Newsletter
Volume 31| 2008| Number 2
Nevada ABA
By Dr. Ramona Houmanfar
Nevada ABA (NABA) 2007 Conference
NABA held its 2007 conference at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino in Reno on October 18–20. The success of the 2nd NABA conference was a product of the tremendous work and support provided by the NABA Council and the Program Committee. The following is an outline of the NABA 2007 program and the associated discussions and changes that will affect the next two years of program structure.
Our list of keynote speakers and other invited presenters at the NABA 2007 conference included Steve Hayes, Brian Iwata, and Pat Friman and invited presentations by Tony Biglan, Caio Miguel, Jack Marr, Carl Binder, Billy Baum, Bill Abernathy, Greg Strikeleather, Cathy Watkins, Gerry Shook, Kent Johnson, Hayne Reese, Tim Ludwig, Michele Wallace, Martha Pelaez, Dick Malott, Hank Schlinger, and Sam Liegland. A University of Nevada, Reno Behavior Analysis Program Alumni Invited Paper Session featured presentations by Mark Adams, Kimberely Berens, Eric Burkholder, Michael C. Clayton, Deirdre L. Fitzgerald, Fernando Guerrero, Thomas S. Higbee, Adel C. Najdowski, Meeta R. Patel, and Jonathon J. Tarbox. Four workshops, a student poster session and exposition, and a NABA business meeting rounded out the two-day conference.
Ramona Houmanfar (University of Nevada, Reno) was selected by the NABA Council to serve a two-year term as President, and Dr. Mark Alavosius (University of Nevada, Reno) was elected as the next President. Larry Williams (University of Nevada, Reno) will continue for an additional two years as the NABA Secretary and Treasurer, and Carl Cheney (Utah State University) will also continue for an additional two years as the At-Large Representative. Tim Fuller (University of Nevada, Reno) will continue for an additional two years as the NABA Student Representative, and Christy Coffman (University of Nevada, Reno) will serve as the next Student Representative. The NABA Board would like to thank NABA 2007 Committee Chair Linda Hayes for her invaluable leadership, and other members of the Program Committee, Erick Dubuque, Mitch Fryling, Jared Chase, and Jennifer Castellanos, for their outstanding efforts. In addition, we would like to thank Jennifer Castellanos, Editor of NABA Newsletter, for generating the first NABA Newsletter in the February of 2008 and Erick Dubuque for his design and development of the NABA Web site (http://www.unr.edu/psych/behavior/NABA.html).
Membership Report
NABA has four classes of members: Supporting, Full, Student, and Affiliate. NABA presently has over 150 members, with nearly that number attending the 2007 conference. While students constitute a majority of the membership pool (and conference attendees), there is a noticeable growth in the category of full members. The following graph depicts the NABA membership growth during the last four years. The largest increases were in the full and student member categories, with 23 and 29 increased members respectively. Total membership grew 63% from 94 members in 2003 to 153 total members in 2007. This trend is expected to continue as association meetings are held more frequently and NABA gains visibility in Nevada communities.
Figure 3. Types and number of NABA members in 2003 as compared to 2007.
Upcoming Workshop Series Co-Sponsored by Nevada Association for Behavior Analysis (NABA) & Intellectual Disabilities (AAIDD)
NABA will co-sponsor a conference and workshop series with Region II of the American Association on Intellectual and DevelopmentalDisabilities (AAIDD) in October of 2008. This event will be chaired by Robin Williams, Director of Intensive Services in Northern Nevada.
“From the Ivory Tower to the Streets: Research to Practice”
October 27th & 28th, 2008
Grand Sierra Resort Hotel and Casino, Reno, NV
Check out the NABA website at http://www.unr.edu/psych/behavior/NABA.html for more information and updates.