Verbal Behavior
Conference

Mark Sundberg, Ph.D., BCBA-D received his doctorate degree in Applied Behavior Analysis from Western Michigan University (1980) under the direction of Dr. Jack Michael. Dr. Sundberg is the author of the VB-MAPP and co-author of the ABLLS and the book Teaching Language to Children with Autism or Other Developmental Disabilities. He has published over 50 professional papers and 6 book chapters. Dr. Sundberg is the founder and past editor of the journal The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, a twice past-president of The Northern California Association for Behavior Analysis, a past-chair of the ABAI Publication Board, and served two terms on the Board of Directors of the B. F. Skinner Foundation. Dr. Sundberg is a licensed psychologist with over 45 years of clinical experience working with children with autism or other intellectual disabilities. His awards include the 2001 “Distinguished Psychology Department Alumnus Award” from Western Michigan University, the 2013 “Jack Michael Outstanding Contributions in Verbal Behavior Award” from ABAI’s Verbal Behavior Special Interest Group, and he was named an ABAI Fellow.

Dr. 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. Lind sley. 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.

Alice Shillingsburg, PhD, BCBA-D, LP is Professor and Yale Family Endowed Chair at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Dr. Shillingsburg also serves as Director of the integrated Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders (iCASD) at the Munroe-Meyer Institute for Genetics and Rehabilitation. She received her PhD in child clinical psychology at Auburn University and comple ted her APA Accredited doctoral Internship at the Marcus Institute in Atlanta, GA. In prior roles, she has served as Sr. Vice President of Children’s Clinical Services and Training at May Institute, Director of the Language and Learning Clinic at Marcus Autism Center, and previously held an appointment as Associate Professor at Emory University School of Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics. Dr. Shillingsburg’s research and clinical interests involve the development and implementation of comprehensive and focused interventions to promote robust, meaningful skill development for children and adolescents diagnosed with autism. Her clinical interests focus heavily on increasing access to high quality, compassionate care serving autistic individuals and their families. Dr. Shillingsburg has supervised numerous pre-doctoral and post-doctoral fellows and enjoys mentoring early career researchers and clinicians. She has published over 60 empirical research articles and book chapters, is current Editor-in-Chief of Operants Magazine, and is past Associate Editor for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and The Analysis of Verbal Behavior. She is appointed to several editorial boards and is regularly invited to speak at national conferences.

Dr. Andresa De Souza is an Assistant Professor at the University of Missouri – St. Louis and currently serves as the Dissemination Coordinator for the Verbal Behavior Special Interest Group (VB SIG). She received a Master’s in Behavior Analysis and Therapy from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale and a Ph.D. in Applied Behavior Analysis from the University of Nebras ka Medical Center. She completed her Post-Doctoral Fellowship at Marcus Autism Center and Emory University in Atlanta. During her studies, Dr. De Souza gained valuable experience in early intervention applications for children with autism, the assessment and treatment of severe problem behavior, and autism diagnosis. She has supervised behavior analysts and worked as a consultant for international sites. She has published several peer-reviewed articles on the applications of Skinner’s verbal behavior for the intervention of children with autism and serves on the Editorial Board of The Analysis of Verbal Behavior and the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. Her research focuses on strategies for teaching verbal behavior, the arrangement of conditions that can facilitate the emergence of novel language and decrease restricted stimulus control, and parent and teacher training.

Dr. Sarah Frampton is an assistant professor at the University of Nebraska Omaha in the Psychology Department. Before accepting a faculty position, Sarah served in leadership roles in organizations providing ABA services across the country including the May Institute, Inc. and the Marcus Autism Center. Sarah has published research on interventions related to teaching new s kills to learners with and without disabilities across the major behavior analytic journals. Sarah has served on the editorial board of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and is currently on the editorial board for Behavior Analysis in Practice and The Analysis of Verbal Behavior. She was recognized with student research grants from 3 different Special Interest Groups within Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI), the award for Excellence in Behavior Analytic Research from Simmons University, and the Researcher of the Year Award from the Language and Learning Clinic at Marcus Autism Center.

Dr. Caio Miguel is a Professor of Psychology at California State University, Sacramento. He is an Associate Editor for the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, a former Associate Editor for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, and a former editor for The Analysis of Verbal Behavior. Dr. Miguel's research focuses on the study of verbal behavior and emergen t stimulus relations. He has given hundreds of professional presentations around the world, and has had over 100 manuscripts published in English, Portuguese, and Spanish. He is the recipient of the 2013 award for outstanding scholarly work by the College of Social Sciences at Sacramento State, the 2014 Outstanding Mentor Award by ABAI, the 2019 Award for Excellence in Teaching Verbal Behavior by the VBSIG, the 2019 Alumni Achievement Award from the Department of Psychology at Western Michigan University, and the 2020 Jack Michael Award for Outstanding Contributions to Verbal Behavior.

Dr. LaFrance has over 24 years experience in applied behavior analysis and 13 years of experience in director-level positions for companies providing behavior-analytic intervention services. She has experience leading clinical teams, providing ongoing professional development, support, and oversight, as well as working with operational leadership teams developing systems a llowing for scalability of services and quality of treatment. She established the first two internship sites in Sacramento, CA and has mentored over 40 student interns through to BCBA certification. Her work in this area was recognized via the 2017 Inaugural Clinical Supervisor in Verbal Behavior Award from the Verbal Behavior Special Interest Group (VB SIG) of the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI). Her professional interests include evidence-based practices, verbal behavior, generative programming, discrimination, and staff training. She is committed to the science of behavior analysis as demonstrated through her various research and scholarly activities, which include publications, active attendance and presentations at professional conferences both in the United States and abroad, and service to the Behavior Analyst Certification Board®. She is the past Editorial Assistant for the Analysis of Verbal Behavior and the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, an Editorial Board member for the Analysis of Verbal Behavior, and a guest reviewer for several behavior-analytic journals. She was also recognized with the 2020 inaugural Conceptual Contribution Award from Endicott College, and the 2020 Student Paper Award from the VB SIG. Her current focus is on disseminating her knowledge of high-quality treatment to positively impact the greatest number of clinicians, clients, and their families.

Dr. Emily Kerwin is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and is licensed to practice behavior analysis in Massachusetts and New York. Dr. Emily Kerwin began her career in behavior analysis working in home programs which utilized B.F. Skinner’s analysis of verbal behavior to teach language to children with autism. In 2003, Dr. Kerwin joined the Carbone Clinic as one of the or iginal three instructors hired when the clinic opened its doors. In 2011, Dr. Kerwin earned a Doctorate in Applied Behavior Analysis from Simmons University in Boston, MA. She is also a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and is licensed to practice behavior analysis in Massachusetts and New York. In 2019, Dr. Kerwin was awarded the Clinical Supervisor Award in Verbal Behavior by the Verbal Behavior Special Interest Group of the Association of Behavior Analysis International. Dr. Kerwin has taught behavior analytic courses on various topics including Verbal Behavior and Science and Human Behavior at Simmons University, Northeastern University, and now serves as an adjunct professor at Regis College. In 2025, Dr. Kerwin joined the Board of Directors for the B.F. Skinner Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the science founded by B. F. Skinner and supporting practices derived from that science. In 2020, Dr. Kerwin purchased the Carbone Clinic from Dr. Vincent Carbone with her colleague Gina Tirri, BCBA. The Carbone Clinic became All Points Licensed Behavior Analysts and now operates in both Massachusetts and New York.

Gina Tirri is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and is licensed to practice behavior analysis in Massachusetts and New York. She began her career as a special education teacher in NYC in 1993 working with children and adults with autism and severe learning and behavioral challenges. In 1998, Ms. Tirri started studying behavior analysis and B.F. Skinner's analysis of verba l behavior to teach language to children with autism under the direction and supervision of Dr. Vincent Carbone. In 2003, Gina Tirri started working alongside Dr. Carbone and served as Assistant Director from the start of the Carbone Clinic. In 2020, Ms. Tirri purchased the Carbone Clinic from Dr. Vincent Carbone with her colleague Dr. Emily Kerwin, BCBA-D. The Carbone Clinic became All Points Licensed Behavior Analysts and now operates in both Massachusetts and New York. Ms. Tirri has helped co-author research articles which are published in peer reviewed journals. She is an active presenter who has presented at regional and national conferences all around the United States on various topics in Applied Behavior Analysis. Currently, Ms. Tirri is an adjunct professor at St. Thomas Acquinas College in Tappan, New York teaching Introduction to Behavior Modification. When not working and teaching, Ms. Tirri volunteers as an Emergency Medical Technician for the local ambulance corps.