About ORABA

Dr. Dawn Bailey

President

Dr. Dawn Bailey is a faculty member at the Oregon Institute of Technology. Dr. Bailey is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA-D) with over 20 years of experience designing behavioral & learning programs for a variety of populations, including persons with emotional/behavioral disorders, autism and other developmental disabilities.

Dr. Bailey received her graduate training in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) at Florida State University (Go Noles!) under Dr. Jon S. Bailey, where she was awarded her Ph.D. in 2008. Dr. Bailey is a frequent presenter at behavior analysis conferences and gives workshops to teachers, parents, and staff on a variety of topics related to the practice of behavior analysis. Dr. Bailey serves on the Georgia Behavior Peer Review Committee to assist the state with policy development and implementation regarding behavior analytic services provided in the state. She was a consultant to school districts, private families and state agencies in Florida, New Jersey and Delaware between 1998 and 2017 and has served as an adjunct faculty member at Florida State University and the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. She was president of the Florida Association for Behavior Analysis (FABA) in 2014 and held a position on the Executive Committee of FABA for many years. OIT recently opened BIG Clinic, the first ABA Clinic in Klamath Falls run by Dr. Bailey and Dr. Borgen.

Jennifer White

Vice President

Jennifer obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Human Development and Family Studies and Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She then went on to continue her education and obtained her Masters of Arts in Special Education from Belmont University. She then received her endorsement in Applied Behavior Analysis from Lipscomb University. Jenny is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and Licensed Behavior Analyst in the state of Oregon (LBA). Jennifer has 9 years of experience within the field of developmental disabilities.

Jennifer has worked with children in a variety of settings including school, in home, and clinic and has experience designing clinic programming for toddlers, early learners, and social learners. She also has extensive experience working with schools promoting inclusive environments for students with disabilities as well as classroom management, consultation, and mentoring of special education teachers. She also teaches graduate level classes in Applied Behavior Analysis at Oregon Institute of Technology and designed and teaches a 40-hour Registered Behavior Analyst Interventionist (RBAI)/Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) course.

Jennifer worked at Western Psychological and Counseling Services, specifically with individuals with intense behavior problems including aggression and self-injurious behavior.

Sophie Millon

Secretary

Sophie obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She earned her Master of Science in Speech and Hearing Sciences from Portland State University and completed a Graduate Certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis at the University of Cincinnati. While attending Portland State University, Sophie served as coordinator of the Autism and Social Communication Lab under the mentorship of Dr. Amy Donaldson.

Sophie recently completed a clinical fellowship with Easter Seals Southern California Autism Services. Sophie is a licensed speech-language pathologist in California and Oregon and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). Sophie has completed coursework and internships in autism spectrum disorder, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) feeding and swallowing, voice, speech and language disorders and fluency.

Sophie also has training in self-injury, aggression, and other intensive challenging behaviors. She serves clients in her special role as SLP/BCBA at Western Psychological & Counseling Services.

Alisha Sheetz

Treasurer

Alisha is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and a Licensed Behavior Analyst in the state of Oregon. She graduated with a Masters of Arts in Teaching with a specialization in applied behavior analysis from National University. Alisha started her ABA journey in Chicago, IL. She has been working with children and their families in the field of ABA since 2013 in the home, community and clinic settings.

Alisha’s clinical focus is child-centered and involves a collaborative approach with the parents, caretakers, interventionist, teachers, and coordinating care with other service providers to ensure generalization of skills. She has experience with discrete trial training, functional communication training, incidental and naturalistic training, programming for generative learning and independent living skills. She continues to pursue her interest in complex verbal behavior, acceptance and commitment therapy, denial and delay tolerance training and organizational behavior management.

Alice Austin

Public Policy Chair

Alice Austin, PhD, BCBA-D, LBA, earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Washington State University and a Master of Arts in Behavior Sciences (ABA sub-plan) from the University of Houston-Clear Lake. She earned her Doctorate in Special Education and Rehabilitation (specializing in Applied Behavior Analysis) from Utah State University in 2011. She is a Licensed Behavior Analyst in the state of Oregon.

Dr. Austin’s primary area of expertise is ABA-based, early intervention for children with autism. She also has experience providing ABA services to school-aged children and adults with developmental disabilities. In addition to direct service provision at AKA Consulting, she has conducted a variety of trainings for both parents and teachers and has provided consultative services to school districts. She is currently an adjunct professor at Oregon Institute of Technology, teaching graduate-level courses in behavior analysis. She recently served as board member to the Oregon Behavior Analysis Regulatory Board.

Kelcy Gillen

Student Representatives

Kelcy Gillen, RBT, is our current student representative, attending the ABA program at OIT in Kalamath Falls and taking excellent meeting minutes! Kelcy was valuable member of our 2018 conference planning team, and we look forward to supporting her in her ABA journey.

Maria Lynn Kessler

Maria Lynn Kessler, PhD, received her doctorate in psychology from Florida State University and her MS in ABA from Southern Illinois University. Maria Lynn leads the BCBA-approved course sequence in ABA from Oregon Institute of Technology and was awarded The Oregon Tech Foundation Faculty Achievement Award from the College of Health, Arts, and Sciences for providing her students with opportunities to gain more knowledge of their field through participation in meetings, networking with local professionals, and bringing in guest speakers.

Dr. Kessler partnered with Gregg Gassman from Southern Oregon University to create a joint master’s in education program with an emphasis on ABA, preparing students to meet the requirements of BCBA certification and providing them with the background necessary to teach learners with ASD and other social/emotional delays.

Jenny Fischer

Jenny Fischer, PhD, BCBA-D, earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA, where she first began working with children with autism during a practicum course. Jenny completed her Master of Science in Psychology (Behavior Analysis specialization) from California State University, Stanislaus, in Turlock, CA in 2007, and completed her PhD in Psychology (Behavior Analysis specialization) at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Los Angeles Campus, in May 2016. Jenny’s research interests include teaching language to children with autism, particularly teaching generative language repertoires. Jenny has been practicing as a BCBA in Central and Southern Oregon since 2007, and officially opened Cascade ABA, providing clinic, home and community-based services in 2010.

Jenny has been actively involved in legislative advocacy for insurance coverage of ABA, has served on the board of the Oregon Association for Behavior Analysis and the Oregon Behavior Analysis Regulatory Board. She enjoys partnering with community organizations to expand and improve the resources available to Oregon’s families.