Section I: Governance Structure

Cashuna Huddleston , PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Health Services Research and Development Center
Center for Innovation in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety (IQuESt)
2450 Holcombe Blvd, Suite 01Y
Houston, TX 77021
Telephone: (713) 440-4400 ext. 10282

Cashuna Huddleston, PhD, received her doctoral degree in counseling psychology from the University of Houston and completed her internship training at Vanderbilt University Medical Center — Veteran Affairs Consortium. Currently, she is a psychology postdoctoral fellow at Baylor College of Medicine within the Michael E. Debakey VA Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety. She provides brief evidence-based interventions, consultative and multidisciplinary care within the context of behavioral medicine/health psychology.

Huddleston’s research interests are in the management of co-occurring psychiatric and physical illnesses, integrated care, health promotion and disease prevention, psychosocial and cultural factors of health, health disparities, autoimmune diseases and sexual health. She is devoted to bringing about positive change and insight towards improving the mental and physical health of individuals. She has a laudable publication record, including co-authorship in The Journal of Rural Health and Rehabilitation Psychology, presentations at national conferences and education trainings at Society of Behavioral Medicine and Texas Psychological Association.

Wendi S. Williams, PhD 
Associate Professor and Coordinator, Counseling 
Long Island University – Brooklyn School of Education 
9 Hanover Place, 4th Floor 
Brooklyn, NY 11233 
Telephone: (718) 780-4369 
Fax: (718) 246-6351

Wendi S. Williams, PhD, is a counseling psychologist and is on faculty at Long Island University – Brooklyn in the Department of Counseling and School Psychology. Her work centers on the development, implementation and evaluation of school and community-based health and educational interventions that promote optimal health and well-being among urban youth and their families and the practitioners that will work with them. She engages research for action and social change and implements interventions that build critical consciousness among participants. Her intent is to facilitate awareness about the connection between physical, mental and spiritual health and wellness among populations disconnected from these relationships. 

Earlise Ward, PhD 
Associate Professor 
University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Nursing 
Telephone: (608) 263-0745

Earlise Ward, PhD, is a licensed psychologist and an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the School of Nursing. Her program of research focuses on developing and testing a culturally specific behavioral intervention to treat depression among African-American adults. Her long research goal is to reduce mental health disparities with a focus on increasing the quality of mental health care provided to African-Americans and improving mental health outcomes for this group.

Valamere S. Mikler, MA, LSSWB 
Senior Operations and Advancement Manager, Urgent, Inc. 
Industrial/Organizational Psychology Doctoral Student 
Walden University

As a final year PhD candidate in the Industrial/Organizational Psychology program with a focus on consulting, Valamere S. Mikler’s research focuses on improving employees’ commitment, job performance and productivity by using the intrapreneurial approach, which will contribute greatly to maximizing employees’ loyalty to any organization. Through past and current work experiences, she has developed a keen sense of business acumen with proven results in efficient leadership skills, defining job requirements and expectations, distributing workload and managing diverse team members. She has successfully developed training manuals, job analyses and organizational assessments. Her research experience extends to applying quantitative and qualitative methods to solve workplace problems and organizational development issues. Also, she has acquired detailed comprehension of nonprofit organization management and meeting planning logistics. She spends her free time volunteering for various community outreach initiatives promoting social change, justice, equality and inclusivity.

Telsie A. Davis, PhD 
Director & Licensed Psychologist 
The Davis Center 
Licensed Psychologist, Trauma Recovery Program 
Atlanta Veterans Administration and Medical Center 
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral 
Sciences

Telsie A. Davis, PhD, is a licensed counseling psychologist who specializes in evidence-based and culturally relevant trauma-focused interventions for African-American women in recovery from PTSD and substance use disorders. She actively conducts research in this area to ensure African-American women benefit equally from the scientific advances in psychology. As founder/director of The Davis Center, Davis promotes competency among mental health professionals in the areas of African-American women's issues in treatment, cultural diversity and mental health, and culturally competent delivery of manualized treatments for PTSD and substance use.

Tiffany Williams, MEd, LPC 
Counseling Psychology Doctoral Candidate 
College of Education and Human Services 
Cleveland State University 
Cleveland, OH 44115

Tiffany’s research interests include sociocultural/political barriers (e.g., racism, discrimination, prejudice) on mental health/vocational outcomes among minorities, Black women’s work-life-family balance, minority women’s experiences in academia, minority pipeline research in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine (STEMM) professions, minority doctoral student retention, practitioner burnout prevention, and professional ethics. Her clinical interests involve working with adults coping with severe mental health disorders, crisis assessment/intervention, and cognitive-behavioral/multicultural treatment practices within community mental health agencies and university counseling centers. 

Julii Green, PhD 
Assistant Professor 
CSPP at Alliant International University 
10455 Pomerado Rd. 
San Diego, CA 92131  
Telephone: (858) 635-4847

Julii Green, PhD’s clinical and research interests include intimate partner violence and ethnically diverse family relationships; trauma and attachment; multicultural and community psychology; Native American/Alaska Native/& Indigenous mental health and wellness; ethnicity and underage substance use; child welfare system involvement, trauma and resilience; feminism and women’s issues (e.g., reproductive justice); cultural competency in mental health services; community-based participatory action research; and mixed methods research.

Other positions Green holds include CE co-chair, APA Div. 35 (Society for the Psychology of Women; dean, Feminist Psychology Institute; and treasurer, APA Div. 35 Section VI (Alaska Native/American Indian/Indigenous Women).

Batsirai Bvunzawabaya, PhD 
Counseling Psychologist   
University of Pennsylvania   
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)   
3624 Market Street, First Floor, West   
Philadelphia, PA 19104-2615   
Telephone: (215) 898-7021  

In addition to providing individual and group therapy, Batsirai Bvunzawabaya, PhD, enjoys participating in training and outreach and prevention services at Counseling and Psychological Services. Bvunzawabaya's clinical interests include body image concerns, sexual trauma, racial and ethnic identity development (particularly with students of African descent) and multicultural and social justice counseling. Research interests include exploring how social justice is incorporated in all aspects of our work, eating concerns and ethics. 

Collette Chapman-Hilliard, PhD 
Assistant Professor, Co-director MOSAIC Laboratory 
Department of Psychology 
College of Staten Island, City University of New York (CUNY) 
Telephone: (718) 982-3764

Collette Chapman-Hilliard, PhD, is a counseling psychologist and faculty member at the City University of New York's College of Staten Island. Hilliard’s research interests focus on the psychological experiences of racial and ethnic groups, particularly among people of African descent. Specifically, her research interests may be characterized by three interrelated areas of inquiry: racial and ethnic identity development; cultural counter-spaces; and social justice topics, such as cultural consciousness and culture centered psychological assessment/measurement. Chapman-Hilliard examines each of these areas as they relate to aspects of mental health and correlates of academic achievement. 

Catherine Adams, PsyD 
Associate Psychologist 
South Beach Psychiatric Center 
777 Seaview Avenue 
Staten Island, NY 10305 
Telephone: (917) 692-3970

Catherine Adams, PsyD, is an associate psychologist at South Beach Psychiatric Center on an inpatient unit for adults with severe and persistent mental illness. Her current work includes completing psychological assessments and providing psychotherapy and supportive counseling to patients on the unit. Her interests include trauma work for adults, adolescents and children; cultural issues; and exploring the experiences of black women in psychology. 

Chelsie Dunn, MPH 
Graduate Student 
Clinical Psychology 
Alliant International University, Los Angeles

Chelsie Dunn, MPH, is the co-student representative for APA Div. 35 Section 1 (Psychology of Black Women). She is a graduate from Wesleyan College with a BA in psychology, and she received her MPH in urban public health from Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science. Currently, she is a third-year PhD student in the clinical psychology program, health emphasis at Alliant International University, Los Angeles. Dunn also serves as the acting Student Circle’s chair for The Association of Black Psychologists. In her research, she is interested in exploring the how gendered racial microaggressions and sexual socialization impact black girls’ sexuality and sexual perception.

Johari Harris, MS 
Graduate Student 
Educational Psychology 
Georgia State University

Johari Harris, MS, is currently in a pursing a doctorate degree in educational psychology at Georgia State University. She is interested in ways to foster positive youth development outcomes among African-American adolescents within school settings. Additionally, she studies racial identity’s relationship with positive emotional and behavior outcomes, such as empathy and prosocial behaviors, for African-American youth.