Tennessee ABA – 2025 Chapter Update
By Lindsey Brady
The Tennessee Association for Behavior Analysis (TABA) was established in 1997 and continues to focus on providing quality continuing education opportunities to behavior analysts across the state, supporting various state ABA programs, and ensuring the availability of applied behavior analysis services throughout all three regions. TABA collaborates with BehaviorLive to not only provide the online access to the annual conference and CEUs, but to provide additional free CEU opportunities for members statewide.
Currently, TABA has approximately 502 members. BehaviorLive is the platform utilized for the annual conference and the quarterly CEU opportunities available to members. By providing free, virtual CEUs to our members quarterly, TABA is able to ensure our members continue to value their membership as they are able to access CEUs in the quarters opposite the conference. The annual conference provides a central forum to discuss all aspects of researching, planning, and delivering applied behavior analysis services that address the needs of Behavior Analysts across the state.
The 27th Annual Conference was held virtually using the BehaviorLive platform on October 24th and 25th, 2024. In-person attendance was held at the Music City Center in Nashville with BehaviorLive providing online access and CEU documentation. During this conference, approximately 479 behavior analysts or other professionals attended to hear the following invited speakers: Dr. Janet Twyman presented on Supporting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion with Explicit Instruction; Dr. Jessica Minahan, presented on Practical Strategies to Reduce Anxiety-Related and Challenging Behavioral in the classroom; and Dr. Margo Uwayo presented on America’s Reading Crisis: Recommendations from the Sconce of Behavior. Our poster session also highlighted some of the great research our students are completing statewide.
The conference also continued the tradition of hosting our Behavioralympics which allows ABA students from across the state compete against each other in various games, highlighting skills utilized by BCBAs. Vanderbilt University ABA Students plan this event and ensure that all participants and spectators have a great time.
Our Executive Committee is made up of the following individuals: Lauren Weaver as President, Stephanie Marshall as President-Elect, Nea Houchins-Juarez as past president, Haley Kelso as West TN Regional Representative, Amber Groat as Middle TN Regional Representative, and Amy Jo Schamens as East TN Regional Representative. Our committee chairs include Cady Branch and Michelle Hopton (co-chairs, Continuing Education), Erin Szarka (Publications), Ashton Fisher Media), Clinton Smith and James Meindl (Professional Standards), and Zachary Stevens (Membership), Pablo Juarez and James Meindl (Public Policy Committee co-chairs). Kyla Langford (Volunteer Coordinator), and Lindsey Brady continues as the Director of Operations. Collectively, this group is dedicated to advancing the presence of TABA across the state by finally offering a hybrid conference option, providing engaging opportunities for regional meetings, attempting to reconnect with members in-person as permitted, and working to identify current and possible new benefits for TABA members in the future. TABA is active on Facebook and Instagram.
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