Dr. Mirela Cengher, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Mirela Cengher, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in Psychology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral Level and a licensed behavior analyst in the state of Maryland. Dr. Cengher first became interested in behavior analysis when she began working with children with developmental disabilities as an undergraduate student in Romania. She then moved to the United States to pursue graduate training in behavior analysis. Dr. Cengher received her doctorate in Psychology from The Graduate Center, City University of New York, and completed her Postdoctoral Fellowship at Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Cengher has over 15 years of research and clinical experience with individuals with developmental disabilities. Her primary research interest is at the intersection of verbal behavior and stimulus control—specifically, in her research, she evaluates variables that affect the acquisition of verbal behavior and the development of emergent relations. One of the main lines of research in Dr. Cengher’s lab is the acquisition of foreign languages in children from bilingual households. Dr. Cengher serves as a (guest) Associate Editor and as an editorial board member for several scientific journals (e.g., Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, Behavior Analysis in Practice).
Dr. Kimberly Schreck, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Kimberly Anne Schreck, Ph.D., BCBA-D is a Professor at Penn State Harrisburg, where she assisted in creating the Master’s in Applied Behavior Analysis program. She directed the ABA Master’s for the majority of the program’s existence. Dr. Schreck has worked in the field of Psychology and ABA for over 30 years, with 23 years as a faculty member. She received her Ph.D. in Psychology (specializing in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities) from the Ohio State University. Dr. Schreck completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Pediatric Psychology at Columbus Children’s Hospital (now Nationwide Children’s Hospital) with co-appointments with the Heinzerling Memorial Foundation, the Heinzerling Developmental Center, and the Ohio State University. Dr. Schreck’s clinical and research interests include ethical practices and evidence-based treatments, autism and related issues (e.g., sleep), intellectual and developmental disabilities (e.g., MPS-IIIA), interventions for skill acquisition, and children’s behavior issues. She is a regular reviewer of scientific manuscripts, a member of journal editorial boards, reviewer for national and international dissertations, and a grant reviewer. She has served in a variety of professional service positions including Associate Editor of Behavioral Interventions, member of the Penn ABA Executive Council, grant consultant, member of human research review and human rights committees for various organizations, and a senior research mentor for multiple professionals.
Dr. Jonathan Ivy, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Jonathan W. Ivy, PhD, BCBA-D, is an associate professor of psychology at Penn State Harrisburg. Dr. Ivy received his doctorate in applied behavior analysis and special education from the Ohio State University in 2011 and a master's degree in applied behavior analysis from The Pennsylvania State University in 2005. He has worked with individuals who engage in severe challenging behaviors, at the group and individual level, for nearly two decades. He has helped parents and professionals develop and implement comprehensive behavior change programs designed to increase functional skills and decrease challenging behaviors. He has served as a consultant for school districts, youth residential programs, behavioral health agencies, and partial hospitalization programs to address a wide range of needs. Dr. Ivy regularly gives professional presentations at national conferences and has an active research agenda with multiple publications in peer-reviewed journals. His areas of interest include complex systems of reinforcement (e.g., token economies), group-oriented contingencies, innovative interventions to teach functional skills or treat problem behavior, and teaching behavior analysis. Dr. Ivy also enjoys following the research interests of his students.
Dr. Tracy Kettering, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Tracy Kettering is the Senior Director of the ABA Center of Excellence at Bancroft in Southern NJ. A doctoral board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA-D), she is also an adjunct professor and research advisor in the Applied Psychology program at Rider University. Dr. Kettering earned her doctoral degree in special education and behavior analysis from The Ohio State University. Dr. Kettering has extensive clinical experience and expertise in the areas of functional assessment and treatment planning as well as skill development in individuals with autism and other neurologic impairments. Her research interests include functional analysis and function-based interventions for severe problem behavior, teaching and supervising functional assessment skills in aspiring clinicians, and underlying health concerns in individuals with autism.
Dr. Kettering has presented at regional and national conferences in applied behavior analysis, and has published research in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, the Journal of Experimental Analysis of Behavior, Behavioral Interventions, and The Analysis of Verbal Behavior. She also serves on the inaugural board of ABAI’s Challenging Behavior special interest group, co-chairs the Client Outcomes special interest group for the Council of Autism Service Providers, and currently participates on a workgroup to develop outcome standards for the Autism Commission on Quality.
Dr. Rick Kubina, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Dr. Rick Kubina is a professor of special education at The Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Kubina teaches classes on reading, single-case experimental design, and educational assessment. His research explores the intersection between learning, science, and technology. Dr. Kubina has studied explicit instruction, Precision Teaching, video modeling, and robotics. He was also the co-founder of a tech company called Chartlytics. Chartlytics merged with CentralReach, where Dr. Kubina now serves as the director of research. He was the past Editor of the Journal of Precision Teaching & Celeration. Dr. Kubina works with school districts and health care and technology professionals using Precision Teaching, effective practice methods, digitization of behavioral health processes, and measurably superior learning programs.
Dr. Jason Vladescu, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Jason C. Vladescu, Ph.D., BCBA-D, NCSP is a Founding Partner at The Capstone Center and Professor in the Department of Applied Behavior Analysis at Caldwell University. Jason completed his pre-doctoral internship and post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Munroe-Meyer Institute. He is the co-author of the book Statistics for Applied Behavior Analysis Practitioners and Researchers and has published 85+ peer-reviewed articles and book chapters spanning his research interests in early behavioral intervention for children with autism spectrum and related disorders, increasing the efficiency of academic instruction, staff and caregiver training, equivalence-class formation, and mainstream applications of behavior analysis. Jason is on the Science Board of the Association for Behavior Analysis International, the President-Elect of the New Jersey Association for Behavior Analysis, and is a current or former Associate Editor for Behavior Analysis in Practice and the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. He currently or previously served on the editorial board for Behavior Analysis: Research and Practice, Behavioral Interventions, The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, The Psychological Record, School Psychology, Behavioral Development, and the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. He was the 2020 recipient of the APA (Division 25) New Applied Researcher Award. In his personal time, Jason enjoys traveling, reading biographies and science fiction, is an avid pickleball player, and a pizza aficionado.
Dr. Ji Young Kim, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Dr. Ji Young Kim is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Penn State Harrisburg and a doctoral-level Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Dr. Kim earned her Ph.D. and M.A. in Applied Behavior Analysis at Teachers College, Columbia University, and her B.A. in Psychology at Barnard College, Columbia University. Dr. Kim worked as a full-time teacher in an inclusion classroom at a public school and has over 5 years of experience in K-5 education working with individuals with and without disabilities and their families. She has published in peer-reviewed journals, and her work has been recognized through numerous awards and grants including the APA Division 25 SEAB Applied Behavior Analysis Dissertation Award, NYSABA research award for two consecutive years, and the SABA Sidney W. and Janet R. Bijou Grant.
Dr. Kim is interested in understanding decision-making and developing effective procedures to enhance learning for individuals with and without developmental disabilities. Her research focuses on the application of behavioral economics concepts to education and other socially significant behaviors. Dr. Kim is also passionate about exploring the intersection between verbal behavior and decision-making behavior.
