President: Robert K. Ross Ed.D., BCBA-D

Dr. Ross is the Senior Vice President of Curriculum and Research at Behavioral Education Assessment and Consultation Inc. (BEACON Services of Massachusetts and BEACON of Connecticut). BEACON Services provides intensive behavioral educational services to children diagnosed with PDD/Autism and behavioral and learning challenges. Dr. Ross recieved his Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University, and his Masters in Applied Behavior Analysis from Northeastern Univeristy. Dr. Ross is the Co-Director of the BCBA certification programs at Cambridge College in Cambridge Massachusetts and the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth. In addition to his teachng and research roles at BEACON, Dr. Ross consults to programs and works directly with individuals with autism and Aspergers Syndrome as part of his caseload responsibilities at BEACON.  He has presented over 100 applied research poster presentations, workshops, and symposia at ABAI conferencers and authored articles on topics such as instructional practices in autism treatment, activitiy schedules and application of ABA beyond autism treatment. Dr. Ross also serves as a member of the ABAI Practice Board and the Treasurer for the Massachusetts Association for Behavior Analysis. Dr. Ross currently serves as the Chair of the Empirically Supported Treatments (EST) Committee of the ABAI Practice Board.

President-elect: John Molteni,  Ph.D., BCBA-D

Past President: Lori Bechner, M.S. BCBA

Ms. Lori Bechner received a Master’s degree in clinical psychology (with a specialization in behavior analysis) from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in 1999, and is currently enrolled in the doctoral program in Applied Behavior Analysis at Caldwell College.  She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.  Ms. Bechner is Program Manager at the Autism Center at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ).  Prior to her role at UMDNJ, she served as Clinical Director at a private school program serving individuals with autism for five years.  She has worked with children with autism and related disorders in home and school settings, and has provided clinical consultation to school districts in New Jersey, New York, and Massachusetts.  She is also an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at Caldwell College.  Ms. Bechner has been active in local and national professional organizations.  She is Past President of the New Jersey Association for Behavior Analysis (NJABA), and she coordinates the Clinical Corner section of the newsletter and website for the Association for Science in Autism Treatment (ASAT).  Ms. Bechner has authored book reviews and articles for newsletters published by NJABA and the Autism SIG.  She has presented data-based symposia, workshops, and poster presentations at numerous conferences.

Secretary-Treasurer: Amy Hansford, M.A.

Amy Hansford is an advanced doctoral student earning her PhD in Clinical Psychology at Rutgers University.  She is the research coordinator at the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center, where she specializes in working with children with autism and their families.  Ms. Hansford received her B.A. from the University of Miami, where she first became interested in Applied Behavior Analysis while working as a therapist in the Lovaas program.  She presents at national and local conferences, and teaches courses on autism and ABA at the collegiate and community level.  She also serves on the website committee for the Association of Science and Autism Treatment.