History. Although many people contributed to the founding and development of SEABA, Aaron J. Brownstein is widely credited for being the driving force behind this process. At SEABA's inaugural business meeting, Brownstein was elected its first President and Fred Keller was awarded the honorary title of Past President in recognition of his profound impact on Behavior Analysts in the Southeast (and, indeed, everywhere). Brownstein passed away in 1986. Keller was an active participant in SEABA until his death in 1996.

SEABA's "sunburst" logo was designed around 1986 by Robert C. Mellon, a graduate student at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. A banner bearing this familiar design marks the podium at SEABA annual meetings and passes from the outgoing to the incoming President at the conclusion of each meeting.

Convention. SEABA pursues its agenda primarily through an annual scientific meeting. The 1.5-day program of the annual meeting features invited addresses touching on the many domains in which Behavior Analysis has had an impact. SEABA's first convention was held November 15-17, 1984, at the Landmark Hotel in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The original program format emphasized topical symposia organized by a variety of SEABA members. Over the years, the annual meeting has evolved to emphasize hour-long addresses invited by a Program Chair.

SEABA convenes its annual meeting each October or November. Sites are preferred that provide ready access from throughout SEABA's large catchment area, which stretches roughly from Southern Florida to Northern West Virginia. Over the years, a loyal SEABA following has developed from outside the region as well. Among these welcome interlopers are former invited speakers and former students of graduate programs in the region, who, upon sampling the annual meeting, increasingly make SEABA a permanent fixture on their convention calendars.

Governance and Philosophy. SEABA's is governed by elected officials, including a President (who selects the convention site, appoints the Program Chair, and presides over the annual meeting); a Secretary (who maintains communication with the members); and a Treasurer (who attends to the the organization's financial business). A three-person Board of Directors advises the other officers.

A guiding philosophy of SEABA is that students are junior colleagues, with an emphasis on the latter portion of the term. Consequently, SEABA strives to keep membership and convention registration fees low to facilitate student attendance. By SEABA tradition, students typically assist in the planning and orchestration of the annual meeting, and contribute to its scholarly well being through numerous poster presentations.