President-elect's column

The president-elect looks forward to her presidential year, and supporting the theme of public mental health.

With the APA convention approaching, I realize that my time as president-elect is fading as my presidential year draws near. I have enjoyed this year, especially working with our current president, Anne Klee, our past-president, Jacquie Wall, and the members of the Executive Board. It really is a pleasure to serve the members of this division. I am proud of the work our members do, especially those who work with the most underserved populations.

I am also looking forward to stepping into the task to which the Div. 18 members have entrusted me. The current president as well as our past-presidents have set us in a good direction, and I am honored to take additional steps forward.

This year has been an exciting one. Our “Committee on APA Committees” is being led well by Bob Ax, and we have already seen signs of success. To encourage those interested in being elected to APA boards and committees, we will have a panel at the 2014 APA convention in our hospitality suite to provide guidance. Please do look closely at our program booklet for the date and time – we hope that our members will continue to be elected for APA committees.

The theme of my presidential year is public mental health. The Div. 18 Conference in March 2015 will be centered on this theme. The conference planning committee is working diligently to line up relevant speakers. In addition, public mental health will be the focus of a special issue in the Div. 18 APA journal, Psychological Services. Further, I want to thank our tri-chairs Anne Klee, Bob Ax, and Abby Bernett, who are working with me to consider effective methods for leadership training for potential leaders of our division.

I want to encourage all of you to attend the 3rd North American Correctional and Criminal Justice Conference June 4-5, 2015 in Ottawa, Canada. This is a conference that Div. 18 co-sponsors with the Criminal Justice section of the Canadian Psychological Association. It is a wonderful conference, especially for those who do research or practice with criminal justice populations.

Finally, thank you to those who have served our division so well. We have a strong past and a promising future because you have given your time and energy to the division. I look forward to meeting each of you at APA in August.