Council of Presidents of Psychology Specialty Academies
Awardee: Christopher E. Ebbe, PhD, ABPP
The Council of Presidents of Psychology Specialty Academies (CPPSA) recognizes Dr. Christopher Ebbe for his contributions over the years to CPPSA. Dr. Ebbe served as Chair and Chief Executive Officer of CPPSA for two years and, during that time, he represented the interests of the academies to ABPP’s Board of Trustees. He championed all academies and worked hard to clarify the definition of academies and their relationships to their respective boards. Dr. Ebbe also initiated CPPSA’s ongoing grant process, whereby academies receive $1000 for innovative efforts to recruit new specialists. Seven academies received grants in 2015. Dr. Ebbe regularly wrote articles for ABPP’s Specialist, so that all specialists were kept apprised of CPPSA’s activities. Finally, Dr. Ebbe developed an academy survey that identified the structure, membership, and promotional activities of all the academies. CPPSA thanks Dr. Ebbe for his years of productive service.
Behavioral & Cognitive Psychology Board
Awardee: Kevin Arnold, PhD, ABPP
Dr. Arnold has served on the Board of Directors on two occasions and as Vice President during his current term. He has been very active as an examiner for many years, going out of his way to conduct exams in many locations. He has served as a board ad hoc task force chair and member on several occasions. He has provided steady and important counsel to the board in the area of specialty designation and practice. Specifically he has served as Chair of the Council of Specialties (CoS), had a hand in the development of the specialty taxonomy, and served a term on the Commission for the Recognition of Specialties and Proficiencies in Professional Psychology (CRSPPP). Most recently he organized the Specialty Summit at the 2016 ABPP Convocation and Workshops in Chicago. Dr. Arnold is the CEO of the Cognitive and Behavior Therapy Center in Columbus, Ohio.
Clinical Health Psychology Board & Academy
Awardee: Jared Skillings, PhD, ABPP
Dr. Jared Skillings nominated for his exemplary service to the Academy of Clinical Health Psychology. Dr. Skillings was responsible for reviving an essentially moribund Academy in 2010, with membership growing by 133% during his two terms as President. He has recruited and mentored numerous applicants in our specialty and implemented a mentoring program that is still in use. Dr. Skillings’ contributions to ABPP extend well beyond his Academy accomplishments. He is triple boarded in Clinical Health Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Behavioral & Cognitive Psychology and, in addition to previously serving on ABPP’s Early Career Psychologist and Diversity task forces, now serves as Chair-elect of the Council of Presidents of Psychology Specialty Academies. He is an executive committee member of APA’s Board of Professional Affairs and chairs their strategic planning and scope of practice initiatives. Dr. Skillings personifies dedicated leadership in clinical health psychology and is richly deserving of this recognition.
Clinical Neuropsychology Board
Awardee: Deborah Koltai Attix, PhD, ABPP
Dr. Deborah Koltai Attix has a long history of dedicated service to the development of neuropsychology as a profession. She represented the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology (ABCN) on the ABPP Board. As a board and committee member, Dr. Attix is sensitive to differing needs and viewpoints, conscious of organizational values, and skilled at navigating complex issues. During her period of service, Dr. Attix co-chaired the ABCN Committee on Subspecialization, playing an instrumental role in the development of the ABCN Pediatric Neuropsychology Subspecialty. She motivated and inspired colleagues to persist with the demanding task of establishing the first ABPP subspecialization. More recently, Dr. Attix has been equally instrumental in the development of ABPP Maintenance of Certification (MOC) procedures. As a liaison between our academy membership and ABPP, Dr. Attix was effective in communicating the importance of MOC, which substantially contributed our having the highest opt-in rate of any ABPP specialty. Most recently, her leadership was recognized within ABPP by election the Executive Board as treasurer. We are grateful for Dr. Attix’s work on our behalf of ABCN and all psychology specialty boards.
Clinical Psychology Board
Awardee: Ira Grossman, PhD, ABPP
Dr. Grossman is being recognized by the American Board of Clinical Psychology (ABCP) for his many years of distinguished service on the ABCP Board of Directors. He served as the Western Region Director for nine years and he had other important roles including Treasurer, Appeals Coordinator, and Nominations Coordinator. Most recently he accepted a new position on the Board as our Mentorship Coordinator and, as such, has designed and implemented a quality mentoring program in record time. Ira is always the first to step up to provide meaningful feedback on issues and volunteers his time to important initiatives. We recognize his many contributions to ABCP and appreciate his unwavering commitment to advancing board certification in Clinical Psychology.
Clinical Psychology Academy
Awardee: Paul A. Smiley, PsyD, ABPP
The American Academy of Clinical Psychology without reservation recommend an early career psychologist, Paul Smiley, PsyD, who has been a dedicated team member and contributor to the clinical psychology specialty. Although not a Board Member, he has been a Mentoring Committee Chair and Membership Co-Chair for the past year and a half. He continued to fine-tune the Mentoring Program by attempting to better match mentors and mentees. Under his coordination, there was an influx in volunteer mentors and feedback was most positive about working with Dr. Smiley. He never says “no” to a task, has a very positive attitude, and works hard for the specialty of clinical psychology. He has been active in Clinical examinations as need. We feel it is important to recognize an early career psychologist who has committed himself to the specialty in such a dedicated fashion.
Counseling Psychology Academy
Awardee: James W. Lichtenberg, PhD, ABPP
Dr. James W. Lichtenberg has served on the AACoP and has worked for several years to strengthen the connection between the ABCoP and the SCP: Division 17 of the APA. He has been instrumental in raising the awareness of the importance of board certification within SCP, having served as chair of Counseling Psychology’s first, and then most recent, petition to CRSPPP for specialty recognition. He has become a bit “evangelical” about board certification and has done a great deal to increase awareness of and involvement in encouraging Counseling Psychologists to apply. He led an initiative in which AACoP and SCP each set aside funds to reimburse SCP members who applied for certification, in which the costs of the application and review (up to the point of the exam) being reimbursed jointly by the Academy and SCP. We are most appreciative of the lead that he continues to take in these efforts as President of SCP: He has made a difference.
Geropsychology Board
Awardee: Michelle Mlinac, PsyD, ABPP
Dr. Michelle Mlinac’s most important contribution has been to coordinate a national plan with the VA to assist in providing telephone consultation to those potential ABGERO applicants from the VA who must meet the geropsychology supervision requirements to become candidates. She has also volunteered to be a member of the recently formed Sleep/Health Special Interest Group to provide input regarding geropsychology interests in the possible Sleep sub-specialty application.
Police & Public Safety Psychology
Awardee: Lorraine W. Greene, PhD, ABPP (Posthumously awarded)
The American Board of Police & Public Safety Psychology recognizes Lorraine W. Greene, PhD, ABPP for her many contributions to the recognition of our specialty and to the initial affiliation of the ABPPSP as an ABPP specialty board. Dr. Greene, who died unexpectedly early this year, was a founding member of the ABPPSP Board of Directors, one of the original petitioners for APA recognition of the specialty, and a tireless contributor to the science and practice of police and public safety psychology, including numerous publications; service on multiple boards, committees and the APA Council of Representatives; professional advocacy, including testimony to the U.S. Congress; and as a strong, relentless voice for the importance of challenging societal systems of justice, as well as our own systems in professional psychology, to confront and eradicate institutional betrayal and discrimination against minorities and others whose voices have been marginalized by oppression, prejudice, implicit bias, and ignorance. If Emile Durkheim’s construct of a collective conscience can be exemplified in a single person, it would, for our specialty, be found in Dr. Lorraine W. Greene. We thank her for her lifetime of service and dedicate this award to her legacy.
Rehabilitation Psychology Board
Awardee: Terrie L. Price, PhD, ABPP
Dr. Terrie L. Price. A member of the ABRP Board since 2011, Terrie is honored by the ABRP Board “now and forever”. With her consummate diplomatic and leadership skills, she exerts a calm wise impact toward conflict resolution. With astounding facility for detail, she has managed the annual Rehabilitation Psychology conference since 2012; her dogged devotion to the conference (a major recruitment and educational venue for ABRP) consistently yields a great experience for attendees while building the conference’s war chest.
School Psychology Board
Awardee: Linda C. Caterino, PhD, ABPP
Linda C. Caterino, PhD, ABPP, has been crucial to the success of both the American Board of School Psychology (ABSP) and the American Academy of School Psychology (AASP). Linda has held nearly every office on both boards and has served as a mentor and an examiner for a number of our members. She actively recruits ABPP candidates, regularly sharing the significance of board certification at APA, CDSPP, and NASP. Linda’s enthusiasm and commitment to the certification process is infectious and her communication of the importance of becoming boarded is unparalleled. She is tireless in her commitment to board certification and can always be counted on to say yes!