Martinez-Diaz Recognized with Posthumous Hemingway Award

The late Jose Martinez-Diaz, an influential and beloved leader in the field of applied behavior analysis who founded Florida Tech’s ABA program, was recognized with the 2021 Michael Hemingway Behavior Analysis Award from the Behavior Analyst Certification Board.

Martinez-Diaz, who passed away on Sept. 21, 2020, at age 70, was lauded by the Board last year for his vast influence in the lives of students pursuing an education in behavior analysis.

“His teachings were based on a desire to better, strengthen, and grow the practice of behavior analysis to help protect vulnerable populations around the world, and he passed this personal mission on to his many students,” the Board said in announcing the award. “In the kind words of his colleagues, peers, and students, he was a visionary, a fighter for justice, a beloved mentor, and a dear friend. We thank you and will miss you, Jose.”

The award’s namesake was a founding director of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board who served for 17 years at the Florida Department of Children and Families’ Developmental Services Office. The Michael Hemingway Behavior Analysis Award honors an individual each year for “their distinguished contributions (a) to the development of public policy related to behavior analysis and/or (b) to increase the availability of behavior-analytic services.”