ELECTED LEADERSHIP
I have always been invested in the systems and structures that shape the contexts where I’ve worked.
As I was finishing my work as Editor of Personality and Social Psychology Review (see below), I was asked to run for President of the Association for Research in Personality. Believing that work always goes better (and is more fun!) when it is collaborative, I asked if we could reimagine the position to be a Co-President role. I was delighted to be matched with Rebecca Shiner, a scholar whose work is very different from my own, but who I have known for years and respect immensely. The membership approved the role change, elected us, and we began our term as Co-Presidents on January 1, 2026. Serving in this role is an immense honor. ARP has been one of my most treasured professional homes since graduate school. The Presidency has been held by many eminent psychologists, including Walter Mischel (of marshmallow test fame) and some of the pioneers of research on The Big Five personality traits. Rebecca and I are only the second President in the organization’s history who work at small colleges. We are looking forward to beginning this two-year term.
EDITORIAL WORK
Ever since I was given the opportunity to observe and then participate in the peer-review process in graduate school I have been interested in shaping the way journals operate.
I served as Editor in Chief of Personality and Social Psychology Review for a four-year term that ended December 31, 2025. PSPR has a unique place in the ecosystem of personality and social psychology journals, publishing visionary theoretical work that helps shape the field’s agenda, and enjoying the field’s top 5-year impact factor rating across more than 70 journals in personality and social psychology for the past 15 years. To say I was humbled by this opportunity is to vastly understate things. PSPR experienced a meteoric rise since it was launched more than a quarter century ago. Along with a stellar team, we worked to build upon PSPR’s strong foundation while galvanizing the journal (and hopefully the field) in a somewhat new direction. I’d love for you to read my incoming Editorial here.
During our term at the helm of PSPR we implemented a number of major initiatives aimed at shifting the publishing ecosystem towards fostering pathways to editorial leadership for scholars who have faced barriers. You can read more about them in our mid-term report here. First, we reshaped our Editorial Board to serve as a pathway for future editorial leaders from a highly diverse set of backgrounds. We also established an Emerging Editor Board, composed of advanced graduate students and postdocs who receive developmental feedback on each review they submit. PSPR is also proud to host an Editorial Fellowship, aimed at create a supportive pathway to editorial leadership for psychologists from communities that have been historically excluded from these roles. Our inaugural Fellow, Stephen Baffour Adjei from Ghana, worked with the journal in 2023 and is now an Associate Editor at Psychological Science. Our second Fellow, Pegah Nejat from Iran, worked with the journal in 2024 and now serves on key committees in the field. Our third Fellow, Ligia Carolina Oliveira-Silva from Brazil, finished her term and is now an Associate Editor at the journal. She reflected on the impact of her fellowship here.
Before PSPR, I had the incredible honor to serve as an Associate Editor at the Journal of Personality for eight years, where my perspective on scientific publishing matured and coalesced. I have also guest edited Special Issues of Journal of Personality and Qualitative Psychology. And, I serve on the Editorial Boards of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Journal of Research in Personality, and European Journal of Personality. In addition, serving as an Associate Editor at Collabra: Psychology and on the inaugural Editorial Board of Personality Science has given me an opportunity to try a very different editorial approach.