Arkansas ABA

By Alison Karnes

A focus of ArkABA for the last few years has been building our community of behavior analysts across the state of Arkansas. Making behavior analysis and ArkABA events more accessible in the state remained a focus for the organization last year. In 2021, ArkABA celebrated over 30% growth of BCBA/BCBA-D certificants in the State and a 40% increase in membership for our organization.

Another focus of ArkABA for the 2021 was to facilitate continuing education events to members. ArkABA and its Events Committee hosted the Annual Conference: “Shaping Our Community: The Future of ABA,” which provided CEU opportunities for registrants. This year’s conference was hosted virtually due to COVID-19 related considerations. Three additional continuing education events were held throughout the year for members, and one event was held for our student members.

Many members contributed to projects assumed by our committees. The Practitioner Committee hosted two continuing education events. The Marketing and Membership Committee made several strides in the following areas: updated our website; increased our social media presence; and implemented a new merchandise platform. The Student Engagement Committee hosted two events last year and established a new scholarship program for students. The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee also hosted an event last year and established a scholarship program. The Executive Board established committee budgets and began a digital handbook for board members.

Our members have expressed interest in legislative efforts such as state licensure and public policy; therefore, the Legislative and Ethics Committee is focusing its efforts on informing and including our members in state licensure and legislative projects in Arkansas. Our other primary focuses this year include our annual conference event and continuing education opportunities for our members. The Events Committee is planning an in-person conference on November 3–4, 2022. The committee is working to increase accessibility by having a virtual option and to increase attendance by selecting a centralized location for our members who would like to convene in person. Additional details are to be determined.