Adrienne Fitzer, PhD, BCBA – Founder and CEO; Director of Continuing Education

Dr. Adrienne Fitzer is the founder and CEO of The Applied Behavior Analysis Center, LLC, an online continuing education and professional development program provider. Dr. Fitzer current functions as ABAC’s Director of Continuing Education and she is an Advisor of the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies. Adrienne received her doctorate in psychology with a specialization in behavior analysis under the advisement of Bertram Ploog, PhD at The Graduate Center, City University of New York, her master’s degree in psychology under the supervision of Lanny Fields, PhD at Queens College, City University of New York, and has been a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) since 2003. As a student at the University of Maryland, she entered the field of behavior analysis in 1996 working with children with autism in the Washington DC Metro Area. In 1998, she moved back to NJ to work at Alpine Learning Group for one year before deciding to apply to graduate school. Adrienne left school “all but dissertation” (ABD) in 2008 with publications in the Journal of Experimental Analysis of Behavior and having co-edited Autism Spectrum Disorders: Applied Behavior Analysis, Evidence and Practice with Peter Sturmey, PhD, which was published by Pro-ed in 2007. In 2009, she and Professor Sturmey co-edited their second book together, Language and Autism: Applied Behavior Analysis, Evidence and Practice, also published by Pro-Ed, while pursuing a career as a behavior analyst in public schools. In 2013, Adrienne left full-time work and started The Applied Behavior Analysis Center, LLC (ABAC). When this first iteration of the business failed, Adrienne decided to leave the field for the first time in almost twenty years to work as a nature teacher at a camp and then at a local farm, doing whatever she was asked to do. Soon she was providing behavior skills training to teach others how to operate the doughnut machine and running farm tours with preschool and kindergarten age children (which she continues to do when asked). At the beginning of 2015, Adrienne returned to ABAC with renewed energy and the great idea to provide high-quality instructional opportunities to professionals on a global level. Her mission since the beginning has been to share valuable information about, and provide personalized, high-quality training in, ethical, effective, and evidence-based solutions that improve performance, communication, safety, and quality of life, to professionals who work in the fields of behavioral health, mental health, education, business, and beyond.

Since ABAC’s early years, Adrienne has committed to giving back to the community. In addition to raising money for various charities through the ABACGives Webinar Series, Adrienne enjoys mentoring students and early professionals, and writing “Fitzer’s Corner” a blog that primarily focuses on the ethical use of information and communication technology for behavioral and mental health professionals, business ethics, and inspiring others to step back and take the road less traveled. In addition, since 2020, she offers free coaching to graduate students who are presenting at a conference for the first time.

Since 2015, Adrienne has curated the highly regarded ABAC webinars and workshops, coached presenters, moderated over 500 live public and private online events (with over 1000 hours of live online hosting and moderating experience) and has succeeded in building a strong strategic partnerships with the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies, The ABAI Verbal Behavior Special Interest Group, and other non-for profit and for-profit organizations.