My OBM Story: Marco D. Tomasi

My Graduate Education:
I was very fortunate when I applied to graduate school, as I was the last student accepted into the Applied Behavior Analysis doctoral program under Jon Bailey at Florida State University.   I love the program here at FSU, and couldn’t imagine finding a graduate program that would be a better fit for me.

What I Plan To Do After Graduation:
One of the things that I love about OBM is that it provides a skill set that can open a lot of doors.  I’m currently evaluating a variety great opportunities to determine which will be the best for my career.

My Current Area of Research:
My current research looks to apply OBM in the area of Homeland Security.  I’m studying the effects of low-tech and high-tech interventions on the performance of security staff in a regional airport’s communication center.  As with much of the work in OBM, it is very comforting to be able to go home at night and know that I’ve made a difference.

How I Became Interested In OBM:
I wish I had a profound story as how I found OBM, but honestly I stumbled blindly into it.  I was a civil engineering major that had been working in engineering departments managing projects and doing design work since high school.  While I enjoyed my job, I did not enjoy the technical aspects of my engineering course work and couldn’t see myself eventually assuming my boss’s role.  After much thought I realized what I really liked about my job was managing the performance of my workers so that each project could be satisfactorily completed on time and under budget.  At that point the closest field of study I could find for what I wanted to do was I/O psychology.  I switched my major to psychology and transferred to Western Michigan University with the intent of eventually going on to a traditional I/O graduate program.  Little did I know I would be getting a healthy dose of ABA and OBM while at WMU. OBM’s systematic, data-based methodologies for approaching interesting challenges in managing organizational performance were exactly what I was looking for.  I was also lucky enough to study under John Austin and work with Joe Sasson, both of whom were very influential to me.

Why I Like OBM:
What’s not to like about OBM?  If you want to meet great people, learn about interesting jobs, and help others solve challenging performance problems, then OBM is for you.  When it comes down to it, a student considering a future in OBM only needs to ask themselves one question: “Do I want to make a difference?”

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