President-elect's column

Greetings Div. 47 members! Since the fall I had the privilege of attending the APA’s Division Leadership Conference held in Washington, D.C. This conference is held each year for incoming division presidents or their representatives. During this conference we learn about the inner workings of APA, offices that can be of great help to us as we work towards our divisional goals, and we hear from the incoming president of APA. While all of this was interesting and useful, what was of great benefit to me was the opportunity to rub shoulders with other division president-elects and establish connections that may lead to collaborations in the future. One such collaboration is the possibility involves the Interdivisional Grant Program. Div. 47 will be working with ideally two to three (perhaps more) other divisions on a proposal regarding the effects and benefits of exercise on one’s mental health. The proposal itself is far from completion and the focus may change as all invested divisions weigh in; however, we are committed to working with other divisions to propose a project that will reflect the interests of the division.

I also had the opportunity to return to my PhD alma mater, the University of North Texas, where the mid-year executive committee meeting was held. It was fantastic to meet committee members I did not know at all or only by name and it was invigorating to debate and discuss the issues important to the field and the division. I believe we have a fantastic group of committee members dedicated to representing the membership and the field as skillfully as possible.

Finally, I would like to thank the members of the membership survey committee who worked diligently and quickly to put together a survey that seemed to capture the concerns and issues on the minds of the membership. The executive committee hopes to provide additional opportunities for membership feedback in the future.

As always, please feel free to contact me should you have questions or concerns.