APAGS Subcommittee Chairs
Chair, Advocacy Coordinating Team (ACT) - Paul Ascheman
Ascheman is a PhD candidate in counseling psychology at Iowa State University. He previously served as APAGS Regional Advocacy Coordinator in the North Central region and State Advocacy Coordinator of Iowa. As a state-level advocate, he worked extensively with the Iowa Psychological Association on advocacy and student-related issues. As Chair, he hopes to promote the increased inclusion and utilization of students in state, provincial, and territorial psychological associations, and he strongly believes both parties have much to gain through such partnerships. In this role he also seeks to improve the visibility of APAGS student resources and promote advocacy training as an important graduate-level skill. He currently works for the ISU Student Counseling Service and is an advanced practicum trainee with the Iowa 5th Judicial District. His interests include research and practice ethics, as well as issues related to law enforcement and military personnel. He aided in the development and training of the Des Moines Police Department's Peer Support Team.
Chair, Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs (CEMA) - Michelle Madore
Madore is a doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Training Program at the University of Cincinnati studying clinical neuropsychology. She has successfully defended her dissertation titled, "Functional Role of the Cerebellar Vermis in Emotional Processing." This September she will embark on the final step required to complete her degree as the Clinical Neuropsychology Intern at the VA Palo Alto Healthcare System in Palo Alto, CA. Her clinical and research interests include the role of acculturation as it applies to neuropsychological assessment and the diagnosis/treatment of severe mental illness. Additionally, she is interested in application of technology, such as fMRI, to the field of neuropsychology. She enjoys advocacy work and continues to enjoy her work as Chair of APAGS Committee of Ethnic Minority Affairs (CEMA). Madore joins CEMA after serving three years as a student member of Division 40's Ethnic Minority Affairs committee. She hopes to build on and expand the programs already established by the committee in the past.
Chair, Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns (CLGBTC) - Mike Parent
Mike Parent is a fourth-year doctoral student in Counseling Psychology at the University of Florida. His research focuses on intersections of gender, sexuality, and health behaviors, as well as professional issues in the field of psychology. As the chair of the APAGS-CLGBTC, Parent is dedicated to enhancing the training experiences of LGBT and Ally graduate students in psychology.
Chair, Convention Committee - Jesse Matthews
Matthews is a Clinical PsyD student at Immaculata University in Southeastern Pennsylvania. He is currently on internship at Holcomb Behavioral Health Systems, a community health agency where he is conducting diagnostic evaluations and outpatient psychotherapy with children and adults. He will also be doing assessments, individual, group, and family therapy on rotations in substance abuse treatment, child/adolescence, forensic, and geriatric settings. Matthews enjoys community outreach, teaching, and research, and wants to promote psychology and reduce mental health stigma, helping people to lead healthier, more fulfilling lifestyles. As Convention Committee Chair, Matthews aims to continue to provide students with diverse, relevant, high-quality programming, while encouraging student involvement in APAGS, the APA Convention, and other professional opportunities.
Chair, Science Committee - Megan Smith
Smith is a first-year doctoral student in cognitive psychology at Purdue University with a Master's degree from Washington University in St. Louis. Her research focuses on human learning and memory, and specifically she is interested in applying cognitive theory to inform best practices in education. As the second chair of the Science Subcommittee, Smith will focus on refining the Basic Psychological Science Grant and the new Junior Scientist Fellowship, and continue to promote the interests of science-focused students within APAGS.
APAGS Science Committee