An Introduction to The Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies and Its Role in Advancing Behavior Science Worldwide 

Introduction by Blog Coordinator Darnell Lattal, Ph.D.

For many behavior analysts, the Cambridge Center for Behavior Studies is widely recognized as a 501(c)(3) non-profit hub where research and practice converge to disseminate information about the science and application of behavior.  For others, it is a vaguely understood entity, and the process of joining can be mysterious. In asking Dr. Rob Holdsambeck, Executive Director, to write the following blog, I knew he would share an interesting story. Rob has stabilized the Center’s financial base, established meaningful content and programs, and helped to extend an expanding global reach.  There are no financial barriers to entry, and contributions of any size are welcome. Explore what it takes to join if you are interested. The Center continues to attract individuals from diverse disciplines and cultures who are passionate about the potential of improving lives through the science of behavior, aligning with the Center’s mission to alleviate human suffering. Rob has a great sense of humor and a strong desire to expand our reach during these challenging times.  Enjoy this good read — and, most of all,  thank you, Rob!

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An Introduction to The Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies and Its Role in Advancing Behavior Science Worldwide 

A 501 (c) (3) organization (behavior.org) 

 Rob Holdsamback, Ed.D, LCP, BCBA-D Executive Director, CCBS

 Dr. Tom Zane, a member of our Board of Directors, continues in his tenure as the H.S. Pennypacker Chair of the Board.  Others on our board this year include Drs. Ron Allen (clerk), Amanda Laprime (treasurer), Phil Hineline, Andy Bondy, Darnell Lattal, Andy Lattal, Steve Eversole, Terry McSween, Janet Twyman, and Tim and Lori Ludwig.  We have about 62 trustees and 167 advisors representing 22 countries.  The Center has recognized seven distinguished scholars.  Our outgoing scholar director is Tara Fahmie.  When we gather in May, she will hand over the leadership role to Robyn Catagnus and Noor Syed.  

This year, we completed our 16^th Autism conference, our 11^th professional ethics conference, and our 5^th leadership event.  We also added a seminar titled “From Home to Habitat: A CCBS conference on understanding animal behavior”.  Claire St. Peter, chairperson of the Department of Psychology at West Virginia University, hosted us.  Our Behavior and Philosophy Journal is going strong once again, with Diego Zillo serving as our editor.  Our book, “Behavioral Science: Tales of Inspiration, Discovery, and Service,” continues to remind folks of the history and commitment of some of the leaders in our field.   While it is sad to see who passed on, I am very happy that we added some younger voices to our omnibus version.  Our continuing education program is going strong with 182 courses now available.  While most CE consumers are BCBAs, we also offer PSY credits..  If you would like more detailed information, please visit our website: www.behavior.org

OUR PAST 

Before my time, there was a place near Harvard called the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies (CCBS).  It was founded in 1981 by Robert Epstein and provided a space for behavioral science scholars to assemble and share ideas.  By all accounts, it was an incredible group and an incredible place.  Leaders in academia and business were brought in, student interns were added, and we grew.  Then there was a fire.   As tragic as it was to lose our place and our belongings, it was time to pivot.  The new directors established their offices in various locations in Massachusetts, where the rent was more affordable than in Cambridge.    Our bookstore moved along with them. Trustees in small conference rooms hosted the annual meetings at ABAI because the groups were small in size.  

About 18 years ago, I was invited by Hank Pennypacker to join them at the annual meeting being hosted by him in Florida.  He was my mentor at the University of Florida and said the CCBS was a place where scholars gathered to discuss ways to use our science to reduce human suffering.  I was honored to be included, but I was also aware that, as I saw it, I didn’t qualify as a “scholar.”  I sat by Murray Sidman and listened as Aubrey Daniels and Dwight Harshbarger discussed behavioral safety.  I met Ted Allyon a little later and had the opportunity to spend time with Beth Sulzer-Azaroff and Sigrid Glenn at our receptions.  It was a hoot, and I was hooked.

It took a while to discern what this group was about.  There were lots of heated discussions about projects ranging from reducing HIV to improving education. There was concern about the prominence and influence of autism service providers in our field.  Since I was one, this discussion seemed particularly relevant.  I volunteered to serve as the board treasurer because I had experience in this area and thought I could be of use in tracking the finances.   

In that role, it became clear there were systemic issues that needed to be addressed.   We were not a large organization, but we had a paid executive director and a small team of support staff.  We had some donor support and income streams, but we lacked the resources to achieve most of our ambitious goals.  The result was that we would enjoy our time together, set out on some projects, and agree to meet again to see how things were progressing.  We refreshed and published a notable journal (Behavior and Philosophy), established a website featuring approximately 40 help centers, hosted a conference, and sold high-quality educational materials.  We also ran a robust behavioral safety accreditation program.  One trustee, Terry McSween, put on a world-class safety conference.  That conference had a successful 25-year run and may be making a comeback.  We also brought our mid-sized autism conference out to California.  

My first real intervention was to review the financial data to determine which projects we could afford to continue. That sounds simple, but it wasn’t.  We needed to see how much money was being spent, how much was coming in, and how much, if any, was left over.    As treasurer, I reviewed our audited financial statements, budget projections, and monthly bank statements to ensure accuracy and compliance.  I reported these figures at several annual meetings.  I did not uncover any fraud or malicious intent.  However, I was reporting to a savvy group of behavioral scientists, and we could read a chart.  We were spending more than we were bringing in.  The graph was steep in the wrong direction.   A nonprofit organization does not exist to make a profit, but it cannot persist if it does not remain solvent.  To understand the trend lines, I needed to break down the data.  To make good financial decisions, you need detailed bookkeeping, useful income and expense categories, and timely reporting.   

 Annual audited reports are necessary, but ours were based on a fiscal year, accrual-based accounting.  That means two things.  First, the reports are indicators of financial conditions that existed approximately 18 months ago.  Secondly, our accrual-based accounting required credits to be recorded when actual payments had not yet been received.  If you have the resources and great bookkeeping, you can create management reports that circumvent this issue. Unfortunately, we did not have the money to afford that.   I wanted project-specific, cash basis reporting of our activities.  That meant breaking out each activity based on actual income received (not invoices) and paid expenses for that activity. The biggest challenge was reorganizing how income and expenses were categorized and recorded in our financial records.  It took a few years. 

The metaphor I use is “It felt as if we were a family with money issues sitting down at the dining room table trying to understand the situation.” Our data was aggregated and delayed in a way that resembled an impressive but less than useful social study.  We had budgets and targets, but we weren’t doing what our behavioral science had taught us we needed to do to understand our data. We needed to examine the individual activities in real-time and see what was working.   We also needed to monitor the actual bank statements. As Hank would preach, it is fine to watch the charts, but sometimes you need to lift to cover and watch the pigeon.   We needed to scale back, and it was time to pivot.

Our largest expense then was a paid executive director.  Since we could not afford that, I agreed to serve pro bono.  That lasted about 8 years.  One side effect of not getting paid is that no one is trying to take your job.  Another nice thing is that it buys you time to make hard changes.  Perhaps the hardest was to shift away from an organization that was rightfully proud of “who we are” to one that is equally proud of “what we do”.  Of course, those two things can coexist, and hopefully they still do.  However, the shift was a challenge.

In my early experience, we invited folks to join us who demonstrated exceptional research and publication pedigrees. Some also ran great companies.  Most of them were honored to be included, but not all were enthusiastic about participating in additional activities.   Many also had very strong opinions on what “WE” should do to advance our field.  That dynamic was understandable but not particularly helpful.  The “WE” was us.  So, we needed to flip that.

I met with my board and suggested we reframe such discussions in a slightly different direction, outlined by some questions.  What is it that “YOU” want to do?  If the trustees are interested, how can they and the CCBS help you with that project?  Is this something you would like to fund, or are you seeking CCBS funding or staffing assistance?  This inquiry led us to establish several strategic partnerships in which we collaborated with other groups to initiate various projects. Three of those projects are described below. 

1. Enhancing educational options to train the next generation of behavior analysts. 

Many older scientists at our Center were lamenting what they felt was an erosion of the education of the next generation of behavioral scientists.  If you have never worked in a lab, you may not understand how basic research unfolds.  If you have never dropped dots with Ogden or Hank in an applied setting (I know some of you may not fully understand this reference), you may not fully appreciate the power of such data displays.  If you missed out on conversations with Tris Smith, you probably don’t know how hard things were at UCLA when Lovaas was kicking off that project.  We wanted to address that problem. 

 The solution was to expand our conferences, allowing us to reach larger audiences directly.  Additionally, we have implemented a robust system of continuing education through online training.  To do that, we needed partnerships.  The University of West Florida was willing and able to film, host, market, and update our courses.  During that time, my message was quite simple.  If you’re not happy with what people are learning, consider donating your time to teach them.  We will work to get that out.  Our partnership with UWF allows us to do that.  

2. Providing a visible website to connect people and resources, advancing the science and application of behavior analysis.

Early in my tenure, trustees would tell me that “WE” needed to do webinars.  I knew enough to realize that I didn’t know enough to do it well.  Fortunately, Chuck Merbitz said he knew a lady who did.  We partnered with Dr. Fitzer (ABAC) to put out monthly webinars.  She is always seeking great speakers, so please connect with her if you’re interested in contributing to that effort.  The webinars are free and currently reaching a large international audience.  

3. Accelerating awareness and use of standard celeration graphing 

A third example is our partnership with the Standard Celeration Society. Many at the CCBS were 100 percent behind this.  Hank Pennypacker, Abigail Calkin, and Kent Johnson were happy.  I suspect that a few others were tolerant, but not as enthusiastic.  Then COVID hit.  Since their director and I were now good friends (Mary Regan), I was able to call on them for assistance.  One of their members, Kent Corso, was tied into a database that helped track illnesses and deaths.  If ever there were a reason for a semi-logarithmic chart, the display of the global pandemic was one.  We were able to display its spread in real-time through links on our site.  This capability was made possible through our strategic partnership.  

 OUR FUTURE

Early in 2013, I floated the idea of forming a distinguished scholars’ (DS) group.  The idea we settled on was to solicit nominations from professors working with graduate students who showed great promise and interest in becoming more involved.  We all knew that professors and graduate students were busy people.  However, we also saw the potential of advancing our mission into the next generation of leaders.  The picture above shows our first group.  While some have moved on, others have joined the Center as advisors, delivering talks at conferences and contributing to the advancement of our mission.  A few have become trustees (voting members), and one, Dr. Amanda LaPrime, has been appointed as an officer on our board of directors. Janet Twyman and Bill Heward helped shape that first group. Aside from being amazing people, they were also former ABAI presidents and regulars at the CCBS.  The DS group is a vibrant addition.  They support our activities, bring fresh initiatives, and connect us to professors and Universities. 

There is an old proverb that I was told originated in Africa, which helps me focus on the future of our Center.  “If you want to go fast, go alone.  If you want to go far, go together.”  I believe we moved quickly enough to save much of what was historically good about the CCBS.  We survived a financial emergency and the challenges of a global pandemic.  We are on solid ground in terms of affording what we now do.   That said, we could do more with a larger village.  

 My involvement has been enhanced by the opportunity to interact with some of the most interesting people in our field.  Sadly, some of them are now gone.  I’m very proud of helping them present at our regional conferences, webinars, and online courses.  It is even more rewarding to have spent some time watching the next generation meet and learn from our scholars.  Trustees like Mary Jane Weiss and Tom Zane have been a tremendous help in organizing and managing these events.  COVID-19 forced us to learn how to host events remotely, and now most of our activities are available both online and in person.  These ways to connect benefit both our younger and our older generations.  It also makes us accessible and affordable to many more people. 

To say that these are challenging times for scientists is a gross understatement.  It is also true that some of our CCBS family lived through much worse.  When I joined, I met two trustees, Kurt Salzinger and Francis Mechner, who were boys in Vienna when Hitler “annexed” Austria.  One escaped to the east, while the other went west.  They eventually met up in the USA and went on to build successful careers in our field of science.  Although Kurt passed away, his friend Francis remains with the Center. He played a beautiful piano piece for one of our online conference transitions.  It gives me hope that our colleagues today will help reduce human suffering if we hang together.  

If you want to help, there are many ways you can. You can sign up for our newsletter to stay informed about our latest updates.  You can follow us on social media and share our content with your friends. When you get a moment, log on to our website.  Trustees like Eric Larrson have compiled excellent annotated bibliographies and resources for professionals working in the field of autism. Please share those. We invite you to join us at our events, whether in person or remotely.  If you do come in person, introduce yourself to us, and let’s talk.  If you are able, please consider purchasing a book or two and sharing our stories with your friends.  Many of them are available electronically. If you are busy “killing it” in your business, consider sponsoring one of our conferences.  If you are in academia, consider helping us organize more events in areas that interest you.  If you are at or near retirement and wondering what to do with your required distributions, send some our way.  As my CCBS Board member and colleague, Darnell Lattal, reminded me recently, a solvent nonprofit is good, but a well-funded one can do even more.  While we no longer have actual doors, our doors are open.  We hope you will visit us, join us, and add your contributions. Together, we can go far.   

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