Although making new year’s resolutions has become cliché, I appreciate the reflection that accompanies setting resolutions. Mainstream media bills it as a chance to set individual intentions for personal change but it can be so much more. Resolutions are also an opportunity to affirm support for our shared work and for cherished societal beliefs, values, and goals, and to pledge to stand resolute in the face of the challenges to them. What can we do to challenge discrimination and inequality? What will we do to promote peace? How can our work inform policies that advance social justice? How can we better serve the communities we work with?

I anticipate that many of us, regardless of whether we made new year’s resolutions, will be called to stand resolute in our commitment to societal beliefs and values that we hold dear. The first weeks of 2025 offer a glimpse of the challenges before us, some foreseen and many others still unknown. As I write, wildfires spurred by climate change are ravaging Los Angeles, California; Meta is rolling back its fact-checking and moderation programs, no longer seeking to limit the spread of disinformation and hate speech; and numerous programs, policies, and institutions that many regard as integral to U.S. democracy and to social justice are in the crosshairs of the second Trump administration. SPSSI members work on issues that are likely to take center stage this year – immigration, reproductive justice, climate change, academic freedom, homelessness, authoritarianism, transgender rights, war, and DEI initiatives – to name a few. Standing resolute, we must work together to advance the shared values that have long guided SPSSI and its members.  

Coming together to share our work and build community is an important way that we affirm and deepen SPSSI’s mission. I hope that you are as excited as I am about SPSSI’s 2025 Conference, Research as Seed, Teaching as Root, Action as Bloom: Foundations for a Just Future, co-chaired by Professors Giselle Laiduc and Tessa Dover. I cannot thank Tessa and Giselle enough for their work planning what will be an incredible gathering in Portland, Oregon. Please mark your calendars for June 26-29, and don’t forget to submit your work for consideration by the February 8th deadline. Our incredible keynote speakers will be announced soon.

Policy work is also crucial to advancing SPSSI’s mission. Last summer SPSSI sought out a wonderful group of collaborators from other divisions to pursue a funding opportunity from APA’s Committee on APA/Division Relations (CODAPAR). We applied for, and were fortunate to receive, a grant to support the development and publication of a set of policy briefs focused on Leveraging Psychological Science to Advance Economic Justice. Our goal is to inject the latest psychological science into ongoing policy discussions about poverty and economic inequality and offer concrete policy recommendations based on the psychological evidence. The briefs will be disseminated broadly to policymakers, psychologists, and other key stakeholders via webinars, divisional websites, and a congressional briefing. Our collaborators on this exciting project include Divisions 17 (Counseling Psychology), 20 (Adult Development and Aging), 27 (Community Research and Action), 35 (Psychology of Women), 37 (Child and Family Policy and Practice) 38 (Health Psychology) 41 (American Psychology-Law), and Psychology of Social Class Organization (POSCO). I am so grateful that Sam Abbott, SPSSI’s Director of Policy and Communications, is lending his expertise to this project. Stay tuned for updates.

Thank you for being part of SPSSI and for all you do! 

back to menu