Statement
Nancy M. Sidun, PsyD, ABPP, ATR
Board of Directors, Member-At-Large Statement
It would be my honor and privilege to be a member-at-large on APA’s Board of Directors. I have a long-standing commitment to APA and the discipline and profession of psychology. My values and actions resonate with APA’s current strategic plan, specifically the mission statement that includes applying psychological science and knowledge to benefit society and improve lives. For decades, I have been raising awareness of human trafficking, one of the gravest contemporary human rights violations. I have witnessed first-hand how psychological science and practice can and has positively improved the lives of trafficked persons. APA’s Task Force Report on Trafficking of Women and Girls, which I Co-Chaired, addresses how psychologists can tackle human trafficking in all professional capacities: research, education and training, advocacy, public policy, practice, and public awareness. I would vigorously encourage APA to continue using psychological science to advocate for social justice and human rights issues.
As Chair of the Committee of International Relations, I promoted the inclusion of an international focus during the development of the latest APA Strategic Plan. I was pleased with the results that such advocacy yielded. I fully embrace APA’s guiding principles, including advocating for diversity and inclusion and respecting and promoting human rights. The events of the last years, e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic, global movements for racial justice, political divide and unrest, Black Lives Matter protests, and AAPI hate crimes, place us in an unparalleled time to fuel a global stance within APA. As an international psychologist, I value and foster global viewpoints and would bring my international lens to all agenda items brought to the Board. With APA’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Chief Diversity Officer position and the EDI office, I am confident that an international perspective alongside this vital EDI attention will advance APA’s strategic priorities.
Collaboration, inclusion, and an unwavering ethical stance are the foundations of my leadership style. My extensive experience in organizational leadership includes leading a Behavioral Health Department for a national-level HMO, serving as chief of a robust multi-disciplinary military outpatient Behavioral Health Services, and managing a multi-cultural graduate-level psychology department of a leading accredited university. These leadership experiences coupled with my broad volunteer involvement as a leader in state, national, and international organizations (i.e., APA, International Council of Psychologists, Hawaii State Assn, and more), my advocacy for new and effective ways to deliver psychological care (e.g., telehealth, prescription privileges) and my experience in training graduate and post-graduate psychology and psychiatry trainees are assets that I bring to the Board.
If selected, I commit to transparency, maintaining ethical standards, and elevation of the voices of members who believe that they are not being heard within the APA organization. I have the passion and time to dedicate to this endeavor and bring my psychological understandings in conventional and complementary psychology (e.g., expressive arts) as assets. My experience with APA governance, within divisions and across APA Boards, Committees, and Council, serve me well for this position. I welcome the opportunity to serve APA in this capacity.