My work centers on liberatory leadership praxis: an ethical, embodied practice of leading that cultivates belonging, names the systems that refuse it, and knows psychology has a role in the response. That work has taught me that values, however sincerely held, mean little without the structures and sustained effort to bring them to life. Good intentions are not enough. Neither are policy statements alone, however important they may be.
In February 2025, the APA Council of Representatives reaffirmed our commitment to justice, human rights, fairness, and dignity for all, recognizing these values as central to the discipline and practice of psychology. That reaffirmation was not made in the abstract. It came in direct response to policy changes and actions across the United States that have the potential to hinder psychologists’ ability to provide care, deliver services, and conduct research, particularly for marginalized and vulnerable populations. The council acted because the moment demanded it.
But reaffirming a commitment is only the beginning. The work that actually creates change lies ahead of us. It is between us.
Our values do not live in resolutions alone. They live in how we treat one another as colleagues, in the respect we bring to difficult conversations, and in the ethical collaboration we model within our own professional community for the better of the society psychology serves. We cannot advocate for dignity in the world while failing to practice it among ourselves. I have always believed that how we treat one another inside this profession says everything about what we are capable of outside it. If we want psychology to stand for dignity in the world, we have to practice it in our own hallways first.
This is the conviction behind my presidential initiative, the Task Force for Actualizing APA’s Policy Commitment to Justice, Human Rights, Fairness, and Dignity. The task force will mobilize psychologists through collaborative networks, leverage our science through shared expertise, and develop strategic interventions grounded in respectful, ethically sound engagement. Through coordinated advocacy, education, research support, and policy development, it will work to ensure that our commitment moves concretely and measurably from aspiration to implementation.
By strengthening the ethical foundations of our professional community, we protect psychology’s capacity to serve all communities while actively challenging the systemic injustices that contradict our science and perpetuate harm.
As your president, I am committed to ensuring that this initiative marks not just a reaffirmation of what we believe but a rededication to doing what those beliefs require, for ourselves, our communities, and the people who depend on psychology to show up fully for them.
