President-elect candidate statements
Danna Fowble, IOM
It is my honor to run for the presidency of Division 31. I have dedicated much of my career to representing and promoting psychologists’ ability to succeed in practice and leadership. My 38-year career in nonprofit management has centered on strategic alignment, advocacy and leadership development, and sustained systems of effectiveness.
I am a registered lobbyist and executive director for Oklahoma and Florida Psychological Associations; I have been directly involved in advancing and helping secure passage of multiple pieces of legislation supporting professional practice and patient access to care. Daily, I work alongside psychologists on the issues that matter most - advocacy, regulatory challenges, reimbursement, organizational growth, and the systems that allow them to serve their communities effectively.
I have the honor of being the only individual to have been twice appointed to APA’s Advocacy Coordinating Committee (ACC). The ACC advises the APA Advocacy Office and Board of Directors on advocacy priorities and strategy. Working with the Council of Executive Directors of State, Provincial, and Territorial Psychological Associations (CESPPA), I have helped develop and host CESPPA’s national CE program, raising tens of thousands of dollars for our SPTAs. I have been a strong supporter of APA’s SPTA operational and legislative grant program.
I believe Division 31 stands at an important moment: We need to amplify SPTA voices within APA. We need to make sure that the needs of psychologists receive the support they need. My contribution is the organizational strategy that ensures this profession that so many of you have invested in is supported, coordinated, and positioned for maximum impact.
I would appreciate your vote.
Diana L. Prescott, PhD
Diana L. Prescott, PhD, completed her BA at Butler University, PhD in clinical psychology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and predoctoral internship at the Indiana University School of Medicine. She is a licensed psychologist in Indiana and Maine. She directs a rural health consulting practice evaluating and treating women and children. She has developed the integrated behavioral health component of Eastern Maine Medical Center’s pediatric obesity program. Diana has supervised clinical psychology doctoral students at the University of Maine-Orono as an adjunct professor.
She chaired the APA Committee on Rural Health. She received the APAPO Federal Advocacy Award and the Division 31 Heiser Award, and she served on the Committee of State Leaders. In 2023, she was awarded a Presidential Citation for her work in rural health at the APA Grassroots Capitol Hill Fly-In.
Diana was elected to the APA Council of Representatives, as member at large, and Recording Secretary on the Board of Directors. She has volunteered as federal advocacy coordinator for MePA for over 20 years. She participates in the APA Integrated Primary Care and Integrated Specialty Care Advisory Groups.
Diana has presented internationally on rural integrated care in Milan, Italy; Yokohama, Japan; Porto, Portugal; Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Montreal, Canada; Ljubliana, Slovenia; Brighton, UK; and Prague, Czech Republic. She is serving as member at large on the IAAP Board of Directors and Secretary of Professional Practice Division 17. She is devoted to advocacy on behalf of psychologists and their clients.
Member-at-large candidate statements
Shannon Goecke-Watson, PsyD, LP
Hello, and thank you for the consideration of your vote for the Division 31 member-at-large position. Briefly, I earned my masters and doctorate degrees in counseling psychology from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. I now own SGW Psychological Services in Apple Valley, MN, and exclusively treat domestic and sexual violence survivors using evidence-based interventions in group and individual psychotherapy. Although I am still considered an early career psychologist, I have been very active in the Minnesota Psychological Association (MPA) and in the American Psychological Association (APA). Regarding my service to MPA, I was honored to serve as the Member-at-large on the association’s governing council in 2022 and 2023. I also have been an active member of the legislative committee since 2018. Recently, I’ve been working with the association’s lobbyist to amend statewide medical debt laws that greatly impact psychologists. As for my service to APA, I am the current Minnesota representative on the Council of Representatives. On Council, I am the chair of the rural health caucus, the secretary of the women’s caucus, and the co-elections and nominations chair for the Association of Practicing Psychologists. Outside of Council, I am the current co-chair of the Division 56 (Trauma) Practice Committee and am an active member of the Division 42 (Independent Practice) Membership Committee.
As evidenced by the myriad roles I hold, I understand the importance of advocacy and participation within the profession of psychology. I also greatly respect the connections between states, territories, and provinces, Division 31, and APA. Fostering these connections are vital to the success, not just of SPTAs, but also to APA and Division 31. It is with the intention to expand upon these vital connections that I would formally like to ask for your vote for the Division 31 member-at-large position.
Thank you.
Julie B. Wolter, PsyD
I am honored to be nominated for the Division 31 member-at-large position. My three years serving in this role have been both meaningful and enjoyable, and they have flown by. Advocacy is a central professional passion of mine—particularly state-level advocacy through my roles as director of professional affairs for NHPA and federal advocacy coordinator for RIPA—and Division 31 serves as a critical hub for coordinating efforts among APA, CESPPA, and SPTA leadership.
I also volunteer with APA’s Office of Healthcare Finance CPT Advisory Group, participating in the AMA CPT and RUC processes. I have greatly valued the opportunity to help coordinate Division 31’s work with Stephen Gillaspy’s group on reimbursement and policy issues affecting commercial, Medicaid, and Medicare payers, including providing input on the Medicaid Toolkit and assisting with the town hall led by Gillaspy on state-level reimbursement advocacy.
It has been an honor to serve as a voting member of a division dedicated to advancing and advocating for the needs of SPTAs. I would welcome the opportunity to continue contributing to Division 31’s efforts to support SPTAs through coordinated advocacy and policy work, including helping ensure the Division remains attentive to emerging state-level policy developments—such as recent legislation addressing artificial intelligence and professional practice—while advancing work on reimbursement, regulatory frameworks, and the evolving healthcare landscape. I ask for your vote.
Secretary candidate statements
Jeanne M. Slattery, PhD
I am honored to be nominated to serve as secretary of Division 31 during a period of significant change in our profession. Psychology is facing challenges related to licensure, educational standards, technological change, civil discourse, and equitable access to care. These challenges require collaboration across our state, provincial, and territorial associations, and we can address them most effectively by working together.
I bring leadership experience from several levels of organized psychology. I currently serve as secretary of Division 31 (2024–26), am a member of APA’s Council of Representatives (2025–27), and served as president of the Pennsylvania Psychological Association (2021–24). During my presidency, we addressed difficult organizational issues and developed a nine-point plan for diversity, equity, and inclusion that contributed to our association receiving Division 31’s Diversity Award. Our professional organizations must continue working to remain relevant to all members while advocating for prescription privileges, psychology’s role in integrative care, and thoughtful responses to technological change.
My professional work spans teaching, clinical practice, ethics education, and scholarship. I teach at Pennsylvania Western University, maintain a small clinical practice, received the Pennsylvania Psychological Association’s Ethics Educator Award in 2020, and have published three books on trauma and clinical practice.
If elected, I will bring a broad perspective, commitment to collaboration, and strong work ethic to serve Division 31 and the members and communities our associations represent.
Susan McGroarty, PhD, ABPP
I would be honored to bring my energy, commitment, and perspective to the role of Secretary for APA Division 31.
In my dual roles as New Jersey Psychological association director of professional affairs and federal advocacy coordinator, I serve a diverse membership helping psychologists navigate the daily regulatory, ethical, and reimbursement challenges of delivering psychological services. On both the state and federal level, I advocate on behalf of psychologists. I am energized by problem-solving and the opportunity to support psychologists in meaningful, practical ways.
Division 31 serves, in many respects, as the voice of practicing psychologists within APA. Especially during this period of restructuring and change, the division plays a vital role in representing the perspectives of psychologists on the front lines of the mental health crisis and in advancing informed, effective advocacy on their behalf.
A colleague recently described me as exceptionally smart, driven, and deeply passionate about advocating for psychologists. My understanding of the profession’s challenges, and the need for thoughtful and creative solutions, has been shaped by my work as an academician, a private practice clinician, a health psychologist, as well as by my own lived experience. I would be thrilled to bring my expertise, passion, and optimism to service as Division 31 Secretary.
Clear, accurate, and relationship-centered communication is often the foundation for meaningful progress. As Secretary, I would be committed to fostering that kind of communication in support of the division’s mission and its members.