Greetings from the President of SABA

By Kent Johnson

In my third year as president, I will focus on our not-for-profit arm, SABA. ABAI and SABA. Do you know the difference? No worries if you do not; lots of our members are unclear. All members know about ABAI—the Association for Behavior Analysis International. Many register to attend the annual convention hosted by ABAI. And many of us attend other ABAI-hosted conferences such as the annual autism conference, the bi-annual international conference, and our occasional Theory and Philosophy, Education, and single-case experimental design conferences (the latter is new this year!). Many of us also subscribe to ABAI journals and purchase books that ABAI has published.

But SABA? SABA is the Society for the Advancement of Behavior Analysis, a not-for-profit corporation. As such, it is exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue code, and is the tax-deductible mechanism for individuals and agencies to contribute money to behavior analysis. SABA funds important projects and provides funds to graduate students for attending our annual convention and conducting their research. Over almost five decades, SABA has sponsored 266 research, development, and dissemination projects through competitive grant programs, and has supported 2,440 graduate students to attend our ABAI convention. Let me describe our SABA awards and projects in more detail.

2025 SABA Awards

My favorite convention event each year is the opening one: the SABA Awards Ceremony. Here we recognize those who have significantly contributed to different aspects of behavior analysis. I love this event because I learn about so many different areas of behavior analysis that I don’t encounter in my daily work.

In 2025, we awarded:

Michael Perone, from West Virginia University, for his Distinguished Service to Behavior Analysis. Mike has been President of ABAI and SABA twice, chair of SABA’s first capital campaign, coordinator of the Accreditation Board, chair of our task force on contingent electric shock, and delegate to the organization that focuses on animal care—the AAALAC International. Mike’s superb leadership in so many aspects of ABAI and SABA functioning can’t be beat. And his humor provides icing on the cake!

Timothy Hackenberg, from Reed College, for Scientific Translation of Behavior Analysis. Tim’s research has always been oriented to a broad understanding of behavior analysis, from cross-species continuity to applied applications of basic research.

Julio de Rose, from the Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos, Brazil, for International Dissemination of Behavior Analysis.

Julio founded the Brazilian National Institute of Science and Technology on Behavior, a fantastic network of research and application.

Alexandra Kurland, from The Clicker Center, for Effective Presentation of Behavior Analysis in the Mass Media. Her work includes podcasts, manuals, DVDs and books, all about training and caring for horses.

Carlos de Jesus, Torres, for Enduring Programmatic Contributions to Behavior Analysis. Carlos hails from the Center for Behavioral Studies and Research at the University of Guadalajara.His research and practice span a wide variety of areas including health psychology, temporal control of behavior, analysis of linguistic behavior, stimulus discrimination, and methodological strategies.

Grants to Students

Our grants to students are our most important contributions. They also provide significant returns in maintaining our membership.

Master’s Thesis Research Grants: Up to $2,500

Congratulations to Nicole Markofski (Effects of Gradual and Blocked Context Fading on Operant Renewal in Humans – $2,500)!

Doctoral Dissertation Research Grants: Up to $5,000

Congratulations to Matias Avellaneda (Unveiling the Mechanisms of Choice Between Multiple Alternatives – $3,164), Jonah Bann (A Component Analysis of Evocative and Reinforcing Variables in the Assessment of Challenging Behavior – $4,991), Sergio Ramos (Behavioral Chains and Self-Control: Investigating the Role of Schedule-Induced Behaviors in a Delay Discounting Task Under THC Chronic Exposure – $4,870), and Maribel Rodriguez Perez (Using Hypothetical Purchase Tasks to Evaluate and Reduce the Reinforcing Value of Meat – $5,000)!

Senior Student Presenter Grants (registration waivers)

Congratulations to all recipients! (see page XX)[HT1] (list names and topics and amounts)!

Research Grants in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Congratulations to Amanda Chastain (Equivalence Class Formation and Attitudes Towards Neurodevelopmental Disabilities – $5,000)!

Micro-credentials Development Grant

We award up to $10,000 for developing a micro-credential. A micro-credential as an award based on a short, verifiable presentation, that demonstrates mastery of a specific, observable and measurable skill. An individual with a micro-credential can demonstrate competent, mastery-level performance of its corresponding skill—on demand. Congratulations to the following recipients of this year’s micro-credential development grants:

Ray Joslyn, West Virginia University, for The Good Behavior Game: Basic Implementation ($10,000)

Catherine Williams, University of North Carolina Wilmington, for Applied Learning Sciences: Categorizing Types of Learning to Facilitate the Design of Instruction ($9,417)

Odessa Luna, Eunju Choi, Michele Traub, St. Could State University, for Collecting Data and Remediating BCBA Trainee’s Interpersonal Skills During Professional Interactions ($9,193)

International Development Grant

These grants are for projects that promote behavior analysis internationally. We have awarded grants from more than 25 countries around the world. Three were awarded this year. Congratulations to Alejandro Leon, Corina Jimenez, and Varsovia Hernandez (Advancing Behavior Analysis: Strengthening Behavior Analysis Within a Biomedical Program in Mexico – $5,000); Yors Garcia and José Julio Carnerero (Building Resilience and Reducing Burnout: A Behavior-Analytic Intervention for Latin American Practitioners – $5,000); and Gabrielle Torres (Providing IBT Course Content to Increase Delivery of High Quality Courses in Nations With Limited Access to Behavior Analysis – $4,760)!

Public Awareness Grant

These grants of up to $10,000 fund projects that introduce and promote the science of behavior to the general public. Congratulations to Rebecca Barall, Thurka Thillainathan, and Chris M. Schaub (Applied Behavior Analysis for Neurorehabilitation: A Website to Disseminate Accurate Information and Resources – $4,900); Dena Kelly (Public Awareness Campaign for Pediatricians on Behavior Analytic Solutions for Feeding Disorders – $4,500); Susannah Poe (Spreading the Message Campaign – $5,000); and Pham Tuyen (The Importance of Parent Education on ABA for Autism Spectrum Disorder – $5,000)!

Sidney W. and Janet R. Bijou Grant

The Bijou’s endowed SABA with money to fund basic and applied research in child development from a behavior analytic perspective. SABA funds up to $12,000 for each award. Congratulations to Taylor Lewis (Assessing and Guiding Visual Attending by Early Learners During Picture Book Reading – $12,000)!

Our ABAI and SABA partnership constitutes the most comprehensive international organization for behavior analysis. I encourage you to provide a gift to SABA for a project or student fund that I have just described. Or you can donate to SABA’s unrestricted fund to allow us to distribute your contribution where needed. You can also include SABA in your estate planning. SABA recently launched a Giving Day initiative that many not-for-profit organizations have established. Our next Giving Day is December 2, 2025.

Thanks for your contributions. They are essential for behavior analysis to survive and thrive!