APA’s Diversity and Inclusion staff working group has been highly engaged with the strategic planning process to help ensure that diversity and inclusion are well integrated into the new strategic plan.
Now, I am pleased to announce that Dawnavan S. Davis, PhD, has been named APA’s first Chief Diversity Officer (CDO). As a psychologist with experience in research, health promotion, and health care management, Dr. Davis brings to the CDO position a strong appreciation for APA’s wide-ranging equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) efforts and a commitment to build on this foundation to ensure that EDI is woven into the fabric of our organization.
Since I began as CEO, I have heard from many of you about the importance of establishing the CDO position and addressing EDI in the association and the discipline. I agreed, and upon review of APA’s existing EDI efforts, I recognized the need for a coherent EDI framework with clear objectives to maximize the impact of our association’s excellent work over the years and provide future direction. Through a thoughtful and systematic process, we developed a framework, considering our existing EDI activities, guiding documents, best practices, and input from Council and other leaders across the association. Thank you to everyone who has engaged and provided input. By intentionally laying the groundwork for the CDO position, together we have built a solid foundation from which the impact of APA’s EDI work can grow.
Guided by the EDI framework and APA’s new strategic priorities—both of which were co-created by our members, staff, and other expert leaders in the field—Dr. Davis will be responsible for leading our efforts to infuse EDI into our association, our discipline, and broader society.
As we work together to advance the strategic priorities of the organization, I am confident Dr. Davis’s leadership will play a major role in ensuring that APA and psychology help to create a just and inclusive future that involves us all.
Note: The information in this post provides a snapshot, as of the publication date, of some of the most recent work underway on APA’s strategic plan. This post is not meant to be a comprehensive account of this work, but rather to provide insight into some of the top-level themes that are emerging during conversations with members, including governance leaders. Your input is always welcome at strategicplan@apa.org.
