June 16, 2016
Vincent Strully, Jr.
The New England Center for Children, Inc.
33 Turnpike Road
Southborough, Massachusetts 01772
Dear Vinnie,
I am so pleased to congratulate you formally, on behalf of the Society for the Advancement of Behavior Analysis (SABA) president, Dr. Martha Hübner, and the entire SABA Board of Directors, on the selection of the New England Center for Children (NECC) as the recipient of the 2017 Award for International Dissemination of Behavior Analysis. This award, given to a person or organization demonstrating a significant and sustained contribution to the dissemination/development of behavior analysis outside of the United States, will be presented at the 2017 ABAI Annual Convention in Denver, Colorado.
In selecting NECC for this award, the SABA Board wishes to applaud its longstanding work to provide services, train service providers and students, and establish programs across five continents. The reach and influence of NECC are truly inspiring, and the success of NECC Abu Dhabi in particular illustrates the impact of dissemination; NECC has played a large part in making inroads for behavior analysis in the Middle East.
Certainly, that achievement would be enough to earn the SABA International Dissemination Award, but if we may refer to an organization’s having a curriculum vitae, then NECC’s is one that details the tireless work—– over four decades!—–of its dedicated behavior analysts, who not only introduce but genuinely establish and support individuals and service infrastructure from Canada to India, from the UK to Brazil, and many, many points in between. What’s more, the online availability of the ACE has extended NECC’s reach even farther. Vinnie, so many of us in the behavior analysis community know very well that NECC’s good work continues to spread far beyond Massachusetts and New England, and the world is a better place for it.
We hope that you or another representative from NECC can participate in the 2017 SABA award ceremony. This representative will be a special guest at the convention; ABAI will provide complimentary registration and cover the cost of regular airfare to and from Denver. In addition, one night of a hotel stay will be billed to ABAI’s master account. The award will be presented by Dr. Hübner at the Opening Event and SABA Awards on Saturday, May 27, 2017. NECC will be one of a highly distinguished group of 2017 SABA awardees, and I hope the NECC representative will plan a few words for the ceremony. In addition, we will announce NECC’s receipt of the award in the first issue of Inside Behavior Analysis for 2017 and the convention program book.
I will provide more details on logistics as we near the convention, but for now, please accept hearty congratulations and thanks on behalf of the SABA Board.
Sincerely,
Maria E. Malott, Ph.D.
Secretary-Treasurer, Society for the Advancement of Behavior Analysis