dr. Kelly Vinquist, Dr. Janelle Ausenhus, Dr. Nicole Hendrix, and Dr. Rocco Catrone. Monetary support for the conference was provided by local, state, and regional organizations with an interest in behavior analysis. Presentation topics varied and were shared with a total of 80 conference attendees.

The 12th annual conference is currently being planned and is scheduled for October 11th, 2024 at the State Historical Museum of Iowa.

The board conducts open meetings on the second Thursday of each quarter and invites members to participate in meetings and on committees.

The Legislative Action Committee continues to advocate for increased funding for ABA services through funders such as Hawki insurance. In 2023, the committee worked to eliminate caps on age and dollar amounts, supported mental health worker repayment programs, and advocating for another master’s degree and certification program in Iowa.

The membership and publications committee have combined this past year with the goal of working towards finding ways to increase membership of licensed behavior analysts in the state. One of the main efforts was increased social media presence and improved communication to current membership. Our membership and publications committee also proposed options for a new Iowa ABA logo which was voted on and accepted by current board members.

According to the BACB, there are 226 BCBAs, 3 BCaBAs, and 18 BCBA-Ds currently listed as active in the state of Iowa. Iowa ABA currently has 75 members which is shy of 33% of the licensed behavior analysts in the state.