Williams and Ruiz Recognized for Leadership in Behavior Analysis
July 24, 2025
By Jessica Firpi ’11
Michele Williams was recognized alongside Maria Ruiz, the first female psychology professor at Rollins, as one of the seminal female leaders in the field of behavior analysis.
Michele Williams, associate professor and department chair of the Master of Applied Behavior Analysis & Clinical Science (ABACS) program, recently served on an expert panel for accreditation site visitors at the annual convention of the Association for Behavior Analysis International in Washington, D.C., where she was also recognized as one of the female leaders in the discipline.
As inaugural ABACS program director, she helped the program gain accreditation in 2019, only four years after founding the program. The Rollins ABACS program was created in part by former psychology professor Maria Ruiz, whose legacy has had far-reaching impacts on the field. Ruiz is most recognized as one of the advocates for female leaders in a male-dominated discipline. Among all her accomplishments, she counted the ABACS program as her most important contribution and mentored countless female undergraduate students as they embarked on careers in behavior analysis.
With over 9,000 members, the Association for Behavior Analysis International is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting behavior analysis, organizing conferences, and publishing journals on the topic of applied behavior analysis.
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