Biography

Laurie “Lali” McCubbin is an assistant professor of counseling psychology in the Educational Leadership and Counseling Psychology program at Washington State University.  Her research interests and expertise focus on resilience and recovery processes among indigenous peoples and people of color across the life span.  She is currently the Associate Director of the Stress, Coping and Resilience Project:  Individuals, Families and Communities in collaboration with the University of Hawaii at Manoa.  She has written several articles and book chapters on trauma and transformation among indigenous peoples as well as family diversity and public policy.  She also serves on the editorial board for the Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development and is a reviewer for the Journal of Counseling Psychology, and the Journal of Career Assessment. 

Statement

I am honored and humbled to be nominated for the Vice President for Diversity and Public Interest.  I have been actively involved in the Society early in my career serving as a committee member for the Section on Ethnic and Racial Diversity (SERD), as Chair and Past Chair of SERD and in my current capacity as Chair of Chairs.  Being of indigenous and multiracial ancestry, I am deeply committed to diversity in all aspects as a counseling psychologist:  as a teacher, clinician, supervisor, mentor, scholar, community member and leader.  Being Chair of Chairs has provided me with a unique opportunity to see the diversity and the strengths within our division and how we as a Society have much to offer in promoting social justice, diversity and influencing public policy.  Coordinating training workshops and poster sessions across the sections has allowed me to see opportunities in developing, maintaining and enhancing alliances within the membership of the Society including early career psychologists, experienced leaders, clinicians and scholars and our respected elders. 

As Vice President of Diversity and Public Interest, my goals would be to:  (a) cultivate and enhance  alliances among members within the society to focus on key issues facing diverse populations ; (b) increase involvement among early career psychologists, mid career and senior level counseling psychologists who are committed to diversity and public policy issues  (c)  to promote social justice, diversity and public policy through the dissemination of current and challenging  research, sharing teaching, training opportunities and promulgating evidence based practice to developing and senior professionals and organizations;  and (d) support  exchanges and continuous dialogue around emerging and challenging scholarship as well as maintain our standing  as the leading organization in APA promoting diversity.

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