Below are brief descriptions of the areas & functions of ACBS Volunteer Committees. Some are more established than others, but your interest in serving is always welcome!
To indicate your interest, please go here: https://contextualscience.org/volunteer
Click on an option below to read more about each committee:
Awards Committee
Chair: Connie Chong
The committee shall develop and administer a cohesive awards and recognition program and nominate candidates for appropriate awards and recognition to the Board of Directors.
CE Committee
Chair: Katy Rothfelder
This committee shall be responsible for staying abreast of industry guidelines on Continuing Education and evaluating ACBS and co-sponsor training events for suitability and approval.
Chapter and SIG Committee
Chair: Mai Manchanda
This committee shall be responsible for advising and supporting chapters and special interest groups (SIGs). The committee facilitates the creation and continuation of chapters and SIGs, coordinates and provides liaisons between chapters/SIGs/committees and the board, promotes collaborations among chapters & SIGs, facilitates the yearly chapter/SIG meeting, keeps relevant resources current and available, helps maintain harmonious function between & within chapters/SIGS and provides mentors for new chapters & SIGS.
The committee will promote and encourage the values of the main association to ensure the activities of the chapters and SIG to be compatible with the overarching goals and philosophy of ACBS. The committee shall be responsible for reviewing annual reports submitted by the chapters and SIGs, and promoting connections with ACBS international.
Communications Committee.jpg)
Chair: Katy Rothfelder
Incoming Co-chair: Sebastian Garcia
This committee is responsible for coordinating and facilitating the communications media of ACBS. These media include, but are not limited to, websites, newsletters, listservs, and social media. This committee will also oversee marketing efforts through communications channels designed to increase awareness of and membership in ACBS. This committee will develop and maintain a strategic plan to maximize synergy and impact of these communications methods. This committee is composed of several subcommittees: Social Media Subcommittee, Website Research Dissemination Subcommittee, Wikipedia Subcommittee, and Video Transcription and Translation Subcommittee. For more information about the Communications Committee, please click here.
Conference Strategy Committee
This committee in consultation with the Executive Director shall make decisions regarding broad policies related to ACBS’s Annual Conference. They shall recommend future conference locations, evaluate venue proposals, and choose future conference sites, with final approval reserved by the ACBS Board. They are tasked with thematic determinations, plenary speaker approval, conference structure determination (timing, length, etc.), and other related decisions. They shall invite pre-conference workshops, or create an ad hoc to complete the task. They will act as a resource for conference program chairs, as needed.
Developing Nations Committee
Co-Chairs: Paulo Bozza and Daniel Granados
The purpose of the committee is to evaluate and support the dissemination of CBS in developing nations (DN). This will include 1) developing strategies to raise money, 2) addressing needs of DN in research and applied training, 3) promoting distance training, 4) distributing funding, and 5) facilitating links between trainers and DN.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee
Chair: Dan Rosen
This committee shall develop strategies to promote diversity within the association, as well as to disseminate Contextual Behavioral Science to diverse populations. This committee is charged with considering diversity at all levels of ACBS. For example, this committee shall serve to support diversity with regard to both basic and applied science, as well as to promote conventional demographic diversity. For more information about the DEI Committee, please click here.
Grants Committee
Co-Chairs: Kristy Dalrymple and Jason Lillis
Incoming Co-chairs: Lauren Borges and Kathleen Palm Reed
The Association of Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS) Research Development Grants provide financial support for research that advances the field of Contextual Behavioral Science (CBS). The purpose of these Research Development Grants is to provide financial support for high quality, innovative original research projects.
Membership Committee
Co-Chairs: Jeridith Lord and Ashlyne Mullen
This committee shall be responsible for recruiting new professional, student, and affiliate members, retaining current members, and facilitating transition from student to professional membership. The committee is charged with establishing and sustaining long-term membership options, evaluating the needs of members and their satisfaction, and liaising with Diversity and Chapter & SIGs committees.
Past Presidents Committee
This committee shall serve as an advisory committee to the ACBS Board based on need or request. The former presidents of ACBS may contribute their experience and knowledge for the institutional memory and betterment of the Association. The Past Presidents Committee shall nominate candidates for appropriate awards and recognition to the Board of Directors. The Board of directors will approve the nomination for the award(s) or recognition by 2/3 vote.
Program Committee
2025 Co-Chairs: Amie Zarling and Maureen Flynn
This committee is responsible for formulating and preparing the program for the annual convention (excluding plenaries and pre-conference workshops), working in close coordination with the Conference Strategic Planning Committee, Committees on Continuing Education, Executive Director or any other committees as necessary. It shall liaise with the Chapters & SIGs Committee for program building. President-Elect nominates the chair of the committee for the year of his/her presidency.
Publications Committee
Chair: Rhonda Merwin
The purpose of this committee is to assist in the success of the Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, and future association journals or magazines (as distinct from the on-line newsletter or website, which is a form of membership communication). Among other issues, the committee deals with issues of promotion, impact, quality, coverage, efficiency, organization, readership, cost, publisher relations, membership relations, and the selection of editors.
Scientific Strategic Council (SSC)
Chair: Joanna Arch
The Scientific Strategic Council will play a pivotal role in advancing the strategic aims of the association and promoting scientific excellence in the field of Contextual Behavioural Science.
Training Committee
Chair: Lou Lasprugato
This committee shall support the development, evaluation, and availability of high-quality CBS training (e.g. ACT, applied RFT), and do so in a manner consistent with statements of the ACBS community’s values as described in the Trainers’ Agreement. Here, “high quality” means training that creates conditions that establish higher levels of psychological flexibility through empirically supported processes, and that increases the trainees’ ability to apply CBS. Toward that mission, one standing duty of this committee is to oversee and coordinate the peer-review process for being listed as a recognized ACT trainer on the ACBS website.