After 13 years as your CEO, I will retire at the end of this month, so this is my last "From the CEO" column. After approximately 130 columns (about 10 a year) you'd think I might have run out of things to say. Yet that hasn't happened, largely because I decided early on that each of my columns would focus on addressing how APA fulfills its mission and, in doing so, justifies your continued membership. From our many activities designed to fulfill the APA mission to use psychology to "benefit society and improve people's lives," it hasn't been difficult to find something to highlight each month. In this last column, however, I wanted to share with you some reflections on my time as CEO.
With appreciation
Over the years I have been in work situations where I've thought, "It is really special that I am getting to experience this." You might say these situations represented what I have truly appreciated about the job. I've had that thought quite frequently at APA. I will mention just two of the many types of situations at APA when that thought has occurred.
One is when I have had the opportunity to meet and learn about the activities of psychologists who are doing important and fascinating work, whom I might otherwise never have encountered. I have always enjoyed talking to our members about what they do as psychologists, and I have often been inspired by the creativity and innovation they bring to their work. That work spans every sector of society, within and beyond our mainstay areas of science, practice, education and public interest. Some of these fascinating activities of psychologists are highlighted at APA's Choose a Career.
A second aspect of the job that I have greatly appreciated is working with teams of professionals who are dedicated to serving the discipline and the public. I've had the privilege of working with 13 different Boards of Directors (to whom I have reported), a talented group of direct reports (the Executive Management Group), and the more than 500 other APA staff members. Interacting with our members and having the opportunity to work with such talented people is something I have never taken for granted.
With pride
Leaders often talk about all they have accomplished during their tenures — their "legacies." I always thought that was somewhat odd, especially for those who lead large and complex organizations. No leader accomplishes anything alone and so many people are involved in the truly transformative achievements. Nevertheless, I am often asked: What are the accomplishments/activities/events that occurred during my time as CEO of which I am most proud? Here are four that come to mind, picked to represent a variety of points of pride:
Developing the first APA strategic plan. This was a monumental, multi-year undertaking that had input from a wide variety of stakeholders within APA. More important, unlike some organizational strategic plans, this plan has actually been used to guide many of the association's activities, has provided a context for governance and staff decision making and resource allocation, and, I believe, has helped APA think more strategically and collaboratively about its work. For more on APA's first strategic plan is available online.
Holding the APA convention in New Orleans following Katrina. Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans just 11 months before our annual convention was to be held there in August 2006. Along with several Board and staff members, just a few weeks after the storm I visited the city and witnessed the devastation up close. To some, the notion that New Orleans would be able to host a meeting with more than 10,000 attendees so soon after Katrina seemed far-fetched since there were few hotels open at the time and the convention center was in extreme disrepair. But after much deliberation, we put our faith in the people of New Orleans and the entire Gulf region to deliver a first-rate convention, and made the decision to go. In doing so, we became one of the first large conventions to recommit to New Orleans rather than move our convention. Yes, we had fewer attendees than usual that year and had to make some modifications from our usual routine. Yet, with the hospitality of our host city, and with our convention attendees organizing efforts to assist in the recovery, the New Orleans convention was one of the most memorable experiences for me at APA. (For stories about that convention, see the October 2006 Monitor).
APA's far-reaching amicus briefs. Arguably nothing better exemplifies how APA uniquely demonstrates the value of psychology than our amicus briefs program, where we use psychological science to help inform important court decisions. Our expert members have collaborated with the APA Office of General Counsel to produce amicus briefs to inform the courts on what psychological science has to say on a variety of complex topics, often related to social justice issues. Examples of topics on which APA has filed amicus briefs include affirmative action in higher education, marriage equality, the death penalty, false confessions and eyewitness testimony, to name a few. A number of our briefs have been cited in Supreme Court decisions. For more information on how APA connects our science with social justice issues, see the presentation from 2014.
Winning the "best place to work" award. As I noted in a previous Monitor column, in 2014 the Washington Post named APA one of the top 150 places to work in the greater D.C. area, a designation based on employee surveys. APA ranked 12th among the top 20 large employers on the list and was the only nonprofit in the top 12 of that category. This recognition is first and foremost a testament to staff who every day make APA a great place to work by embodying our Central Office core values, including teamwork, decency and fairness, collaborative decision-making, and valuing diversity (among others) in service to the association's mission and members (for more details about the award see the October 2010 Monitor). Working with our talented and dedicated staff at APA has been a joy I will never forget.
With humility
Although there are many achievements that have given me pride during my tenure, there are certainly matters I wish had gone better. As an organizational leader, one must embody humility and take ownership for shortcomings of the organization, not just its successes. Two examples of the former come to mind. First and foremost, the release of the outside independent review report (also known as the "Hoffman report") was a seismic event for APA, representing one of our greatest challenges. Addressing the lessons learned from this report will be a focus for years to come in many parts of the association. Second, as with many large membership organizations, APA has struggled over the years with declining membership.
Fortunately, the association is taking responsive action regarding both of these examples. Our Council of Representatives and Board of Directors took major steps this summer to address issues raised in the independent report, and additional measures are forthcoming. On the membership front, with the support of the Board of Directors, I hired APA's first executive director for membership who will lead our efforts to reassess how we will meet the needs of our members and the public as a multiple constituent "umbrella" psychological organization in an era where there are many membership choices.
With gratitude
In closing, I want to express my deepest gratitude to our members and staff for giving me the opportunity to be CEO of this remarkable organization. I leave APA with fond memories of the last 13 years and with relationships with colleagues and co-workers that will continue forever. I also believe I leave an organization well-positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges of being a national and international leader in psychology in the 21st century. It has been a privilege to serve you.