Professional Advisory Board
The following professionals have provided mentorship that has influenced the development of the content and operating principles disseminated through HOPE, and continue to provide ongoing professional guidance:
Mary Jane Weiss, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Mary Jane Weiss, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LABA is the Associate Dean of Applied Behavior Analysis and Director of the Ph.D. Program in ABA at Endicott College, where she has been for 11 years. She also works with the research and training teams at Melmark. She has worked in the field of ABA and Autism for over 35 years.
She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Rutgers University in 1990 and she became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst in 2000. She previously worked for 16 years at the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center at Rutgers University. Her clinical and research interests center on defining best practice ABA techniques, integrating compassionate care and cultural responsiveness into ABA service delivery, exploring ways to enhance the ethical conduct of practitioners, training staff to be optimally effective at instruction and at collaboration, and maximizing family members’ expertise and adaptation.
She serves on the Scientific Council of the Organization for Autism Research, is on the board of Association for Science in Autism Treatment, is a regular contributor to the ABA Ethics Hotline, is on the editorial board of Behavior Analysis in practice, and is an advisor to the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies.
Dr. Justin Leaf, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Justin Leaf, Ph.D., is the Chief Clinical Officer for Autism Partnership Foundation, the Executive Director for the Progressive Behavior Analyst Autism Council, the Associate Director for ABA Doctoral Studies at Endicott College, and the Executive Director for Contemporary Behavior Consultants.
Justin received his doctorate degree in Behavioral Psychology from the Department of Applied Behavioral Science at the University of Kansas. His research interests include Progressive ABA, improving behavioral intervention, social behavior, and methodologies to improve the lives of autistic/individuals diagnosed with ASD.
Justin has over 125 publications in either peer reviewed journals, books, or book chapters and has presented at both national and international professional conferences and invited events. Justin has served on numerous editorial boards for behavior analytic and autism journals.
Dr. Kevin Ayres, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Dr. Kevin Ayres is a professor at The University of Georgia where he co-direct the Center for Autism and Behavioral Education Research (CABER). He began working with individuals with autism as middle school teacher. He returned to the University of Georgia to pursue his doctorate. During this time he first learned of the Organization for Autism Research and was awarded a grant to conduct a pre-dissertation study.
Since joining the faculty at the University of Georgia, Ayres has served as Principal Investigator or Co-PI on multiple federally funded research and training grants. He has published one book and more than 70 articles and book chapters. Most of his scholarship focuses on identification of teaching practices for improving learning outcomes of children with autism and most of this has had a technology focus.
He currently oversees the the three elementary school classrooms operated by CABER where his teams evaluate different instructional practices related to communication, skill acquisition, and reduction of problem behavior. He is also co-editor of Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities.
Dr. Patrick McGreevey, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Patrick McGreevy received B.S. and M.A. degrees in Psychology and Special Education, respectively, from the University of Iowa. He was a special education teacher for eight years, working with children and young adults with moderate-to-severe developmental disabilities. He received the Ph.D. degree in Education from Kansas University under the guidance of Ogden R. Lindsley.
He has served on the faculties of the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Louisiana State University, the University of Central Florida, and the Florida Institute of Technology. He is the author of Teaching and Learning in Plain English, an introduction to Precision Teaching, and the founder and first editor of the Journal of Precision Teaching and Standard Celeration Charting. He is the author of ten journal articles and a book chapter on teaching verbal behavior.
He is the first author of Essential for Living, a functional skills curriculum, assessment, and professional practitioner’s handbook based on B. F. Skinner’s analysis of verbal behavior for children and adults with moderate-to-severe disabilities. For the past 30 years, he has provided consultations for children and adults with developmental disabilities in school districts, residential programs, and hospitals, specializing in the simultaneous management of aggressive and self-injurious behavior and the teaching of communication and language skills to individuals with limited repertoires.
He is board certified behavior analyst, has given hundreds of presentations and workshops around the world, and is the recipient of the Ogden R. Lindsley Lifetime Achievement Award of the Standard Celeration Society. He is the President and Director of Consultation and Training Services for Patrick McGreevy, Ph.D., P.A. and Associates.
Troy Fry, M.S., BCBA
Troy Fry received his B.A. in Science and Mathematics from North Dakota State University and M.S. degree in Behavior Analysis and Therapy from Southern Illinois University. Troy attended the University Of Kansas doctorate program in the Department of Human Development and Family life for four years. He has been a Board Certified Behavior Analyst for the past 25 years. Troy has worked with children and adults with significant developmental disabilities in schools, clinics, hospitals, and residential programs across North America and Europe.
Over the years, he has held the positions of teacher, consultant, clinical director, and chief executive officer. He is the second author of Essential for Living, a functional skills curriculum, assessment, and professional practitioner’s handbook based on B. F. Skinner’s analysis of verbal behavior for children and adults with moderate-to-severe disabilities. He is the Associate Director of Training and Consultation Services for Patrick McGreevy, Ph.D., P.A. and Associates, and the second author of Essential for Living.
