The Commission on Accreditation (CoA) held its annual policy meeting on February 2-3, 2023. Nine new commissioners have joined the CoA this year:
Madeleine Byrne, PsyD, LCSW, LSOTP, joins the CoA in a seat nominated by the APA Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest (BAPPI). She is currently the Clinical Director in the Dallas County Juvenile Department, where she has also developed a psychology internship program. She completed her PsyD in Clinical Psychology at Argosy University Dallas. Dr. Byrne’s appointment is to replace the seat held by M. Delores Cimini, PhD, who served on the CoA between 2017 and 2022.
Arthur L. Cantos, PhD, joins the CoA in a seat nominated by the Council of University Directors of Clinical Psychology (CUDCP). He is a professor at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg, Texas, where he serves as the Director of Clinical Training for a doctoral program (PhD) in Clinical Psychology. He is replacing Jorge Varela, PhD, who served as a member from January 2020 to December 2022.
Karl Gauby, PhD, JD, joins the CoA in a seat representing the General Public. He completed his PhD in Education and a Juris Doctorate at Arizona State University. He is replacing Greg Manship, DBe, who served as a member from January 2017 to December 2022.
Suzanne Nortier Hollman, PhD, PsyD, joins the CoA in a seat nominated by the National Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology (NCSPP). She currently resides in Washington, DC, where she is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology at the George Washington University. She is also Dean Emeritus at the Institute for Psychological Sciences in Sterling, VA. She is replacing William Hathaway, PhD, who served as a Commissioner from January 2017 to December 2022.
Robin Oatis-Ballew, PhD, joins the CoA in a seat nominated by the Council of Counseling Psychology Training Programs (CCPTP). She is currently a Professor at Tennessee State University. She completed her PhD and MS in Clinical Psychology at Howard University. Her appointment follows that of Aaron Jackson, PhD, who served as a Commissioner between January 2017 and December 2022.
Danielle Rynczak, JD, PsyD, ABPP, joins the CoA in a seat nominated by the Council of Specialties (CoS). She is currently an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. She completed her PsyD in Clinical Psychology at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology and received her JD at the Florida State University College of Law. She is replacing Adam Lewin, PhD, ABPP, who served on the Commission between January 2021 and December 2022.
Rita R. Sandidge, PhD, LP, joins the CoA in a seat nominated by the APA Board of Professional Affairs (BPA). She currently resides in Minneapolis, MN and serves as the Director of Training at the Natalis Psychology and Counseling Solutions psychology internship program. She completed her PhD in Counseling and Student Personnel Psychology, Educational Psychology at the University of Minnesota. The seat that she has been appointed to was previously held by Kalyani Gopal, PhD, who served on the CoA in 2022.
Jack B. Schaffer, PhD, ABPP, joins the CoA in a seat nominated by the APA Board of Professional Affairs (BPA). He currently resides in St. Paul, MN. He completed his PhD in Clinical Psychology at the University of North Dakota. He is replacing Judith Patterson, PhD, who served as a member from January 2017 to December 2022.
Michele Willingham, PsyD, joins the CoA in a seat nominated by the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC). She is currently at the Rosemead School of Psychology at Biola University where she directs internship training. She completed her PsyD at the California School of Professional Psychology. She is replacing Jason Williams, PsyD, who served as a member from January 2017 to December 2022.
The CoA is excited to welcome these 9 new members!
The CoA is comprised of 32 members and care is taken to maintain a diverse balance between academic institutions and programs, practitioners, and the publics served by accreditation. For more information about the composition of the CoA, please review Implementing Regulation (IR) A-1., Policies for Accreditation Governance (PDF, 187KB)opens in new window. Also, see a complete listingopens in new window of all current CoA members on the accreditation websiteopens in new window.