Lab Members

Williams A. Espericueta Luna, M.S.: Will is a 4th year PhD student who earned his B.S. in Applied Behavior Analysis in 2017 and M.S. in Behavior Analysis from the University of North Texas in 2021. He participated in multiple research laboratories (labs) during his time in the Department of Behavior Analysis at UNT. The topics within the labs ranged from behavioral neuroscience, culturo-behavior science, and undergraduate education. While working with his thesis advisor, Dr. Sam Bergmann, he lead multiple projects including developing an experiment to evaluate a tablet-based audiometry technology to assess the hearing of children with autism spectrum disorder, conducting a behavioral systems analysis to aid in the development of a university program for neurodiverse students, and developing a computer-based instruction training module to teach undergraduate peer mentors to build rapport and create meaningful relationships with their mentees. Will’s current research interests include process and performance improvement in organizational settings as well as improving safety in the work place.

Kelcie McCafferty, M.S.: Kelcie is a second-year PhD student who earned her B.S. in Psychology with a concentration in behavior analysis in 2020 from the University of Alaska Anchorage and her M.S. in Applied Behavior Analysis and Organizational Behavior Management from the Florida Institute of Technology in 2023. During her time at the University of Alaska Anchorage, Kelcie worked on basic and applied research topics. This included development of parent training for rural communities and examination of stimulus preference with animals. Kelcie worked as a Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Advocate at Standing Together Against Rape (STAR), inc. where she provided support services to survivors. At the Florida Institute of Technology, Kelcie worked in multiple labs and led research projects in topics related to justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and applications of behavior analysis in the medical field. Her current research interests include using socially valid modifications of common behavior analytic interventions to improve healthcare delivery. Kelcie is also interested in applications of performance management and behavioral systems analysis to improve justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion in healthcare and public policy.  

Davis Simmons, M.A.: Davis is a 6th year PhD student who earned his Bachelor’s in General Studies in Psychology with a minor in Applied Behavior Science from the University of Kansas in 2018 and his Master’s in Behavior Analysis from University of Florida in 2022. At KU he was a post-baccalaureate intern in the Performance Management Center under Dr. Florence DiGennaro Reed working with a company in human services. His work included creating online and in-vivo trainings, crafting workshops, identifying and resolving performance discrepancies, and consultation. At UF, under the guidance of Dr. Nicole Gravina, his work has centered around improving training and safety outcomes in organizational settings. Davis’s current research interests include performance management, staff training, leadership, consultation, behavioral systems analysis, behavioral safety, sustainability and ethics in the workplace, institutionalization and maintenance of results, and integrating technological advancements with OBM applications to solve critical issues in human service, health, business, and industry settings.

Kai Williams, B.S.: Kai is a second-year PhD student who earned his B.S. in Psychology with a concentration in behavior analysis in 2021 from the University of Florida. Kai then worked as a registered behavior technician at the Florida Autism Center specialty research clinic at the UF Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment. During this time, he worked with multiple age groups and clients with varying abilities. He has worked on several projects with senior staff for clients with complex physiological variables on sociability research, teaching foundational learning skills, and developing interventions for noise sensitivities. Additionally, he aided in the implementation of revised training procedures for staff in the Early and Intensive Behavioral Intervention Clinic. His research interests include development and expansion of assessment tools and interventions for remote work environments.

AFFLIATE LAB MEMBER:

Hanna Vance, M.A., BCBA: Hanna is a current doctoral student in the Translational and Applied Behavioral Science (TABS) laboratory at the University of Florida under the advisement of Dr. Corina Jimenez-Gomez. Hanna is also an affiliate member in the OBM Research Lab lead by Dr. Nicole Gravina. After receiving her bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Psychology at St. Lawrence College, of Kingston, Ontario Canada, Hanna obtained a master’s degree in Applied Disability Studies, specialized in Applied Behavior Analysis at Brock University, of St. Catherine’s, Ontario Canada, under the advisement of Dr. Valdeep Saini. Hanna has also earned her Board-Certified Behavior Analyst® certification. Some of her research has explored employee performance measures (i.e., PDC-HS; Carr et al., 2016) as well as behavior-analytic applications to social responsibility topics (i.e., pay equity, gender issues). Hanna is a former student of the Performance Management Laboratory at the University of Kansas under the advisement of Dr. Florence DiGennaro Reed.

Student Awards and Grants

2024 Williams Espericueta Luna, Society of Applied Behavior Analysis Research Grant
2024 Rachel Warren, Balki Foundation Research Grant (undergraduate)
2023 Rachel Warren, AI University Scholars Program (undergraduate)
2023 Jessica Nastasi, Psychology Department Pioneer Award
2023 Jessica Nastasi, Behavior Analysis Gerber Award
2022 Andressa Sleiman, Psychology Department Pioneer Award
2021 Andressa Sleiman, Behavior Analysis Gerber Award
2021 Andressa Sleiman, OBM Network Chris Anderson Student Research Grant
2020 Jessica Nastasi, OBM Network Chris Anderson Student Research Grant
2020 Alyssa Crowe, University Scholars Award (undergraduate)
2019 Nicholas Matey, OBM Network Chris Anderson Student Research Grant

Former doctoral students (at Florida Institute of Technology and UF) and their positions after graduate training:

2023 Jessica Nastasi, PhD, BCBA (UF), Mixed Methods Researcher, McRel International
2022 Nicholas Matey, PhD, BCBA (UF), Vice President of Operations, ABA Technologies
2022 Andressa Sleiman, PhD, BCBA (UF), Assistant Professor, Florida Tech
2018 David Kelley, PhD, BCBA-D (FIT), VP of Marketing and Communications, Health First
2017 Allison King, PhD, BCBA-D (FIT), Vice President of Professional Development, ABA Technologies