A. Mission Statement
The Committee on Early Career Psychologists (CECP) represents the unique interests and concerns of early career psychologists. The mission of CECP is to enhance the sense of community and a shared identity among early career members through advocacy, engagement, and the provision of resources.
The committee consists of seven members of the association all within ten years of receipt of the doctorate degree (at the start of their term) representing Education, Practice, Public Interest, Science, Division, State, Provincial, and Territorial Psychological Associations (SPTAs), and Membership and Governance Outreach. Committee members are appointed by the Board of Directors for staggered terms of three years.
B. APA Committee on Early Career Psychologists
- Julie Radico, PsyD (Membership and Governance Outreach Representative)
- Innocent Okozi, PhD (APA Divisions Representative)
- Kimberly Smith, PsyD (Education and Training Representative)
- Aaron Harris, PhD, Co-Chair (Practice Representative)
- Angela Kuemmel, PhD, Co-Chair (Public Interest Representative)
- Maria-Christina Cruza-Guet, PhD (Science Representative)
- Le Ondra Clark Harvey, PhD (SPTA Representative)
The staff liaison for the committee is Dee Valencia.
2015 Board of Director’s Liaisons to CECP – Linda Campbell, PhD, Richard McGraw, PhD, and Sandy Shullman, PhD
2015 was a very busy and productive year for CECP. With the assistance and support of Dee Valencia, Tabitha Brown, Sonja Wiggins and Rhea Farberman, CECP was able to accomplish a number of tasks. Below is a summary of some of the key accomplishments:
1. CECP held its meetings in the Spring and Fall of 2015 and various committee members attended the second round of APA Consolidated Meetings in the Fall to meet with boards and other bodies to facilitate early career collaborations.
2. The committee welcomed two new representatives as follows: Julie Radico, PsyD (Governance and Membership Representative) and Innocent Okozi, PhD (APA Divisions Representative).
3. At the second round of the Fall Consolidated Meetings, the committee met with the science directorate to help facilitate programs, benefits, and services that support early career members in science and research.
4. The committed distributed the Call for Nominations, reviewed multiple submissions and selected two new committee members to fulfill the Practice and Public Interest slates for the 2016—2018 term.
5. CECP sponsored and or presented at several sessions at the annual convention focused on topics of interest to early career attendees (e.g. leadership development, alternative career paths, publish or perish, life-work balance, building a research career, financial literacy, academic health settings, etc.).
6. CECP representatives organized a conference call with 26 early career members (division leaders, state leaders, former CECP members, and APAGS members) focused on ways to establish a more formal APA Leadership Pipeline. The information and suggestions will be summarized and shared with the APA Board of Directors.
7. The CECP state and practice representatives attended the State Leadership Conferences and organize and facilitated the orientation session and the wrap-up session.
8. The committee planned early career programming for next year’s convention which will include two collaborative sessions with APAGS.
9. The public interest representative attended the National Multicultural Summit and presented in a workshop focused on developing culturally diverse leaders and early career leaders.
10. The committee awarded the CECP Appreciation Awards to APA President-Elect Susan McDaniel, PhD and the Board of Convention Affairs for providing outstanding mentoring, support, or work on behalf of early career members. The awards were presented during the Early Career Social Hour at the annual convention.
11. CECP received approval from the Board of Convention Affairs for the continuation of the achievement award program for early career members from all areas of psychology (education, practice, public interest and science) to attend the APA convention. In 2015, 40 award recipients receive $750 each towards their attendance at the 2015 APA convention. The program is designed to encourage attendance and increase representation of early career members at the convention.
12. CECP received funding from the Board of Convention Affairs to continue the APA Kids’ Place at the 2015 convention, Kid’s Place provided a family friendly room with comfortable chairs and a play area for children, and featured special entertainment for children, educational games and toys.
13. CECP continues a close working relationship with the Membership Board to maintain the interests and needs of early career members.
14. The CECP divisions representative received the Division 36 2015 Award for Distinguished Service.
15. The public interest represented attended the inaugural Public Interest Leadership Conference and advised conference planners on how to include more early career delegates at future conferences.
16. The committee disseminated various resource materials through multiple outlets (the Early Career listserv, non-APA early career listservs, APA Access, the early career website, Division Dialogue, online newsletters, etc). These various platforms help the committee inform early career members about issues related to education, funding, licensure, financial planning, and parenting and provide CECP with valuable feedback.
17. The education representative attended the Education Leadership Conferences and participated in an advocacy session on Capitol Hill focused on restoring eligibility for the Federal Direct Subsidized Loan Program to graduate students as part of the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. And brainstormed ideas with other delegates on ways to maximize value for education constituents
18. The public interest representative drafted and submitted a letter to the Board of Convention Affairs detailing various concerns expressed by convention attendees with disabilities. BCA addressed the concerns during a follow-up discussion at the second round Fall Consolidated Meetings. The rep also Co-Chaired the working group of the 25th Anniversary Celebration of the ADA.