Presidential Column

Already?

By J. Gayle Beck, Ph.D., University of Memphis, TN

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 As my presidential term draws to a close, I want to thank those of you who have offered me support and assistance along the way. It has been an honor to serve as the President of the Society and I am thankful for this opportunity. I have had the good fortune to work with a team of consummate professionals (Danny Wedding, Immediate Past-President, Mark Sobell, President- Elect, John Linton, Secretary, Barbara Cubic, Treasurer, and Lynn Peterson, Administrative Officer), which has made the job both more enjoyable and easier. We have traveled an interesting journey during this past year and it has been wonderful to be part of this august group during this era. For this and more, thank you!

Looking ahead – Leadership opportunities 

Would you like to participate in a leadership position within the Society? Do you know someone who would fit this role but who is a bit reticent to put themselves forward? If you answer to either of these questions is ‘yes’, please consider nominating yourself or your shy colleague for one of the four available leadership positions:

- President

- Secretary

- Representative to APA Council (two positions)

 Nominations are due by November 30th. Nominations may be submitted only by Division 12 members, who must sign the nomination. Candidates must be Members or Fellows of Division 12. No individual may run simultaneously for more than one elected Division 12 office or Board of Director seat and no individual may simultaneously hold two elected seats on the Board of Directors. Please send your letter of nomination to Lynn Peterson, div12apa@comcast.net.

Hawaii – is it in your future? The annual meeting of the American Psychological Association will be July 31 – August 4, 2013 in Honolulu, Hawaii. The submission deadline is November 16th (for papers, posters, and symposia). The call for submissions can be found here: http://www.apa.org/convention/callfor-programs.pdf. The Society’s program chair for the 2013 convention is Katie Witkiewitz, PhD, who can be reached at the Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131; (505) 277-4121; witkiewitz@gmail.com.

By-laws revision

In an effort to keep the divisional leadership structure current and transparent, the Executive Committee agreed that the Society by-laws were in need of updating. Some of the proposed changes can best be categorized as “housekeeping” while others are more substantive in nature (e.g., providing an expanded definition of accrediting organizations). These specific changes have been emailed to you and require a vote.  As you work your way through the proposed by-laws changes, please consider the Pro/Con statements that accompany the substantive changes. We thank the By- Laws Work Group (Mark Sobell [chair], Larry Beutler, Danny Wedding, and Doug Mennin) for their tireless efforts in re-vamping our by-laws.

Fall working meeting

It is common for the Society to hold a Board of Director’s meeting every winter. What is less common is for the Society to host a working meeting for committee chairs. This October, select committee chairs will be headed to Memphis, Tennessee, to brainstorm new ideas for enhancing our membership services, particularly ideas that will involve our new web-site. The group will include John Pachnankis (Chair, Education and Training Committee), Barbara Cubic (Treasurer), Damion Grasso (Web Editor), Deb Drabick (Chair, Committee on Science and Practice), Katie Gordon (Membership Committee), Gayle Beck (President), and Lynn Peterson (Administrative Officer). We hope to emerge with a focused plan for developing our continuing education portfolio, including integration of these offerings as a membership benefit. Financing the cost of this working meeting is made possible by a less-expensive Board of Director’s meeting this year, resulting in a win-win for the Society.

As I close my final TCP column, I am amazed at how quickly this year has flown by. This has been an interesting and multi-faceted experience, both professionally and personally. As I pass the torch to Mark, I know that the Society is in good hands. Again, thank you for this rare and remarkable opportunity!.