I am honored to be selected by the Nominations Committee as a candidate for the position of Council Representative and member of the Executive Committee (EC) of Division 16. I have been active in the leadership of School Psychology since the early 1980s and bring to the position a range of experiences in research, teaching, administration, and service. I have served for six years on the Division 16 EC as Division 16 President (2010; President-elect, 2009; Past-President, 2011) and Treasurer (2005-2007). I am currently serving on the APA Committee for International Relations in Psychology (CIRP; 2012-2014). I look forward to the opportunity to resume my participation on the Division EC and to representing School Psychology in APA governance level.

I have a strong commitment to promoting and protecting the well-being of children, families, and communities at local, national, and international levels, through the application of psychology. My research and applied work have taken me beyond the boundaries of the profession and the United States through opportunities to work with other professionals in anthropology, education, sociology, medicine, and public health; and with community members in developing countries. I have been active in the area of Child Rights in my leadership within Division 16 and the International Association of School Psychologists. My experiences have taught me the benefits of collaboration with a diverse group of partners not only for enhancing the lives of others but also for advancing my own knowledge. Moreover, these experiences have enhanced my awareness of the unique strengths and limitless potential of school psychologists, and the responsibility of psychology to address social and health-related issues that face individuals worldwide.

As President of Division 16, I facilitated the formation of three Division Working Groups to address issues relevant to Globalization, Social Justice and Child Rights, and Translation of Research to Practice. The chairs of these groups have formed partnerships with other organizations and with colleagues within the U.S. and internationally. For example, The Social Justice and Child Rights group is working in partnership with the International School Psychology Association (ISPA); the Globalization group has several international members. The EC has supported the continuation of these three efforts to date.

I welcome the opportunity to participate in APA governance as a Division 16 Representative to Council and to work collaboratively with other members the Council in facilitating the contributions of psychology to the wellbeing of children, families, schools, and communities. Furthermore, I look forward to the opportunity to forge relationships with other organizations that represent our profession and to work together with professionals from other disciplines and stakeholders from other sectors in guiding the future of psychology, mental health, education, and social justice child rights.

Background

Bonnie Kaul Nastasi, PhD (Kent State University, 1986), is Associate Professor and Co-Director of the School Psychology Program, Tulane University, and Associate of the International Institute of Child Rights and Development Centre for Global Studies, University of Victoria, British Columbia. Dr. Nastasi has held leadership positions in American Psychological Association, Division 16, International School Psychology Association (ISPA), National Association of School Psychology (NASP), Society for the Study of School Psychology (SSSP), and Council for Directors of School Psychology Programs (CDSPP). She has served as President and Treasurer of Division 16, and Treasurer of SSSP. She is currently Chair of the Professional Development and Practices Committee of ISPA, and has served as international liaison to ISPA for both Division 16 and SSSP. She is currently leading an ISPA-sponsored research initiative on promoting psychological well-being globally, joint ISPA-Division 16 efforts to prepare school psychologists as advocates for child rights, and joint ISPASSSP efforts to facilitate international research and scholarship. She co-chaired the Interdisciplinary Qualitative Research Subcommittee of the Task Force on Empirically Supported Interventions in School Psychology (cosponsored by SSSP, Div 16, and NASP), the Committee on Women in School Psychology for Division 16, the Children’s Services Committee of NASP, and has been a member of numerous committees of professional organizations in psychology and education at international, national, and state levels.

Dr. Nastasi has conducted applied research and published chapters and journal articles on mental health and health risk (including substance abuse and sexual risk) among school-age and adult populations in the United States and Asia. Her interests include mental health promotion, health risk prevention, use of qualitative and mixed methods research in psychology to develop culturally specific interventions and assessment tools, and promoting school psychology internationally. She has co-authored School-Based Mental Health Programs: Creating Comprehensive and Culturally Specific Mental Health Programs (APA, 2004), School Interventions for Children of Alcoholics (Guilford Press, 1994), and three editions of Exemplary Mental Health Programs: School Psychologists as Mental Health Service Providers (NASP, 1997, 1998, 2002). Dr. Nastasi has served as Associate Editor on School Psychology Quarterly and School Psychology Review and editorial board member on several other journals in the social sciences (e.g., Journal of Applied School Psychology, Journal of Educational Psychology, Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, Journal of School Psychology, Review of Educational Research, School Mental Health).

Dr. Nastasi is committed to applying psychology to enhance the wellbeing of children, families, schools, and communities at both local and global levels. Since 1995, she has been involved in international work to inform development of culturally constructed psychological theory and interventions, application of culturally sensitive research methods, child rights advocacy by school psychologists, and professional development of school psychologists within a transcultural and transdisciplinary perspective. She has conducted research and development projects in Sri Lanka and India to promote health and mental health among child, adolescent, and adult populations. She is currently lead investigator on a multi-country study of children’s / adolescents’ psychological wellbeing with 15 site partners in 12 countries. Following the December 2004 Tsunami and Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, Dr. Nastasi assisted schools in Sri Lanka and New Orleans, respectively, in developing programs to facilitate long-term recovery from natural disasters. She is a co-director of the trauma specialization in the School Psychology doctoral program at Tulane, and is actively working in partnerships with schools in New Orleans to enhance delivery of comprehensive school-based mental health services.