2022 Outstanding Mentor: Jessica E. Van Stratton

Jessica E. Van Stratton is an associate professor of psychology at Western Michigan University (WMU) and is the chair of the behavior analysis program. She earned her Ph.D. in disability disciplines with a focus in applied behavior analysis from Utah State University in 2009, her MA from The Ohio State University in 2003 in special education/applied behavior analysis, and her BS in psychology from Allegheny College in 2001. Jessica has the honor of working with undergraduate, masters, and doctoral students at WMU through courses, fieldwork, teaching, research, applied projects, student organizations, and community volunteer and activism work. Currently, Jessica and her students lead a number of collaborative projects in school settings. These range from applications focused on catching elementary students up who are behind in math in underserved communities with a focus on frequency building to skills coaching for students with exceptional needs to help facilitate gaining and maintaining paid employment in the community. Jessica’s passion for working with students of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds helps her continue to learn and grow, and helps her to be a better teacher, researcher, and mentor.