Italian Practical Functional Assessment and Skill-Based Treatment (2025; 10 CEUs)

Dr. Hanley has been applying the principles of learning to improve socially important behaviors of children and adults with and without disabilities for 35 years. He initially worked in direct care and residential manager roles (90-94), then trained at the Kennedy Krieger Institute (94-97), earned his doctoral degree from the University of Florida (2001), was tenured at the University of Kansas (2006), and directed the Behavior Analysis Doctoral Program and Life Skills Clinic at Western New England University (2007-2019). Dr. Hanley has published over 100 book chapters and articles in peer-reviewed journals in areas such as the assessment, treatment, and prevention of problem behavior, skill development, and evidence-based values. Dr. Hanley is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (Div. 25) and of the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI), past Associate Editor of The Behavior Analyst, and past Editor of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and of Behavior Analysis in Practice. Since 2019, he has served as a Research Professor at WNEU, and CEO of FTF Behavioral, an international training and consulting group based in Worcester Massachusetts.

Dr. Kelsey Ruppel, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LBA

Dr. Ruppel’s work focuses on the practical functional assessment and skill-based treatment of problem behavior, as well as preventing the development of severe problem behavior in young children with autism. She began her career as a teaching assistant in a specialized school for students with developmental disabilities and eventually served as a school-based special education teacher, BCBA, and curriculum supervisor. She has also implemented and supervised in-home ABA programming, taught courses as a faculty fellow at Western New England University, served as the Associate Director of Dr. Hanley’s Life Skills Clinic at Western New England University, and served as a BCBA at an inpatient hospital program for children with severe problem behavior. Kelsey has served as a consultant to a range of organizations, including schools, in-home and outpatient clinic providers, and residential programs.

One mission of FTF is to forge connections among professionals internationally. Kelsey has long been interested in this goal; she earned her Bachelor’s degree from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, where she won awards for work on the history of Polish politics and German-Russian relations, and she spent a semester studying abroad at the University of Vienna, Austria. Following graduation, Kelsey pursued her other passion, working with children, and earned a Master’s degree in Special Education from Johns Hopkins University and a doctoral degree in Behavior Analysis from Western New England University under the supervision of Dr. Hanley.

Dr. Theresa Fiani, Ph.D., BCBA-D, NYS-LBA

Dr. Theresa Fiani has been applying the principles of learning to improve socially significant behaviors of children with developmental disabilities for over 10 years. She began in research and direct service roles supporting infants and children with autism and Down syndrome in New York and Lebanon, and has since served in clinical, instructional, and leadership roles in both home-based services and outpatient clinics.

Dr. Fiani earned her Master of Arts in Psychology with a specialization in Applied Behavior Analysis from Queens College, City University of New York (2017), and her Ph.D. in Psychology from The Graduate Center, CUNY (2020), under the mentorship of Dr. Joshua Jessel. Her research focused on generalization of social-communication skills and practical, efficient functional assessment models and skill-based treatment.

She has conducted research on behavioral phenotypes, social communication, and compassionate behavioral interventions, with a particular emphasis on the assessment and treatment of severe problem behavior via the Practical Functional Assessment and Skill-Based Treatment (PFA-SBT) model. Her work has been published in Behavior Analysis in Practice, Behavior Modification, Research in Developmental Disabilities, Autism, and other peer-reviewed journals.

Dr. Fiani currently serves as Director of Research and Technology at FTF Behavioral Consultation, where she leads research initiatives, develops on-demand clinical training content, and supports data systems and strategic planning. She has taught undergraduate and graduate-level courses in psychology and behavior analysis and has provided training and consultation to professionals across the United States and internationally, including in Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, and Nicaragua.

Across her research, teaching, and clinical work, Dr. Fiani is committed to advancing compassionate, practical, and effective interventions for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families.

Dr. Claire Egan, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Dr. Claire Egan is a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst who currently serves as a Director of Semiahmoo Behaviour Analysts, Inc. (SBAI), as well as being the Founder and Director of the Kindergarten Readiness Program for young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Claire received her Masters degree in Special Education from Columbia University, and her PhD in Psychology from the National University of Ireland. She completed a Post Doctoral Fellowship in Learning and Assessment at the Hong Kong Institute of Education, where she was also an Adjunct Professor of Special Education and Educational Psychology. She has worked as Co-Director of Education for the Cork CABAS School, and Director of Education for the Children’s Institute of Hong Kong. Claire has provided supervision to individuals seeking certification in behaviour analysis in Ireland, Hong Kong, and now in British Columbia. She has presented her research at local and international conferences and has published her research in the Journal of Applied Behaviour Analysis, and the Psychological Record. Claire recently served a term as Member at Large for Elections for the British Columbia Association for Behaviour Analysis, and continues to be involved in building the capacity of practitioners in British Columbia to provide high quality and student-centered behavioral services.

Shana Rodriguez, BCBA

Shana is a Licensed and Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She is the business development director and lead consultant with FTF Behavioral Consulting and resides in Northern Michigan. Shana developed an enthusiasm for the science of behavior while working in the field with marine mammals. She has been engaged in the behavior community now for 25 years, expanding her work to help families and children with autism in 2014. Ever since making this career change, Shana has developed a strong passion for helping professionals and families, working with individuals with autism, to create meaningful change, utilizing a safe and compassionate approach. Shana has extensive work and supervision utilizing Applied Behavior Analysis to create learning environments for young children and adolescents in a variety of settings including school, clinic, home, and residential. She currently specializes in Practical Functional Assessment and Skill-Based Treatment of severe problem behavior, The Balance Program, and the assessment and treatment of sleep problems. She has experience consulting in-person and virtually with professionals and caregivers in multiple countries around the world.

Shana graduated from Western Michigan University with a Bachelor of Science degree. She earned a Master of Business Administration from Webster University and a Master of Arts in Applied Behavior Analysis with a certificate in Autism Spectrum Disorder from Ball State University. During graduate school, Shana completed a large portion of her clinical experience while working at a specialized school for students with developmental disabilities under the supervision of Dr. Kelsey Ruppel.

Dr. Anthony Cammilleri, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LBA

Dr. Cammilleri is a Board Certified and Licensed Behavior Analyst, as well as a Licensed Special Education Administrator. He completed his doctoral work in Developmental and Child Psychology at the University of Kansas in 2002. While completing his graduate studies, he served as the Principal of Century School in Lawrence, KS. Upon graduation, he served as a Behavior Analyst for the Somerset Hills Learning Institute in Far Hills, NJ. For the next 10 years, Dr. Cammilleri served as the Director of the Jane Justin School in Fort Worth, TX. After moving back to New England, Dr. Cammilleri served as the President/CEO of Crossroads School in Marlborough, MA from 2014 to 2019. Currently, Dr. Cammilleri is a Senior Consultant and the Director of Education at FTF Behavioral Consulting where he helps organizations build behavior analytic capacity in the areas of cultural design, instructional design, staff training, policy development, and the practical functional assessment and skill-based treatment of severe problem behavior.

Dr. Cammilleri specializes in the design of individualized curriculum sequences, the use of measurement systems to assess the effectiveness of those sequences, and in the staff training required for the implementation of both. He is best known for leadership that promotes the virtues of citizenship, friendship, and scholarship – the elements of an inclusive community whose members care for their world and one another, and enjoy a lifelong love of learning.