Mary Hunter earned an undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Chicago in 2008 and a master’s degree in behavior analysis from the University of North Texas in 2013. She runs her own animal training and consulting business and serves as president of The Art and Science of Animal Training, a Texas-based nonprofit that provides educational programs for professional animal trainers. Mary teaches classes at the University of North Texas as an adjunct instructor. In 2017, she converted an upper-level undergraduate class into a self-paced, mastery-based course using Dr. Fred Keller’s Personalized System of Instruction. Mary’s main research interests include studying the process of shaping and developing better methods for teaching both people and animals.
Dr. Jesús Rosales-Ruiz is an Associate Professor in the Department of Behavior Analysis at the University of North Texas. He obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Kansas in 1995 under the direction of Dr. Donald M. Baer. During his graduate training, he also worked closely with Dr. Ogden R. Lindsley. Dr. Rosales-Ruiz’s areas of interest include antecedent control of behavior, generalization, behavioral cusps, fluency-based teaching, treatment of autism, teaching of academic behavior, animal training, rule-governed behavior, and contingency-shaped behavior. He has served on several editorial boards, including the Journal of Precision Teaching, the European Journal of Behavior Analysis, and the International Journal of Psychology and Psychological Therapy. Dr. Rosales-Ruiz is a fellow of the Eastern Psychological Association and a trustee of the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies.
Hannah D. McGee joined the Behavior Explorer team in 2022. Hannah is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer and Behavior Consultant and is currently pursuing her master’s degree in behavior analysis at the University of North Texas. A career as a dog trainer led Hannah to discover the field of behavior analysis and sparked her interest in the scientific study of animal behavior. Hannah’s current research centers around the concepts of consent and coercion in animal training and exploring ways we can better understand our animals’ communication. Hannah has always shared her home with a variety of animals, from dogs and cats to snakes and tarantulas, and is always ready to learn about and work with new species. Additionally, Hannah has a passion for the skill of animal training and believes that we can enhance our interactions with animals by improving our own skills.
Sarah Owen joined the Behavior Explorer team in 2022. Sarah is a certified canine behavior consultant and trainer (CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA). She began her career in dog training as a service dog trainer before moving to Seattle, WA, where she worked primarily with puppies and “growly dogs.” In 2021, she was accepted into the master of science program in behavior analysis at the University of North Texas. Before training dogs professionally, Sarah worked in marketing and as a newspaper reporter and editor; she holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Arizona State University. When she isn’t training or studying, she enjoys hiking, kayaking, and (very) amateur photography.