Amanda Nicolson, Ph.D, BCBA-D received her M.A. in Psychology from the University of Nevada, Reno, and her Ph.D. from Florida State University. She became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst in 2000. Early school experience includes being the lead behavior analyst for Washoe Country School District in Reno, NV from 2003-2006.
In 2006, Dr. Nicolson moved to Fresno, CA to accept a faculty position at Fresno State where she was an associate professor in the Psychology department. She also served as the coordinator for the Master’s program in ABA and founded the autism center at Fresno State. She has worked in the central valley community for 15 years leading autism centers. Dr. Nicolson has been a school consultant for over a decade, traveling across the state to provide consulting services to school districts in several capacities including training for school teams and serving as an independent evaluator on FBAs and IEEs.
In 2021, Dr. Nicolson founded Education Behavior Consultants to bring together a diverse team ready to focus specifically on the needs of schools.
Dr. Nicolson has served on the CalABA Board of Directors and currently holds the position of President for 2021-2022. She has published peer-reviewed articles, magazine columns, and book chapters and regularly presents at regional and national conferences. Dr. Nicolson has traveled to Bosnia, Jordan and the country of Georgia to work on autism projects in those countries. On a personal note, she is the mother of two beautiful children, is a huge movie buff, teaches yoga and fitness, and loves traveling in California and beyond.