Shirley Ann Higuchi, JD, is awarded a Presidential Citation for her exceptional contributions to psychology and service to the APA. For over 3 decades, she has worked to advance the interests of practicing psychologists and their patients, promote Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), and advocate for justice and civility within both psychology and society.
Shirley has led the (now titled) Office of Professional Legal and Regulatory Affairs, overseeing legal and regulatory priorities that address key issues impacting professional psychology practice such as insurance practices and mental health parity, scope of practice, HIPAA, telehealth, and legal issues around technology. Under her leadership, the team has provided legal and regulatory guidance to APA leaders, state leaders, and members, and advanced APA’s professional practice priorities through successful advocacy against insurance practices, state legislative successes on scope of practice and licensure issues, innovative pilot projects, and legal guidance materials. More recently, Shirley has led the Practice EDI Team, focusing on issues such as immigration and gender affirming care and working with psychology leaders and key government officials to promote EDI. Her efforts include promoting diversity leadership roles, notably with the PSLC Diversity Delegate Program.
Beyond her work with the APA, Shirley has been a key figure in preserving the history of the illegal Japanese American incarceration during World War II. As chair of the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation’s Board of Directors, she helped establish a museum that tells the story of the incarceration at Heart Mountain where her parents and thousands of other Japanese Americans were illegally incarcerated and highlights the lessons of that experience for the preservation of civil liberties today. The Foundation created the $8 million Mineta-Simpson Institute to nurture leadership skills aimed at combating divisiveness in U.S. politics. Higuchi authored Setsuko’s Secret: Heart Mountain and the Legacy of the Japanese American Incarceration centered around her mother’s experience in the camp.
A leader in Washington, DC’s legal community, Shirley became the first Asian American president of both the DC Bar and the Bar Association of DC She is among a select group of lawyers to serve as president for both associations. Shirley was also appointed to the D.C. Commission on Judicial Disabilities and Tenure to view misconduct, evaluate reappointments, and conduct fitness reviews of DC judges as well as Congresswoman Norton’s Federal Law Enforcement Nominating Commission to make recommendations about federal district court judges, and other important federal law enforcement officials for DC.
In addition to her many other roles supporting the legal community and numerous awards recognizing her service, Shirley serves as the current president of the Bar Association of DC, which recently honored her as its 2024 Lawyer of the Year.
It is my privilege, as the 2025 APA president, to present this well-deserved APA Presidential Citation to Shirley Ann Higuchi.