Georgia ABA

By Kiel Scates

We are proud to continue to support the behavior analytic community in the state of Georgia through an annual conference, social media, and networking as an affiliated chapter of the Association for Behavior Analysis International.

In 2020, we held our 13th annual Georgia ABA (GABA) conference on November 21, 2020, with two preconvention workshops on November 20, 2020. Due to COVID-19 Pandemic, we held the conference virtually in collaboration with BehaviorLive. We had an exceptional lineup of speakers including Chris Podlesnik, Dan Fienup, Jennifer Zarcone, Gina Green, Jason Vladescu, and Matthew Normand. We also had pre-conference workshops from Matthew Broadhead and Mary Jane Weiss. We had over 120 individuals attend the conference, as well as a virtual poster session with 9 presentations. We also hosted our first ever Student Affairs Panel led by GABA student members. By partnering with BehaviorLive to stream our conference, we were able to provide the option to our participants to watch the presentations live or on demand for BACB continuing education credits.

Also in 2020, we continued to expand our membership, update the functionality of our website, and increased our social media presence. In Summer 2020, in collaboration with BehaviorLive we hosted two virtual CEU events with Georgia based presenters. Additionally, we formed an an ad hoc committee related to diversity in behavior analysis in the state. We continue to explore licensure for behavior analysts in the state and in February 2021, the proposed bill was presented to the Regulated Industries Committee of the Georgia House of Representatives. Our draft bill can be found here: www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/59593.

In 2021, we held our 14th annual GABA conference on November 20, 2021, with two preconvention workshops on November 19, 2021. Information about this conference can be found on our website: www.georgia-aba.org.

In Spring 2021, we offered two CEU events focusing on diversity and inclusion in collaboration with BehaviorLive, so members could view the presentations online. We also introduced sponsorship and fundraising opportunities to support GABA’s licensure efforts in the state.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all board members for their hard work and dedication to the organization. This year we welcome back returning board members Colin Muething, Ph.D., BCBA-D; Ginger Sunbom, MS, BCBA; Sherry Serdikoff, Ph.D., BCBA-D; Cassondra Gayman, MS, BCBA; Rachel Yosick Psy-D, BCBA-D; Katie Smith, Ph.D., BCBA-D; Daniel Conine, Ph.D., BCBA-D; and Kiel Scates, M.Ed., BCBA. We also welcome our new board members Ally Bernstein, MS, BCBA; Shannah Bachar MS, BCBA; Maggie Malony Ph.D., BCBA-D; Deva Carrion, Ph.D., BCBA-D; Denice Rios Ph.D., BCBA-D; Gereen Francis, BS, BCaBA.

For more information about GABA, visit our website at www.georgia-aba.org.