Kansas ABA – 2025 Annual Report – Inside Behavior Analysis

By Allyson Bell

KansABA’s mission is to (a) advance the science and practice of behavior analysis, as well as its education and training; (b) address issues relevant to the science, practice, education, and training in behavior analysis; (c) maintain disciplinary, professional, and ethical standards in the science, practice, education, and training in behavior analysis; and (d) recruit and enhance interest in behavior analysis throughout the State of Kansas and the Kansas City metropolitan area — Clay, Jackson, and Platte counties.

Governance

KansABA is governed by an Executive Council that consists of a president: Allyson Bell; a full member representative: Marren Leon-Barajas (outgoing) Holly Creamer (incoming); an adjunct representative: Molly Noon (incoming), and a student representative: Lauratu Bah. With our updated by-laws incorporating a new council position to represent stakeholders and the collective has elected: Mike Wasmer (incoming). The Council is assisted by a secretary: Bre Roberts; and a treasurer: Brittany Mitchelson Vaughn (outgoing); Kimberly Becker (incoming).

In addition, KansABA has a Legislative Affairs Committee: Kimberly Becked, co-chair with Mike Wasmer; Legislative Liaison along with Karen Fry; an IT Committee: Bryan Simmons, chair; IT; a Professional Development committee: Megan Schmidt, chair; and a historian: Ed Morris.

KansABA will hold nominations beginning at the annual conference and ending May 1 for the following positions: President-Elect; Secretary-Elect; Student Representative; and IT-Chair.

Finally, KansABA would like to thank the following individuals who finished their terms of service in 2024: Christie Steihl (co-chair of Professional Development); Kelley Harrison (President) and Stasha Leslie (Secretary). Throughout each of these individuals’ tenure, they have been a guiding force, not only in organizing exceptional professional development opportunities, but in creating an environment where collaboration and innovation were not only encouraged, but mandated. Each of their contributions to the organization will remain a legacy in the KansABA organization.

Membership

In an effort to expand membership across the state of Kansas and better support professionals in all regions, KansABA Executive Council and leadership have voted and made the decision to offer free membership moving forward. This change is aimed at addressing the isolation experienced by rural providers and increase our membership reach to those who may face financial barriers in accessing local professional development opportunities and networking. By eliminating the membership fee, KansABA hopes to build a stronger sense of community among providers statewide, ensuring that individuals in rural areas have equal access to resources, support, and opportunities for collaboration. The annual conference will continue to be offered as a separate fee to maintain the quality and scale of the event, while the only other cost throughout the year will be for additional CEU offerings. The annual conference will continue to include a Career and Education Fair, snacks and drinks throughout the conference, lunch, and an evening reception. This approach allows KansABA to remain financially sustainable while ensuring that professionals across Kansas and the Kansas City Metropolitan area have access to high-quality development without the burden of an annual membership fee.

Conferences & Workshops

In 2024, we hosted our annual conference in a hybrid format. Our conference’s theme was “Organization Behavior Management in Applied Settings.” Featured presenters included Dr. Anita Li, “Assessing and Pinpointing Burnout and Considerations for Organizations”; Mandy Ralston, “Clinical Decision Support Systems: Technology as a Solution to the Crisis of Mentorship, Balanced Caseloads, and Outcomes”; Dr. Marlesha Bell, “Culturally Responsive Mentorship & Supervision: A Faculty & Student Perspective”; and Dr. Doug Johnson “Leadership to Build a Training System” as the Keynote Speaker. These four speakers additionally held a Panel Discussion at the end of the conference allowing members to submit questions based on their presentation or other OBM topics related to practice.

KansABA also held a business meeting, which has been renamed to a Town Hall to increase attendance by the general membership and a student poster session during the annual conference. Finally, KansABA presented two awards at the annual conference: KansABA Distinguished Service Award to Stache Leslie for her consistent and outstanding contributions to the KansABA organization since 2021 and the 2024 Outstanding Contributions to Behavior Analysis in Kansas to Kelley Harrison, President of Kansas, who served in some role within the organization from 2013 to 2024.

In 2024, KansABA hosted one virtual Lunch and Learn partnered with the Behavior Analyst Regulatory Board (BSRB) by David Fye, Executive Director. This session provided valuable updates on LBA and LaBA licensure and other important topics from the BSRB.

As part of KansABA’s budget review process, it was determined that attendance at mini conferences did not support their continued implementation in the upcoming year. Evaluation of current membership needs and feedback have shown that resources allocated to these events could be better utilized in other areas to provide more impactful opportunities for our membership. This decision reflects KansABA’s commitment to adapting to the needs of the community, ensuring that our efforts are focused on those that offer the greatest benefit to all members. Moving forward, KansABA will continue to evaluate the best ways to meet professional development needs and ensure that our members have access to valuable resources and experiences.

Special Interest Groups

KansABA’s members have a range of interests in teaching, research, service, and practice. To support them, KansABA encourages the development of special interest groups (SIGs). In this, KansABA will (a) assist them with recruitment, promotion, and dissemination; (b) publish SIG news and announcements on the KansABA website and in its conference program; (c) host SIG business meetings at the KansABA conferences; (d) co-sponsor continuing education events; and (e) maintain links between the SIGs and KansABA’s websites.

KansABA has previously had one SIG named “Behaviorists for Social Responsibility” (BFSR). Their mission was to promote and advance the application of the science of behavior to address social issues, particularly those with social justice, human rights, and environmental implications. This SIG has been paused due to challenges in maintaining consistent engagement. While this SIG’s mission to apply behavior science to social justice, human rights, and environmental issues remains important, especially in recent history, the decision to pause was made due to engagement. KansABA is committed to the professional development, advocacy, and meaningful connections these groups create, and will continue working with any applicable SIG that has adequate engagement.

Legislation and Licensure

Our Legislation Committee, with collaboration of the Kansas Grassroots Group, continues to monitor and inform KansABA members of matters related to the implementation of behavior analysis, licensure requirements, and related information. Over the last year, and more specifically the last two months, there has been ongoing monitoring of Federal Health Defense and ensuring access to medicaid for consumers. Together, these teams are identifying ways to better reach and support individuals across the state of Kansas. Their current initiatives include identifying and disseminating resources to help practitioners secure funding for services in the state of Kansas, bringing practitioners from across the state (and especially in rural areas) together for networking and support opportunities, and in the future, the committee hopes to recruit the services of lobbyists to increase funding opportunities for individuals with diagnoses other than autism and for adults with disabilities.

Positional Descriptions and Bylaws

As part of our efforts to strengthen KansABA’s presence in the community, as well as to ensure continued growth, KansABA is updating our bylaws to enhance clarity and consistency across all positions within the organization. These updates will be voted on by our membership, but include provisions to ensure a quorum at each meeting, clarity on each position and specific descriptions for each leadership role, as well as establishing clearer procedures and policies around our annual conference and beyond. These changes are particularly important as KansABA continues to grow, specifically in light of turnover in our position terms every 2-3 years.

Initiatives in 2024-2025

KansABA is committed to growing as a professional organization and becoming an even more valuable resource for behavior analysts across Kansas. As we transition from being an unofficial extension of the University of Kansas to an independent organization, our focus is on increasing membership and enhancing the overall experience for our members. This year, we have several key initiatives aimed at prioritizing engagement of new members, providing clarity on volunteer roles, and ensuring that all members feel represented and supported. These initiatives include: (1) increasing membership across the state by reducing the cost as a barrier, (2) recruiting diverse volunteers to expand representation on the council in our open positions, and (3) having the membership vote to approve updated bylaws and position descriptions that have been worked on over the past year by the council. KansABA aims to create a stronger, more engaged community while continuing to build capacity in a way that represents the needs of everyone involved in the behavior analytic field in the state of Kansas.