Governor Appoints Inaugural Members to the State ABA Licensure Board

Autism New Jersey Executive Director Dr. Suzanne Buchanan Elected Chair

Autism New Jersey and the New Jersey Association for Behavior Analysis are pleased to announce that Governor Murphy has appointed six members to the initial State Board of Applied Behavior Analyst Examiners. In collaboration with the State Division of Consumer of Affairs, this group of distinguished professionals will be responsible for writing the regulations and issuing licenses in accordance with the Applied Behavior Analyst Licensing Act which was signed into law in January 2020.

As stated in the law, the Board should be comprised of three Board Certified Behavior Analysts, one Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst, two public members, and one member of the Executive Branch of the Government. The appointed members are as follows:

• Darren Blough, MSW, BCaBA, Senior Vice President, Bancroft
• Suzanne Buchanan, Psy.D., BCBA-D, Executive Director, Autism New Jersey
• Sandra Howell, Ph.D., Executive Director for Special Child Health and Early Intervention Services, New Jersey Department of Health
• James Paone, Esq., Managing Principal, Davison, Eastman, Muñoz, Paone, P.A.
• Lisa Toole, M.A., BCBA, Assistant Director of Clinical Services, Eden Autism
• David Wilson, Ph.D., BCBA-D, Associate Professor of Psychology and Director of ABA Programs, Georgian Court University

At the board’s July 13th meeting, Dr. Suzanne Buchanan was elected the Board Chair, and Dr. David Wilson was elected the Board Vice Chair.

From top left to right: Michela Ross, Licensure Board’s Executive Director; Dr. Suzanne Buchanan, Chair; Lisa Toole, Member; James Paone, Member; Darren Blough, Member, Dr. David Wilson, Vice Chair; Charles Manning, Division of Consumer Affairs Regulatory Analyst; Dr. Sandra Howell, Member.

The board is now actively engaged in the process of crafting regulations that will govern the profession. Regulations operationalize the intent of the law and provide greater specificity for the practice of applied behavior analysis in the State of New Jersey.

What’s next?

Over the next 6 to 24 months, the board will:

• Draft regulations for state review
• Make draft regulations available for public comment
• Issue finalized regulations
• Open the application process

We congratulate the newly appointed board members and thank them in advance for committing their time over the coming years to ensure that the practice of behavior analysis in New Jersey is regulated and safe for all consumers.

For more information

Visit the State Board of Applied Behavior Analysis Examiners.

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