Psychologists in Public Service: Division Bylaws

1. The name of this organization shall be the Division of Psychologists in Public Service of the American Psychological Association.

2. The members of the Division are principally involved in public service through their common responsibilities to carry out programs that are publicly legislated, publicly funded, and accountable to the public.

A. As psychologists, we share these missions common to all organized groups of psychologists to:

(1) provide a forum for psychological information exchange, develop psychological knowledge through research,

(2) communicate psychological knowledge through education and training, and

(3) apply psychological knowledge through services to the public, develop and maintain standards, and advance psychology and psychologists in the public interest.

B. As psychologists in the public service, we have specific additional missions to:

(1) promote the ability of psychologists to serve the public interests, communicate within the American Psychological Association about professional issues and programs in the public interest that concern all psychologists, study the psychological effects of public policies on various sectors of the public as well as on individuals, and

(2) use psychological knowledge to develop and implement public policies in the public interests and serve as advocates for the public and for psychologists with complex and frustrating bureaucracies by assisting the latter to understand psychological implications of their procedures and means of becoming more responsive to the public interest.

1. Introduction

A. Membership in the Division of Psychologists in Public Service of the American Psychological Association shall be limited to persons who at the time of application for membership are actively interested in the application or study of psychology in public service.

B. Membership of the Division shall consist of three classes: Fellows, Members, and Associates. Sections that so desire may also accept two categories of non-voting members: Student members of APA and Affiliates who are not members of the Association.

C. On all matters calling for action by the membership of the Division' voting, eligibility shall be in accordance with the provisions of the Bylaws of the American Psychological Association.

2. Members, Associates, Students and Affiliates

A. Members and Associates must meet the minimum standards prescribed by the American Psychological Association. Members and Associates may apply for membership in the Division through an application process approved by the Executive Committee.

B. Students may become non-voting Division members by submitting an application to the Membership Chair of the Division. Student members may affiliate with Sections. Students may apply for membership in the Division through an application process approved by the Executive Committee.

C. Non-APA members who meet APA standards for Associate or Member status may apply for affiliation with the Division through an application process approved by the Executive Committee and with all Sections that accept non-APA members. Affiliates pay the same Division and Section dues as Division members but cannot vote on Division issues or hold Division offices.

3. Fellows

Fellows shall be characterized by outstanding contribution or performance in the field of public service.

A. Fellows must meet the minimum standards prescribed for Fellows of the American Psychological Association. Fellows of the American Psychological Association, and qualified Members with one year’s membership in the Division of Psychologists in Public Service, are eligible for nomination as Fellows of the Division of Psychologists in Public Service.

B. The Fellowship Committee of the Division shall have the responsibility of reviewing the applications of Division candidates for Fellow status on behalf of the Division 18 Executive Committee. In accordance with APA requirements, the Committee shall forward to APA the names of persons recommended for Fellow status in the Division and in the APA. Such recommendations shall require a majority vote of the members of the Fellowship Committee of the Division. Upon notification to the Division of election by the APA, successful applicants will become Fellows of the APA in the Division of Psychologists in Public Service.

C. All Fellows in the Division of Psychologists in Public Service shall be designated by the name “Fellows in the Division of Psychologists in Public Service.”

1. The officers of the Division shall be President, President-elect, Past-President, Secretary, Treasurer, the Chairs from each Section, Division 18's representative(s) to the American Psychological Association Council of Representatives, and three Members-at-Large; these are the voting members of the Executive Committee. A representative of Division 18 students (APAGS) will also be a voting member. The elected officers are also to be referred to as the Executive Committee of the Division.

2. The terms of office for the President, President-elect, and Past President shall be for one year; for the Secretary and Treasurer three years; for Members-at-Large three years; for each Chair of a Section two years; for APAGS representative two years; for Division Representative(s) to Council as determined by the Rules of Council.

3. Members-at-Large will each be elected to represent a cluster of committees or responsibilities.  These clusters are named the Communication cluster, including the Newsletter Editor, Editor-in-Chief of the Division journal, Psychological Services, the Education and Training cluster, including the APA Program Committee Chair and the Continuing Education Committee Chair, and the Membership cluster, including the Membership Committee Chair and Fellowship Committee Chair.  The Members-at-Large will be elected to three-year terms that are staggered such that there is one election for a Member-at-Large each year.  The Members-at-Large will have responsibility for maintaining communication with the chairs, editors, and so forth related to the activities of the Division for which they are responsible and for representing these activities at Executive Committee meetings.

4. Chairs of standing committees, editors, and the APA Program Chair are appointed at the direction of the President and serve as non-voting members of the Executive Committee.

1. There shall be an Executive Committee of the Division including the President, Secretary, Treasurer, Representative(s) to the Council of Representatives, the President-elect, the Past President, three Members-at-Large, Section Chairs, and the APAGS/Student Representative, as well as publication editors, committee chairs, and the APA Program Chair.

1. The officers of the Division shall be elected in accordance with procedures specified by the Bylaws of the American Psychological Association.

2. The Past President shall chair a Nominations and Elections Committee that shall solicit nominations of Fellows or Members of the Division for the offices of President-elect, Secretary, Treasurer, Division Representative(s) and Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee. The Committee shall report to the Secretary the final list of at least two nominees for the office of President-elect and at least one nominee for each of the other offices.

3. The Chairperson of the Nominations and Elections Committee shall submit the names of persons nominated for each office and willing to serve to the Election Committee of the American Psychological Association for inclusion in the election ballot issued annually by the Association, in accordance with the Bylaws of the American Psychological Association.

4. Election results shall be announced at the annual business meeting of the Division.

5. Division Representative(s) to the Council of Representatives shall assume and hold office in accordance with the Bylaws of the American Psychological Association. All other officers shall assume office on the first day following the close of the annual meeting at which they are elected and shall hold office until their successors are elected and assume office. If an officer shall be unable to accept election, the Executive Committee shall by majority vote elect a Fellow or Member to hold that office until a successor is elected by the Division.

1. The annual meeting of the Division shall take place during the annual convention of the Association, and in the same locality, for the transaction of business, the presentation of scientific papers, and the discussion of professional matters in the field of psychology. The Division shall coordinate its program with and participate in the program of the Association.  All Division members are welcome to attend. At the conclusion of the meeting, the President–Elect of the Division assumes the office of President and the President assumes the office of Past President.

2. The annual meeting of the Executive Committee of the Division shall take place during the annual convention of the APA, in the same locality, at a date and time selected by the President.  The President will chair the meeting and set the agenda.

3. Meetings of the Executive Committee of the Division, will be held at least annually at a date, time and place determined by the President. The President will chair the meeting and set the agenda. The President will determine if additional Division Members or other persons should be invited to attend the meeting.

1. The committees of the Division shall consist of such standing committees as may be provided for by these Bylaws and such ad hoc committees as may be established by the President with the input of the Executive Committee of the Division. The President, with input from the Executive Committee, may also establish Task Forces to accomplish specific Division projects or goals. Chairs of such Committees and Task Forces will be appointed by the President.

2. There shall be a Membership Committee whose duty is to encourage psychologists interested in public service to apply for membership. 

3. There shall be a Fellowship Committee whose duty is to receive nominations for Fellow status, to examine the credentials submitted with special reference to unusual and outstanding contributions to, or performance in, public service, and to make recommendations in accordance with the requirements set forth in Article II of these bylaws. The Fellowship Committee shall consist of at least three members, all of whom are Fellows of the Division.

4. There shall be a Program Committee whose duty is to make arrangements for the program and annual meeting of the Division and to coordinate the program with the APA Board of Convention Affairs. The committee shall consist of the Executive Committee member who has been assigned the Convention Program responsibilities by the President as Chairperson, and the Section Chair or a representative of each Section as determined by the Section Bylaws.

1. Annual dues and assessments shall be recommended by the Executive Committee and decided by two thirds majority vote of the membership at the annual business meeting of the Division or by email ballot at other times during the year.

2. Affiliates must pay annual Division dues to maintain membership.

Sections may be established within the Division by members with similar interests and goals.

1. Procedures for establishing Sections

A. Organization of Sections from existing formal or informal groups

1). Organized groups with officers or committees already in existence may petition the Executive Committee to become a Section. The Executive Committee shall determine by majority vote at its next business meeting the suitability of such a Section and shall invite the current officers to serve as a provisional organizing committee for the purposed Section. The Section will formulate its own name that will be subject to Executive Committee’s approval.

2). If several groups with similar interests petition the Division, the provisional organizing committee will consist of principal officers of the several groups to determine feasibility of joining as one Section.

3). The provisional organizing committee will hold an organizational meeting at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association and will call for nominations of at Ieast two candidates for Chairperson of the Section. Procedures for election of other officers and appointment of committees and preparation of Section bylaws will be formulated.

B. Organization of Sections where no organized group exists

1). An interested member of the Division may write a letter to the Newsletter outlining the conception and functions of a proposed Section and invite those interested to reply. The resulting group may petition the Executive Committee to appoint a provisional organizing committee.

2). Upon approval of the Executive Committee, the provisional organizing committee will hold an organizational meeting at the next annual meeting of the American Psychological Association and will call for nominations of at least two candidates for the Office of Section Chairperson. Procedures for election of other officers and appointment of committees and preparation of Section Bylaws will be formulated. The Executive Committee shall be supplied proof by the provisional organizing committee that at least 50 persons have expressed interest and will become members of the Section upon its establishment.

3). Upon presentation to the Executive Committee of its roster of officers, Bylaws and its membership list, the Section shall become an official part of the Division effective on the January 1 following acceptance by a majority vote of the Executive Committee at a regular meeting or by a mail ballot of the membership of the Division.

2. Internal Organization of Sections

A. A Section shall elect its own officers and appoint its own committees. It shall have at least a Chairperson and Secretary-Treasurer, each elected for a two-year period.

B. The Chairperson will serve on the Division Executive Committee.

C. A Section may, if its members so indicate by a majority vote, collect dues from its Section members in addition to Division dues.

D. Each Section may request a proportional amount of Association program time (based in, part upon the ratio of the number of its Division 18 members to the membership of the Division as a whole), but additional program time may be allocated to a Section by negotiation with the Division Program Committee, subject to review by the Executive Committee. Sections may also submit suggestions for specific program proposals to the Program Committee. Final decisions on all programs shall be reserved for the Division Program Committee.

E. Sections shall establish no policies that are contrary to the policies of the Division or the Association.

F. Minutes of the Section business meetings shall be filed with the Division Secretary.

G. Sections that so desire may have Affiliates who are not members of the Association. Such Affiliates may neither become members of the Division Executive Committee nor vote on Division-issues.

3. Dissolution of a Section

A. Consideration for dissolution of any Section by the Executive Committee will be undertaken:

1). when its membership falls below 50; or

2). upon decision of majority of these Section members voting in an email ballot; or

3). upon recommendation of the Executive Committee and a two- thirds vote of those members of
the Division voting in an email ballot.

B. Any assets of the Section including monies in its treasury will, after meeting any financial obligations of the Section, become a part of the Division treasury.

1. Amendments may be proposed by the Executive Committee or by a petition signed by 30 members of the Division.

2. Proposed Amendments to the Bylaws must be emailed to the membership of the Division at least 45 days prior to the closing date for receipt of ballots.

3. The Division by a two-thirds vote of those members voting by email ballot shall adopt such amendments to these bylaws.

Updated Aug. 7, 2018