ABA Technologies, Inc. (ABA Tech) hires experts in learning sciences with skills required to transfer learning to our clients through eLearning methodologies. We develop solutions that create skillful performance after our work is complete. Individuals at ABA Tech need specific expertise in instructional design, content development, coaching to sustain new skills, and communicating in ways that are accessible to others.
Aspironeer Magazine is dedicating this issue to highlighting females in educational technology. We picked three women who push us to excellence, each in unique ways.
KRISTIN MYERS-KEMP, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Kristin Myers-Kemp found her niche in educational technology by combining two passions: behavior analysis and teaching. Joining ABA Tech in 2008, Kristin was the second full-time employee. There are now 110 salaried employees. In the 2000s, ABA Tech, composed of a small group of experts in the science of learning, worked together on their shared mission. As market forces combined with recognition of the quality of products produced, demand followed. Kristin says of that time, “The challenge was then and remains today, how to educate large numbers of people in diverse locations, do it well, and in a way that leads to real mastery in what they do after our training. It required us to evolve and innovate.” Indeed, ABA Tech quickly developed an eLearning presence for students around the world, using emerging technologies to occupy an online education space well before its advantages were demonstrated during the 2020 Covid-19 Pandemic.
Currently Senior Vice President of Product Strategy, focusing on developing clinical knowledge and skills of future practitioners in applied behavior analysis, Kristin has a stellar record of producing graduates who pass national certification exams at a high rate. “If we do what is right for the students, our decisions become easy. If we put them first, we are, by extension, doing what is right for the program, the company, and the field. It all starts with the student.”
During the past 14 years, she has overseen graduate-level programs while teaching, mentoring, and participating in the evolution of applied behavior analysis certification at a national level. Her insights about what students need make her uniquely qualified to enhance their developmental journey. She advises others to “Never lose sight of your passion and intended effects. Use data to guide you in decision-making. It is sometimes tempting to use what is new, exciting, or what people express they want. Or to add technology just for the sake of using it. These things are often not in the consumers’ best interest, even if they think it is. We must be innovative and use technology wisely; to measure its effects and pivot as needed based on outcome data.”
Since that fateful day when ABA Tech’s founder, Dr. Jose Martinez-Diaz asked Kristin to join his company, opening the door to a career in educational technology, she has had the opportunity to learn, grow, inspire, and be inspired. She teaches, supports, and mentors staff, colleagues, and students. Harnessing the science of behavior, best practices in learning, and technology advances, Kristin is at the center of a successful program that has trained over 250,000 students worldwide.