Candidates for APA President
Katherine C. Nordal (PhD, University of Mississippi) has been in full-time independent practice for 24 years in Vicksburg and Jackson, Miss. She previously served as director of child and adolescent services in a CMHC. Nordal has enjoyed the challenge of semirural practice and the diversity of skills it requires. Nordal's current primary practice interests include: learning, behavioral and emotional disorders in children; civil forensic practice; traumatic brain injury; neuropsychological assessment; and special education law. Other practice roles have included: involuntary civil commitment examinations; fitness-for-duty evaluations for EMS, law-enforcement, construction-industry and nuclear power plant personnel; designing and administering capitated EAPs; and psychological consultation to adult and adolescent CDUs.
APA leadership: Nordal currently serves on the Committee for the Advancement of Professional Practice and is a trustee of the APA Insurance Trust. While member-at-large on the Board of Directors, she was liaison to the Ethics Office, Public Interest Directorate, COLI and APA/ABA TF. She served on board subcommittees for finance and public policy and chaired the Ethics Subcommittee. Nordal has chaired the Committee on Rural Health, represented Mississippi on the Council of Representatives and held office in the Women's Caucus and APP. She is a member of Divs. 42 (current finance chair), 31 (past-treasurer), 41 and 35.
State association leadership: Nordal is a former president of the Mississippi Psychological Association (MPA). She has also served MPA as secretary, treasurer, and committee member and chair (Continuing Education, Legislative and Professional Affairs).
Professional advocacy: Nordal was APA's first independent practitioner Congressional Science Fellow. During her fellowship year, she served as senior staff in a congressional office and with the House Select Committee on Hunger. Primary policy responsibilities included health care, mental health, food and nutrition programs, education, aging and welfare reform. She organized congressional hearings in Washington and Mississippi. Nordal also worked with the Congressional Women's Caucus to increase NIH funding for women's health research.
Nationally, Nordal has been a regular contributor to AAP/PLAN, the Psychology Defense Fund and Women in Psychology for Legislative Action (former board member).
At home in Mississippi, while chair of the MPA legislative committee, Nordal was instrumental in the following issues: freedom of choice legislation for psychologists; changing of the licensure law from a title to practice act; adding continuing-education requirements for licensure renewal; maintaining the doctoral standard as the entry to psychology licensure; and removal of the physician referral requirement for psychological services for youth covered by Medicaid.
Honors: Nordal is a fellow of APA and MPA. She has been awarded APA's Karl F. Heiser Presidential Award for Advocacy, and MPA's Kinlock Gill Jr., Outstanding Professional Psychologist Award, Distinguished Practitioner Award and Distinguished Fellow Award.
Other professional activities: President and board member of the Brain Injury Association of Mississippi; Mississippi State Board of Psychology (1988-1990); Mississippi Department of Education's Special Education Advisory Committee; Special Education IDEA hearing officer.
Community involvement: Christ Episcopal Church; Foundation for Historic Preservation; Board Memberships: United Way, Child Abuse Prevention Center; Grace Christian Counseling Center; Mental Health Association.
Nordal's candidate statement
I am humbled and honored by this nomination for APA president. We have an awesome association with outstanding staff and volunteer governance leadership! I have been richly rewarded by my governance service. I would be honored to serve you as APA president. It is important that the diverse interests of our psychology family are well cared for and I have some ideas about how we can do that.
I envision an evolving profession of psychology taking charge of its destiny within a changing health-care marketplace.
I envision psychologists fully integrated into primary health care--in hospitals, private clinics, community health centers and rural health clinics--with a scope of practice including prescriptive authority.
I envision an education and training system understanding and anticipating changing marketplaces and preparing psychologists for successful careers, whatever their niche.
I envision APA advancing strong psychological science and continuing as a premier publisher of psychological literature.
I envision stronger state, provincial and territorial associations...all politics are local.
I envision more active involvement of division members in APA governance and projects.
I envision psychologists who understand and are comfortable with legislative and regulatory processes and who appreciate the positive impact they can have in those arenas.
And, I envision APA having a focused, clearly articulated, doable plan to address the needs of underserved children in our health-care, legal, human services and educational systems. I see the struggles of these children every day in my clinical practice.
When I was a brand new psychologist, I committed to volunteer service in my professional associations and in community associations. I believed I could make a difference then, and I invite you now to join me in making a difference as we continue to move our association forward in service to our profession and the public.
