Faculty & Staff

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

David J. Cox is the Assistant Director of Research for the Doctoral Program. David 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, an M.S. in Bioethics from Union Graduate College, and has been a Board Certified Behavior Analyst since 2011. In addition to his role in the Doctoral Program, David partners with RethinkFirst to build products and conduct research at the intersection of artificial intelligence, behavioral health, education, and pro-health behavior. David's basic research interests are in the experimental analysis of complex behavior, quantitative analyses, behavioral economics, behavioral data science, and artificial intelligence. His applied research interests are in ethical behavior, clinical decision-making, and health behavior.

Valbona Demiri, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LBA

Val Demiri received her doctorate in Clinical and School Psychology from Hofstra University in 2004 and her Board Certification in Behavior Analysis (BCBA) from Rutgers University in 2005. She has served as an adjunct professor at Endicott College since 2012 and has been advising doctoral students since 2019. Val is the District-Wide Behavior Specialist at the Hopewell Valley Regional School District in Pennington, N.J. Previously she served as the Assistant Director of Outreach Services at the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center at Rutgers where she spear-headed the Early Intervention Program for children with autism. Her role included consultant and trainer to various New Jersey school districts and New York City public schools regarding autism and Applied Behavior Analysis. Val has presented on Applied Behavior Analysis, ethics and autism locally, nationally and internationally. More recently she has turned her attention and research interests to Mental Health, Acceptance and Commitment Training and Clinical Behavior Analysis. She is the co-author of the books, Jumpstarting Communication Skills in Children with Autism: A Parent’s Guide to Applied Verbal Behavior: Woodbine House and Tools of the Trade: Easy Data Collection for the Classroom: Different Roads to Learning

Mark Dixon, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Dr. Dixon is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst – Doctorate and a clinical professor at the Department of Disability and Human Development at University of Illinois- Chicago. Dr. Dixon has published 12 books, over 230 peer reviewed journal articles, and delivered 1000s of presentations around the globe. His research and/or expert opinions have been featured in Time Magazine, Newsweek, The New York Times, National Public Radio, This American Life, and Netflix’s series Bill Nye Saves the World. Dr. Dixon cares for individuals and their families impacted by autism and other developmental disabilities through his innovative research that guides practice. He has generated millions of dollars of funding to infuse behavior analysis within local schools and treatment facilities and created multiple clinics for persons diagnosed with autism and related conditions. 

Kathleen Dyer, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, BCBA-D, LABA

Dr. Kathleen Dyer, is an Associate Professor, and has served on the faculty of Institute of Applied Behavioral Studies at Endicott College for the past 10 years. Previous to this position, she was instrumental in the establishment of the River Street Autism Program in 2000, where she served as Clinical Director. She is a Doctoral level Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Speech Pathologist and Certified School Administrator. Her research and training techniques have been disseminated widely through national and international presentations, as well as through books, encyclopedias and articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals. Her research findings in treating core deficits in autism are documented as evidenced-based practices by the National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders and the National Standards Project. She served as a contributor to The Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders (Edited by F.R. Volkmar, Yale University School of Medicine). She has also served as a member of review boards for numerous behavioral journals, and serves as an Advisor of the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies. Her research interests include the development of effective procedures for improving communication and learning in persons with ASD, choice and preference, treatment of challenging behaviors, staff training and organizational systems change.

Paul Gavoni Ed.D., BCBA-D

Dr. Paul "Paulie" Gavoni, a distinguished behavior analyst and educator, has devoted nearly 30 years to enhancing performance and behavior in education, human services and sports. His wide-ranging roles—from COO to Professor, Vice President, School Administrator, School Turnaround Manager, MMA and Boxing Coach—are unified by his expertise in Applied Behavior Analysis. Committed to leveraging behavioral science for human betterment, Dr. Gavoni has had a transformative impact on individual and organizational efficacy across diverse arenas.

Peter Gerhardt, Ed.D.

Peter is the Executive Director of the EPIC Programs in Paramus, NJ. Dr. Gerhardt has over 40 years of experience utilizing the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis in support of adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorders in educational, employment, residential and community-based settings. He co-edited “The Handbook of Quality of Life for Individuals with ASD” (Springer, 2022) and authored or co-author a number of articles and book chapters on the needs of adolescents and adults with ASD. He has presented nationally and internationally on this and related topics. Dr. Gerhardt serves as Co-Chairman of the Scientific Council for the Organization for Autism Research and is on numerous professional advisory boards including the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies. He currently serves as adjunct faculty in the Institute for Behavioral Studies at Endicott College. Dr. Gerhardt received his doctorate from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey’s Graduate School of Education.

Jill Harper, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Dr. Jill Harper is the Senior Director of Professional Development, Clinical Training, and Research at Melmark New England. Dr. Harper also holds an adjunct position with Endicott College and currently serves as the president of the Berkshire Association for Behavior Analysis and Therapy (BABAT). She received her Ph.D. in Psychology with a concentration in Behavior Analysis from the University of Florida in 2012. Her research interests include the assessment and treatment of severe behavior disorders, mechanisms responsible for behavior change, and staff training and supervision. Her work has been published in such journals as the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and the Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities. Dr. Harper regularly presents at regional and national conferences.

T. V. Joe Layng, Ph.D.

T. V. Joe Layng is a Fellow of the Association for Behavior Analysis International and was the 2020 recipient of the APA: Division 25 Fred S. Keller Behavioral Education Award. Joe has over 50 years of experience in the experimental and applied analysis of behavior with a particular focus on the design of teaching/learning environments. He earned a Ph.D. in Behavioral Sciences (biopsychology) at the University of Chicago. At Chicago, working with pigeons, he investigated animal models of psychopathology, specifically the recurrence of pathological patterns (head-banging) as a function of normal behavioral processes. Also working with pigeons, Joe collaborated with Paul Andronis and Israel Goldiamond on investigating the production of untrained recombinant, complex symbolic repertoires in pigeons from simpler behavioral components which arose from the arrangement of nonlinear consequential contingencies, a process they described as contingency adduction. Joe has extensive clinical behavior analysis experience with a focus on ambulatory schizophrenia, especially the systemic as well as topical treatment of delusional speech and hallucinatory behavior. He was a Dean at Malcolm X College in Chicago where he founded the award winning Personalized Curriculum Institute. In 1999, he co-founded Headsprout where Joe led the scientific team that developed the technology that formed the basis of the company’s patented Early Reading and Reading Comprehension online reading programs used by millions of children, for which he was the chief architect. He is widely published including coauthoring a self-instruction book on Signal Detection Theory, and the book Nonlinear Contingency Analysis: Going Beyond Cognition and Behavior in Clinical Practice.

Caio Miguel, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Dr. Caio Miguel is a Professor of Psychology at California State University, Sacramento and an Adjunct Doctoral Advisor for the Ph.D. Program in ABA at Endicott College, Caio also serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of San Paulo-Brazil. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in Psychology at the Pontificia Universidade Catolica de SaÞo Paulo in Brazil, and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) at Western Michigan University under the co-advisement of Dr. Jack Michael and Dr. James Carr. Caio is a former Associate Editor for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (2015-2018) and Editor-in-Chief (2009-2011) for The Analysis of Verbal Behavior. He is the recipient of the 2013-2014 award for outstanding scholarly work by the College of Social Sciences at Sacramento State, the 2014 Outstanding Mentor Award by the Student Committee of the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI), the 2019 Award for Excellence in Teaching Verbal Behavior from the Verbal Behavior Special Interest Group of ABAI, the 2019 Alumni Achievement Award from the Department of Psychology at Western Michigan University and the 2020 Jack Michael Award for Outstanding Contributions in Verbal Behavior. Caio’s research interests are on verbal behavior, stimulus equivalence/derived relational responding, and problem solving.

Martha Pelaez, Ph.D.

Dr. Martha Pelaez is a member of our Advising Faculty and also teaches an elective course on Child Development within the Endicott Ph.D. program. She joins us from Florida International University, bringing her expertise in human development, child development, infant vocalization development, and parent-child interactions. Martha Pelaez is a Frost Professor of Psychology at the College of Arts, Sciences, and Education (CASE), School of Human Development, Florida International University. Dr. Pelaez teaches courses in Educational Psychology, Child Development, Behavioral Interventions: Research and Evaluation, and Single-Case Designs. She directs infant and early childhood research. Dr. Pelaez areas of research include mother-infant interactions and early social–learning processes, as well design applied interventions with children at risk of developmental delays, early language development, attachment, fears, depression, and early autism. Dr. Pelaez has published more than 100 articles in refereed journals (including the American Psychologist, Child Development, Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Behavior Analysis in Practice, Infant Behavior & Development, and Perspectives on Behavior Science), dozens of chapters and monographs, and an influential textbook on Child Development (with Novak, 2004, 2022). Her research has been supported by NIH and March of Dimes and other agencies. Professor Pelaez is the founding editor of the Behavior Development Bulletin (1990-2017) and has been a member of ten editorial boards of refereed scientific journals, including the European Journal of Behavior Analysis and Perspectives on Behavior Science. She is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA) and also a Fellow of the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI). Dr. Pelaez is the 2023 recipient of the Nathan H. Azrin Award granted by the American Psychological Association (APA) Division 25 for her distinguish contributions to applied research with young children and their social learning. She is currently a Trustee of the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies and serves as the At-Large Representative on the Executive Council Board of Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI). She is past member of ABAI’s Science Board. She was a member of the Florida Board of Governors (BOG, 2005-2006) and as Chair of the Advisory Council of Faculty Senates (ACFS) of the Florida State University System (SUS).

Robert F. Putnam Ph.D., LABA, BCBA-D. L.P.

Robert is the Executive Vice President for Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports and Consultation for the May Institute. He oversees a team of school consultants who provide behavioral consultation to public schools in New England and across the country. As head of May Institute's research-based, school-wide behavioral support interventions, an applied behavior analytical, organizational behavior management initiative, Dr. Putnam has provided consultation to districts and states throughout the country relative to effective emotional/social/behavioral support interventions. He also serves as Senior Vice President of Research and Consultation at the National Autism Center (NAC) at May Institute and was an Expert Panelist on the National Standards Project of the NAC. Dr. Putnam also serves as a national consultant in behavior support and mental health for the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Educational Services.

Dr. Putnam's research interests are in using function-based interventions to improve prosocial skills and behavioral support strategies for individuals with emotional/behavior disorders, autism spectrum disorder, and intellectual and developmental disorders. Dr. Putnam is a past president of the Massachusetts Association for Behavior Analysis (MassABA). He is also a member of the Executive Board of the National Association of Positive Behavior Support and is currently its Treasurer. In addition, he serves as a national implementation partner and subject matter expert on autism with the Department of Education's Office of Special Education Program's National Technical Assistance Center for PBIS.

Dr. Putnam consults and has made presentations nationally and internationally in Canada, China, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and Oman. Dr. Putnam received his Ph.D. from Boston College and is a licensed psychologist and a certified health service provider. He has served on the faculty of the Harvard Medical School. Dr. Putnam has given more than 250 presentations at schools and national and local conferences relative to developing and implementing effective discipline, applied behavior analysis, functional behavior assessment, and positive behavior support practices. He is the recipient of over 1.5 million dollars in grant funding. Dr. Putnam is widely published, including over 40 manuscripts, briefs, chapters, and books, including manuscripts in Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Behavior Analysis in Practice, Behavior Analysis Today, Behavior Modification, Child and Family Behavior Therapy, Journal of Positive Behavior Intervention, Journal of Special Education Leadership, Beyond Behavior, Education and Treatment of Children, Psychology in the Schools, Journal of Applied School Psychology, Educational Psychology, Psychiatric Services, Insights on Learning Disabilities, and Psychiatric Services. 

Dr. Ruth Ann Rehfeldt, PhD., BCBA-D., LBA

Dr. Rehfeldt received her PhD from the University of Nevada. She is the Executive Director for Clinical Services at Emergent Learning Centers and is absolutely thrilled to be teaching for Endicott College. Ruth Anne is a Contextual Behavior Scientist whose current interests focus on cultivating Prosocial repertoires in autistic individuals and persons with other developmental disabilities. Her research on Prosocial is currently of three veins: 1) establishing basic cooperation, social, and leisure skills in individuals with severe developmental disabilities and the concomitant effects on indicators of happiness; 2) investigating the effects of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on values-driven social behaviors related to friendship and relationship- building; and 3) examining the relationship between deictic relational operants (often understood as perspective-taking) and prosocial behavior. Ruth Anne is a passionate lover of classical music, and as a musician herself has as a secondary interest exploring the role of relational responding in music.

Dr. Rehfeldt has published over 200 articles and book chapters in behavior analysis, most of which have focused upon language interventions for persons with developmental disabilities. She co-edited a book with Yvonne Barnes-Holmes entitled, “Derived Relational Responding: Applications for Learners with Autism and other Developmental Disabilities (2009),” a text entitled, “Applied Behavior Analysis of Language and Cognition,” with Mitch Fryling, Jonathan Tarbox, and Linda Hayes as co-editors (2020), and a recent text with Traci Cihon and Erin Rasmussen as co-editors entitled, “Women in Behavior Science: Observations on Life Inside and Outside the Academy” (2023). Dr. Rehfeldt served as the Editor and business manager for The Psychological Record for 12 years, a journal started by J. R. Kantor and for which B. F. Skinner was one of the first editorial board members. She is or has been an editorial board member for a number of prominent behavior analytic journals, including Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior. Ruth Anne has held a number of leadership positions within the Association for Behavior Analysis International, including serving as Program Chair for the ABAI Annual Autism Convention for a number of years, an at- large representative on the ABAI Council, and ABAI and SABA Presidents. Dr. Rehfeldt was a Professor in the Behavior Analysis and Therapy program at Southern Illinois University for twenty years, where she won a number of teaching and research awards and served as PI on several state and federal autism-related grants. She also served as Professor and Chair at the Chicago School in Chicago. Some recent accomplishments include being awarded Fellow designation for both the Associations for Behavior Analysis International and Contextual Behavior Science, designations awarded for exemplary contributions in the areas of research and scholarship, service, and teaching. Her current h index is 47, a score that according to Hirsch is considered indicative of an “outstanding scientist” (Hirsch, 2005).

Representative Publications

Ardila Sánchez, J. G., Cihon, T. M., Malott, M. E., Mattaini, M. A., Rakos, R. F., Rehfeldt, R. A., ... & Watson-Thompson, J. (2020). Collective editorial: Ten guidelines for strategic social action. Behavior and Social Issues, 29, 15-30.

Brazeau, K., Rehfeldt, R. A., Mazo, A., Smalley, S., Krus, S., & Henson, L. (2017). On the efficacy of mindfulness, defusion, and behavioral skills training on job interviewing skills in dually-diagnosed adults with developmental disorders. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 6(2), 145-151.

Chancey, C., Weihl, C., Root, W. B., Rehfeldt, R. A., McCauley, D., Takeguchi, K., & Pritchard, J. (2019). The impact of mindfulness skills on interactions between direct care staff and adults with developmental disabilities. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 12, 160-169.

Davis, P. K., Young, A., Cherry, H., Dahman, D., & Rehfeldt, R. A. (2004). Increasing the happiness of individuals with profound multiple disabilities: Replication and extension. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 37(4), 531-534.

Davlin, N. L., Anne Rehfeldt, R., & Lovett, S. (2011). A relational frame theory approach to understanding perspective-taking using children’s stories in typically developing children. European Journal of Behavior Analysis, 12(2), 403-430.

García-Zambrano, S., Rehfeldt, R. A., Hertel, I. P., & Boehmert, R. (2019). Effects of deictic framing and defusion on the development of self-as-context in individuals with disabilities. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 12, 55-58.

Hirsch, J. E. (2005). An index to quantify an individual's scientific research output. Proceedings of the National academy of Sciences, 102(46), 16569-16572.

Hutchinson, V. D., Rehfeldt, R. A., Hertel, I., & Root, W. B. (2019). Exploring the efficacy of acceptance and commitment therapy and behavioral skills training to teach interview skills to adults with autism spectrum disorders. Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders, 3, 450-456.

Mattaini, M. A., & Rehfeldt, R. A. (2020). Rendezvous with truth and discovery. Behavior and Social Issues, 29, 1-14.

Rehfeldt, R. A., Chan, S., & Katz, B. (2021). The Beethoven revolution: A case study in selection by consequence. Perspectives on Behavior Science, 44(1), 69-86.

Rehfeldt, R. A., Dillen, J. E., Ziomek, M. M., & Kowalchuk, R. K. (2007). Assessing relational learning deficits in perspective-taking in children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder. The Psychological Record, 57, 23-47.

Rehfeldt, R. A., & Tyndall, I. (2022). Why we are not acting to save ourselves: ACT, health, and culture. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 15(1), 55-70.

Rehfeldt, R. A., Tyndall, I., & Belisle, J. (2021). Music as a cultural inheritance system: a contextual-behavioral model of symbolism, meaning, and the value of music. Behavior and Social Issues, 30(1), 749-773.

Peter Sturmey, Ph.D.

Professor Peter Sturmey is Professor of Psychology at The Graduate Center and the Department of Psychology, Queens College, City University of New York where he is a member of the Behavior Analysis Doctoral program. He specialized in autism and other developmental disabilities, especially in the areas of applied behavior analysis, dual diagnosis, evidence-based practice, and staff and parent training.

He gained his PhD at the University of Liverpool, United Kingdom and subsequently taught at the University of the South West (Plymouth) and University of Birmingham, United Kingdom. He then worked for the Texas Department of Mental Retardation from 1990-2000 as Chief Psychologist, first at Abilene then San Antonio State School during a Federal class action law. There he supervised behavioral services and Masters level psychologists providing behavior support plans for severe behavioral and psychiatric disorders in adolescents and adults with developmental disabilities and implementing large-scale active treatment and restraint reduction programs.

He is currently Professor Emeritus at The Graduate Center and Department of Psychology, Queens College, City University of New York. He was professor of Psychology at CUNY for 24 years teaching undergraduate and graduate classes in applied behavior analysis, autism, and intellectual disabilities. He was a member of the Behavior Analysis doctoral program. He supervised approximately 20 doctoral students. Professor Sturmey has published 30 edited and authored books, over 300 peer reviewed papers, over 80 book chapters and made numerous presentations nationally and internationally, including recent presentations in Canada, Brazil, Ireland and Italy.

His research focussed on caregiver training. He expanded the application of script-based caregiver training using general case training. A series of studies demonstrated that carefully designed training using role play based on general case training produces large generalization to working with children and adults with autism / intellectual disabilities and often produces positive behavioral change in the individuals with disabilities. He has also evaluated interventions using pyramidal training, again incorporating general case training to evaluate generalization of the use of behavioral skills training across trainees and skills.

Noor Y. Syed, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LBA/ LBS (NY, CT, PA)

Dr. Noor Syed (she/her) is an Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator of Applied Behavior Analysis, as well as the founding Director of the Center for Autism Advocacy: Research, Education, and Supports (CAARES) with Empire State University. She has also been named the Turben Director of Autism Advocacy. The Center’s primary initiative is to help Empire State become a fully inclusive and supportive college for those who identify as neurodiverse through a multi-tiered system of support framework. She is the Director of Anderson Center International, Doctoral Advisor in ABA with Endicott College, and a certified general and special education teacher. She believes strongly in advocacy and collaboration, and values learning with and from others. Dr. Syed serves on the ABA Ethics Hotline, is co-facilitator of the Associations for University Centers on Disabilities ABA national workgroup, and a member of the Organization for Autism Research’s Scientific Council. She is also President-elect of the New York State Association for Behavior Analysis. Dr. Syed has consulted with autism clinics globally, including in Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Romania, and Uganda. Her research interests lie in advocacy, ethics, and social justice initiatives. Dr. Syed received her undergraduate degree in ABA at Binghamton University and her doctoral degree in ABA with Teachers College, Columbia University.

Nicholas Weatherly, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Dr. Nic Weatherly is a senior-level executive, field coach, and researcher with over 20 years of success leading progressive people operations and culture change. Dr. Weatherly’s expertise is in maximizing safety and leadership performance by monitoring KPIs, implementing science-based coaching practices, and establishing results-focused objectives and timetables using an individualized, collaborative, and sustainable approach. He has given or contributed to nearly 100 scholarly presentations and workshops worldwide on training, safety, and leadership topics, co-authored the book Deliberate Coaching, and has been published in numerous peer-reviewed scientific publications.

Prior to joining SCCi, Dr. Weatherly was the Head of the School of Behavior Analysis at the Florida Institute of Technology and a management consultant with Aubrey Daniels International. Dr. Weatherly is the Past-President of the Association of Professional Behavior Analysts, the Georgia Association for Behavior Analysis, and the Kentucky Association for Behavior Analysis. He was the inaugural chair of the Kentucky Applied Behavior Analyst Licensing Board, one of the first stand-alone licensing boards for behavior analysis in the country, and continues to stay active in public policy efforts. He currently serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Organizational Behavior Management and continues to work on various workgroups and committees for the Behavior Analyst Certification Board. Recent efforts have included assisting in the revision of the Professional and Ethical Compliance Code and in the development of the Code Compliance system. Dr. Weatherly has served as a member of the BACB Disciplinary Review Committee and is currently a coach trainer and mentor for the BACB’s Ethics department.

Dr. Weatherly has a Master’s and Ph.D. in behavior analysis from Western Michigan University and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral.

Mary Jane Weiss, PhD., BCBA-D, LABA

Dean of the Institute for Applied Behavioral Science and Director of the Ph.D. Program in ABA. She serves as chair of the ABA Department and of the Endicott Institute for Applied Behavioral Science. She has been working as a behavior analyst serving people with autism for nearly 40 years. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Rutgers University in 1990, and became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst in 2000. She previously served as an Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology at Rutgers University, and as Director of Research and Training and as Clinical Director of the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center at Rutgers University for 16 years. Dr. Weiss has authored numerous chapters, several books, and many articles on ABA. Her clinical and research interests center on teaching compassionate care and collaboration skills to practitioners, in identifying effective ways to teach ethical decision-making, on advancing DEIB initiatives within higher education and service delivery, and on defining best practice ABA techniques. She is a regular presenter at regional and national conferences on topics relevant to ABA and autism, is an editor at Behavior Analysis and Practice, and is a frequent reviewer for professional journals. She is a past president of the Autism Special Interest Group of the Association for Behavior Analysis, a board member of the Association for Science in Autism Treatment, an ethics subject matter expert and ethics trainer/coach for the Behavior Analyst Certification Board, a member of the Scientific Council of the Organization for Autism Research, a member of the board of the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies, a board member of the Association for Science in Autism Treatment, and an advisor to Autism NJ.