Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Award

The Distinguished Contributions to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award seeks to recognize, reward, and promote achievements with documented impact on diversity, equity, and inclusion. The award highlights creative DEI programming and the central role of diversity, equity, and inclusion in individual and institutional success. The goal is to emphasize effective models of action in DEI. The Award for Distinguished Contributions to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is presented at each year’s ABAI Annual Convention in a DEI event to honor the awardee(s).

Dr. Lauren Beaulieu earned her BS in Psychology from Florida State, her MS in Applied Behavior Analysis from Florida Institute of Technology and her Ph.D. in Behavior Analysis from Western New England University. She received training as a Clinical Specialist at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine’s Kennedy Krieger Institute. Dr. Beaulieu is currently a District Behavior Analyst for Newton Public Schools in Massachusetts. She was previously an Associate Professor at the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT). Prior to her appointment at FIT, she founded and directed the Master’s in Applied Behavior Analysis program at Regis College in Weston, MA where she earned tenure in 2017. She also held a faculty appointment at the University of Massachusetts Lowell’s MS in Autism Spectrum Disorders program from 2011 – 2013. Dr. Beaulieu has been a practitioner and researcher in behavior analysis for 20 years across a variety of settings including public schools, clients’ homes, residential psychiatric hospitals, and group homes with individuals diagnosed with and without disabilities. She has also consulted internationally with BCBAs on conducting functional analyses, improving cooperation with young children, and improving sleep. Her research has been recognized by the Berkshire Association for Behavior Analysis and Therapy, and in 2021, she received the Applied Behavior Analysis Award for Scholarly Contributions to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion from the Association for Behavior Analysis International. She currently serves on the editorial board for the journal Behavioral Interventions and has previously served on the editorial board for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis.

Dr. Corina Jimenez-Gomez (she/her/Ella) is an Assistant Professor in the Behavior Analysis program at the University of Florida. She earned a Licensure in Psychology at the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello in Caracas, Venezuela, and a doctoral degree in Psychology with an emphasis in Behavior Analysis from Utah State University. She completed post-doctoral training at the University of Michigan and was a Research Fellow at The University of Auckland, New Zealand. She has held faculty positions at the Florida Institute of Technology and Auburn University. In addition, she served as a clinical supervisor at The Scott Center for Autism Treatment at Florida Tech and was the Director of the Center for Autism Research, Treatment, and Training (CARTT) at Auburn University. Dr. Jimenez-Gomez is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst at the doctoral level, whose professional interests include translational and applied behavioral research in the areas of choice and reinforcement processes, the use of technology in ABA settings, caregiver and staff coaching, and cultural responsiveness in Behavior Analysis. Dr. Jimenez-Gomez has served as a reviewer for various scientific journals and is currently on the editorial board of the Perspectives on Behavior Science and the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, and is Associate Editor for Behavior Analysis in Practice. She is also the mom of two amazing humans and an elderly Labrador and is married to a fellow behavioral scientist.