Biography
I am an associate professor of psychology in the department of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. At Boston Children's Hospital, I am director of training in psychology in the department of psychiatry and associate director of the LEAH (Leadership Education in Adolescent Health) Training Program in the Division of Adolescent Medicine. I also serve as an adjunct associate professor in the clinical psychology program at Boston University.
I am an APA fellow and I was the first African-American elected to the position of member-at-large on the APA Board of Directors. I served as president of the Society for the Psychology of Women (Div. 35) and as a member of the Committee for the Advancement of Professional Practice (the Practice Directorate Board), the Council of Representatives (chairing the Women's Caucus, the Public Interest Caucus, and the Education and Training Caucus), the Ethics Code Task Force, and the APA Finance Committee. In addition, I was the senior member of the Early Career Psychologist Task Force and chaired the APA Presidential Centering on Mentoring Task Force.
For many years, I have been concerned about the small number of research psychologists who are persons of color. With a vision of a mentoring program for women of color, in 1999 I procured $46,000 from the National Institutes of Health, the Kellogg Foundation and Harvard Medical School for the Next Generation Program, an ethnically based mentoring program for early career women of color who are committed to careers in research on adolescents. Three of the participants have since won K Career Awards from NIH, one obtained a highly competitive RO1 award, one has earned a full professor rank, three are associate professors and two are employed at major policy-research institutions (Institute of Medicine and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
I am a founding faculty member of the APA Leadership Institute for Women in Psychology. In 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015, I served as a faculty member of the Diversity Leadership Development Workshop, an initiative of Div. 31 (State, Provincial and Territorial Psychological Association Affairs).
My career has focused primarily on instruction, training and mentoring. My contributions as a mentor were recognized by Harvard Medical School in 1998 when I received the prestigious A. Clifford Barger Excellence in Mentoring Award — the first woman, the first person of color and the first psychologist to earn the honor. I have received mentoring awards from the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (1999); Div. 45 (the Society for the Psychological Study of Ethnic Minority Issues, 2003 and 2014); and Div. 35 (Society for the Psychology of Women, 2006). Beginning in 2007, the latter award was re-named the Strickland-Daniel Mentoring Award. I also received the 2001 Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the 2002 APA Distinguished Award for Education and Training, and the 2008 APA Committee on Women in Psychology Distinguished Leader for Women in Psychology Award. I am a 2011 recipient of the Elizabeth Hurlock Trust Award, which honors inspirational professors.
Daniel's candidate statement
The discipline of psychology has considerable power, and we can use it more effectively. As APA president, I would act to move APA directly into the "power lane" of service, scientific and governmental organizations across the country.
Why use such strong language? Because psychology has the power to contribute every day in every way. Few aspects of the human existence and experience remain unaffected by psychological science, practice, education and public interest activity. Our field has relevance and important contributions to offer that too often go unfulfilled.
We can exert a stronger presence. I want to lead that effort.
I will focus on leadership and collaborations as citizen psychologists, within our discipline and across our local, state and national networks.
Our first order of business must include action to sustain a pipeline of early career psychologists (ECPs) as new APA members. Engaging our ECPs will require mentoring and continuing the infusion of younger members into all aspects of the discipline.
Second, I will actively encourage citizen psychologists to concentrate on organizational structures beyond our discipline. Fulfilling the promise of psychology as every day in every way will require deliberate and concerted leadership training and fostering of collaborations. Psychological practice, science education and public policy development encompass and enhance the human experience. Memberships on advisory and governing boards related to education and health are key places where psychologists can improve policies and practices. The discipline of psychology should have a presence in the room, at the table, and often at the head of the table in formulating policy decisions.
This will require a plan, passion and persistence.
Psychology as a discipline can exercise greater influence. I want to contribute to moving our field into the "power lane" of organizations in this country.