2021 Fellow of ABAI: Michael F. Dorsey

Michael F. Dorsey is currently Vice President of Psychological Services at Amego Inc. and Lecturer in the Applied Behavior Analysis Programs/Bouve’ College of Health Science in the Department of Applied Psychology, Northeastern University. He received his Ph.D. from Western Michigan University in 1979 and has served the discipline of applied behavior analysis with distinction for decades. Few individuals have made more of a service contribution to ABAI and the field of behavior analysis than Dr. Dorsey. His contributions to public policy and law and to professional standards and training plus his leadership in addressing issues of practice are legion. He helped found organizations and programs in behavior analysis (e.g., the Massachusetts Association for Behavior Analysis, the Institute for Behavior Studies at Endicott College), and he has taken on vital roles at ABAI, including founding member and coordinator of the Practice Board. He was coordinator of ABAI’s Affiliated Chapters Board, chair of its Licensing Committee, chair of the Verified Course Sequences Board, and is leading the Experiential Learning Committee, which will define standards of practice for all educational programs in behavior analysis. His significant, impassioned, and long-standing contributions to public policy and law include drafting an amicus curiae brief submitted to the United States Supreme Court that challenged the conditions of residents at the Mansfield Training School, an institution for those with intellectual disabilities, being a gubernatorial appointee to the Developmental Disabilities Councils (DDCs) of both Florida and Massachusetts, chairing the Massachusetts DDC Governmental Affairs Committee, and representing the National DDC at the First Papal Congress on Developmental Disabilities, hosted by Pope John Paul II at the Vatican. He co-authored bills related to the protection of ABA consumers and the practice of ABA, including the ABA Licensing Bill in Massachusetts (the first such bill filed in the United States), and was appointed to serve as one of the original members of the Massachusetts Licensing Board for Applied Behavior Analysts. Dr. Dorsey has been selfless, generous, and effective in his long service as an advocate for individuals diagnosed with developmental disabilities.