2026–27 APA CEO Search Committee

The APA CEO Search Committee is in the process of engaging a search firm to lead a comprehensive, nationwide search for APA’s next Chief Executive Officer, as current CEO Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD, has announced his retirement effective January 3, 2028. The search committee, appointed by 2026 APA President Wendi Williams, will oversee the process in close coordination with the search firm.

The committee was structured in alignment with the 2022 CEO Transition Plan, commissioned by the then-APA Board of Directors under the leadership of then-President Jennifer Kelly, PhD. That plan recommends a nine-member committee drawn from across APA’s governance structure, including officer seats, Council of Representatives representation, and members reflecting the breadth of the field.

Those recommendations were modified in several ways to reflect current organizational context. The selection process considered expertise in artificial intelligence in light of APA’s expanding work with industry partners and the evolving research funding landscape. It also ensured inclusion of early-career colleagues—spanning recent graduates through mid-to-late early career—to ensure the search reflects the perspectives of those who represent the discipline’s future. Two former APA presidents with at least five years since their terms were included to ground the committee in direct experience with previous APA leadership transitions. And an APA staff member to provide the perspective of colleagues whose work is directly shaped by the executive leadership of the association.

Across all selections, the committee prioritizes balancing professional expertise, lived experience, and experience serving on executive-level search committees in nonprofit and academic settings.

Note that because the 2026–27 committee is convening in Q4, officer-designated seats are based on the incoming 2027 officers.

Wendi S. Williams, PhD—Chair
2026 APA President; Presidential Board Service, 2025–2027
Williams is a counseling psychologist, educator, and leadership scholar whose work focuses on well-being, equity, and organizational change.
Wendi Williams bio

Candice Hargons, PhD
2027 APA President-elect
Hargons is a licensed counseling psychologist, researcher, and associate professor at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. Her work focuses on community and couple-engaged strategies for mental and sexual health promotion.
Candice Hargons bioopens in new window

Mira C. Jourdan, PhD, ABPP
APA Treasurer; Board of Directors, 2026–2028
Jourdan is a board-certified clinical neuropsychologist in independent practice, with specialization including traumatic brain injury and neurodevelopmental disorders. In addition to serving on the APA Board of Directors, she is President of the Mary Free Bed Guild.
Mira Jourdan bioopens in new window

Rodney L. Lowman, PhD, ABPA
Member-at-Large, APA Board of Directors, 2026–2028
Lowman is an industrial-organizational and clinical psychologist whose active consulting practice focuses on career assessment and counseling, organizational effectiveness, and professional ethics. He has worked with a wide variety of organizations and executives including in academia, heavy industry, government, and science/technology. He is widely published and currently edits the “Fundamentals of Consulting Psychology” book series for APA.
Rodney Lowman bioopens in new window

David P. Rivera, PhD
Chair-Elect, Council Leadership Team, 2027
Rivera is a counseling psychologist and associate professor at Queens College, City University of New York whose work addresses social justice, microaggressions, and the psychosocial liberation of marginalized communities.
David Rivera bioopens in new window

Ana Ureña Rosario, PhD
Early Career/Graduate Student Representative; APA Board of Directors, 2026
Rosario is a bilingual licensed educational psychologist providing assessments and therapeutic services to children, young adults, and families, with an emphasis on culturally responsive care.
Ana Ureña Rosario bioopens in new window

Erin K. Chiou, PhD
Council of Representatives, 2026–2028
Chiou is an associate professor of human systems engineering at Arizona State University whose research examines how people interact, cooperate, and build trust with automated technologies.
Erin Chiou bioopens in new window

Duke Han, PhD
Council of Representatives, 2024–2027
Han is a board-certified clinical neuropsychologist and University of Southern California professor whose research focuses on cognition, decision-making, and aging.
Duke Han bioopens in new window

Sandra “Sandy” L. Shullman, PhD
Former APA President (2020); Board of Directors, 2004–2006, 2015–2017, 2019–2021
Shullman is a consulting psychologist whose practice focuses on executive coaching, leadership assessment and development, and organizational effectiveness.
Sandra Shullman bioopens in new window

Antonio “Tony” E. Puente, PhD
Former APA President (2017); Presidential Board Service, 2016–2018
Puente is a practicing clinical neuropsychologist and university professor who provides neuropsychological evaluations and forensic services and volunteers in clinical care for uninsured patients.
Antonio Puente bioopens in new window

Tara Davis
APA Staff Representative
Davis is APA’s senior director of internal communications and staff well-being, with expertise in employee engagement, workplace mental health, and organizational culture.
Tara Davis bioopens in new window