As I reflect on the first three months of my Presidential year for IPA, I could not be more impressed by the energy and growth I have observed among our members and leaders. This association’s Executive Council Members, Committee Chairs and Co-Chairs, Committee Members, and Liaisons commit countless hours of volunteered time to IPA in addition to their active work and home lives. Additionally, IPA is fortunate to have devoted individuals serving in contracted positions (i.e., Executive Director, Director of Professional Affairs, Lobbyist, Training Director, Bookkeeper) who consistently exceed expectations in fulfilling their responsibilities to serve IPA members and to support the Executive Council. I appreciate this opportunity to highlight only a few of the many initiatives and accomplishments of these outstanding psychologists and professionals.

IPA’s Executive Council (EC) consists of 12 members who conduct the foundational business of the association through six Council meetings per year and numerous additional communications. I have been honored and grateful to serve with this group of thoughtful and committed psychologists whose overarching goal is to promote the needs and desires of membership and, ultimately, the individuals we serve. Each EC member dedicates seemingly tireless energy to their efforts to ensure IPA is serving its membership as effectively as possible. This amazing group of individuals deserves a wealth of gratitude for their volunteered time and leadership.

Although I could write for days about the various accomplishments of EC members, I will highlight only a few of their activities in this update. Over the past several years, in addition to their leadership responsibilities the Presidential Triad has been tasked with co-chairing the Program Planning Committee and organizing the Spring and Fall Conferences. Our Past President, Dr. Valerie Keffala, and President Elect, Dr. Nicole Holmberg, have spent hours of their time discussing possible themes, locations, and speakers for the Fall 2022 Conference and contacting possible speakers for an event that will focus on psychological concepts addressing evidence-based client care and provider self-care. In addition to this work, they have provided crucial support to the role of President in a multitude of ways, implementing a model of leadership initiated several Presidential Triads prior that has made this role sustainable and highly rewarding. I am immensely grateful for their wisdom and talents.

Serving as IPA Representatives to the EC, Dr. Scott Young and Dr. Katie Kopp work for members by sitting on committees within the association and bringing member concerns and feedback to the Executive Council. They have been active contributors in EC meetings and take seriously the importance of giving voice to IPA members.

As the IPA Representative to APA’s Council of Representatives (COR), Dr. Sally Oakes Edman is currently serving her sixth and final year before the Council’s bylaws require a change of the individual filling this position. She has spent a wealth of time contributing to the APA COR, including in-person and virtual meetings in which she has learned about and debated various regulatory considerations of the Council. She has also provided clear and helpful updates to our membership to inform our votes. Her service to the field of psychology and to IPA through this role has been much appreciated.

As our current IPA Student Representative/APAGS member, Eric Field has brought a high level of enthusiasm to EC and to additional committees where he is devoting his time. His efforts to keep students engaged in the association and to give them voice on EC are highly valued.

Serving as the Diversity Liaison to EC, Dr. Joyce Goins-Fernandez fulfills a crucial role in the association. She has made strong and specific efforts to bring attention to issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion on the Executive Council. Her ability to advocate for groups who have historically been marginalized, underserved, and oppressed is admirable and central to this organization.

As the EC Secretary, Dr. Laura Fuller serves in a role that may be the most difficult to fulfill during EC meetings. She takes detailed minutes, counts each vote carefully, and somehow manages to add wisdom in her comments and questions during meetings and to participate thoughtfully when she votes. We are extremely fortunate that she volunteered to step into this role partway through the Secretarial term.

Serving as the new Treasurer, Dr. Sarah Fetter joined EC with a great degree of enthusiasm and background to continue several years of financial growth IPA has been fortunate to experience. She has demonstrated a high degree of creativity in considering ways to turn the association’s financial stability into broad-reaching initiatives that may further promote IPAs overarching Strategic Plan.

In his role as the State Advocacy Coordinator, Dr. Paul Ascheman has dedicated countless hours of phone calls, emails, and letter-writing during the Legislative Session in support of IPA’s State Advocacy Agenda. As detailed below regarding the Advocacy Team, he has been a successful advocate for a number of bills relevant to the practice of psychology in Iowa. His expertise in the legislative process provides immense value to our members.

As the Federal Advocacy Coordinator, Dr. JoAnna Romero Cartaya has diligently tracked federal legislation affecting psychologists and the individuals seeking our services. She recently demonstrated her expertise and refined advocacy skills during Hill visits with legislative assistants for Iowa’s US Senators and Representatives, as detailed below regarding the Advocacy Team. Her knowledge of the history of bills supported by these members of Congress for Iowa psychologists was thorough and highly beneficial in her advocacy for current legislative requests.

As the IPA Training Director, Dr. Matthew Cooper assists in maintaining and initiating quality placements for psychologists-in-training we hope to retain as Iowa psychologists. His recent advocacy efforts are detailed below regarding the Training Task Force.

Dr. Bethe Lonning is expertly serving in the second year of the newly established IPA role of Director of Professional Affairs. Without her dedicated time to advocating with insurance companies and other entities, many individual psychologists would be struggling to withstand and counter the ever-changing reimbursement policies that sometimes leave psychologists without pay for services already rendered.

As IPA Liaisons, Dr. Paul Ascheman and Dr. David Beeman actively participate and report to members regarding activities of the Iowa Board of Psychology and the Medical Assistance Advisory Council, respectively. These IPA members serve in crucial roles to serve IPA’s mission and to implement IPA’s Strategic Plan. Training, professional issues, and connecting with external entities are core to the functioning of the association.

Our fabulous Executive Director, Suzanne Hull, offers a variety of abilities ranging from Website designer to Strategic Plan informer, in addition to ensuring we do not miss the details needed to successfully complete each contract and event. She recently and successfully initiated a process to seek new sponsorships for conferences.

Our Bookkeeper, Sonja Pfab, ensures detailed attention to the incoming and outgoing funds for the organization. Her consistency has served well in our overall strategy for financial oversight.

Our Lobbyist, Amy Campbell, has been instrumental in supporting our efforts at the state level as detailed below regarding the Advocacy Team. Her Legislative News updates keep IPA Members thoroughly informed of outcomes of the state legislative efforts.

In addition to these specific roles, various groups in IPA have been active and productive in their efforts to promote the mission of IPA. I recently asked each group to highlight a recent accomplishment to be recognized at the Spring Conference. In the spirit of recognition, historical documentation, and hopefully motivating interest and engagement from our membership, I am including these accomplishments in this update, as well.

The Advocacy Team recently coordinated Hill visits with Iowa’s Congress members to advocate for appropriations for educational grants, reimbursement of psychology trainees’ services under Medicare, and oversight and penalties for violation of parity law. At the state level, the team has successfully opposed a House bill that would have required psychologists to turn over tests, manuals, and scoring materials to attorneys and they advocated for a state bill that would allow psychology interns to be issued provisional licenses.

The newly developed Disaster Response Committee, under the leadership of Dr. Ashley Freeman as the Chair, recently completed an ambitious and exciting committee Strategic Plan Worksheet that has been added to the current IPA Strategic Plan.

The Diversity and Social Justice Committee, with leadership of Co-Chairs Dr. Joyce Goins-Fernandez and Dr. Nicole Holmberg, has routinely posted Diversity Spotlights to the E-list to provide IPA members information regarding days of celebration or recognition and events involving issues of social justice. Additionally, they have successfully gained interest from members representing various aspects of diversity, including six student committee members.

Recently revived in 2022 with a new Chair, Dr. Marla Shapiro, the Ethics Committee met to discuss their role and priorities, provided initial recommendations to the program planning committee, and identified additional items they hope to accomplish moving forward. I am excited for various projects they intend to pursue.

The Early Career Psychologists (ECP) Committee, under leadership of their Chair, Dr. Maggie Doyle, has worked to engage and maintain interest of ECPs in the organization. The ECP Committee recently accepted nominations and awarded scholarships to three IPA Members. They have also scheduled a panel in April for student members to learn about the internship process.

Thanks to successful efforts by the Finance Committee and our dedicated Treasurers over the past few years, IPA has gained increasing financial stability. Under the guidance of our current Treasurer, Dr. Sarah Fetter, the Finance Committee is accepting proposals from IPA committees and work groups regarding ways IPA’s funds could be reinvested to promote creative programs, activities, or events in support of IPA’s Strategic Plan. As part of the efforts in financial stability and oversight, our 2020 IPA President, Dr. Benge Tallman, our immediate Past President, Dr. Valerie Keffala, our prior Treasurer, Dr. Jennifer Kauder, and our current Treasurer, Dr. Sarah Fetter contributed to a request that ultimately secured a Small State Operational Grant (SSOG) from APA services in the amount of $10,000 to help fund our lobbyist services. The grant, which we are receiving for the fifth consecutive year, will be applied toward offsetting the lobbyist expense to help support IPA’s 2022 legislative agenda. The SSOG program is administered by the APA Practice Directorate and the Committee for State Leaders (CSL). This year they received 23 applications requesting a total greater than the amount of funds available. CSL weighed important factors such as each state’s grant history and financial status to ensure that funding was distributed fairly. The association is grateful for the ongoing support we receive from APA and the time our leaders gave to secure these funds. 

The Membership Committee, Co-Chaired by Dr. Alissa Doobay and myself, has continued to increase membership across membership categories through innovative efforts that have included the development of student mentorship and sponsorship programs, direct outreach to prospective members, and a streamlined membership renewal processes.

The Policies and Procedures Workgroup has been investing countless hours, including a day-long retreat, into clarifying expectations and procedures for the organization and those in leadership. While the rewriting and updating of the Bylaws and Policies and Procedures Manual easily flies under the radar of general membership, this effort is crucial to maintaining appropriate continuity and growth for various committees and roles within the organization. This continuity prevents time unnecessarily spent developing or revisiting initiatives or processes that have already been shown ineffective or that were unfortunately lost with the discontinued service of past leaders. The maintenance of updated documents facilitates continued expansion of the association’s efforts.

The Program Planning Committee, Co-Chaired by the Presidential Triad, has been increasing diversity among invited presenters and improving equity in presenter fees while providing members with high-quality training. I could not be more excited for the upcoming training with Dr. Eli Lebowitz regarding Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE) at our Spring Conference, a variety of salon trainings arranged by our members, and the Fall Conference that aims to provide much needed attention to the mental health needs of our clients and of ourselves as mental health providers.

With immense support from the Psychopharmacology Committee, under the leadership of Dr. Bethe Lonning as their Chair, Iowa now has 3 conditional prescribing psychologists and 3 more in the supervised portion of their training. These ambitious psychologists are paving the way for a future of improved access to prescribing psychologists in the state.

The Public Education Committee, currently Co-Chaired by Dr. Warren Phillips and Dr. Valerie Keffala, created a podcast last year for IPA to share psychological information with the public. More recently, they have been discussing ways of renewing their committee by integrating and collaborating their work with multiple other IPA committees including ethics, DSJ, and advocacy.

The Strategic Plan Committee, Co-Chaired by Dr. Nicole Holmberg and Dr. Valerie Keffala, worked with other standing committees to successfully implement the first year of the current strategic plan. During a day-long retreat, multiple meetings, and hours spent by each committee member in reviewing the committee Strategic Plan Worksheets, this committee provided individualized feedback to each Committee to assist with advancing the overarching Strategic Plan and to promote increased Committee collaborations.

Our Training Director and leader of the Training Task Force, Dr. Matthew Cooper, has been actively involved in advocacy efforts for a predoctoral internship bill. Once passed and signed, this bill would open the door for a number of entities in Iowa that are wanting to create predoctoral internships, thereby advancing the IPA training program further.

For improved accessibility, under the guidance of Co-Chairs Suzanne Hull and Dr. Katie Kopp, the Website, E-Communications, and Blog (WEB) Committee has added alternate text to website images and they have initiated a feature in which IPA Zoom meeting participants are now able to access a live transcript.

I am hoping that this Presidential Update will inspire an increase of IPA members who join and thereby strengthen the ongoing efforts of IPA leadership. Additionally, this update serves to communicate immense gratitude to the individuals, listed below, who form the foundation and carry out the functions of this strong organization. I am routinely impressed and inspired by their ambitious work. You may notice many names show up across several committees or groups on the list. IPA only stands to benefit from an increase in the number of names and an increased diversification of the representation of membership within our already strong and effective leadership.

Thank you all for your membership in IPA. I am grateful and humbled by the skills, wisdom, and passion of our membership. I look forward to the opportunity to continue serving in this role and I welcome continued engagement regarding our efforts to serve IPA.

——-

Executive Council

Nicole Keedy, Ph.D., IPA President

Nicole Holmberg, Ph.D., IPA President-Elect

Valerie Keffala, Ph.D., ABPP, IPA Past President

Scott Young, Ph.D., MSCP, IPA Representative

Katie Kopp, Ph.D., IPA Representative

Sally Oakes Edman, Ph.D., APA Representative

Eric Field, APAGS Representative

Joyce Goins-Fernandez, Ph.D., IPA Diversity Liaison

Laura Fuller, Ph.D., ABPP, IPA Secretary

Sarah Fetter, Ph.D., IPA Treasurer

Paul Ascheman, Ph.D., State Advocacy Coordinator

JoAnna Romero Cartaya, Ph.D., Federal Advocacy Coordinator

—–

Additional EC participants

All IPA Committee Chairs

Matt Cooper, Psy.D., MSCP, IPA Training Director

Suzanne Hull, Executive Director

Bethe Lonning, Psy.D., MSCP, Director of Professional Affairs

Active IPA Liaisons

Paul Ascheman, Ph.D. – Iowa Board of Psychology

David Beeman, Ph.D. – Medical Assistance Advisory Council

—–

Advocacy Team
Paul Ascheman, Ph.D.

Amy Campbell, IPA Lobbyist

Matt Cooper, Psy.D., MSCP

Nicole Holmberg, Ph.D.

Nicole Keedy, Ph.D.

Valerie Keffala, Ph.D., ABPP

Bethe Lonning, Psy.D., MSCP

Warren Phillips, Ph.D.

JoAnna Romero Cartaya, Ph.D.

Marla Shapiro, Ph.D. 

—–

Disaster Response

Chair: Ashley Freeman, Ph.D.

Committee Members:

Sarah Fetter, Ph.D.

Valerie Keffala, Ph.D., ABPP

Marla Shapiro, Ph.D.

Benge Tallman, Ph.D.

Emily Thomas, Ph.D.

—–

Diversity and Social Justice
Co-Chairs: Joyce Goins-Fernandez, Ph.D. and Nicole Holmberg, Ph.D.

Committee Members:

Pamela Bozec – Student Member

Angelica Castro Bueno – Student Member

Alejanda Castillo -Student Member

Sarah Fetter, Ph.D.

Gennifer Humphreys – Student Member

Valerie Keffala, Ph.D., ABPP

Lily Mathison, Ph.D.

Jessica Miller-Lange, Psy.D.

Amber Rissman – Student Member

Dana Shapiro – Student Member

Marla Shapiro, Ph.D.

—–

Early Career Psychologists
Chair: Maggie Doyle. Psy.D.

Committee Members:

Danah Barazanji, Ph.D.

Isaac Hooley, Ph.D.

Ashley Freeman, Ph.D.

Mark Poeppe, Ph.D.

Ancillary Committee Participants:

David Paul, Psy.D.

Lily Mathison, Ph.D.

Jessica Miller-Lange, Psy.D.

—–

Ethics
Chair: Marla Shapiro, Ph.D.

Committee Members:

Joel Ashby, Psy.D.

Joel Greenberg, Psy.D.

Stacey Pawlak, Ph.D.

Dana Shapiro – Student Member

Benge Tallman, Ph.D.

Scott Young, Ph.D., MSCP

Ancillary Members:

Eric Field – Student Member

David Paul, Psy.D.

Sarah Tartar, Ph.D.

—–

Finance Committee

Chair: Sarah Fetter, Ph.D.

Committee Members:

Dan Courtney, Ph.D.

Nicole Holmberg, Ph.D.

Suzanne Hull, Executive Director

Jennifer Kauder, Ph.D.

Valerie Keffala, Ph.D., ABPP

Nicole Keedy, Ph.D.

Mark Poeppe, Psy.D.

Benge Tallman, Ph.D.

—–

Membership
Co-Chairs: Nicole Keedy, Ph.D. and Alissa Doobay, Ph.D.

Committee Members:

Jenna Paternostro, Ph.D.

Eric Field – Student Member

Angelica Castro Bueno – Student Liaison to DSJ Committee

Suzanne Hull, Executive Director

Ancillary Committee Participants (have recently assisted with writing tasks, warm outreach, etc.):

Ashley Freeman, Ph.D.

Laura Fuller, Ph.D., ABPP

Lauren Garvin, Ph.D.

Jody Jones, Ph.D.

Stacey Pawlak, Ph.D.

Warren Phillips, Ph.D.

Lauren Welter, Ph.D.

—–

Policies and Procedures Workgroup

Workgroup Members:

Alissa Doobay, Ph.D.

Nicole Holmberg, Ph.D.

Nicole Keedy, Ph.D.

Valerie Keffala, Ph.D., ABPP

Ancillary Member:

Ashley Freeman, Ph.D.

—–

Program Planning Committee

Co-Chairs: Nicole Keedy, Ph.D., Valerie Keffala, Ph.D., ABPP, Nicole Holmberg, Ph.D.

Committee Members:

Joyce Goins-Fernandez, Ph.D.

Sarah Fetter, Ph.D.

Kevin Krumvieda, Ph.D., IPF liaison

—–

Psychopharmacology
Chair: Elizabeth Lonning, Psy.D., MSCP

Committee Members:

Brenda Payne, Ph.D., MSCP

Katie Kopp, Ph.D.

Scott Young, Ph.D., MSCP

Ashley Norwood-Strickland, Ph.D.

Mariana Pacheco – Student Member

—–

Public Education
Co-Chairs: Valerie Keffala, Ph.D., ABPP and Warren Phillips, Ph.D

Committee Member:

Sierra Lauber – Student Member

—–

Strategic Planning Committee

Co-Chairs: Valerie Keffala, Ph.D., ABPP and Nicole Holmberg, Ph.D.

Committee Members:

Alissa Doobay, Ph.D.

Benge Tallman, Ph.D.

Nicole Keedy, Ph.D.

Ancillary Member:

Ashley Freeman, Ph.D.

—–

Training Task Force

Task Force Members:

Paul Ascheman, Ph.D.

Matt Cooper, Psy.D., MSCP

Kayla Davidson, Psy.D.

Sam Graham, Ph.D.

Brenda Payne, Ph.D., MSCP

Marla Shapiro, Ph.D.

—–

WEB (Website, E-Communications, and Blog)

Co-Chairs: Suzanne Hull, Executive Director and Katie Kopp, Ph.D.

Committee Members:

Nicole Keedy, Ph.D.

Dear IPA Members,

I hope you each are enjoying the last days of 2021 and hoping that 2022 is a safe and happy one for you, bringing you many blessings and much joy.

In preparing for my last Presidential Blog, I have spent some time thinking about the past year and looking forward to new adventures and initiatives in the new year. 

An historic event occurred for IPA this past year when we elected Dr. Nicole Holmberg as our 2022 President Elect, resulting in what will be the first all women Presidential Triad in the history of IPA! Looking forward, 2022 looks to be an amazing year with the continuation of many initiative started this past year, and many more new initiatives on board for next year!

In looking back, 2021 was a very busy year with lots of learning and growing within IPA. I estimate IPA held an average of 4.5 zoom meetings per week, including committee and leadership meetings, conferences and learning opportunities, legislative events, townhalls, and social hours. Over this past year, we have continued to adapt very well to the challenges COVID has presented. Using online platforms, we have increased our ability to interact with each other, presenting more opportunities for growth and involvement within IPA, increasing outreach to members and non-members across the state.  

We have had multiple opportunities for IPA sponsored trainings throughout the year on a wide variety of topics including trauma, pain, diversity, working with individuals from agricultural communities, CMS, psychopharmacology, ethics, and legal issues relating to practice. Next year we will add to our broad range of training opportunities by offering several trainings focusing on parenting and children. 

This was the inaugural year for our IPA Director of Professional Affairs (DPA) position. Dr. Bethe Lonning, our first DPA, has been a tremendous help to IPA members. Dr. Lonning, Dr. JoAnna Romero Cartaya, Dr. Paul Ascheman, Dr. Matt Cooper, and IPA lobbyist Amy Campbell,  comprise our Advocacy Team. They all have continued to help keep us informed of larger national and state issues that impact IPA, and continue to advocate for IPA at the state and national level. There have been many challenges and opportunities this past year they have helped IPA navigate. 

This was also the inaugural year for our first elected Diversity Liaison (DL). Dr. Joy Goins-Fernandez has done a fabulous job serving IPA in that role, first as our interim DL, and this year in her first year as our elected DL. She has brought increased awareness of diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice (DEISJ) issues as they impact IPA members and the people with whom we work. This past year training was offered on awareness of implicit bias to all members. As part of our inaugural initiative to hold yearly DEISJ this training was offered free to all members.  On January 14, 2022, training will be offered on clinical competencies in working with LGBTQ+ populations. All EC members are required to attend this training, which will be offered to them free of charge. All IPA members are strongly encouraged to attend this training. 

This year we finalized and began to implement our IPA’s Strategic Plan, under the excellent leadership of, Dr. Benjamin Tallman, the chair of the Strategic Plan committee and 2021 Past President. The Strategic Plan has helped IPA achieve more transparency and clarity for IPA leaders and members, guiding IPA as we work toward goals and initiatives that keep IPA growing healthy and strong. 

Speaking of growth, this year our member numbers increased by 41 members! We now have a total of 284 IPA members. Much of our success in increasing student membership this past year has been due to our new program sponsoring student members. Membership committee co-chairs Dr. Alissa Doobay and Dr. Nicole Keedy (our 2022 IPA President!) came up with the wonderful idea of having IPA members volunteer to cover the cost of a year-long membership for a student ($50), and our new mentoring program, matching current full members with student members. If you are interested in sponsoring or mentoring a student member please reach out to Dr. Doobay or Dr. Keedy.

Like you, I could continue to name the many successes IPA has experienced this past year! It has been such a full and amazing year!!

As the year comes to a close, I look back on my year as IPA President with gratitude. My path was made much easier by the support provided by so many of you. In particular, I simply can’t express how much the support of my fellow Presidential Triad members has meant to me.  

I am so thankful for Dr. Benjamin Tallman, our Past President. He provided much needed guidance in times of doubt. His many years of experience were invaluable to me as I tried to follow in his footsteps. His long history within the leadership of IPA is taking a hiatus next year, but all he has done over his past 10 years in leadership will have a positive impact on IPA for many years to come. 

I am also so thankful to Dr. Warren Phillips and Dr. Nicole Keedy, whose wisdom guided me as I attempted to navigate in my leadership roles over the past 2 years. Their perspectives and insights were always so helpful. 

I am grateful to Ms. Suzanne Hull, our ever constant and unshakeable Executive Director, who kindly and expertly helped me find my way through the many administrative duties entailed my Presidential role. 

Many thanks, as well, to the Executive Council members who helped provide guidance during our EC meetings, particularly in navigating Robert’s Rules!! This small group of committed leaders are the movers and shakers of IPA. Executive Council members vote on initiatives, pass IPA bylaws and procedure manual changes, and work hard to support and represent IPA members. Members of the Executive Council reach out in a variety of ways to connect with APA and with the 59 other State, Provincial, or Territorial Associations (SPTAs) of APA; both to represent IPA and to explore ways IPA can grow. The Executive Council is comprised of an amazing group of people serving IPA. I humbled to have been chosen to lead this group as our President over the past year. 

Last, but not least, I extend my gratitude to all of the members of IPA. Without you we could not exist. It is your dedication and commitment to psychology that makes this all possible. 

I look forward to continuing my role in leadership next year, as Past President. Dr. Tallman and Dr. Phillips have been amazing mentors to me as I have watched them lean into this role!

A hearty congratulations to Dr. Nicole Keedy, who will do an amazing job as IPA President, and a warm welcome to Dr. Nicole Holmberg, who is going to be a fabulous President Elect! I look forward to working together with them in the 2022 Presidential Triad, along with all of the other IPA leadership and members! 

A heartfelt wish to you all for a happy and healthy New Year! 

What a glorious beginning to another fall season in Iowa! As a transplant to Iowa from California, I never tire of leaves changing, the weather turning colder, a new school year underway, and the football games, homecoming parades, and community events that are come to life in the college community where I live.

Fall is the time of national and state elections that determine much of what will come in the years ahead. The same is true for IPA! I am excited at the beginning of this fall season to have our IPA elections completed and look forward to some new faces on the IPA Executive Council. 

For the first time in the nearly 75-year history of IPA, the 2022 presidential triad will be comprised of all women! Dr. Nicole Keedy will be our new president, Dr. Nicole Holmberg will be our new president-elect, and I will move into the role of past-president. Though both men and women in IPA have been amazing presidential leaders, this upcoming year reflects the changing face of psychology over time. It is my hope that as an organization we continue to reflect changes in the larger community, inviting more diversity by creating more opportunities for leadership for psychologists in IPA and in the state of Iowa. 

IPA has grown, both in membership and in engagement, at the local, state, and national level. IPA has done a superb job supporting psychologists in Iowa by offering multiple training and CEU opportunities, by offering mentoring to students and new professionals, and by developing opportunities for early, mid, and later career psychologists to make a home in Iowa. We have made every effort to invite psychologists to both train AND remain in the state of Iowa, growing the profession of psychology in the state where Fields of Opportunities is our slogan!

Before running for president-elect 2 years ago, I had volunteered in IPA in a variety of ways over the years. IPA has evolved as we, and those with whom we work, have met multiple challenges. As an organization we have met the challenge of serving others through the insidious advance of COVID-19 (including the new Delta variant) that has ravaged our communities and families, the attempts by insurance companies to undermine payment for our services, the destruction of homes and offices of many during the derecho and flooding in various parts of the state, and many other economic, health, and safety challenges. Through it all, psychologists in the state of Iowa have continued to provide excellent care of patients, fabulous teaching in our universities and colleges, and have provided leadership in a variety of ways and in many roles. Even in the midst of all of these challenges, IPA is succeeding!

One of the ways IPA leadership has continued to thrive has been to maintain a commitment to change and grow. Towards this end, it has been one of my goals as president to have IPA revise the By-Laws and Policy and Procedures Manuals. These out-of-date documents have become unhelpful as individuals on the Executive Council tried to understand their roles and responsibilities to the organization. Earlier this year, I appointed IPA past-president Dr. Benjamin Tallman to lead this important and colossal effort as chair of the committee charged with the task to evaluate, update, and re-write these important documents needed for the proper running of our organization. 

Dr. Tallman has successfully leading this committee to examine every position in IPA leadership, every committee, and every contractor who works for IPA. We are reviewing every process and procedure with the hope of clarifying, defining, and providing guidance to others who will follow in these roles in the future. We meet as a group twice per month to work on creating a new and user-friendly document that will be easier to revise as roles grow and change. We want to provide both transparency and clarity for our future IPA leaders. With the help of leaders currently in these positions we have successfully started this process, though the task continues to grow as we recognize the many gaps in our current manuals. We hope to be done with this task in the next 12-24 months!

Please let me clarify that being involved in IPA leadership is more than just commitment and facing challenges. It also a source of friendship, collegiality, synergism, affinity, much joy and laughter, and sometimes wonderful shared meals! Though I spend hours in IPA meetings every month, I leave each one with a sense of wellbeing and greater purpose; a sense of being part of something bigger than myself. 

So, though being involved in IPA leadership is time consuming, it’s also lots of fun! Here is a photo from a recent IPA working retreat we had on my family farm. (Yes, a former southern California gal who had wanted to be a marine biologist now lives on a farm in a state with no ocean in site!) 

 IPA leadership is committed to doing our best and to lead with excellence, AND we also have a lot of fun! I encourage you to become involved! You belong here, make yourself at home! IPA wouldn’t survive with you!

Happy Summer!

This can be a busy time of year, full of transitions for many of us; swimming lessons and summer activities for kids, potentially the first travel many of have done for over a year as we head out on vacation, late nights and early mornings as days with longer sunlight allow time for time in the garden, long walks, and barbeques.

During this time of year, IPA leadership begins to think about recruiting our next group of leaders. Starting with this post, and over the next couple of weeks, we are encouraging members to think about volunteering to run for open positions in IPA leadership next year.

The positions we will be voting for this year are will be: Treasurer, IPA Representative, President Elect, Federal Advocacy Coordinator, and State Advocacy Coordinator. 

Each of these positions vary in time commitment, ranging on average from about 4 hours per month to 4 hours per week. Time in each position varies depending on what is happening during the year.

Though the time commitment may appear daunting, the rewards are great. You will get to work with some amazing folks in IPA, and have the opportunity to be at the heart of all that happens in the organization, helping to direct our growth and respond to the needs of our members, other psychologists in the state, and potentially become involved at a national level with APA and related to federal advocacy.

The Policy and Procedures Manual, found on the Member Resource page of IPA website, has a description of each of these positions, however we are in the process of making updates and revisions to each of these. Please feel free to reach out to me, Dr. Benge Tallman, or Dr. Nicole Keedy if you are wanting more information about these positions. 

If you are interested in running, please let one of the abovementioned Presidential Triad know over the next few weeks. We will post the ballot sometime during the second week of August, and voting ends 30 days later.

On a personal level, I would like to share that being in leadership has been one of the highlights of my personal and professional career. I’ve deepened relationships that were already important to me, and established new friendships and working relationships with others in leadership. As part of the leadership team, I have loved exploring and developing learning opportunities for psychologists, creating and promoting IPA initiatives, advocating for the profession of psychology on a state and federal level, and looking for ways to support and enhance training for doctoral and postdoctoral psychology students. These are only some of the things that stand out in my mind from my time as part of the Presidential Triad during these past 18 months.

IPA has a long and amazing history of service by some truly outstanding individuals. You are invited to become part of that history by volunteering to run for one of these positions.  I hope you will consider doing so!