Division 44 Candidate Statements
President-Elect — Connie Matthews, PhD
It is generally customary for people running for Division president to present initiatives of their own on which to focus during their term. While there is merit to this, it can also lead to a series of one-year initiatives. As I consider my own thoughts on running for president of Division 44, I am aware of the exciting things the Division has been doing recently. We are in the midst of a major membership drive, launching a journal, rejuvenating the book series, and continuing to address the strategic planning done by Mark Pope during his presidency. All of these are ongoing efforts that demand attention and focus. My plan would be to ensure that we move forward with these important initiatives in a manner that facilitates the realization of their full potential to move the Division to another level. There are some areas that particularly interest me moving forward. I would like to see the Division become more reflective of the diversity within the community, not only with respect to gender, race, and ethnicity, but also with respect to abilities and disabilities, socio-economic status, spirituality, and psychologists across the trainee and professional lifespan. I am also committed to ensuring that the guidelines for psychological practice with transgender individuals that I helped to move forward as chair of CLGBTC become policy and fully implemented. These are exciting times for Division 44 and I welcome an opportunity to ensure that the promises of today become the accomplishments of the next few years.
APA Council Representative (Female-Identified Slate) — Robin A. Buhrke, PhD
I am honored to run for election as Division 44 Council Representative and I ask for your vote. I am a founding member of the Division and have served the Division in many capacities, including Member-at-Large, chair of various committees, President, and Council Member. I served in APA governance including CLGBTC, CODAPAR, and CWP and am a former Congressional Science Fellow having served as advisor to the late Senator Paul Wellstone. I am most proud of my work collaborating with Division 19 which strengthened APA's policies regarding sexual orientation issues in the military. I have a strong track record of working on behalf of the Division and LGBT issues. I want to continue using my skills, relationships, and connections in the service of the Division and ask for your support. As we face the challenges of ensuring our issues are heard and addressed throughout APA, I am eager to advance the Division's agenda in the political arena.
APA Council Representative (Female-Identified Slate) — Oliva M. Espin, PhD
My first elected office at the APA was as Council Representative for Division 44. It was at an important moment in our history and an exciting experience for me. After that I went on to become Division President. In 1999 I received the (then) CLGBC Outstanding Achievement Award and have also received twice the Division 44 Award for my work on ethnic minority concerns. Through research, publications, teaching, and professional presentations I have worked on LGBT issues for decades. In recent years I have remained mostly inactive in the Division, although I am presently a member of the Religion Task Force and the Continuing Education Committee. For several years, I have been APA representative to the LGBT International Psychology Network and a member of several APA Committees. As part of my work in the Network, I helped organize sessions focusing on LGBT Psychology at several international conferences, helped translate documents into Spanish, acted as liaison and was/am in touch with psychologists in other areas of the world, particularly Latin America. I still remain connected with this International Network in an informal advisory capacity. What I bring to this position is my knowledge and familiarity with the Division’s history and the APA structure, my several decades of deep commitment to our issues. Being involved in this Division has had a powerful impact on my professional life for several decades. I want to take this opportunity to reciprocate by being of service to the Division representing it at the APA Council.
APA Council Representative (Female-Identified Slate) — Angela Ferguson, PhD
I am very pleased to have the opportunity to run for Council Representative. I first became involved in the Division while in graduate school, at which time I served as Member-At-Large (1999–2002). More recently, I served on the Education and Training Committee (2007–2009) and served as Secretary-Treasurer (2009–2012). I have served on the Committee for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Concerns (CLGBTC) for the past two years and am serving as Co-Chair of the committee this year. Since graduate school, I have been interested in various aspects of diversity within the LGBT communities. Throughout my career, my primary research areas have focused on: (a) intersections of multiple social identities pertaining to LGBT communities; and (b) trauma and resilience factors within international culturally diverse populations. I have published numerous articles and book chapters in these areas and have delivered several presentations and workshops at local, national, and international professional conferences such as the American Psychological Association, the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, the Antares Foundation, and at Oxford University. I have been committed to training, education, and teaching that advances advocacy and sensitivity to the inclusion of all aspects of identity within LGBT psychology. After serving in three positions in the Division, I have developed a good understanding of the issues and concerns that the Division has faced, as well as the positive work that the Division has done and can continue to do in APA and in the community. I look forward to the opportunity to serve the Division.
APA Council Representative (Female-Identified Slate) — Bonnie R. Strickland, PhD
<insert images>For over fifty years I have been a member of APA and for some of that time privileged to serve in the governance. I have been President of Division 1, General Psychology; Division 12, Clinical Psychology; and our own Division 44. I have served in a number of other capacities, on major Boards, for several terms on the Council of Representatives, and as President of the Association. I understand the structure and function of APA governance and would welcome the opportunity to be one of your Council Representatives. My service in APA has always been seeking the inclusion of underrepresented individuals and groups, particularly LGBT people. I was proud to be a Charter Member when Division 44 was established and I helped begin the LGBT Caucus of Council. My most recent involvement in APA has been that of President of our Division. I particularly enjoyed being with our hard working Executive Committee and I miss our time together. I would love to return to Council as your Representative. I know how Council works, and I believe I can continue to support us and enhance our impact as a distinct and unique constituency. This is particularly important at this time as Council debates the Good Governance Proposal which may entail a substantial reorganization of APA governance. I believe I have the experience, the seasoned judgment, and the leadership ability to represent us well and I would welcome your vote.
APA Council Representative (Male-Identified Slate) — Eduardo Morales, PhD
It is an honor to represent Division 44 on APA Council and important to be able to collaborate with other Divisions while forwarding the goals of the Division within APA. I am a fellow of 11 APA Divisions, founder and former president of Division 45, and have been involved in APA governaance for most of my career. In 2009, I received the APA award for Distinguished Contributions to Institutional Practice among many other awards, including from Divisions 44, 45, and the Committee of LGBT Concerns. As Distinguished Professor at CSPP-SF, Executive Director of an HIV prevention program in SF, Fulbright Specialist, and Rockway Fellow at Alliant, I have the unique perspectives of academia and practice. In 2008, I co-chaired the first conference on evidencebased practice with ethnic minorities that involved co-sponsorship of 25 APA Divisions that was unprecedented in APA history. My experience includes obtaining over 40 million dollars in research and service grants, collaborating with various governmental agencies such as SAMSHA, CSAT, and CDC, and advocating for psychology among federal, state, and local legislators. Some recent LGBT issues I have been engaged with have been obtaining political asylum for Latino LGBTs, banning use of conversion therapy in California, and developing a workforce pipeline of psychologists through a CA state funded grant at CSPP. Being a member of Division 44 since its inception and a member of the Association of Lesbian and Gay Psychologists from 1975 until its termination, I have a very strong understanding of our history and commitment to future directions.
APA Council Representative (Male-Identified Slate) — Allen M. Omoto, PhD
I would be honored to represent Division 44 on the APA Council of Representatives. Division 44 has long been a home for me—it is where I experienced supportive mentoring and also gained valuable governance experience. I was founding Co-Chair of the Division’s Science Committee and also served as elected Member-at-Large on the Executive Committee. LGBT research and training have been at the forefront of my career. I received the Division’s Distinguished Contribution to Education and Training Award, served on the Placek Grant Award Committee, and co-edited Sexual Orientation and Mental Health (APA Books). I also have a current NIH grant to support my research on sexual minority immigrants. As a Professor of Psychology at the Claremont Graduate University, my primary activities involve educating, training, and mentoring graduate students, many of whom are LGBT and/or have related research interests. I have extensive leadership and governance experience, including as an advocate for LGBT and social justice concerns. I am finishing my term as President of Division 9 (SPSSI) after also having represented SPSSI on the Divisions for Social Justice and COR for two terms. In addition, I was an APA Congressional Fellow, served on CLGBTC, and am the current Chair of APA’s Board for Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest. In sum, I believe that my research and professional interests, depth of knowledge of current issues, and governance experience within Division 44, allied Divisions, and APA more broadly will help me effectively represent the Division and its members on COR.
Secretary — Karen Greenspan, PsyD
I am proud to say I started volunteering with Division 44 in 2007 as a Student Representative. For two years, I manned the suite during convention, organized other volunteers, solicited books for the book sale, and took care of other sundry items that came up with my other student reps. I then volunteered to serve as the Membership Co-Chair for three years. During my tenure we continued to market and grow the Division, we instituted a system to contact all new members and also members who left the Division, we grew the listserv, and interfaced with APA membership services and other groups as necessary.
I am a clinical psychologist currently working at the Tenderloin Outpatient Clinic in San Francisco where I am also the group supervisor. There and in my private practice, I treat many LGBTQ clients. I have also facilitated LGBTQ support groups at Santa Rosa Junior College and Humboldt State University. My graduate research focused on same-sex marriage.
In the newly created Secretary role, I hope to serve the Division well through my attention to detail and ability to liaison and interface with other groups.
With your support, I look forward to continue to serve the Division.
Secretary — Linda Travis, PsyD
<insert imag>Although a Division 44 member for 15 years, I became much more active over the past five years and have enjoyed working with colleagues at this critical time within our Division. For the past two years, I have served as the Co-Chair of the Health Initiatives Task Force (HIT) within Division 44. My work with HIT has included coordinating LGBT health advocacy work with CLGBTC and serving on the Behavioral Health Initiative within the National Coalition for LGBT Health. At the 2012 APA conference in Orlando, it was also rewarding to be a participant in a Division 44 symposium on LGBT aging.
My commitments to integrated care, to LGBT health, and to connecting LGBT psychology to LGBT health are further conveyed in my role as a board member at large for the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA). Within LGBT health, my major areas of focus are working with LGBT older adults and training health care providers to improve communication with LGBT people. My career focus has propelled my interest for our Division to become more involved with interdisciplinary health care via practice, scholarship, training, and advocacy activities. Specifically, I believe we have much to contribute in reducing LGBT health disparities and much to learn in reaching LGBT communities embracing additional minority identities and thereby facing an even larger burden of health disparities.
I would be honored to serve the Division in the role of Secretary and continue to strengthen and expand the work of our Division in the coming years.
Member-At-Large — Kimber Shelton, PhD
I am honored to be nominated for the Member-At-Large position. My membership in Division 44 started while I was a student, is a Division I remain dedicated to as an early career psychologist, and is a home I will reside in during my late career. I am a Staff Psychologist and Coordinator of Diversity Programs at Georgia Institute of Technology’s Counseling Center. I am committed to improving the quality of services provided to LGBTQ students and enhancing ally development through policy change, safe space initiatives, and in-depth affirmative trainings. I also have a private practice where I serve primarily ethnic minorities and LGBTQ individuals and couples. Thus, I am acutely aware of the need for enhanced support for practitioners within psychological organizations and I look forward to exploring this within our Division. My research focuses on sexual orientation microaggressions, mentoring, and multicultural counseling competence. As a leader and advocate, I believe it is important to use my voice to educate, challenge oppression, and support others. I was in the inaugural Division 17 Leadership Academy, I co-chair a working group on the Transition from Student to Early Career Psychologist, and am a fellow of the APA Minority Fellowship/ Psychology Summer Institute. Being elected to the MAL position would be an amazing opportunity for continuing my leadership and advocacy development so that I can be a more effective agent of change. I am committed to using my abilities and passion in my service to and promotion of Division initiatives.
Member-At-Large — Michelle D. Vaughan, PhD
Assistant Professor, Westminster College, Fulton, MO; Co-Chair, Division 44 Mentoring Committee. As a leader in university, community, and national LGBT organizations, I’ve been fortunate to advance the interests and concerns of sexual and gender minorities for nearly 15 years. Through my work as the president of a student organization and as former Chair of APAGS’ Committee on LGBT Concerns, serving the needs of others within the community has long been a personal and professional passion of mine. Mentoring has long been an issue of particular interest of mine as I have continually sought opportunities to mentor other peers and graduate students and develop programs to foster mentoring relationships for early career professionals. As a researcher who studies positive psychology as it applies to the lives of LGBT individuals, my perspective on leadership and advocacy is strongly informed by a strengths-based perspective on sexual and gender minorities, including creating and fostering ways for the field (and Division 44 ) to serve as a positive social institution in the lives of professionals at all stages of development. As the Division has played an influential role in my professional and personal development as bisexual- and now pansexual-identified woman, I see my role as member at large as offering insights on the needs and experiences of graduate students and professionals alike through the position of Member-at-Large.