Dawn Buffington Townsend
Institute for Educational Achievement
Dawn Buffington Townsend, Ph.D., BCBA-D is the executive director of the Institute for Educational Achievement (IEA), a dissemination site of the Princeton Child Development Institute (PCDI), in New Jersey. Dr. Townsend earned a doctorate in behavior analysis from Queens College and the CUNY Graduate School and University Center. During that time, she was the recipient of several fellowships, including fellowships awarded by the New York State Institute for Basic Research, Queens College, and PCDI. She has extensive clinical and research experience in the area of autism intervention, with an emphasis on developing communication and social skills in children with autism. Along with her colleagues, she has conducted research in the areas of promoting positive social behavior, such as sharing, helping, and displaying appropriate affect and empathy. In addition, she has made numerous presentations on the development of language and social skills and effective autism intervention and administrative strategies at local, national, and international conferences. Over the last 20 years, she has consistently promoted the application of behavior analysis in the education of individuals with autism through consultation with other programs and professionals, and is dedicated to promoting excellence in autism treatment for both students and professionals.