Letter from Incoming ABPP BOT President

Hello ABPP Community of Specialists.

I welcome the opportunity to serve in the President role of the American Board of Professional Psychology for the 2024-25 term. I enter this with sincere gratitude for the foundation created through the many contributions of previous Boards (The Board of Trustees [BOT] and the various Specialty Boards [SBs]) as well as numerous other specialists’ involvements. Most recently I had the pleasure to serve with Dr. Brenda Spiegler, outgoing BOT President, who functioned magnificently the past two years…her graciousness and wisdom ever-present throughout her tenure.

Another group which we have the good fortune to be supported by is our Central Office staff. This seasoned group of professionals has a long history of supporting, making contributions to and the sustaining of ABPP.

My view of this role is to focus on three dimensions:

Honor the Past -> Be Clear Eyed about the Present -> Take an Optimistic and Developmental Stance about the Future

Honor the Past – Starting with respect for the countless accomplishments, lessons learned and deep appreciation for the many generations of contributions by Trustees, Specialty Boards, Specialists, and Central Office colleagues.

Be Clear Eyed about the Present – Recognizing the current realities within our organization as well as the socio / cultural / political / economic environment within which we function.

Take an Optimistic and Developmental Stance about the Future – Acknowledging the above two dimensions, including potential opportunities and challenges / risks for our community of specialists and our organization, we will move forward diligently. This involves engaging and supporting our specialists as well as continuing the development of the organization to accomplish our mission and goals.

I have initial priorities to begin our work. This list will be solidified after an extended period of “listening sessions” with your representatives: BOT Trustees, Specialty Board Presidents, and Liaisons to hear what is important to you and how the organization can be responsive. If you have input on potential priority items for ABPP, please alert your Specialty Board President or BOT Trustee.

My initial priorities are as follows:

• Continued support of our current specialists through our organizational activities: e.g., webinars, ethics consultation services, ABPP publications, support for VA., BOT and DOD colleagues, SB IT services under the ABPP contract with Cerebral Consulting, working with other organizations regarding MA-level practice and its implications as well as the countless leadership and engagement activities our Executive Officer, Dr. David Cox, and the Central Office staff do for ABPP.
• Maintain what has been initiated and will continue to be a priority:
  • Early Career Professionals as well as Diversity and Inclusion activities and focus – providing specialists opportunities and support for involvement, development, and contributions.
  • Reinforcing and refining our relevance, value, and benefits of ABPP for our specialists
  • Financial transparency, accountability, and sustainability for our organization for us to continue to support our specialists.
  • Ensure our IT infrastructure meets the needs of the various ABPP colleagues and stakeholders, continuing to develop, innovate as well as protect our organization’s and specialists’ information.
• The newer / expanded focus areas are (it is a start…):
  • Enhancing our social media presence
  • Exploring how artificial intelligence could influence our organization, our specialists and our work, our communities, and our clients / patients.

My goals are to reinforce the foundation that supports and sustains our community of specialists as well as to provide development opportunities for the next generation of specialists and leaders.

I look forward to these next two years of collaborating with you to enhance the value of board certification by providing the best experiences and opportunities for you.