The process of getting involved

By Henry Tomes, PhD
Executive Director for the Public Interest

A question often asked of APA staff, directly or indirectly, is, ?How does one go about serving on APA?s boards and committees??

When this question or concern is addressed to me, it typically relates to the governance groups within the Public Interest (PI) Directorate. My usual response is to share something about the Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest (BAPPI) and the several committees that it oversees. I also give an overview of the importance of the directorate and its governance in completing the association?s purpose in using the science and profession to further human welfare.

However, the explanation, or at least my explanation, often seems too simplistic or too complex, depending often on what the person understands about the governance process. Saying that a member may nominate another member, or nominate themselves in response to a Monitor announcement, tells little about a process that is open and representative on the one hand, but appears closed to all but the politically wise on the other.

What?s in Public Interest?

The answer to the question ?What?s in Public Interest?? in reference to its governance is easy, particularly in the listing. BAPPI is a 10-member board including one public member. BAPPI oversees the largest number of committees: Women in Psychology; Children, Youth and Families; Ethnic Minority Affairs; Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Issues; Disability Issues in Psychology; Urban Initiatives; and the newest, Aging. Each committee has six members, except for the Committee on Urban Initiatives, which has seven, including a public member. PI also provides administrative support for the Committee on Psychology and AIDS (COPA), an ad hoc committee of the Board of Directors. There are 59 governance slots in PI, 57 available to be filled by APA members, the remaining two by public members.

The interaction among the many PI groups is not only exciting, but also provides the potential for affecting policies and procedures of APA, as well as relating to concerns of non-APA groups with similar interests. PI program and administrative staff along with the Public Policy Office (PPO), provide the connections and communications that keep this governance-rich directorate moving in directions recommended by the membership.

How does one get involved?

To get involved in APA?s public interest governance, it is preferable that you have an interest and research or professional experiences in the areas emphasized by the respective board or committee. If you need more information there are several APA brochures and documents (for example ?Making APA Work for You?) that give details about governance groups and their specific purposes. If interested, you may seek to be nominated for a particular group, or you may nominate yourself. Calls for nominations are issued early in the year, but nominations can be received any time. PI committee members are elected by BAPPI; BAPPI and COPA members are elected by the Board of Directors. All governance members are elected for three years and are expected to attend three-day meetings in the spring and fall. Meetings typically take place on the weekend: Friday, Saturday and half-day Sunday.

Why you?

This is the easiest question to answer. If you are interested in public interest issues, and you understand that the science and profession of psychology can serve to improve the quality of lives of all people, then you should nominate yourself or get others to nominate you to serve on the group of your choice. Every committee provides a challenge and an opportunity to work with others to influence the policy directions of APA as well as to work to address important social issues of the nation.

During the last few years, PI groups have addressed issues such as women?s health, gays in the military, violence, school dropouts, ethnic-minority education and training in psychology, and disability concerns in psychology. In the near future, it is planned that PI groups with leadership from BAPPI will focus on a variety of diversity concerns within and outside APA. It is an enormous benefit to APA, and ultimately to the good of all, to bring new members with new ideas to these endeavors.