SABA: Building a Brighter Future for All

A Letter from the SABA President

By Chris Newland

Members of ABAI are well aware of the many things that the organization does, including the annual meeting,
the annual autism conference, the 2024 Theory and Philosophy Conference, the biannual international conference, and the yet-tobe-announced conference on improving single-case experimental designs (stay tuned). There are also the ABAI journals and book series and many other activities of the organization.

Less well known is ABAI’s sibling organization, the Society for the Advancement of Behavior Analysis
(SABA), established to offer financial support for behavior analysts and to provide a mechanism for individuals and organizations to donate. SABA has grown enormously in its scope and its ambitions since its beginnings over 40 years ago. Here, I am proud to describe SABA’s efforts over the past year.

Recognition of Behavior Analysts

If you went to the annual meeting in Philadelphia, PA, you may have gone to one of its most exciting and well attended events. The annual SABA Awards Ceremony may also be SABA’s most public activity. Here, we recognize those who have contributed significantly to all aspects of behavior analysis.

In 2024, we celebrated:

Dr. Jay Moore (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee) for his receipt of the Distinguished Service to Behavior Analysis award. He spoke on “The Importance of Contingencies” as his received his award.

Dr. Jomella Thompson (University of Kansas) for her receipt of the Scientific Translation award. Unfortunately, Dr. Thompson was unable to attend but had planned to speak on “The Uncommitted: A Behavioral-Community Approach to Advance Collaborative Action.”

Dr. Dermot Barnes-Holmes for his receipt of the International Dissemination award. His talk was titled “Stronger Together: Fostering Cooperation and Collaboration Inside Behavior Analysis.”

Dr. Stuart Vyse for his receipt of the Effective Presentation of Behavior Analysis in the Mass Media award. He spoke on “The Happy Accidents of a Writer’s Life.”

Teachers College at Columbia University (received by Dr. Doug Greer and Dr. Jessica Singer-Dudek) for its receipt of the Enduring Programmatic Contributions award.

Support for Students SABA‘s Innovative Student Research Grants may be its most important activity and is certainly the one with the longest reach. Early recipients of these grants have advanced to fruitful careers within behavior analysis and in adjacent disciplines. Many have also given back to behavior analysis by donating to SABA as their career evolved. The student awards include grants of up to $5,000 for dissertations and up to $2,500 for master’s theses in basic, translational, and applied behavior analysis. The recipients of the 2024 Innovative Student Research Grant awardees are:

Master’s Thesis:
Daniel Da Silva
Omar Elwasli
Katherine Garland
Connor Lambert
Kyleigh Montague
Janae’ Pendergrass

Doctoral Dissertation:
Haylee Downey
Williams Espericueta Luna
Alexandra (Lexi) Knerr
Fernando Molines
Paige O’Neill
Marlon Palomino
Mallory Udell

The generous Sidney W. and Janet R. Bijou Grant awards up to $12,000 for basic and translational research in
behavioral development. It supports research that informs us about the intersection between development and behavior analysis. The recipient of the 2024 Bijou Grant is Toni Rose Agana.

SABA supports students in other ways as well. For example, students presenting at the annual meeting can apply for the Senior Student Presenter Grant to waive their registration at the annual meeting. The Innovative Student Research Grant in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion supports graduate-level study relevant to DEI in behavior analysis.

Promoting Behavior Analysis
SABA provides modest funding for the promotion of behavior analysts’ efforts to promote the discipline. These
include the International Development Grant to increase opportunities for individuals and organizations to develop
and disseminate behavior analysis internationally, the Public Awareness Grant to support projects designed
to deliver messaging on behavior science and behavior analytic solutions to important problems, and the new
Microcredentials in Behavior Analysis Grant to assist people interested in developing a microcredential.

Giving Back
These awards and funding mechanisms supported by donations made to SABA funds. Without the donations,
all that outreach could not occur. SABA has benefited from large donations as well as a large number of more
modest donations. These all add up! Many of the funding mechanisms listed above have special funds established
to maintain them. Or, you may donate to the unrestricted fund, used to meet the many needs that predictably arise,
even if the specific need is difficult to anticipate.

SABA recently started its Giving Day initiative. This follows in a tradition that many US nonprofit organizations have initiated so people can donate toward the end of the tax year. The next Giving Day is December 3, 2024. Be on the lookout for more information about this. You might like to set up a matching fund to match donations made by others!

Finally, you may join those who have donated to the Capital Campaign when it comes around again.

Final Words
Together, ABAI and SABA comprise the most comprehensive behavior analytic organization on the international stage. ABAI supports scholarly efforts, including journals, annual meetings, issues related to science and practice, and education of future behavior analysts. SABA is the organization though which you can apply for and offer financial support for behavior analytic efforts.