APA Council Representative Report

Deirdre Knapp, Lori Foster, Gary Latham, and Georgia Chao

The 170+ member APA Council of Representatives met in Washington DC February 19-21, 2016.  

The policies discussed largely grew out of organizational introspection associated with issues raised by the independent review (IR) report authored by the law firm of Sidley Austin and released in July 2015. While there have been questions raised about aspects of the IR, there is also broad commitment within Council and the Board of Directors to ensure that APA rededicates to its core mission through policy and organizational functional improvements. 

The following motions were passed:

• Establishment of a work group to review organizational policies and procedures (e.g., organizational checks and balances, transparency of decision-making, appropriate oversight of governance members in the execution of their roles)
• Establishment of a work group to develop civility principles and procedures
• Amendment to Council guidelines for proposed resolutions to ensure they are consistent with APA’s core values and address human rights, health and welfare, and ethics
• Prioritization of ethics, human rights, and social justice in revision of APA’s strategic plan
• Establishment of a work group to develop guidelines regarding task force selection

APA has also established an Ethics Commission to examine how APA works to ensure ethical behavior and make recommendations about potential changes. At the time of this writing, there is also proposed language to revise Standard 3.04 of the APA Ethics Code out for public comment for which SIOP is preparing a response. Since SIOP uses the APA Ethics Code, we will be impacted by any changes and need to ensure our voice is heard with regard to changes that might be made.

On Council, one way to increase our voice is to combine it with others who share some of our interests through caucus activity. Deirdre Knapp is chair of the General Applied Psychology/Psychologists (GAPP) caucus. We are also active in the Coalition for Academic, Scientific, and Applied Research Psychology (CASAP) caucus.  

Despite the nearly $5M spent on the IR and other expenses, APA remains financially healthy because of the large reserves upon which it can draw. With regard to the 2015 operating budget, the largest source of revenue (publications and databases) had a slower rate of growth than anticipated. But efforts to trim expenses (e.g., through freezing some staff positions) helped ensure that 2015 ended with a small budget surplus. In contrast, the APA Practice Organization (APAPO), which is entirely dependent on member dues, is significantly struggling following several years of declining membership.

APA is also searching for a new CEO. Establishing a group to handle vetting of candidates was a politically sensitive task. We are pleased to see that two I-O psychologists are included, Rodney Lowman (co-chair) and James Outtz.

With any luck we will see one or two SIOP members on the ballot for APA President-Elect and probably at least one more running for Treasurer. These are influential positions and we applaud those who are willing to be nominated, run, and serve.

As your representatives to APA Council, we are committed to ensuring that those SIOP members who belong to APA are represented to the best of our ability and to ensuring IO influence in what remains the largest voice for psychology in the U.S.  If you have questions, ideas, or concerns, please let us know.