Gratitude, Growth, and What’s Next for LPA – A Message from LPA’s Past President
As my term as President of the Louisiana Psychological Association comes to a close and the baton passes today to the fantastic Dr. Kelley Pears, I wanted to take a moment to share some highlights from the year and give some previews of what’s to come for LPA.
From the start, collaboration has been at the heart of everything we’ve done this year. I’m especially reminded of the kind words our Convention Committee received after this year’s spring’s conference. Phrases like ‘refreshing energy’ and ‘sense of community’ really captured the spirit of the event and the tone of our year together. That feedback reminded us that when LPA comes together with shared goals, we can accomplish a lot. Here’s a look at what we’ve done this year, thanks to the dedication of our members and Executive Council leadership.
We’ve remained actively engaged with the Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychologists, ensuring your voice is represented in every room that matters. This year marked an important step forward – LPA was able to financially support consistent, official representation at every Board meeting for the first time. Dr. Koren Boggs (Executive Council Director and incoming President-Elect) has served in this key role, helping ensure that LPA’s presence and perspective are part of the conversation.Dr. Boggs has an incredible memory for details and procedure and as a former LSBEP Board Member/Chair, she is a great fit for this role. While you may not hear about every discussion item at these meetings, please know that we have worked to ensure your voice is represented.
In February, along with Drs. Danielle Cottonham Mason (Executive Council – Director) and Kelley Pears (Executive Council – President-Elect), I was able to attend APA’s Practice & SPTA Leadership Conference on behalf of Louisiana Psychologists. This experience, funded by APA, gathers state psychological association leaders and APA officials to collaborate on advocacy, management, and leadership. We were able to build valuable relationships through this trip and get some great ideas for the future of LPA – stay tuned for possible collaborations between LPA and the Mississippi Psychological Association (MPA)!
Legislatively, our presence has grown stronger each year. Our work has evolved significantly from simply monitoring bills, to responding to legislation that impacts Psychologists, to now proactively crafting and advancing legislation of our own to shape the future of psychology in Louisiana. With the leadership of our lobbyist, Keli Williams, and our tireless Legislative Committee Chair, Dr. Jesse Lambert, we were able to add Psychologists to Louisiana’s limited tele-PEC law. I would be remiss not to also add a sincere thank you for the work of Drs. Greg Gormanous and Erin Reuther on this committee for their ongoing dedication to advancing and protecting our field. And a special thank you to Dr. Aimee Blackham; an LPA member who pointed out wording in a proposed bill that contained the potential for serious adverse impact to Psychologists and those we serve. Thanks to her quick thinking in contacting the Legislative Committee, we were able to join forces with other concerned health care disciplines and mitigate potential harm. This evolution is a proactive step forward for our profession and would not be possible without ongoing relationship building on behalf of our lobbyist and our Legislative Committee.
Our Convention Committee, chaired by the incredible Dr. Sonia Blauvelt, launched a standout Fall Workshop exploring AI in Psychology, bringing timely and thought-provoking content to our members. Our Spring Convention built on that momentum, drawing one of our most engaged crowds to date, which speaks to the strength of our presenters, our planning committee, and our shared vision for excellence. Thank you to this committee for their thoughtfulness in choosing diverse, unique, and useful presentations for our community. All of the feedback we’ve received has emphasized members’ desire for ongoing presentations focused on science and practical applications of Psychology and we look forward to using your suggestions for guidance as we plan for the rest of the year and into 2026.
Financially, LPA has never been in a stronger or more responsible position. Thanks to prudent stewardship and member support, we’ve increased compensation for our lobbyist, ensured fair and well-earned pay for our incredible administrator, Natalie Burkhart, and for the first time ever – begun offering honorariums to attract top-tier presenters to our events. These are investments in the future of our association and the quality of our professional community.
Our Executive Council continues to function as a collaborative space to bring new ideas and make tangible progress for our association. It has been so rewarding to work with our team and to get to know Psychologists I might otherwise not have interacted with professionally. Dr. Monica Stevens will be greatly missed as she rolls off council. We are so lucky to keep Dr. Cottonham Mason for another year and we’re excited that we’ve somehow managed to convince Dr. Deborah Palmer to stick around as Secretary for another two years. It is an ongoing win for LPA that Dr. Kim VanGeffen continues to offer her wisdom, institutional knowledge and expertise, and importantly – her home (and home cooking!) to our association. Her continued role as our Treasurer is invaluable, particularly as we begin to move to modernize our finances and ensure ongoing fiduciary responsibility to the organization. If you’ve ever considered serving in a leadership role in LPA, now is truly the time. We have a great, respectful, fun group of Psychologists working together towards shared goals.
As I step into the role of Immediate Past-President, I’m thrilled to give a warm welcome to Dr. Kelley Pears, who brings fresh energy and a deep commitment to our mission. I also want to extend my congratulations on his well-earned retirement from the VA after many years of dedicated service to our veterans. (And yes, Kelley—this does mean more time for LPA… just kidding!) I look forward to supporting his vision and continuing the work we’ve begun together.
Thank you for your engagement, your trust, and the work you do every day – simply belonging to LPA as a member is a radical act of advocacy for your profession. It has been a privilege to lead LPA this year.
With gratitude,
Amy Henke, PsyD
President, Louisiana Psychological Association (2024–2025)
