Penn State University has named Kimberly Lawless, PhD, as dean of its College of Education. Lawless had been the associate dean for research in the College of Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her research focuses on how teachers can use technology to get students interested in pursuing STEM careers.
Randy Phelps, PhD, is the new chief executive officer of Give an Hour, a network of 7,000 mental health professionals who provide free mental health services to U.S. service members, veterans and their families. Phelps had been serving as the organization’s vice president of operations since 2018 and on its advisory board for a decade. Prior to joining Give an Hour, Phelps worked at APA for 25 years, including as senior adviser for health-care financing and deputy executive director for professional practice.
Wilbert (Bill) J. McKeachie, PhD, APA’s 1976 president, died June 12 at age 97. McKeachie was known internationally for his research and writing on the science of teaching. His 1950 book “McKeachie’s Teaching Tips”—now in its 14th edition—is considered an essential guide for college instructors of all subjects. McKeachie taught in the psychology department at the University of Michigan from 1949 until his retirement in 1992. APA’s Div. 2 (Society for the Teaching of Psychology) established an annual teaching award in his honor in 1980.
Francine Shapiro, PhD, the developer of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy for trauma, has died at age 71. Shapiro was the executive director of the EMDR Institute in Watsonville, California. She was also founder and president emeritus of the Trauma Recovery/EMDR Humanitarian Assistance Programs, a nonprofit that coordinates disaster response and EMDR trainings worldwide.
The University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences has honored David Susman, PhD, with a Distinguished Service Award for his service to the university and the community. Susman is an assistant professor of psychology, training clinic director at the Jesse G. Harris, Jr. Psychological Services Center and internship director of the University of Kentucky Internship Consortium. He sponsors the university’s chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness and is a past-president of the Kentucky Psychological Association.
For the first time, two psychologists are leading the Naval Health Research Center in San Diego: Captain William M. Deniston, PhD, is serving as the commanding officer and Captain Katharine K. Shobe, PhD, is serving as executive officer. In previous roles, Deniston served as deputy director of the Department of the Navy Human Research Protection Program at the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery and assistant inspector general for command climate evaluation in the Office of the Naval Inspector General. Shobe served as director of research for the Department of the Navy’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office and in multiple leadership roles at the Office of Naval Research.
New Mexico State University has established a scholarship in memory of Timothy Fjordbak, PsyD, who was killed in 2015 by an Iraqi war veteran while serving as chief psychologist at the El Paso VA Health Care System. Fjordbak was a graduate of the university’s master’s program in clinical psychopharmacology and an advocate for prescription privileges for psychologists. The scholarship will award $1,000 annually to a student in the postdoctoral master’s program in psychopharmacology who plans to work in public service.