Gayle Spears, PhD, was awarded a Presidential Citation for her accomplishments in advancing the visibility and viability of the profession of psychology; in providing psychology education and training; in advancing the professional scope of practice, and by enabling benefits that are derived by student and professional members of psychological associations. The citizens who are served by those psychologists have also clearly benefitted from her accomplishments as a leader in state psychological associations, in academia and in many other settings.
Spears has more than 30 years of extensive experience in the management, administration and leadership of programs and organizations that support and improve access to quality mental health services for a wide range of constituencies. She has provided her students and trainees in university settings with invaluable real-world experience. More important, she has demonstrated though her work the value of programs that particularly benefit underserved and vulnerable populations when provided in partnership with community-based organizations.
Over the years, Spears’ consultation on issues of jurisprudence to both Kentucky and Georgia State Psychology Boards is indicative of the value to our field of her extensive experience with hundreds of psychologists.
Spears has served as president of the Kentucky Psychological Association, Georgia Psychological Association, and the Athens Area Psychological Association. Spears served as co-chair of the Legislative Committee, co-chair of the Master’s Issues Committee, and as treasurer. She was noted to have great skills in meeting with psychologists across the state and in a variety of settings, from academic to research to clinical. She was an enthusiastic volunteer, ready to pitch in on nearly every event and project, and her modeling encouraged others to do so as well. She was savvy about the political process and was supportive of KPA’s work at both the state and federal levels.
As president of the Georgia Psychological Association, Spears’ leadership resulted in an almost perfectly balanced budget. GPA hosted over 90 events, meetings, and workshops. Her policy oversight and direction for the Association’s state-level legal and legislative mental health agendas led to the passing of an important and hard-won Psychological Testing Bill in March of 2016.
As past-president of GPA, Spears nurtured the development of the Georgia Psychological Foundation. She and others also initiated the development of an Association Committee to respond to issues of social justice and public interest.
In 2017, Spears was hired to lead GPA as its first psychologist executive director. In just under four years, Spears has applied her skills as a manager-leader and led the organization forward by providing strategic initiatives to establish the organizational systems and procedures for optimal functioning and support of leadership.
It is an honor to recognize the many contributions of Gayle Spears as an inspirational and practical leader in psychology training, organizational administration and management, and expertise in the practice of the discipline. This citation is presented to Spears for her past and ongoing leadership in developing and helping to sustain the platforms from which psychology’s contributions are launched.