Allen M. Omoto, PhD, was awarded an APA Presidential Citation for his passionate dedication to social justice and to bringing psychological science to bear on social policy.
Throughout his career, Omoto has demonstrated a strong and lasting commitment to social justice and inclusion through his research, publications, teaching, mentorship and leadership. He was APA’s inaugural William A. Bailey AIDS Policy Congressional Fellow. Omoto served on the Committee on Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Concerns, chaired the Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest, has served on the APA Council of Representatives and has been elected president of Div. 9 (Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues) and Div. 44 (Society for the Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity). Omoto has received awards for distinction in education and training (Div. 44) and service (Div. 9), as well as the Western Psychological Association’s Social Responsibility Award. But more importantly, Omoto inspires and leads his students and his colleagues to affect social justice through the science of psychology by his passion, his dedication, his infectious laugh and by the example he sets for integrating his values into his personal and professional life.