APAGS Advocacy Coordinating Team (ACT)

The APAGS Advocacy Coordinating Team (ACT) engages in legislative advocacy work on behalf of the science and profession of psychology, in the interest of individuals studying, researching and practicing psychology, and on behalf of individuals who are recipients of psychological services.

ACT empowers students to bring their voices to bear on the important issues affecting our discipline and the public health through education, training, and advocacy. ACT trains and mobilizes students to inform their peers about timely issues in psychology, promote the importance of advocacy as a necessary skill, and liaise between APAGS leadership and graduate students across North America.

ACT relies on multiple feedback loops to improve its responsiveness to matters that concern graduate students and to provide opportunities for advocates to shape the future of psychology.

• Promote advocacy as a central tenet of students’ identity and as an important part of leadership development for emerging leaders in psychology.
• Coordinate advocacy skills trainings, typically in conjunction with the Advocacy Office, for graduate students and/or disseminate information about opportunities for skills-based advocacy trainings.
• Disseminate alerts for student action on issues relevant to higher education.
• Disseminate information about policy actions APA has taken, including as a result of adoption by the APA Council of Representatives.
• Serve as the APAGS point of contact for students interested in getting involved in leadership (e.g., via the Student Leadership Catalog).
• Collaborate with APAGS Executive Committee, APAGS members-at-large, and other APAGS subcommittees (e.g., CARED, CSOGD, Science, Convention) on advocacy activities.
• Monitor federal and state legislative issues through the Advocacy Office and Advocacy Coordinating Committee.
• Consult, as needed, on student issues, particularly as it relates to graduate student education and affordability.
• Carry out other activities and initiatives developed through yearly workplans.
• Dedicate the necessary time to sufficiently prepare for attending monthly virtual meetings.

In addition to all of the responsibilities listed above, ACT chair and vice chair also:

• Coordinate and lead the monthly virtual meetings.
• Participate in the biannual APA Consolidated Meetings (virtually or in person), which usually occur in Spring and Fall of each year.
• Participate in bimonthly APAGS Full Committee Conference Calls as the ACT representative.
• Work throughout the year to mentor the vice chair to take over as chair in the following year.
• Be a liaison to one or two internal boards and committees or external groups, as requested by the APAGS chair.

*Chair and vice chair will distribute leading the duties listed above in a way that is equitable and that helps to develop the vice chair’s ability to take over in the subsequent year or as required by APA internal guidelines.

APAGS ACT had a campus representative network that it retired in 2017. If you are interested in a serving as a bridge between APA and your peers, please consider the APA Campus Ambassador Program that launched in the fall of 2017. Ambassadors host exclusive APA-sponsored events, receive funding for their own ideas, share need-to-know news with their campuses, and connect their peers to the tools and resources they need to propel their psychology careers. The program is administered by our Membership Office.

• Legislative issues and advocacy training tools
• Subscribe to the APA Psychology Advocacy Networkopens in new window
• Join APA’s advocacy efforts and Stay informed about APA/APASI’s responses to recent federal policy changes affecting psychologyopens in new window

• 2026 Chair: Devon Kardel
  Michigan School of Psychology
• 2026 Vice chair: Dionne Regis
  University of North Texas
• Brianna Davis (2025–26)
  University of Mississippi
• Robin Denler (2025–26)
  Antioch University New England
• Frances Eby (2026–27)
  Sam Houston State University
• Kasey Harry (2026–27)
  University of Cincinnati
• Jaya Mallela (2026–27)
  University of Florida