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Hello ACPA Community Members,

The time for electing our 2024 officers is fast approaching.  It's been my privilege and pleasure to serve on the ACPA Board of Directors as your President-Elect for 2023. As your President-Elect, I have prioritized learning more about our professional community and have had the opportunity to contribute to our organization. 

We are actively looking for new Board Members for ACPA’s 2024 Board of Directors. Below is information about the open positions, as well as some FAQs about joining the board. I encourage anyone interested in serving on the board to reach out to me with questions and I will do my best to answer or connect you to a person that can. Looking forward to connecting! 

I understand that you may hesitate to consider being on the board - so let's reality check a few common assumptions...

• "I don't have the time."   REALITY: the time commitment is much less than you might think. The board meets once every other month for approximately two hours. The workload varies with each position. That means that your engagement can be pretty light or more involved. The role is what you make it! 
• "Board meetings are always dreadfully political and boring!"   REALITY: during ACPA Board meetings, we plan, we laugh, and we connect.  We often meet over a zoom to help with accessibility and complex personal schedules. We try to take time to check in and get to know each other.  We strive to have diverse perspectives on the board and we work collaboratively and treat each other with respect and kindness. 
• "I don't have anything to offer."   REALITY- Your view is different from others because every journey to become a psychologist is unique. You've got lots to contribute!!  If you're concerned about contributing too much or not enough, let’s talk. I can help you choose a position that could benefit from your interest and experience, but also a position where you can learn, build a sense of pride, and strengthen your leadership skills and community involvement. All you need is the desire to be a changemaker; you chose this field for a reason, so please contribute to it! We can’t always change the entire field of psychology, but we can cultivate our Alameda County community. 
• "What do I get out of joining?"   REALITY- Yes, Board of Director positions are volunteer. Although your ACPA and CPA membership dues for the time you are on the Board are waived, feeling compensated for your time and energy is important. As a member of ACPA’s Board of Directors, not only do you get to engage in cultivating the psych community in Alameda County (as well as through CPA), but your volunteer hours as a board member can count up to 12 CPD hours maximum per renewal period for "Professional Services”. You get 4.5 hours for 6 months of service, and 9 hours for a year of service.

OPEN Positions for 2024 Board:

• President-Elect: The President-Elect shall assume all duties of the President in their absence. As President-Elect, one of your main jobs is to learn from the President and Past President to prepare for your year of Presidency. This can include attending CPA Presidents meeting (via zoom), participating in ACPA events, and collaborating with and supporting the President and board members as necessary. This position begins a three-year term; first as President-Elect, as President during your second year, and Past President during your third year. [I am an open book, if you think you can’t do this but it interests you, REACH OUT we will talk.]
• Continuing Education Chair (CE): The ACPA Continuing Education Committee strives to offer high quality programming throughout the year to our members and to the community, at low or no cost. The CE Chair is involved in the planning, outreach, and hosting of CE events for Alameda County Psychological Association. The CE Chair works closely with the ACPA Administrator  [currently Annette Taylor] to ensure that events go off with minimal hitch and are in accordance with CPA rules. One of the benefits of the CE Chair position is the variety of interesting CE topics and areas of expertise that one is exposed to via the various CE events that are held. 
• Disaster Relief Chair (DRN): The Disaster Response Network is a national network of approximately 2500 volunteer psychologists with training in disaster response who offer volunteer assistance to relief workers, survivors, and victims’ families after man-made or natural disasters. The DRN is the result of collaboration between the American Psychological Association and the American Red Cross.
• Colleague Awareness Resource & Education Program (CARE) Chair: The psychology profession has recognized the need to encourage the use of rehabilitative mechanisms for those of its members who may experience behavioral, cognitive, emotional, and/or substance-related distress. The CARE program is designed to provide education and access to referrals, and increase awareness of issues of diversity, compassion fatigue, secondary traumatization, prevention, and early intervention.
• Publications Chair: The Publications Chair serves as the link between ACPA and the community. The responsibilities of this position will be based on the goals of the person in the position as well as the Board of Directors and the needs of our ACPA members. These responsibilities can include collaborating with our ACPA Administrator [currently Annette Taylor] and oversee the website to confirm events are updated and to address any major changes needed. Additional involvement can include the creation and distribution of an ACPA’s newsletter throughout ACPA Listserv.
• Membership Chair: As the membership chair, you serve as the first name/face point of contact for new members, and reach out to welcome them to the association. The membership chair also serves on the board as a coordinator for managing, increasing, and engaging the membership. The Membership Chair role is a good one for a first-time leadership role in ACPA. You're able to be a welcoming face or name for new members, and you have freedom in tailoring how you connect with membership (by phone, email, snail mail, or even face-to-face contacts, depending on your interest or style).