NWABA was only a gleam in the eyes of its founders who gathered in Victoria, BC and Seattle, WA in the late 1980s. This group of behavior analysts included Judy Agnew, Craig Jensen, Dick Malott, Sam Leigland, Joe Parsons, Michael Peters, David Polson, and Lars Watson. The only undergraduate presenter at that first meeting, Kelly Wilson, went on to earn a doctoral degree in psychology. Today NWABA is an active participant among the affiliates of the Association for Behavior Analysis.
The first NWABA conference was at The Inn At The Market in Seattle, October 27 - 29, 1989. Craig Jensen, Fircrest School, organized the program. Presenters included Carol Naumann, Vikki Howard, Betty Fry Williams, Duane Lundervold, Randy Lee Williams, Sam Leigland, Michael Peters, Martha Kyle Gluck, Robert Kohlenberg, Craig Jensen, Steven Heldorn, David Polson, Loran Acker, Bram Goldwater, Judy Agnew, Joe Parsons, Stephanie Stein, Michael DeWulf, Tore Lydersen, Colin McDiarmid, Karen Coor, James Walsh, John Eiler, Charles Lund, Steven Johnson, and Linda Thompson-Cummings.
Our subsequent meetings, presidents, and keynote speakers are listed
below:
| Year | President | Locale | Keynote Speakers |
| 1990 | Committee | Seattle, WA | Karen Pryor (Consultant) |
| 1991 | Craig Jensen (Fircrest School) | Victoria, BC | Jack Michael (Western Michigan U) |
| 1992 | Ken Lloyd
(Central Washington U) |
Seattle, WA | Sigrid Glenn (U North Texas) Dick Malott (Western Michigan U) |
| 1993 | Betty Fry Williams (Gonzaga U) | Spokane, WA | Brian Iwata (U Florida)
Bernadette Kelly (U Oregon) John Cooper (Ohio State U) |
| 1994 | Joe Parsons (U Victoria) | Seattle, WA | Steve Hayes (U Nevada, Reno)
Joe Layng (Malcolm X College) Owen White (U Washington) |
| 1995 | Tom Brigham
(Washington State U) |
Eugene, OR | Allen Neuringer (Reed College) Sigfried Englemann (U Oregon) |
| 1996 | Kent Johnson
(Morningside Academy) |
Ellensburg, WA | Dan Bernstein (U Nebraska)
Herbert Severson (U Oregon) |
| 1997 | Libby Street
(Central Washington U) |
Leavenworth, WA | James Johnston (Auburn U);
Todd Risley (U Alaska) |
| 1998 | Randy Williams (Gonzaga U) | Spokane, WA | Brian Iwata (U Florida)
Anita Archer (Consultant) David Wacker (U Iowa) Jack Michael (Western Michigan U) |
| 1999 | David Schmitt (U Washington) | Seattle, WA | Mark Sundberg (Behavior Analysts, Inc.) Vicci Tucci (Tucci Educational Services) Arthur Whimby (Institute for Text Reconstruction Across the Curriculum) Myra Linden (Institute for Text Reconstruction Across the Curriculum) |
| 2000 | Sam Leigland (Gonzaga U ) | Leavenworth, WA | Philip Hineline (Temple University) |
| 2001 | Felix Billingsley (University of Washington) | Victoria, BC | Dick Malott (Western Michigan U) Todd Risley (U Alaska) |
| 2002 | Libby Street (Central Washington University) | Ellensburg, WA | Robert O'Neill (University of Utah) |
| 2003 | Kimberly Weber (Gonzaga University) | Spokane, WA | Patrick Friman (University of Nevada, Reno) David Wacker (University of Iowa) |
These have been interesting and productive meetings for members and guests alike. We are a relaxed group of academics and practitioners from universities, public schools, private practice, and state institutions. One source of mild controversy has been a request from some Canadian members that we change our name to Southwest ABA. We have a web site you are encouraged to browse (http://www.cwu.edu/~warren/nwaba/). Check often for information about our annual conference, held in early October. Better still, submit a proposal for the program. Come visit the great Northwest!
Our conference is the highlight of our year's activities, as it is with ABA. We meet to discuss the experimental analysis of behavior and applied behavior analysis with our guest speakers, our members, and our students. Our membership includes behavior analysts from Alaska, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. Those of us who attend ABA also get together for an informal "business meeting" at the May ABA convention.
Membership contact: Warren Street (warren@cwu.edu)