2026 Leadership Candidates

It is a true honor to be nominated for President of the Society for Personality Assessment (SPA). SPA has long been my professional home, and I am deeply committed to advancing its mission of strengthening personality assessment science, practice, and training.

I bring more than 20 years of experience as both a researcher, educator, and clinician in psychological assessment. I currently serve as Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University at Buffalo, where I have built a career devoted to bridging modern psychometric models with the realities of clinical practice. My research has focused on the development of models and measures of personality, personality pathology, and transdiagnostic constructs, with the consistent goal of producing assessment tools that are both scientifically rigorous and clinically useful. This work has resulted in more than 100 publications, a strong record of assessment-focused extramural funding, and recognition through awards such as SPA’s Samuel J. and Anne G. Beck Award and the Mid-Career Scholar Award. I also serve as Editor-in-Chief of Assessment, which has provided me with a broad view of the most exciting developments in our field and a deep appreciation for the diverse scholarship that advances our science and practice.

My commitment to SPA is long-standing. I currently am serving my second term on the SPA Board of Trustees, where I have contributed to refining the SPA awards process, supporting the development of new awards to honor both practitioners and scholars, and helping strengthen our Interest Group system. I also have participated in several task forces, bringing collaborative energy and problem-solving skills to initiatives that support SPA’s membership and mission. These experiences have given me a strong understanding of SPA’s inner workings and a clear perspective on its opportunities for growth.

Beyond SPA, I have been active in leadership roles across several related professional societies. I currently serve on the executive committee of the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) Society as its inaugural Treasurer and have previously held board positions in the Society for Research in Psychopathology, the Society for a Science of Clinical Psychology, and the Association for Research in Personality. These roles have provided me with a broad view of how scientific and professional organizations operate successfully, as well as the challenges they face in a changing landscape.

As President, my priorities would center on strengthening SPA’s position as the leading voice in personality assessment. This means continuing to champion modern assessment methods in clinical training and practice, ensuring that SPA remains relevant to new generations of clinicians and researchers, and supporting innovative strategies to secure SPA’s financial health by balancing revenue-generating opportunities with cost-cutting measures. At the same time, I believe strongly in honoring SPA’s proud traditions—its community, its history of scholarship, and its central role in advancing personality assessment worldwide.

I would be honored to continue serving this community as President and to help guide SPA into its next chapter.

What unique value do students offer to SPA?

Students are an essential part of SPA. They represent the future of personality assessment science and practice, bringing fresh perspectives, new ideas, and an energy that keeps the organization modern, innovative, and forward thinking. Their engagement is critical not only for the vitality of SPA itself but also for ensuring that personality assessment remains central to clinical psychology and related fields in the decades ahead.

Without student involvement, SPA and personality assessment more broadly stand at risk of stagnation and decline. Students push the field forward by asking important questions, challenging assumptions, and carrying forward new research and clinical applications. Their voices, scholarship, and participation ensure that SPA remains a vibrant, relevant, and growing society.

For these reasons, I am a strong supporter of SPAGS and the role it plays in building the next generation of assessment scientists and practitioners. I believe SPA must continue to invest in its student members, not only through mentorship and networking but also by providing tangible resources to support their growth. This includes facilitating student travel to the annual meeting—where students gain invaluable opportunities to connect with leaders in the field—and supporting research that directly advances the science and practice of personality assessment.

 

Please describe an initiative you would initiate to better support student members.

One of my highest priorities would be to strengthen SPA’s ability to support student members, particularly in two areas that are critical for their development: attending and engaging with the annual meeting and conducting meaningful research in personality assessment. These experiences are essential to training the next generation of assessment scientists and practitioners, but they are often financially out of reach for graduate students.

I recognize that SPA’s resources are not unlimited, but I believe we can be creative in identifying ways to fund student travel and research. For example, SPA should be soliciting donations specifically designated to support student initiatives, both from within our membership and from external partners. Targeted fundraising campaigns tied directly to student support could help ensure sustainable resources for this purpose.

One initiative I would champion is expanding student research funding. Raising individual project grants to $1,000 and dissertation awards to $2,000 would better reflect the actual costs of conducting graduate-level research today. These investments would ensure that students remain actively engaged in SPA while advancing high-quality research in personality assessment.

I would also support identifying ways to make annual meeting attendance more affordable for students. This could include expanding the number of student travel awards, creating systems to facilitate hotel room sharing to reduce lodging costs, and exploring ways to reduce registration fees for student members. By lowering barriers to participation, we can help ensure that students have access to the networking and mentorship opportunities that make the SPA meeting such a formative experience.

Finally, I value the role SPAGS has played in building student-focused content, and I would support expanding these efforts through initiatives such as flash talks, larger poster sessions, and student poster awards. These opportunities not only showcase student scholarship but also strengthen their connection to the SPA community.

I am honored to be considered for President Elect of the Society for Personality Assessment. I have been involved with SPA in leadership capacities for a long time, and I am proud of this community and the work that we have done and could be doing. As the Director of the Combined Clinical/Counseling Psychology PhD program at New York University, having dedicated my professional life to improving assessment teaching, training, and supervision, I feel now is a great time for me to step into this leadership role. I have published multiple assessment-focused books (including most recently the Essentials of Culture in Psychological Assessment) and have served in assessment and education leadership roles not only with SPA, but also within the American Psychological Association. My passion is for helping the next generation of psychologists be better at psychological assessment than my generation is/was (which is why I focus primarily on evidence-based assessment practice and social-justice-oriented assessment practice).

 

The Society for Personality Assessment has been my scholarly home for several decades, affording me amazing opportunities for collaboration, thought leadership, and coalition building. I have served on the Board in multiple capacities throughout the past 20 or so years, including as a strategic liaison to the American Psychological Association (where I am very active in advocating for assessment, including having been President of APA's Assessment Section) and currently as a Member-at-Large. I believe that SPA has provided an amazing scholarly home for assessment professionals, but I also believe that it has the potential to have a much bigger and more important footprint on the field. While SPA has contributed some excellent resources, the field is on the precipice of a new era in the discipline of psychology, with the impending licensure of master's-level psychological practitioners and new competencies required at both the master's and doctoral level. SPA can be on the forefront of driving national (and beyond) policy, and as an active participant in the discussions at the national level (through APA and ASPPB), I believe I can help SPA assert its voice "at the table." 

 

SPA has provided me with amazing colleagues, friends, and opportunities to collaborate, and I now want to give back to the Society through leadership. I want to make sure that others are afforded the same opportunities I was when I was a young scholar (many of my book and article collaborations emerged from SPA networking, and networking is not my personal strong suit!), and I want to ensure that SPA's voice is heard in larger conversations nationally and beyond. I have served in multiple leadership capacities across other organizations (including President of the Assessment Section of APA; Chair of APA's Board of Educational Affairs; currently as President of the Society of Clinical Psychology; currently as President of the American Board of Psychological Assessment; and in my current academic position as Director of the PhD program at NYU), and I believe I can strengthen the Society as part of the Presidential Trio.

What unique value do students offer to SPA?

 

My career has been focused heavily on championing and training students to be the strongest, most ethical, social-justice-oriented, and evidence-based assessment psychologists of the future. This includes articles, books, training materials and guidance documents, and direct teaching, training, and supervision. What I’ve learned in my years dedicated to training students—particularly recently—is how the changing perspectives and values of cohorts and generations can actually serve to improve evidence-based practice. For example, I often have to work hard to convince colleagues that culture and context matter and are worth investigating as part of a comprehensive psychological assessment, but I rarely have to convince my students, who tend to hold those values already. And it is my students who have driven a great deal of my research work, particularly around the Wright-Constantine Structured Cultural Interview (WCSCI). The students of SPA have the potential to hold us more senior folks accountable for the work we are doing and promulgating, as so many of us are training students the way we were trained.

 

 

Please describe an initiative you would initiate to better support student members.

 

I believe that although SPAGS has representation on the SPA Board, there is too little direct communication between students and the Board (which allocates funds and other resources to initiatives). One thing I have been thinking about a lot is the three overarching areas we need to represent and support within SPA: science/scientists/researchers, practice/practitioners/clinicians, and education/educators/students. In addition to being more deliberate about Board member representation across these three areas, I have long thought that we should be holding separate town hall meetings for the Board to get direct feedback from members within each of these three domains. If we had a structure of annual town halls focused specifically on education and training, with Board members listening, students would be invited to have direct and specific input into the priorities of SPA. We want to make sure SPA is not only capitalizing on the amazing input students can offer, but also that SPA is supporting our students as much as we can.

 

The Society for Personality Assessment (SPA) has been my professional home for about a decade now, and the relationships I have fostered during my time with the Society are truly special to me. I remain committed to serving SPA through leadership, and my time as a Representative-At-Large on the SPA Board has prepared me well to serve as Board Secretary. I also look forward to taking a greater role in leadership by being a member of the Executive Committee. SPA is moving in the right direction; we need enthusiastic people at the helm to push us forward. I do hope you consider me for this role, and I would be grateful for your vote.

 

My decision to pursue a career in forensic psychology was not driven by an interest in criminal behavior, but by a deep commitment to helping to protect the civil liberties of individuals from structurally disadvantaged backgrounds. I am lucky to conduct forensic evaluations with people across a broad spectrum of racial, cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic identities. This has deepened my appreciation for my examinees’ lived experiences and continues to expand my cultural understanding. For SPA to remain relevant, intentional efforts toward inclusive membership recruitment must be at the forefront of our efforts. With the support of our Executive Director, we have taken important steps to broaden our membership, yet significant work is still left to be completed. Psychology, as a field, continues to have systemic barriers to career entry, resulting in the underrepresentation of individuals from marginalized backgrounds. The current climate underscores SPA’s need to continue our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice — particularly in advocating for individuals who have been historically marginalized. These values are foundational to my work, both as a clinical psychologist and Board member. 

 

I also wanted to take this opportunity to tell you a bit about myself, just so you have some familiarity for whom you might be voting. My husband and I have five cats, six snakes, and a sulcata tortoise. I am trained in venomous snake handling and often get calls to remove copperheads and cottonmouths from neighbors’ yards. I tend to develop strong interests in various hobbies, which (right now) include power yoga, making crafts for my dollhouse, thrifting, and collecting odd things for my home (e.g., toys from the 1980s). I also make really good bagels. Before I was a psychologist, I was a professional singer, and I had the opportunity to tour the country with a large rock band. I consider New York City my true home, but I grew up on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. If you were to ask my friends to describe me, I think they would say I am quirky and motivated (they would also tell you that I also own too many pairs of completely ridiculous and impractical shoes). If you see me at SPA, please say hello and let me know if you have any feedback I can bring to the Board. Thank you again for reading my blurb, and I hope you consider voting for me!

What unique value do students offer to SPA?

Students bring so much with them to SPA (and I always say we have the most motivated and brightest student members out there!). On a very practical level, the research conducted and presented by students at SPA is cutting edge and invaluable to the field of personality science. Students also bring with them their intellect that pushes me, both as a researcher and teacher. I have had many rich conversations regarding all things personality with our students (and they always ask the hardest questions at talks!). I love getting to see many of the same students year after year; while they are not my students technically, their life and career updates mean a lot to me (I see myself as their academic older sister!). SPA students bring with them important and differing perspectives, helping us to remain an inclusive and welcoming Society. Through our students, we are also training a new generation of leadership – one that I hope will help bring some great change that needs to happen in academia. SPA would be nowhere without our students, and I do hope they know how valued they are!

  

Please describe an initiative you would initiate to better support student members.

An initiative I would be interested in initiating is centered around career development. When I was in graduate school, no one taught me about how to be a ‘grown up.’ Sure, I learned a lot about Kohut and Freud, but no one ever taught me how to advocate for better pay or negotiate with my boss. SPA has hosted various roundtables related to career, but I would like to see something more structured that includes building a professional identity, navigating beyond graduate school, networking, and maintain wellness. This workshop could be four to six sessions, live or virtual, and led by early, mid, and senior career folx. At the end, attendees could give a mini ‘job talk’ and receive feedback from the group. Being able to write a peer reviewed article is one thing, but that peer reviewed article is not going to comfort you when you have your first job disappointment or show you how to navigate a tricky workplace. 

I joined the Society for Personality Assessment (SPA) as a graduate student in 2007, drawn in by its commitment to advancing personality assessment through scientific inquiry and thoughtful practice. Since that time, SPA has been central to my professional growth, shaping my development as a researcher, educator, clinician, and editor. Most recently, I have served on SPA’s Board of Directors as Treasurer. My work in this role has deepened my appreciation for SPA’s mission and sharpened my understanding of how best to support our organization and its future.

 

In my first term as Treasurer, I focused on building the tools and structures necessary to support more transparent and forward-looking financial decision-making. This has included refining quarterly financial reports to increase their clarity and usefulness, developing five-year projection models to guide long-term planning, and co-managing the sale of SPA’s condominium to provide capital for future initiatives. I initiated and now chair the Finance Committee, which provides an additional layer of financial oversight to the organization. I also provided financial modeling to help the Board evaluate long-term staffing options, shaping the path toward SPA’s recent transition to a new operational structure. My work as Treasurer has been strengthened by experiences and skills I bring from other leadership roles, including prior service as Treasurer for APA Division 12 Section IX, department-level strategic planning at my home institution, and consultation with nonprofit organizations navigating financial and operational constraints. These roles have taught me that effective governance is not only about sound processes; it is also about fostering collaboration and making principled decisions even when they are difficult.

 

I would be honored to continue serving SPA as Treasurer and hope to earn the support of members in the upcoming election. I am seeking a second term because I want to continue helping SPA’s Board align SPA’s financial resources with its activities and reduce the organization’s reliance on strategic reserves for operational stability. If re-elected, I would also collaborate with SPA’s Executive Director and the Board to develop planning and reporting tools that strengthen how financial data is used in decision-making. Achieving this goal will help ensure that our organization remains a thriving and forward-thinking presence in the field and that the Board is equipped to make informed, mission-driven decisions in a shifting professional landscape.

Students are essential to the vitality and future of personality assessment and of SPA. They bring fresh perspectives that are not constrained by established habits of thought or by a sense that work must be done in a certain way because that is how it has always been done. This willingness to ask questions and explore alternative approaches strengthens SPA’s scientific and professional dialogue. Students also bring energy and curiosity that deepen the quality of our community. They help ensure that SPA does not become stagnant but continues to evolve in ways that reflect the changing needs of our field and the diverse populations we serve. Importantly, their engagement in research, clinical training, and education contributes directly to the Society’s mission. By including students in the life of the organization and inviting them into leadership roles, SPA benefits not only from their new ideas but also from their commitment to building a professional home that will serve them well into the future.

Please describe an initiative you would initiate to better support student members.

As Treasurer, I have worked to support student members by helping to secure continued funding for student scholarships and grants, identifying resources to support student visas for our upcoming conference in Canada, and exploring ways to restructure travel awards so students have greater flexibility in how they use these monies. I also sought out and welcomed a student representative to the Finance Committee when SPAGS recommended that students be included on all SPA committees. If re-elected, in collaboration with the Student Affairs Committee and SPAGS, I would support efforts to ensure that conference and continuing education opportunities remain available to students at low or no cost. I would also work with the Board to develop resources that help students project and manage expenses related to SPA membership, such as conference travel. These steps would make participation more accessible and sustainable, while reinforcing SPA’s commitment to investing in its future leaders.

Student members offer unique and invaluable contributions to the SPA community in several impactful ways, with three particularly notable aspects standing out to me. First, students bring fresh perspectives and innovative ideas. As the upcoming generation of assessment psychologists, they are the future of our field. Their creativity and passion are invaluable assets for shaping and advancing SPA. Similarly, the increasing diversity within graduate school cohorts offers the SPA community a chance to benefit from a broader range of experiences and viewpoints. Diverse student members provide essential insights that can enrich our understanding and drive forward the future of personality assessment. Moreover, student members infuse the organization with vibrant energy and enthusiasm! Their presence maintains an essential liveliness to keep the SPA community engaged and forward-thinking. 

I am always excited to see student members presenting at SPA. However, I noticed at the 2025 conference that programming featuring student speakers, compared to presenters with well-established careers and name recognition, had significantly lower attendance.  I would be very eager to brainstorm ways to promote student speakers and encourage higher attendance of their programming. One idea is to have a time slot during the conference programming dedicated only to student presentations. That way, students are not competing with well know presenters.  This would encourage all conference attendees to hear student perspectives - which would be quite valuable to all, as students offer fresh and innovate perspectives! 

I am currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Behavior, Society, & Policy at the Rutgers University School of Public Health (RU-SPH) and a member of the training committee for the Rutgers University Behavioral Healthcare pre-doctoral psychology internship program, where I provide therapy and assessment supervision and training. Prior to Rutgers, I was an Associate Professor at the University of Southern Mississippi (USM). I am grateful to be considered for the position of Representative-at-Large on the SPA Board of Directors. I have greatly valued my service to SPA over the last three years as a member of the Convention Program Committee, and I am excited to deepen my engagement. SPA has been instrumental in shaping my professional identity, and I’m eager to contribute to its continued growth and innovation. Below I highlight some of my past experiences, skills, and accomplishments with respect to the SPA Board Member competencies and the SPA Strategic Framework.

Over the last 13 years, I have gained extensive experience in academic and professional service that aligns well with the responsibilities of the Representative-at-Large. For example, I served for three years on the Appointments & Promotions committee at RU-SPH, where I evaluated sensitive and confidential reappointment, promotion, and tenure applications from my professional colleagues and at times made hard decisions to not recommend someone for reappointment/promotion/tenure. This work required discretion, objectivity, collective decision-making, and a strong sense of ethics and integrity – qualities essential to Board leadership.  

I have also led initiatives to develop and expand curricular offerings in the areas of mental illness and suicide prevention at RU-SPH, serving on leadership teams that created the MPH Population Mental Health concentration and a first-of-its-kind post-baccalaureate certificate in Suicide Prevention, Practice, and Policy. This multidisciplinary work, in which I am often the only psychologist or mental health professional, has required strategic thinking, judgment, and collaboration with colleagues from diverse disciplines and with diverging views.

Additionally, my strong knowledge of SPA and personality assessment is demonstrated by my robust assessment publication record, including many publications in the Journal of Personality Assessment (JPA) and service on the editorial board of two assessment-focused journals (Associate Editor of JPA, Consulting Editor of Psychological Assessment). Editorial work also requires complicated and at times controversial decision-making, critical skills for a professional organization Board member. My experience serving on committees for other national professional organizations, such as the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) and the Society for a Science of Clinical Psychology (SSCP), further complements my qualifications. 

I have also held numerous other academic service roles and committee memberships that align with Representative-at-Large responsibilities, including experience with continuing education, student issues, and diversity and social justice.  These roles have honed my ability to represent diverse perspectives, make informed decisions, and collaborate effectively. 

In summary, my extensive experience in academic leadership, commitment to the values of SPA, and alignment with the competencies outlined in the Candidate Leadership Guide make me well-suited to contribute meaningfully as a Representative-at-Large on the SPA Board of Directors.  

What unique value do students offer to SPA? 

Students are absolutely vital to the continued success and strength of the organization. They bring fresh perspectives, energy, and innovation to both the science and practice of personality assessment. Many students are actively engaged in both clinical work and research, often bridging these domains in ways that seasoned professionals may no longer do as frequently.  Students also contribute to the vibrancy and sustainability of the organization, helping to cultivate a dynamic and inclusive professional community. Finally, of course, students represent the future of the field. Supporting their development not only strengthens the pipeline of skilled researchers and clinicians but also ensures that the organization remains forward-thinking, inclusive, and responsive to future challenges and opportunities.

 

Please describe an initiative you would initiate to better support student members. 

In my opinion, SPA does an amazing job supporting student members, via financial support, mentorship opportunities, and leadership opportunities. One area of growth, however, is in training opportunities tailored to students’ developmental needs. While student members can attend conference workshops for free by volunteering, many of these sessions are not designed with students in mind. I would advocate for a student-centered training initiative that begins with gathering direct input from student members about their interests and professional development goals. Based on this feedback, SPA could offer free dedicated workshops or events at the annual conference or via the E-Learning Center. For example, at last year’s SPA conference last year, I participated in a panel that provided a “how to” on journal reviewing and overall focused on demystifying the publication process from an editorial perspective.  Programming like this can be incredibly valuable for students preparing to enter the field. By creating space for student-driven training, we not only support their growth but also strengthen the future of personality assessment through more confident, well-prepared early-career professionals.

The Society for Personality Assessment has been my professional home since I joined the Society nearly 25 years ago. As a central and indispensable resource for the promotion of psychological assessment, it has been critical in my professional development. However, I am very aware that an organization such as SPA is only as strong as its membership and the collective effort of its leadership to set goals and operationalize strategies to meet those goals. My participation in the Society as a conference attendee and presenter has been consistent over the past two decades. In collaborating with mentors initially and more recently students, I have been a co-author on 25 convention presentations. However, my engagement has increased in recent years and have volunteered to contribute as opportunities were available. For instance, I have assisted as an ad-hoc reviewer for the Journal of Personality Assessment, served as a conference proposal reviewer, and participated in the Sip and Share and Convention Mentor-Mentee programs. As an organization that I strongly value I would be honored to contribute to the Society in a more formal role as a Representative-at-Large. 

 

I am enthusiastic about the mission of SPA to advance evidence-based practice in assessment and share the value of social justice that it maintains. I am eager to collaborate with the Board and the membership to identify goals that would allow us to increase our perceived relevance to the larger community of psychology. As the indispensable international resource for excellence in psychological assessment, increasing the accessibility of the collective expertise of the organization is not only important to the success of the Society, but also to ensure increased access to exceptional assessment services to all clients. The Society must maintain a significant reach should it contribute to the generation, dissemination, and utilization of ethical and evidence-based practice in assessment. I am highly collaborative and service oriented, and would support the President and Board with identified needs on an ongoing basis. My ability to provide leadership and make sufficient contributions to an organization outside of my university can be noted in my appointment as the Continuing Education Coordinator and my election as an Executive Committee member of the National Counsel for Schools and Programs in Professional Psychology. I would be excited to bring the skills learned through this committee work to the community I love at the Society for Personality Assessment.

What unique value do student members offer to the SPA community?

I joined SPA as a graduate student and presented research findings regularly at the annual convention. The opportunities to learn, network, and develop professional skills were pivotal in my development in the field of psychology. The collegial and open atmosphere provided for students supported my continued engagement and is a significant strength of the organization. Now, as an academic, the engagement I have with students at the conference is invaluable in gaining an appreciation for the needs of students learning and applying assessment skills in an evolving landscape. While communicating the conventions of assessment is an important function of the Society, too much of psychology is perpetuated by “tradition” rather than a sincere desire to innovate. Change very is often the product of reactivity rather than proactivity. The student perspective will be integral to the continued development of our field, particularly as technology, including innovations in AI, allow for significant development within psychological assessment. The perspective of a diverse student membership will be critical to ensure the continued relevance of the Society over time and in a changing professional environment, in which licensure in clinical psychology broadens. Therefore, I view the community created through SPAGS as critical to the growth of the organization. The opportunities for student leadership allow for an amplified articulation of student needs and ensure that the Society can provide an indispensable resource for students to prepare to serve the needs of a diverse client base as they transition into professionals in the field. 

  

Please describe an initiative you would initiate to better support student members.

Two years ago I conducted a survey of graduate students in clinical psychology, in an attempt to identify their most pressing concerns. Results indicated that student debt/ financial difficulties most negatively impacted their ability to focus fully on their course of study. Recent legislation, which may impact funding for graduate education, has likely exacerbated these concerns. To that end, I believe low-cost opportunities for students to have access to training and methods of building their CV is an important initiative for the Society to undertake. Many such opportunities are already available, for instance monthly grand rounds and the Assessment Throwdown. However, an important opportunity for students, the annual convention, may be cost prohibitive for many students. I would be interested in collaborating with SPAGS to determine if a virtual convention may be seen as a valuable opportunity for students. This would be a space for students to connect with each other, for instance to discuss experiences on internships focused on psychological assessment. Professional members of the Society could also provide brief trainings or key note addresses. However, it would primarily be a space for student to engage regarding research endeavors. For instance, this would allow students to disseminate results of completed work or discuss their ongoing projects to obtain feedback. Such an opportunity may allow students to develop presentation skills as they prepare to attend the annual in-person convention later in their training. Additionally, I am hopeful that this increased dedication to student needs would have a lasting impact on the Society, in that would encourage those students to contribute to the Society in similar ways when they are in professional roles.  

Hello! My name is Hilary DeShong. I grew up in a very small town in southcentral Pennsylvania (we had two whole stop lights in town!) and I am a first-generation college student. I attended West Virginia University for my undergraduate degree. Following this, I earned a master’s degree from Villanova University, working under the mentorship of Dr. John Kurtz, before then earning a second master’s and doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology from Oklahoma State University working under the tutelage of Dr. Stephanie Mullins-Sweatt. My research focuses on personality traits and personality pathology in relation to overall well-being and general functioning. Most recently, I have been focused on studying personality change mechanisms and how that relates to the presentation of personality pathology. I teach graduate courses focused on training clinical psychology doctoral students how to conduct psychological assessments and how to provide evidence-based therapeutic services. I also teach undergraduate courses in general psychology and theories of personality. In my free time, I enjoy practicing guitar, hiking, kickboxing, having game nights with friends, and hanging out with my two cats Remus and Romulus.

 

I am currently an Associate Professor in Psychology at Mississippi State University, where I have worked since 2017. While at MSU, I have served as the Graduate Coordinator for the Clinical and Cognitive Sciences Doctoral Programs, have served on the Mississippi’s Psychological Association board, and have served on several other committees vital to the functioning of the department and clinical program. Starting next year, I will be taking on a new adventure, as I will be relocating to take on the position of Director of Clinical Trainer for the clinical doctoral program at West Virginia University.

 

My interest in serving on the SPA board is threefold: First, I have gained some preliminary experiences working on standing board and non-board committees as a general SPA member, including the Diversity and Social Justice Committee and the Awards Committee, both of which I have served on for the past 2-3 years; These experiences have helped to solidify my interest in being more involved with the SPA Board. Second, as I am now becoming a "mid-level" career professional, my professional goals have naturally shifted, with a focus more on pursuing leadership positions in order to help shape the field of personality assessment and psychology broadly. Third, given today's challenging political and societal culture, I feel even more of a pull towards leadership positions in our field. While my long-term career goal has always involved a vision of community and leadership involvement, the recent changes and challenges have further instilled this desire in me. I am trying to be the change that I want to see in the world. In sum, I am greatly excited about the opportunity to be a part of the SPA Board of Directors as this role is in line with my own values and goals (both personally and professionally). Thank you for reading! 

What unique value do students offer to SPA? 

 

SPA is my favorite conference and organization, largely in part because of how student friendly I have found it to be since I first attended back in 2011 (when I was a graduate student). From my perspective, I believe that there are three unique values that students offer to SPA. First, having attended SPA almost every year since 2011, as both a student and now as a non-student, I have seen how much of the conference is driven by student engagement. This conference is oftentimes the first time many students are presenting their research and is the first time they may be networking with other personality researchers and clinicians. This helps keep the society invigorated. The students are excited to be there. They are excited to learn from the experts. And that excitement can be felt by others in the room. Second, students offer a new perspective. The world is a constantly changing place today. Students provide us with unique perspectives on this ever-changing landscape, which in turn, can allow us to continue to improve our assessment techniques to meet the demands and needs of today’s society. Third, students provide a connection to training and implementation that we may otherwise miss. They are able to provide feedback to those of us who are teaching the next generation in personality and psychopathology assessment. This provides unique insights into changes that may need to be implemented to adapt our teaching methods to better serve our graduate programs.

 

Please describe an initiative you would initiate to better support student members. 

 

One area of concern that I have noticed is that we have difficulty retaining people when they are transitioning into their later student years (i.e., internship) and into early career (i.e., postdoc). An initiative that may be beneficial is to come up with ways to build bridges for student members that help maintain their connection to the society as they traverse through their early career stages. I think there are several potential ways that this could be done. One method may be to design a more long-term mentorship model in which they have more regular meetings with a specific person or small group of people who are at similar stages of their career (being led by 1-2 senior SPA members). A second method may be to design social events at SPA designed more for specific levels of career, such as expanding on some of our other lunches that we have already in place to support various members. This may help people make connections at the conference that could lead to research collaborations that would facilitate future SPA attendance as they continue to present research, for example (and maybe we could even create some research grants designed to support collaborations by new SPA members to support this initiative). Finally, it might be helpful to have a sort of “job fair” for people seeking clinically oriented positions in personality assessment, to meet people who are recruiting new people into their practices at the conference. All three of these would increase networking opportunities and would hopefully help students to feel more involved in the conference and see more opportunities for them beyond presenting research. 

I have been a proud member of SPA since 2012, starting my time as a graduate student. I have never missed an Annual Convention. My early leadership with SPA began as a graduate student and early career professional through service on the Program Committee and volunteering at the Annual Convention. In 2021, I joined the SPA Board and an Ex-Officio member in my role as the Chair of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice (DEISJ) Committee. This role has been one of the most meaningful parts of my tenure. While it at times places me at professional risk, my dedication to DEISJ principles and to embedding them into SPA’s Strategic Framework remains unwavering. These efforts were possible only with the support of the Board and the courage of senior members, some of whom are no longer with us. There are moments when I questioned my stamina, as the work is deeply connected to my lived experience and comes at personal cost. Yet, I remain here – committed to carrying forward this momentum and invested in SPA’s future. 

 

In my professional life, I supervise assessments, maintain policies and procedures, and work to ensure effective communication with judges and attorneys about the appropriate use and limitations of assessment in forensic contexts. For the past six years, I have also run my own private practice, which has taught me the persistence and adaptability required to be a leader. Through my practice, I engage in public speaking with general audiences, professional assessment groups, podcasts, social media, and other platforms. These experiences have helped me develop skills in communication and outreach that I now bring to SPA’s leadership. I firmly believe SPA’s survival depends on our ability to communicate clearly to the public about the value of personality assessment, and to focus strategically on its intersectional impact and utility. 

 

My role as DEISJ Chair has allowed me to transform those commitments into concrete action. Together with my committee and the support of the Board, we have: 

 

• Established the Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice track for the Annual Convention and created a poster award
• Provided a statement for action in response to the elimination of Roe
• Created and sustained affinity spaces at our Annual Convention
• Integrated DEISJ values in SPA’s Strategic Plan
• Provided financial support for The Multicultural Psychologist® podcast
• Piloted SPAS’s first equitable pricing model for the Essential of Culture in Psychological Assessment Webinar Series to increase access
• Launched the call fort the DEISJ Journal of Personality Assessment Special Issue.

 

This work was not always easy, nor is it always universally popular. I have never shied away from standing for what is right, both for SPA and for the broader community we serve. We need this now, more than ever. 

As Representative-at-Large, I will continue to advocate for the values that have guided my service to SPA for more than a decade: advancing the field of assessment, amplifying the voices of unheard members, and ensuring SPA thrives as an inclusive, forward-looking professional community.

What unique value do students offer to SPA? 

Students are essential to our future as an organization. Not only this, but they are essential to ensure that we do not remain stagnant. Students push us to be dynamic professionals, challenging long-held ideas and beliefs, questioning outdated culture and norms, and sparking the next step in innovation. Students are not simply an extension of the graduate program machine, they represent the rawest form of connection to the people we serve and their questions, curiosities, and hunger for learning mentalizes those people in ways we sometimes can grow distant from. For me, this is more than enough said. I want to underscore that an organization that does not walk alongside students as/so they grow into leaders will not survive. SPA can always do more. 

Please describe an initiative you would initiate to better support student members.

Although I understand that there are legal considerations, it still remains my firm wish to create an Online Community – student member space.

Students are not only members of SPA, but they are also our future leaders, innovators, and advocate for the field of personality assessment. To ensure that SPA remains a vibrant, forward-looking organization, we must invest in ways to support students beyond the Annual Convention.  

To meet this need, the Online Community – student member space, would require support from a clear policy to ensure professionalism, confidentiality, and safety.  

This initiative would serve two main purposes: 

1. Connection and Mentorship: This community could include an advice space where students can seek advice from ECP’s and senior members and find mentorship opportunities. This would be year-round, instead of students hoping to get “lucky” enough to find one person willing to dedicate their time. Students can also connect with one another to support professional collaboration across geographic regions. 
2. Access and Equity: Online spaces would allow students who cannot attend the convention, whether due to financial, geographic, or personal barriers, to still benefit from the community. This might also allow students to get to know each other better and foster roommate connections for the annual convention to help them defray costs. Interest-based channels could create additional inclusive spaces where students can feel their various interests are represented. 

By establishing this initiative, SPA would demonstrate its commitment to advancing the impact and utility of personality assessment through increasing support for the very people who are the future of it. 

I am honored to be nominated for a second term as a Representative-at-Large for SPA. Like many of its members, SPA has been my professional home since the early days of graduate school. Throughout my career, it has served as a vital hub for connection, collaboration, and learning. My deep appreciation for these opportunities and my appreciation SPA’s mission to support and grow the field of personality assessment fuels my enthusiasm to continue serving in this role.

I am currently the Director of Research at the Austen Riggs Center, a residential treatment facility for adults with persistent mental health challenges. Much like SPA, Riggs has shaped my professional identity: I first joined the community as a research intern in 2010 and later returned as a staff member in 2016. Both at Riggs and within SPA, I’ve experienced the rewards and complexities of working within organizations that balance diverse and sometimes divergent stakeholder interests. I have learned to navigate differing perspectives while working toward shared goals; I believe that honoring varied viewpoints, while identifying common values, broadens the relevance and impact of our work with our clients and with each other as practitioners, educators, and advocates within the field.

Over the years I’ve had the privilege of serving SPA in multiple capacities: on the Awards Committee, the Conference Planning Committee, and as co-chair of the Continuing Education (CE) Committee (the latter as part of my current Representative-at-Large role). I’ve also served on the editorial board of the Journal of Personality Assessment for several years, both as a consulting editor and as a co-editor for the Clinical Applications and Case Studies section. These experiences have deepened my appreciation for the breadth and depth of expertise among our membership, and highlighted opportunities for bridging the gaps that sometimes exist between members who identify primarily as clinicians or supervisors in applied settings and those who work in more empirical or academic contexts.

One of the contributions I’m most proud of is the implementation of SPA’s monthly Grand Rounds series, which was developed through the hard work and input of the SPA CE Committee. This initiative has carried the important goal of directly addressing member learning goals, while also seeking to elevate both clinical perspectives and methodological innovation and to ensure that SPA remains nimble and responsive to educational needs and priorities between our usual annual conference programming. Launching this program just over a year ago has been one of the most meaningful (and honestly, most fun!) projects to be a part of during my time with SPA. I am hopeful for the opportunity to continue to refine and grow the program during a second term as a Representative-at-Large.

By continuing to engage our membership community through active listening, and remaining committed to openness, integrity, and inclusion as pillars of our organizational identity, I hope to remain a collaborative and responsive representative on the Board. I am excited to help guide SPA into the future and ensure member voices remain central as new possibilities emerge.

What unique value do students offer to SPA?

I have had the privilege of engaging with students at SPA in many ways over my years of service: first, through serving with SPAGS leadership on the board over the past three years; by engaging with students during the mentorship lunch and various receptions and panels at the annual conference; and finally through bringing undergraduate student interns (who have completed a rotation at Austen Riggs) to present their work at the annual conference. SPA student members are a powerhouse of productivity, insight, and vitality within the organization, in many cases inspiring generativity and awe in more seasoned members of the organization while also holding the entire leadership assembly accountable in our mission of growing the field and guiding the profession. Whatever the context – in board meetings, conference panels, or educational programming – the involvement and collaboration of SPA student members ensures that the organization is always considering whether what we have to offer is relevant, inclusive, and a source of momentum in the direction of positive change and more effective care. Without our student members, SPA (like many other organizations) could run the risk of falling into an echo chamber and losing sight of new or emerging frontiers. Elevating student voices in the form of promoting greater student visibility and voice at in-person and virtual events, encouraging greater connectivity and collaboration between generations of SPA members, identifying opportunities to showcase student contributions to the field (both academic as well as clinical and community-based) are all mission-critical priorities that will help guide the organization to sustained growth and deeper purpose and impact in the decades to come. 

Please describe an initiative you would initiate to better support student members.

I’m so grateful for this question, and actually there are two ideas that I have already been considering and would love to hear feedback on from current SPAGS members and leadership. The first idea would be to either work with SPAGS leadership to develop a student-oriented Grand Rounds program (or alternatively, we could designate one or two sessions of our usual Grand Rounds as a collaboration with SPAGS), which could provide educational and training opportunities that address the specific needs of the SPAGS membership community, and/or feature student presenters and showcase their work – either their empirical/academic work in the area of assessment, their unique pathway to specializing in a particular applied area or setting, their creative approaches to utilizing personality assessment to address community or other local challenges or needs, or other training/early career development topics. A second idea would be to expand our current “mentorship lunch” concept from the annual convention into a longer year-round program that would pair SPAGS members with more senior mentor volunteers from SPA, who would be assigned based on areas of mutual interest or expertise. While I recognize that students already have mentors through their academic and clinical training programs, the SPA mentorship program may allow a more unique opportunity for mentorship on other extracurricular topics, such as private practice development, organizational leadership, public health advocacy, etc. I have developed and implemented a similar program through my current position as Director of Research at the Austen Riggs Center for early career psychodynamic researchers (the Psychodynamic Research Mentorship Program) and it has been quite successful in addressing career development needs that are otherwise challenging to meet; I think a similar program for the field of personality assessment would open up new and productive pathways to professional growth and facilitate greater connection between generations of members. 

• Society for Personality Assessment (SPA) has become a professional home for me over the years. I look forward each year to connecting with colleagues, meeting new professionals, and learning about the latest advances in the science and practice of personality assessment. I have also had the honor of supervising numerous undergraduate and graduate student presentations and facilitating their engagement in our field. I am excited at the possibility of serving as a Representative-At-Large and taking on a more active role within SPA. Personality assessment is my long-standing passion as a scientist, practitioner, and mentor. I enjoy volunteer positions and contributing to the running of an organization with complex and evolving needs. In part, I enjoy working collaboratively with others to solve ongoing and new problems inherent in running a large, international organization. I am generally a good problem solver that can establish and maintain rapport while navigating difficult issues. 

  In terms of relevant experience, I have served on SPA’s programming and DEISJ committee as well as the American Psychology-Law Society’s Broadening Representation, Inclusion, Diversity, and Global Equity (BRIDGE) committee. My time on the BRIDGE committee also included serving as a co-chair for the Diversity Travel Awards subcommittee. I was also honored to receive the 2025 John E. Exner Scholar Award. Finally, I am also serving as a guest editor within the Journal of Personality Assessment’s special issue on “Increasing the Utility of Personality Assessment”. These experiences make me well-suited for this position because I have developed a knowledge base for the culture of SPA and some of the mechanics associated with the annual conference.

What unique value do students offer to SPA?

Students offer a unique perspective on the changing landscape of personality assessment. Over the years, I have appreciated students’ continued push to diversify the field, including within the profession and voices we consider when designing research studies or developing clinical programs. For example, within the programming committee I have appreciated student perspectives on topics we cover and ways that SPA can better serve both students and communities outside of our fairly niche conference. Along these lines, I find students challenge us to reconsider long-established norms and expectations within the field. This challenge is exciting because it prevents us from becoming stagnant and modernizes what SPA offers. In other words, students serve as an important tether between the broader world and our unique role as health service psychologists focused on personality assessment.

Please describe an initiative you would initiate to better support student members.

I think creation of a recurring panel or workshop at the annual conference focused on non-traditional career routes might be particularly appealing. Traditionally, graduate training programs have focused on preparing students for academic and/or clinical roles (e.g., staff psychologist). However, programs have often neglected to prepare students for positions in industry, advocacy organizations, and private practice. For example, a workshop free to SPAGS members focused on developing an assessment-focused private practice, including marketing, necessary paperwork, data security management, and other basic business skills, would fill a training gap that is common amongst programs. Alternatively, recruiting psychologists who work in advocacy roles in a variety of organizations might also be particularly appealing. At the same time, I recognize that student needs evolve over time and collaborative work to identify speakers/topics would best serve student interests.