BEHAVIORAL DATA SCIENCE RESEARCH LAB

Javier Sotomayor, M.S., BCBA

Javier Sotomayor, M.S., BCBA, grew up in Tijuana, Mexico, just a few miles south of the Mexico-United States border. He currently resides in San Diego, California, on the opposite side of the same border. As the co-founder and clinical director of Habita Behavioral Care LLC, Javier is deeply committed to providing Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)-based services for adults with neurodevelopmental disabilities.

Javier obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 2012 and followed it with a Master of Science in Psychology with a specialization in ABA in 2014, both from California State University, Los Angeles. His professional and research interests encompass a wide range of topics including behavioral leadership, performance management, the assessment of biobehavioral relationships, translation of behavior-analytic literature, and conceptual analysis.

In his free time, Javier enjoys pulling espresso shots, yoga, running, hiking, indoor bouldering, and playing soccer.

Carlos Santos, M.S., BCBA

Carlos Santos has worked in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) in the area of developmental disability since 2010. He received a Master of Science in Psychology with an emphasis in ABA from California State University, Los Angeles in 2013. He received the BCBA certification in 2014. Some areas of interest include verbal behavior, organizational behavior management, education, and data collection methods. In the summer of 2024, he attended the Morningside Summer Institute where he learned about the Morningside Model of Generative Instruction. More recent areas of interest include resurgence, quantitative models, and artificial intelligence.

Joe Ott, M.S., BCBA

Joseph “Joe” Ott is an experienced educator, behavior analyst, and leader in special education with over two decades of service across public schools, behavioral health settings, and clinical programs. He holds Pennsylvania Instructional II certifications in Special Education PK–12, Elementary Education K–6, and English 7–12, as well as Administrative I certification for school leadership. Joe is also a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and a Licensed Behavior Specialist in Pennsylvania. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary and Special Education from St. Francis University, a Master of Science in Educational and Developmental Strategies from Wilkes University, and a Graduate Certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis from Penn State University. He also completed a Principal Certification Program at Delaware Valley University and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Applied Behavior Analysis at Endicott College.

Joe has held a variety of leadership and clinical roles, including Clinical Director, Director of Special Education, Director of Training and Implementation, and Founder of Operant Teaching Technologies. His professional experience spans classroom teaching, behavior consultation, program development, and staff supervision. He has designed and implemented individualized education plans (IEPs), conducted behavioral assessments, led interdisciplinary teams, and coordinated transition services for students with autism and other developmental disabilities. Joe has provided training in evidence-based practices, co-teaching models, differentiated instruction, and data-driven decision-making, while fostering inclusive learning environments. His work reflects a deep commitment to integrating applied behavior analysis into educational systems to improve outcomes for students, families, and professionals.

Jacqueline Bediako, M.S., BCBA, LBA

Jacqueline Bediako, M.S., BCBA, LBA. Jacqueline (Jackie) was born and raised in the U.K to Ghanaian parents. While receiving her first degree, she developed a great interest in learning about ways to help individuals with communication deficits establish their voice. This led her to move to the US in 2007, where she began working for the May Institute in Massachusetts in a residential program for disabled youth. Her career has included work in a variety of roles and settings including a group home, boarding school, a day school, and serving as an Assistant Head of School at a transition program for disabled young adults. Inspired by her beginnings at the May Institute, Jackie received her Certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis from the University of North Texas. She is also a certified special education teacher in New York State.

Jackie serves as the Membership Chair with The Black Association of Behavior Analysts and the Founder and Clinical Director of Eclipse Behavioral Health Services. She deeply values the opportunity to work with children, adults and families from diverse backgrounds. Jacqueline's work is neuro-affirming and client-centered, incorporating the interests of her clients at the heart of her work. Her research interests include the application of AI in clinical practice; increasing access to ABA for disadvantaged populations; and improving supervision methods and outcomes. Jackie also serves as a board member for Black Applied Behavior Analysts (BABA). Outside of work and academics, she also enjoys hiking and exploring the outdoors, time with family, great food, coffee and creative writing.

Kylee Drugan-Eppich, M.S., BCBA, LABA

Kylee Drugan-Eppich, MS, BCBA, LABA. Kylee has been working in the field of applied behavior analysis since 2014. After completing her undergraduate degree at Smith College, she completed her Master of Science in ABA through Western New England University while gaining direct experience at the New England Center for Children in Southborough, Massachusetts. Since becoming a board certified behavior analyst in 2017 Kylee moved out west to Colorado, where she now lives and works providing ABA services to young children with autism in a clinic setting. Kylee’s research interests continue to develop but currently focus around choice and decision-making, multi-scale analyses of behavior, behavioral economics, behavioral momentum theory, addressing climate change with behavioral science, and verbal behavior. Kylee also has a passion for endurance sports in the outdoors and can often be found spending several hours on weekend days playing on the trails around her home in the Front Range.

Nick Berry

Bio coming soon.

Jayven Encarnacion

Jayven Encarnacion is a behavior analyst, consultant, and educator with a decade of experience developing and supporting behavior analytic programs across clinical, educational, and community settings. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Family and Consumer Sciences and a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instructional Design with an emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis. His training includes intensive work in the treatment of severe problem behavior using Practical Functional Assessment and Skills-Based Treatment (PFA/SBT), curriculum and instructional design, verbal behavior development, and CABAS® system implementation.

Jayven began his career as a behavior technician and steadily advanced through clinical roles, gaining experience as a clinician, consultant, curriculum designer, and ultimately as principal of a specialized behavior analytic school, the first of its kind in Texas. In this role, he directed school-wide implementation of behavior analytic systems and provided supervision across a multidisciplinary team of behavior analysts, educators, and therapeutic staff. He has designed instructional systems, piloted inclusive education models in public and private schools, and built staff development frameworks grounded in performance management, self-monitoring, and fluency-building.

His professional and research interests center on leveraging technology and data science to advance behavior analytic expertise in scalable instructional and behavior systems design, relational repertoires and mental health applications of behavior analysis, and the translation of behavior analysis into new and innovative domains. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Behavior Analysis at Endicott College under the mentorship of Dr. David Cox, with a focus on predictive analytics and the future of behavior science.

Outside of his professional work, Jayven enjoys strength training, reading, experimenting in the kitchen, planning his next trip, or trying a new activity every week.

Paul McGeehan

Bio coming soon.

Claudia Diaz-Salvat, M.S., BCBA

Claudia Diaz-Salvat, M.S., BCBA received her undergraduate degree at the University of Florida followed by her master’s degree at West Virginia University. She is currently a field-based service provider, trainer, and consultant in South Florida. Her research interests include identifying modifications to promote program efficacy and efficiency, affirming neurodiversity within applied behavior analysis, and social justice decision making. In her free time, Claudia enjoys reading fantasy novels, watching series, and playing cozy games.

Joe Hacker, M.A., BCBA, LBA

Joseph Hacker is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), with extensive experience across clinical, educational, and research settings. Joseph earned his Bachelor's Degree in Psychology with a minor in English and a Master's Degree in Psychology with a concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), both from McNeese State University. Presently, Joseph is pursuing his PhD in ABA at Endicott College under the mentorship of Dr. T.V. Joe Layng. Professionally, Joseph serves as Senior Director of Education and Professional Development, where he develops clinical standards, coordinates research efforts, and creates educational opportunities that have markedly enhanced professional development within the organization. Joseph's research interests center on nonlinear contingency analysis and the constructional approach to various clinical and organizational problems, as well as the dissemination of ABA. When he isn't nerding out about all things behavior analysis, he enjoys spending time with his family, reading books, and playing board games.

Dr. Asim Javed

Asim Javed, Ph.D., BCBA-D. In the early part of his professional career, Asim dabbled in service coordination, research, interventions, and behavioral consultation for individuals with disabilities. Presently, Asim is stoked by the intersection of behavioral analysis and data science, OBM, choice-making, social media, tech, and ethics. Oh and birds, too! In a recent project, Asim explored the effects of an app fast on quality of life, delay discounting, and demand for apps. Outside of work, Asim enjoys scenic escapes to mountains or lakes, abandoning his phone, family time, spiritual activities, and a light dose of dad jokes (to qualify as a dad joke, it must be a-parent). His academic adventures continue to humble him to the following reality: there is always more to learn!

Dr. Adrienne Jennings

Dr. Adrienne Jennings is an Assistant Professor in the Behavioral Science Department at Daemen University, a doctoral-level Board Certified Behavior Analyst, and a Licensed Behavior Analyst in the state of New York. She has over a decade of clinical experience across in-home, clinic, and after-school program settings. Adrienne is the co-founder and chair of the AI Consortium for ABA (AIC-ABA) and serves on the Science Board of the Association for Behavior Analysis International. She also sits on the editorial boards of The Analysis of Verbal Behavior and Single Case in the Social Sciences. Her research interests include the acquisition and development of verbal behavior, the role of verbal behavior in learning, emergent behavior, open science practices, and the dissemination and cultural adaptation of behavioral services. She is also interested in artificial intelligence, AI ethics, and incorporating data science into behavior analytic research. When she’s not teaching or conducting research, Adrienne can be found outside, camping, hiking, or running.

Dr. Zach Morford

Dr. Zachary H. Morford, PhD, BCBA-D, is a behavioral scientist and clinical data analyst whose work bridges applied behavior analysis, organizational systems, and data science. He earned his PhD in Psychology from the University of Nevada, Reno, and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at theUniversity of Vermont’s Center on Behavior and Health, where he investigated behavioral economics and health behavior change.

Currently, Dr. Morford serves as a Clinical Data Analyst at Centria Healthcare, where he develops novel clinical metrics, predictive models, and data visualization tools to improve outcomes for thousands of clients and clinicians.

Previously, Dr. Morford held academic appointments as an Assistant Professor at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, teaching graduate courses in behavior analysis, ethics, research methods, and verbal behavior. He has also served as Executive Director and later Secretary-Treasurer of the Texas Association for Behavior Analysis, where he led organizational growth and managed large-scale conferences during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Morford’s research spans applied behavior analysis, behavioral economics, gamification, organizational behavior management, and health behavior. He has published in leading journals including Behavioural Processes, Behavior Analysis in Practice, Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, and Behavior and Social Issues, and has presented nationally and internationally on topics ranging from gamification in ABA to machine learning applications in behavioral health.

In recognition of his contributions, Dr. Morford received the Organizational Behavior Management Network’s Scholarly Impact Award. He also serves as a peer reviewer for journals such as Behavior Analysis in Practice, Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, and Behavior and Social Issues.

With expertise spanning clinical practice, academic research, and applied data science, Dr. Morford is dedicated to advancing compassionate, effective, and data-driven research and application in behavior analysis and data science.

Saratessa Palos, M.S., BCBA, LBA

Saratessa is a PhD student in Special Education and Clinical Science at the University of Oregon, specializing in Educational Data Science. She has worked as a special education teacher, Precision Teacher, and behavior analyst, with a focus on supporting young children with autism and other developmental disabilities. Her research centers on early intervention, evidence-based practices, and the use of precise behavioral measurement to improve learning-related social skills. Saratessa’s interests also include systematic reviews, meta-analysis, and translating research into effective practice and policy.

Veronica Robles

Veronica has over a decade of experience in the field of behavior analysis, working across diverse populations and settings, including early intervention clinics, state schools, community programs, in-home programs, and residential facilities. Her research interests focus on the integration of augmented intelligence in higher education, the development of meaningful compliance standards in instructional practices for individuals with ASD, the application of the constructional approach in applied contexts, and verbal behavior.

Currently pursuing her doctoral studies, Veronica remains deeply engaged in both research and practice. Outside of her academic work, she enjoys spending time outdoors—kayaking, hiking, and exploring historic sites along the East Coast.

Jacob Sosine, M.A., M.B.A., BCBA

Jacob Sosine, M.A., M.B.A., BCBA. Jacob received his Bachelor’s degree in exercise physiology from Chico State University in 2010, his master’s in Professional Behavior Analysis from Florida Institute of Technology in 2015, and in 2020 he received a master’s in Business Administration from Saint Mary’s College of California. Jacob is primarily interested in the collection and ingestion of large datasets to further our understanding of human behavior and the field of behavior analysis. In addition, Jacob is passionate about developing and unlocking data pipelines to ask and answer novel research questions. Jacob’s current research projects involve leveraging a dataset of over 10,000 peer-reviewed publications to understand trends and gaps in published literature and analyzing the networks of citations that constitute peer-reviewed publications. Outside of scientific exploration, Jacob believes that the S.F. Giants will win the world series every year, and you can often catch him enjoying a game with his wife and young daughter.

Dr. Laura Weil

Laura Weil (PhD, BCBA) grew up in Dallas, Texas and currently lives in Los Angeles, California. Laura received her Bachelor of Science degree in neuroscience from the University of California, Los Angeles, her Master of Science degree in behavioral psychology from Pepperdine University, and her doctorate in Applied Behavior Analysis at Endicott College. She has experience working in both clinical and research settings. Her current work focuses on decision making, evidence-based practices, quality assurance (QA), and applying data science to behavior analysis. She previously helped develop professional standards for ABA, QA measurement tools, and job aids for BTs at BHCOE. She also has experience developing curriculum and coursework for Master's students in behavior analysis. Laura currently serves as an adjunct professor and curriculum development assistant at Endicott College. In her free time Laura enjoys traveling, playing with her dog, and spending time near the ocean.

David J. Cox, Ph.D., M.S.B., BCBA-D

Dr. Cox has been working as a behavior analyst serving a wide range of populations since 2006. He received post-doctoral training in Behavioral Economics and Behavioral Pharmacology from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, post-doctoral training in Data Science from Insight Data Science, a Ph.D. in Behavior Analysis from the University of Florida, a M.S. in Bioethics from Union Graduate College, and has been a Board Certified Behavior Analyst since 2011. David’s basic research interests are in the experimental analysis of complex behavior, quantitative analyses of behavior-environment relations, behavioral economics, behavioral data science, and artificial intelligence. His applied research interests are ethical behavior, health behavior, and decision-making in everyday contexts.

Dr. Cox has 70+ peer-reviewed publications, has served as the Chief Editor for The Experimental Analysis of Human Behavior Bulletin; Associate Editor for Perspectives on Behavior Science, Behavior Analysis in Practice, and the Journal of Medical Internet Research; Guest Associate Editor for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, The Psychological Record, Behavior and Social Issues, Education and Treatment of Children, Behavior Analysis in Practice, and Behavioral Sciences; and has served as a post-hoc reviewer for 30+ journals spanning behavior science, data science, biology, medicine, and artificial intelligence.