The President, shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation, and consistent with the rules and procedures of the Board of Trustees, shall have broad authority to: oversee the operation of the Corporation, promote the purposes and goals of the Corporation, establish the agenda for meetings of the Board of Trustees, be the chair of the Executive Committee, be responsible for reviews of the operations of the Executive Officer and Central Office, represent the Corporation to other organizations and the public, coordinate the work of the officers of the Corporation, make appointments to committees, and have such other powers and duties as may be assigned by the Board of Trustees.

I am delighted and honored to introduce myself as your incoming President of the American Board of Professional Psychology.  I would like to begin with acknowledging and thanking the recent past presidents with whom I have had the opportunity to learn the “nuts and bolts” of the organization. The wisdom and dedicated work of Drs. Michael Tansy and John Piacentini have been invaluable to my development as the incoming President for the American Board of Professional Psychology.  I am indebted to their patience and willingness to teach me.  More importantly, their work has allowed me to inherit a strong and dedicated professional central office and active affiliation of specialty boards.  To date, we have fifteen specialty boards, and one subspecialty.  During our December 2019 meeting, the Board of Trustees heard proposals from the Serious Mentally Ill group for consideration as a specialty board and another group, Addictions, for consideration as a subspecialty.  The organization is clearly continuing to grow.  Reflecting on my nine years on the Board of Trustees, I am awed by the commitment, creativity, and devotion of Trustees, and their dedication to their respective specialty boards.  I am looking forward to working with such an esteemed group of colleagues.
 
Moving forward, we have a new President-elect, Dr. Brenda Spiegler, a Board Certified Neuropsychologist from Canada.  Dr. Spiegler brings a wealth of expertise and dedication that will provide incredible leadership for our future.  She also adds an international perspective to our organization.  Dr. Sylvia Marotta-Walters will remain as our treasurer, Dr. Frost will remain as our recording secretary, and Dr. Piacentini will assume the role of past president.  All three provide a unique perspective and wisdom to the Executive Committee.  In this regard, our organization is prepared to positively impact the culture of professional psychology and fulfill ABPP’s mission. 
 
Approximately 4% of licensed psychologists are board certified and, during my tenure, my goal is to increase this percentage.  My priority is to continue reaching out to licensed psychologists eligible for board certification.  This includes early career psychologists and clinical directors of psychology programs, internships, and postdoctoral fellowships.  We will continue to encourage and support the ABPP Foundation to disseminate scholarships to these individuals in an effort to persuade them to apply for board certification. 
 
Our current budget and office staff are operating at maximum capacity.  The Executive Committee has already discussed implementing a cost-benefit analysis of available resources, realigning central office job responsibilities, and exploring hiring another central office staff person.  My overall goal is to improve this organization in support of our mission; “The American Board of Professional Psychology serves the public by promoting provision of quality psychological services through the examination and certification of professional psychologists engaged in specialty practice.”
 

The ultimate measure of a man (woman) is not where he (she) stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he (she) stands at times of challenge and controversy. Martin Luther King, Jr.

I challenge The Board of Trustees and all Specialists to actively participate in planning for the future of our profession by encouraging eligible licensed psychologists to pursue board certification.  ABPP’s future is bright, and I am optimistic for this organization.  I am enthusiastic about the opportunity to collaborate with members of the ABPP BOT, specialty boards, academies, ABPP board certified specialists, ABPP Central Office staff, and other relevant constituency groups.  I encourage you to contact me with feedback, and I welcome a dialogue with you about issues regarding our organization. 
 
Please feel free to contact me at pietzchristina@gmail.com with your feedback and suggestions.
 
 
Christina Pietz, PhD, ABPP
President, American Board of Professional Psychology
Board Certified in Forensic Psychology