American Psychological Association
Thursday August 8, 2019, 8 am – 9:50 am
Chicago Marriott Marquis, Journalism Room
In attendance: Michael Marsiske, Joann Montepare, Jennifer Margrett, Lisa Brown, Grace Caskie, Anthony Sterns, Lisa Hollis-Sawyer, Harvey Sterns, J. Tina Savla, Karen Hooker, Susan Whitbourne, Pat Parmelee, Katie Anthony, Brad Taylor, Naomi Meinertz, Lauren Stratton, Patrick Hill, Becca Levy, Gloria Luong, Courtney Polenick, Laura Zahodne.
Guests: Deborah DiGilio, Pat Kober
Welcome and Overview
Div. 20 President Marsiske opened the meeting with introductions. Secretary Montepare noted that committee reports were distributed via email prior to the meeting. Select highlights of reports and related consideration were reviewed today. Marsiske gave comments for chairs who were unable to attend the meeting.
Program committee
(T. Savla, L. Zahodne, J. Blaskewicz Boron) – Div. 20’s convention program experienced another successful year with eight collaborative symposia, two paper sessions, an interactive mentoring workshop in collaboration with Div. 40 Scientific Advisory Committee, 66 research posters and several social events. Student participation was noteworthy, as well as support from sponsors. Future programming will focus on developing more collaborative programs with an eye toward integrating an aging, lifespan perspective in other areas of APA research and practice.
Fellowship committee
(L. Martire) – Although three new fellows were recognized in the previous year, no new applications have been received. It was recommended that Div. 20 review its membership list and extend individual invitations to encourage members to apply. The Div. 20 website list was updated. The recommendation was made to include an “In Memoriam” section for deceased fellows.
Awards committee
(K. Hooker, R. Prakash) – The 2019 Awards were reviewed (Baltes Award: Becca Levy, Lawton Award: Cameron Camp, Mentor Award: Pat Parmelee, Springer Award: Nancy Sin, Graduate Student Award (formerly travel award): Meghan McDarby, Aura Ankita Mishra, Postdoctoral Research Award (formerly travel award): Neika Sharifian). Several awards were not given this year due to a lack of nominees (McMillen Award, Santos Award, Developmental Health Award, Dissertation Award, Undergraduate Research Award (formerly travel award). Updates were made to the Div. 20 website providing details for each award and a revision of the awards manual for future chairs was completed. The recommendation was made that in the future Div. 20 should send award letters to department chairs and institutional PR representative to recognize recipients and promote Div. 20 accomplishments. The recommendation was also made to review deadlines and possibly stagger the award years in order to coordinate efforts more efficiently.
Elections committee
(P. Hill, N. Sin) – Recruitment was successful for this year’s elections, although voter turnout was small (10%). The President Elect is Lisa Brown, PhD, Palo Alto University; Treasurer is Grace Caskie, PhD; Lehigh University; Council Representative is Susan Krauss Whitbourne, PhD, University of Massachusetts; Members-at-Large are Jeanine Parisi, PhD, Johns Hopkins University, and Nicholas Turiano, PhD, West Virginia University. The upcoming election will focus the positions of President-Elect, Secretary, Council Representative, and two Members-at-large.
Membership committee
(G. Luong) - Membership trends over the last three years have been steady, with a significant rise in student membership as a result of concerted efforts. Discussion focused on recruiting more senior members whose membership has lapsed, extending student affiliate efforts, and the need to develop specific retention strategies.
Education committee
(J. Tehan Stanley, J. Margrett, K. Cichy) – The Div. 20 survey was useful in identifying member interests that included an updated syllabi library, list of videos/multimedia resources, graduate program directory, and Teaching Tips for the Div. 20 Newsletter. Plans are underway for addressing these interests. Discussion focused on the possible development of a members’ directory.
Social media and communication initiatives
(combined website, social media, listserv, newsletter teams) (J. Montepare, G. Caskie, L. Hollis-Sawyer, K. Anthony, J. Brooks, F. Infurna) – Discussion focused on the need to organize a working group to develop a D20 strategic communication plan, along with having a repository of all Div. 20 executive materials, and a “cheat sheet” of how to access various Div. 20 accounts. The Newsletter editorship position may transition this year to include J. Blaskewicz Boron working as a co-editor or assistant editor along with G. Caskie; three Newsletter issues will be published as usual.
Early career initiatives
(Early Career, Postdoctoral, and Graduate student teams, working together) (C. Polenick, N. DePasquale, B. Taylor, J. Bellingtier, N. Sharifian, L. Stratton, K. Anthony, N. Meinertz) – Mentoring program efforts have been very successful over the last year with 30 dyads matched and a second cohort approved. Discussion focused on survey results, the need to inform participants of outcomes, and how to leverage program success to fuel Div. 20 membership. The SIG survey distributed by the SIGs Task Force found great interest (96 members) in joining SIG teams. The Task Force has identified and outlined a range of areas of common interest and has been working on developing leadership teams and interaction protocols.
Treasurer’s report and Fund for D20
(J. Gaugler) – Div. 20 funds are favorable with surpluses as a result of program sponsorships and steady membership. Consideration was given to whether the surplus should be held or invested, with more discussion necessary. The APF Div. 20 Fund is moving along well. The Div. 20 initiative initially seeded the $20,000 to begin the fund, the current pledge amount is at $44,800 with six pledges still outstanding.
Council Report
(P. Parmelee, S. Whitbourne) – Information was presented about APA’s attention to refugee and immigration issues with Div. 20 representatives noting the value of voicing the importance of lifespan issues as they relate to framing such APA policies (e.g., broadening the focus on children and youth to families). Voting considerations were reviewed regarding graduate students, members with MA degrees and doctoral candidates. It was advised that Div. 20 review its voting policies in the bylaws to be in accordance with final APA voting guidelines.
APA CONA/Science Directorate (Government Relations)
(D. DiGilio, P. Kobor) - Advocacy efforts continue to work at full speed, with an eye toward broader impact in several areas such as suicide prevention. Div. 20 members were encouraged to respond to any APA requests about advocacy by drawing attention to the importance of aging intersections. Resistance to budget cuts thus far has been positive, with the impact of lab tours and representative connections noted as important elements in these efforts. Plans are underway for International Day of Older Persons (webcast) and continued support of the Exploring Careers in Aging Roadmap resources.
OWLS (Offering Wisdom for Lifetime Status)
(W. Boot, P. Parmelee, S. Whitbourne). A general overview was presented with the recommendation that CONA may be in a better position to explore the issues than a Div. 20 special committee.
Additional Comments
Div. 20 discussed the need to revisit membership overlap of Div. 12 Section II and Div. 20, as well as AGHE/GSA, and how we might leverage these connections to promote the mission of Div. 20 more effectively. Liaison Becca Levy stressed the importance of considering Div. 20 members for other awards and integrating an aging focus with other areas with which Div. 20 is connected, such Div. 35 (Society for the Psychology of Women).
Incoming President Comments
President Margrett introduced the need to explore how Div. 20’s mission and goals fit with the overall APA strategic plans and how Div. 20 can make the most of its upcoming 75th anniversary celebration planning.
Meeting was adjourned at 9:50
Respectfully submitted,
Joann M. Montepare
Div. 20 Secretary
Director, RoseMary B. Fuss Center for Research on Aging and Intergenerational Studies
Lasell University/Lasell Village