Our Founder | ABA Technologies

JOSE MARTINEZ-DIAZ, Ph.D., BCBA-D

FOUNDER & PRESIDENT (1950–2020)

Jose emigrated from Cuba with his sister during the height of the revolutionary takeover by Fidel Castro. Forced to leave his parents behind (and later reunited when they were allowed to leave), he moved to Miami to live with relatives. As he left Cuba for the last time, he witnessed his neighbors being executed in the street. He was not permitted to bring anything of value with him, and even his own stuffed toy was stripped away before exiting Cuba. Speaking no English, he entered America, where he experienced a radical cultural and social shock.

Early on, Jose turned his traumatic uprooting into an insatiable desire to better the lives of vulnerable people in deep need of comfort and genuinely useful action. His determination to channel fear, anger, and resentment into positive change for all people has steered his lifelong commitment to behavior analysis. Jose tied his interests and passion back to a neighbor in Cuba—locked in his home, feared by others for his problematic behavior. Others described this man as “loco,” but even as a child, Jose realized no one should live such a life, fueling his desire to help the “loco.”

See Jose's Bio Page

EDUCATION

M.A. West Virginia University 1977 | Ph.D. West Virginia University 1984

REWARDS & RECOGNITION

Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Doctoral (BACB-D)

Charles H. Cox Award for Outstanding Service and Advancement of Behavior Analysis in Florida (2005)

Provost's Academic Leadership Award (2005)

Behavior Analyst Certification Board Recognizes Martinez-Diaz with Hemingway Award January (2021)

ABA Technologies Recognized in USA Today As Top 10 Online Education Companies Revolutionizing the Industry

Founded by Jose Martinez-Diaz, Ph.D., BCBA-D (1950-2020)
We are pioneers in developing and delivering online professional education and continuing education for practitioners of behavior analysis.

Read the USA Today Article

Comments

Over the last ten years, Jose and I spent time together at the Threshold Center for Autism and with me sitting through his utterly amazing ABA training courses. He was kind enough to host a Saudi colleague of mine and tour the great Scott Center. Then there was sushi and cold saki. He also had an interesting array of foreign beer and I had an afternoon and early evening enjoying the beer and watching “The Thin Red Line” in his media room. For this retired Green Beret, the surrounding firefights were all-too-real sounding. As an audiologist, I thought I had sensitive sound fields in my double-wall, double-suite booths. Jose took acoustic engineering to a level few sound studios could achieve. His music passion was only eclipsed by his joy in teaching, students and clients, Eternity now has a new pass-time… Jose’s stories and I’m sure he has found the best sushi bar ever…

I can relate to Dr. JOSE MARTINEZ-DIAZ as I came from a background (grew up in West Africa); I witnessed a society that treated individuals with IDD and related illnesses like they were a curse to the society they belong. Individuals were either shackled or forgotten at a corner of the road. Matters are the same or even worse if the individual is from a so-called wealthy family- then he/she is hidden out of sight/from the public eye. Either way, the condition is just but pathetic, sadly.
Dr. Jose lived a fulfilled life, with a beautiful legacy!

I never thought about how people from other countries were treated if they had a disability. This definitely opened my eyes.

I would have loved to meet Jose... As a Cuban myself I can totally relate to his stories. His passion for this field is felt from the 1st moment he starts his lectures. I think that if I had meet Jose in one of the many Autism trainings I took years ago as a parent, I would have gone into this field sooner. I would like to thank the program for honoring his work and allow us to still benefit from his expertise through his lectures

I am disappointed I was unable to have the opportunity to meet Jose but excited to be a part of the last installment of his work. In my masters program for social work I had the opportunity to work with a very distinguished faculty member and she passed a couple years after I completed my program but will be forever grateful for having known her and having the opportunity to study thru her program. That is how I imagine others feel who have had the opportunity to meet Jose.

I would have loved to meet Jose! I am truly grateful for him starting online ABA program!

WOW I would have loved to meet Jose! I am excited to learn the different tactics and ideas that stemmed from her