Editor's Column
Tara Behrend, The George Washington University
Do you know who to talk to if you want insider tips for the Annual Bowling Green Tractor Pull? What if you need help writing a grammatically correct essay about the best heavy metal bands? And, do you know anyone who can bake you award-winning desserts amidst a collection of Edmund Fitzgerald and John Deere memorabilia?
If you are lucky enough to know SIOP’s Jen Baker, Senior Manager for Publications and Communications, you will be able to answer “yes” to all these questions. And these useful hobbies aren’t the only reason you’ll want to know Jen.
Jen’s colleague, Linda Lentz, told me that Jen has a long history at the SIOP Administrative Office. She started in 2001 as a clerical assistant. Her responsibilities increased over the years to include providing support at the annual conference and managing graphic design. She was promoted in May 2018 to Senior Publications and Communications Manager and has responsibility for the Communications Department. She has three direct reports and two interns in her department. Among Jen’s many responsibilities is making TIP work. When she’s not replacing her car’s brakes and rotors herself, of course.
Every issue, I get submissions for TIP from editorial columnists, committee chairs, and other SIOP members who have something to share with the I-O psychology community. All those submissions have to be wrangled into shape: proofread, formatted, checked for accuracy, and put online, and Jen is the one who makes it all happen. And for my part, I don’t make her job any easier. As I write this, I am silently apologizing to her for all the split infinitives and run-on sentences that she will no doubt have to fix on my behalf.
Lucky for Jen, she won’t have to deal with me much more—at least not regarding TIP.
I’m delighted to announce that Steven Toaddy will soon be beginning his term as TIP’s new editor. Steven, who sometimes goes by the Prince-like nickname of “./” is associate professor of I-O Psychology at Louisiana Tech. He has a long history with TIP as the author of the popular I-Opener column, where his wit and wisdom have been on display for many years. His students report that “He's is the best!” (sic) and “I could listen to him rant all day. “ I think that bodes well for future TIP readers.
Before Steven takes over, though, I have one last issue, and I’m delighted to present it to you. There are a number of themes present in these articles that are of broad interest to the SIOP community. In the International Practice forum, Lynda Zugec presents an interesting case study of a company dealing with challenges from automation. The future of assessment is tackled in a number of articles, including a feature from Alex Casillas and team, and a writeup of the upcoming LEC from Nikki Blacksmith and her team.
The annual conference is only a few days away, and several articles contain great information about how to make the most of it. If you’re a first-time attendee, make sure to read the TIP-TOPics column for good suggestions, and President Talya Bauer’s column is a comprehensive whirlwind of initiatives and projects to know about.
You will also see several articles that are both thought-provoking and controversial. Mark Nagy and Daniel Schneider tackle the thorny issue of licensure in the first part of a series. Members of Project GLOW argue for a more comprehensive perspective about living wage issues. Both are worth a read.
No matter where you start in this issue, you’ll find good stuff, which is due completely to the creative minds and generous spirits of SIOP members. Thank you for all you do, and I hope to see you at the conference soon!