Great to meet you Abby! I’m thrilled to be joining this community you’ve initiated.

I live in Evanston, IL and teach at National Louis University. I moved here from California just over ten years ago. The science and philosophy of behavior analysis utterly entranced me from the moment I stumbled across it in an undergraduate elective taken basically at random. It feels a little cheesy to say but that was a huge turning point in my life!

As for something a little more personal about me – my partner owns a board game cafe, and I help out there occasionally. It’s been critical to us to ensure that the space is safe and welcoming for all, and I’ve been particularly happy to see it become a hub for the local LGBTQ+ community over the years. I don’t consider myself to be particularly good at games but I love ’em. Cards, board games, roleplaying, video games – they’ve become a big part of my social life! I’ve also been chipping away at some research lines related to gamification of education and analysis of variables affecting choices made during games.

Love this. For whatever reason, I’ve been thinking about it a lot recently… even in my free time, it often feels like I’m in recovery mode from work and often don’t have the energy to do what I’d REALLY like to be doing.

With that being said, even if I didn’t have to work, I would still want to teach! But ideally one class at a time, and on esoteric topics of my choosing, haha. Like you, I would love to spend more time cooking and reading. I would also like to garden – maybe even to the extent of a small-scale farm? I occasionally help out at a local cafe and have often daydreamed of supplying them with baked goods, homemade soda syrups and tea blends, etc.

If I’m being honest I would also play a fair amount of video games 😂