College of Science and Mathematics

Jovonnie Esquierdo-Leal

Assistant Professor

Psychology | 559.278.2497 | Office: S2 335

jesquierdoleal@mail.fresnostate.edu

Education

California State University, Fresno, BA
California State University, Fresno, MA
University of Nevada, Reno, PhD

Courses Taught

Undergraduate:

Introduction to Applied Behavior Analysis

Graduate:

Ethics in Behavior Analysis
Research Methods in Behavior Analysis
ABA for Organizations and Systems

Dr. Jovonnie Esquierdo-Leal received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from California State University, Fresno. She went on to complete her Master’s degree in Psychology with an emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) at California State University, Fresno before earning her doctorate in Psychology from the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR).

Dr. Esquierdo-Leal is a doctoral-level board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA-D). Her clinical and applied experience includes working with individuals with developmental disabilities as well as implementing practices to improve organizational culture and climate. Dr. Esquierdo-Leal serves as the Coordinator for the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Board (DEI) and the co-coordinator of the ABAI DEI Program Area. She is also an active member and Planner of the Behaviorists for Social Responsibility Special Interest Group of ABAI. Her teaching, service, and research often overlap, with special focus on cultural and behavioral systems science; leadership; social justice; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and verbal behavior.

Organizational Behavior Management (OBM)
Behavioral Systems Analysis
Culturo-Behavior Science
Social Justice, Equity, Inclusion, & Diversity
Verbal Behavior
Leadership

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

Jacobs, N.N., Esquierdo-Leal, J.L., Smith, G.S., Piasecki, M., & Houmanfar, R.A. (2022). Diversifying academic medicine: one search committee at a time. Frontiers in Public Health. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.854450

Esquierdo-Leal, J.L., & Houmanfar, R.A. (2020). Creating Inclusive and Equitable Cultural Practices by Linking Leadership to Systemic Change. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 14, 499-512. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-020-00519-7

Olla, R., Houmanfar, R.A., Esquierdo-Leal, J.L., & Crosswell, L. H. (2021). The differential effects of feedback provision on students’ performance on test-based assessments. Journal of Behavioral Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-021-09443

Book Chapters

Salzer, A., Esquierdo-Leal, J.L., & Roose, K. (In Press). Planting seeds: Learning, growing, and thriving in graduate school. In R. A. Rehfeldt, T. M. Cihon, E. Rasmussen, & S. A. Ala’i (Eds). Women in Behavior Science – Observations on Life Inside and Outside of the Academy. Association for Behavior Analysis International book series: Behavior Science: Theory, Research, and Practice. Routledge.

Esquierdo-Leal, J.L., Jacobs, N.N., Strauss, S. (2020). Prejudice in the health care system: Remediation strategies. In L. Benuto, M. P. Duckworth, A. Masuda, & W.T. O’Donohue (Eds.), Prejudice, Stigma, Privilege, and Oppression: A behavioral health handbook.

Mattaini, M.A., Ardila Sánchez, J., Esquierdo-Leal, J.L., Richling, S.M., & Ethridge, A.N. (2021). Public policy in culturo-behavior science. In Cihon, T. & Mattaini, M. (Eds.), Behavior science Perspectives on culture and community.