Division 52 Board of Directors

Officers

President 2021
Lawrence Gerstein, PhD
Ball State University, USA

Ball State University George and Frances Ball Distinguished Professor of Psychology-Counseling and Director of the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies. He is a trained mediator, Fulbright Scholar, APA Fellow, and expert in conflict prevention and resolution and cross-cultural psychology. Gerstein has extensive external funding including U.S. State Department and U.S. Institute of Peace grants. He has performed peacebuilding, leadership, and “people-to-people” projects in the U.S., Iraq, Pakistan, Jordan, Tajikistan, India, Hong Kong, China, Indonesia, Korea, Israel, Taiwan, and Myanmar. Gerstein is co-editor of the Journal for Social Action in Counseling and Psychology, and International Handbook of Cross-Cultural Counseling: Cultural Assumptions and Practices Worldwide, among others.

Past-President 2021
Brigitte Khoury, PhD
American University of Beirut, Lebanon

Associate professor of clinical psychology at the Psychiatry Department at the Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut. She is the director of the clinical training program, and the director of the Arab regional center for research in mental health. Dr. Khoury worked on the licensing criteria and practice guidelines of psychology in Lebanon. She is a consultant for several NGOs, UN bodies, and the founding president of the Lebanese Psychological Association. She is the vice president of the Arab Union of Psychological Science, and a member of the executive committee of the International Union of Psychological Science

President-Elect 2021
Kurt Geisinger, PhD

Secretary, 2020-2022
Michele Ribeiro, Ed.D, CGP
Oregon State University

Professional Faculty, licensed psychologist and certified group psychotherapist at Oregon State University’s Counseling and Psychological Services.  She also facilitates the group psychotherapy training for psychiatry residents at Good Samaritan Hospital in Corvallis, Oregon; teaches group psychotherapy for the PsyD program at George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon; has worked as a national speaker/trainer for PESI, INC on mindfulness, yoga and mental health, and serves as a visiting instructor for Zanzibar University in Tanzania.  Her scholarship engages in group psychotherapy, examining whiteness, teaching anti-racist practices, and bringing yoga and mindfulness into clinical practice.   She is board certified in psychology, a fellow with the American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA) and serves on the board for AGPA and Division 49  of the APA (Group Psychology and Group Psychotherapy) as the APA Council Representative.  She has published two (co)edited books entitled:  The College Counselor’s Guide to Group Psychotherapy (2018) and Examining Social Identities and Diversity Issues in Group Therapy:  Knocking at the Boundaries (2020) by Routledge Press.

Treasurer, 2012-2022
Martha Zlokovich, Ph.D.
Psi Chi International

Developmental Psychologist and Executive Director of Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology. Previously she was a Professor at Southeast Missouri State University teaching developmental psychology courses and served as Chair of the Psychology Department and Interim Chair of the Center for Scholarship in Teaching and Learning. Her research interests are student study habits, study beliefs, and persistence to graduation as well as adolescent and young adult contraception and sexuality. She speaks German and is working on Spanish, French, and Italian. She is currently Past President of Society for Psychologists in Management (SPIM) and D52 Treasurer.

Elected Board Members

VP for Communication, 2020-2022
Debbie Best, Ph.D.
Wake Forest University

VP for Initiatives, 2020-2022
Gregory Gormanous, Ph.D.

VP for Engagement, 2019-2021
Lynette Bikos, Ph.D.
Seattle Pacific University

Professor in the Departments of Clinical and Industrial/Organizational Psychology at Seattle Pacific University. She teaches statistics, research methods, and psychometrics courses as Associate Dean for the School of Psychology, Family & Community. Her scholarship falls at the intersections of vocational, global, and sustainable psychology with primary projects evaluating expatriation/repatriation experiences of global families, re-entry growth trajectories following education abroad, and the internationalization of psychology curricula. Lynette has served on the editorial boards of International Perspectives in Psychology, Journal of Vocational Behavior, Journal of Counseling Psychology, Journal of Career Development, and Career Development Quarterly. She is a Fellow of the Western Psychological Association.

Early Career Psychology Committee Chair, 2021
Juan Antonio Valdivia Ph.D.

Student Committee Chair, 2021
Daniel Balva (he/him/his) M.S., NCC, CRC
University of Georgia

4th year Counseling Psychology doctoral candidate at the University of Georgia who is currently completing his internship at the VA Pacific Islands Healthcare System in Honolulu, Hawai’i. He has a strong passion for global mental health, multiculturalism and international social justice concerns, juvenile justice, and disability awareness— all of which form the basis of his research interests, leadership involvement in various organizations, and international collaborations and engagement.

Council Representative, 2019-2021
Neal Rubin, Ph.D., ABPP
Adler University

Neal S. Rubin, Ph.D., ABPP

Visiting Professor at Adler University, Chicago.  Graduated Northwestern University (Anthropology) and University of Chicago (MS and PhD).  Dr. Rubin is a Fellow of the APA (D39 & 52) and the Eastern Psychological Association (EPA).  For 15 years, Dr. Rubin served on the APA United Nations NGO Team at UN Headquarters in New York City.  In this role, he contributed to psychologically informed global policies, utilizing research-based psychological information and resources pertinent to the behavioral dimensions of human rights issues worldwide.  Dr. Rubin is a past President of Division 52, and Chair of the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s (AAAS) Committee on Scientific Freedom and Responsibility, which promotes the use of science and the work of scientists in the service of human rights. He publishes and speaks on issues related to international psychology and human rights. With Dr. Roseanne Flores (Hunter College, CUNY), he co-edited The Cambridge Handbook of Psychology and Human Rights.

Ex Officio

Early Career Psychology Committee Chair-Elect, 2021, Ex Officio
Lora Erickson PhD, LHMC, LCPC.

Licensed clinical mental health counselor in Illinois and Florida and associate professor of social and behavior sciences at Johnson University in Kissimmee.  She is a telehealth therapist for BetterHelp, a virtual counseling platform that allows her to see clients in the U.S. and internationally.  She also serves as an adjunct instructor for The Chicago School of Professional Psychology in the graduate international psychology program and Los Angeles Pacific University in undergraduate and graduate applied psychology programs.  She is a subject matter expert in assessment, diversity, and ethics. She is also a member of the Institutional Review Board with Johnson University.  Her clinical interests include work with children, adolescents, and young adults particularly in foster care and with histories of trauma.  Her research interests include the cross-cultural study of resiliency and protective factors, particularly among youths and young adults with histories of system-based care, emergent professional identity models within the field of international psychology and related disciplines, as well as the sensitivity of qualitative methodology in trauma-based work.

Early Career Psychology Committee Past-Chair, 2021, Ex Officio
Maria-Cristina Cruza-Guet Ph.D.

Student Committee, Chair-Elect 2021, Ex Officio
Erinn Cameron
Fielding Graduate University

Erinn Cameron is a first-generation university student currently working on a Ph.D. in clinical psychology with specializations in social justice and neuropsychology at Fielding Graduate University. She lives on an island in the Salish Sea, where she enjoys eco-living in an intentional community, making music, cooking, and gardening with her family. Having lived in several countries and participated in academic and humanitarian work across the globe, Ms. Cameron brings a wealth of international, cultural, and life experience to her work. Her ongoing research and clinical work focus on human rights, gender inequality, human trafficking, women’s health, and cannabis use. In addition to her work with the APA Division 52 board, Erinn is also a campus representative for APA Division 35, and a student board member of the International Council of Psychologists.

Student Committee, Past-Chair 2021, Ex Officio
Ankita Nikalje
Purdue University

Ankita Nikalje is a 4th year Counseling Psychology Doctoral Candidate at Purdue University. Ankita is also closely connected with Div. 17 Counseling Psychology and Division on South Asian Americans (Asian American Psychological Association). She truly believes that International Psychology cuts across all the various disciplines of psychology and that this is best represented in the work we all do.

Parliamentarian, Ex Officio
Lynn Collins
LaSalle University

Parliamentarian, Ex Officio
Merry Bullock, Ph.D.
Ahimsa International

Bullock is the co-parliamentarian for Division 52, Secretary-General of the International Council of Psychologists and co-chair of the steering committee for the Global Network of Psychologists for Human Rights. Previously she directed the APA Office of International Affairs, overseeing involvement in international academic, research, and policy. Her scholarship includes co-editing the Handbook of International Psychology (2nd edition), and work on early cognitive development, scientific thinking, motivation and emotion, and internationalization. She served previously with the International Union of Psychological Science (IUPsyS). Dr. Bullock has lived and worked in Canada, Estonia, Germany, and the United States.

Newsletter Co-Editors, Ex Officio
Stephen DiDonato, Ph.D.
Thomas Jefferson University
Joyce Yip Green, Ph.D.
Chicago School of Professional Psychology

Journal Editor, Ex Officio
Stuart Carr, Ph.D.
Massey University