Candidate Statements for Division 48. Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict, and Violence: Peace Psychology Division

Please note that the submission of a candidate statement was voluntary, so not all candidates listed on the ballot will have a statement.

Candidate: Michael J. D'Andrea, EdD

Office: President-elect

Candidate Statement:

If elected to President of Division 48, I would focus on accomplishing the following three goals.

Goal #1: I would work with other leaders and members to increase the membership of Division 48 by twenty percent during my tenor as president.

Goal #2: To help build the membership of Division 48, I would schedule quarterly national electronic collaboration meetings offered free of charge through a computer program I have access to enable persons interested in the Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict, and Violence to communicate with one another in audio and text typing format.

Goal #3: I will lobby the leadership body in Division 48 to join with the National Institute for Multicultural Competence (NIMC) and the Counselors for Social Justice association in co-sponsoring a project that was initiated in February 2008 entitled, “Continuing the National Discussion of Race, Justice, and Peace.” This project involves psychologists and counselors working together to facilitate town hall meetings that focus on issues related to race, justice and peace in their communities. As one of the persons who helped plan and implement this national project, I am well-positioned to serve as a liaison between Division 48 and the other co-sponsoring groups to more formally involve the Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict, and Violence in this community-based psychological intervention.

Candidate: JW P. Heuchert, PhD

Office: President-elect

Candidate Statement:

There is renewed hope and high expectations for change in our country. We have new opportunities to build on our past successes, and expand our work for peace and justice. My vision is that we can also use the renewed goodwill around the globe to invigorate international collaboration in peace education, conflict resolution, peace research and other areas, while continuing with our local successes.

I am a professor of psychology at Allegheny College, and my work for peace, justice and social change spans thirty years – as activist and academic – in my native country, South Africa, and in the US. I have served our Society/Division for many years in several capacities: as editor of our newsletter - Peace Psychology; on the division’s Executive Committee; the Publication Committee and as the co-chair of the Convention Program (2004). Working with our dynamic leaders and our dedicated members is a privilege that I value. I have always been impressed with our members’ dedication to our cause and the amount of work accomplished. I will be pleased to continue to facilitate that work through developing and expanding our organization, and working towards fulfilling the division’s strategic objectives.

I am honored to be nominated for President-Elect of our Society/Division. The division is my home in APA, and if elected, I will promote our Division’s hospitality to build our organization. I will also be pleased take on the greater responsibility for the fulfillment of our shared vision of local and global peace and social justice.

Candidate: Julie Meranze Levitt, PhD

Office: President-elect

Candidate Statement:

I feel qualified to be President of the Peace Psychology Division because of my background, Division experiences, and plans to build on these experiences. I have clinical and research expertise in systems, human development, trauma resolution, and health issues. I also have convened international meetings that examined and developed peace practices in post-conflict contexts. As Division Member-at-Large, I have a thorough understanding of the Society's structure and group processes. During my two-year tenure as Program Chair, we expanded the scope and depth of presentations on the relevance of peace psychology to a wide range of issues, including quality of life, equity, health care, legal justice, and non-violence.

As President, I would build on my work as Program Chair and continue to increase student participation and mentoring because I realize our vitality as an organization depends on nurturing future generations of peace psychologists.

Secondly, as President, I would continue to serve on and implement the findings of an APA task force that is surveying division presidents, assessing division culture, and formulating recommendations to increase the representation of minorities within divisions.

Third, I would continue to build relationships with division presidents, using my skills in group processes, to identify common goals and open venues for partnering on research, practice, and policy matters.

Finally, as President I will build on Division relationships with governmental and non-governmental groups to pursue our common interests and seek to increase our visibility and influence in education, research, and policy related to peace and social justice.

Candidate: Zoi Andalcio, MS

Office: Member-at-Large

Candidate Statement:

Given the tremendous responsibility of this position there is a duty for the member-at-large position to be filled by an individual who is not only capable, but is also forward-thinking and innovative. In the humblest of ways I will attempt to illustrate why I might fit this criterion. To think of peace, one must think of community before individual. It will take a candidate who knows this to be true to effectively advocate for the advancement of the mission of the global community of the Division 48. Yet to some in our society, to think of community before individual can be interpreted that you ascribe to a certain theoretical and political ideology. It should be our duty as professionals in the field of psychology to lead the charge for putting people and communities first in the pursuit of progress in our global society. In my current work as an addiction counselor at an inner city outpatient clinic for men, I am confronted everyday with people who have been pushed to desperation. Men come into my office full of self-reports of abuse, trauma, and isolation. When a group of people are struggling to survive and overcome man-made problems, then it is society’s responsibility to fix that problem. As member-at-large I would like to work on projects that center on solution focused interventions that convert disenfranchised communities from being victims to empowered forces of change in their own communities, promoting peace and conflict resolution.

Candidate: Joe W. Hatcher, PhD

Office: Member-at-Large

Candidate Statement:

BA Dartmouth College, Ph.D. Vanderbilt University (1986), in Social Psychology.

Relevant courses taught: Social Psychology, Prejudice, Peace Studies, Positive Psychology, and The Psychology of War and Peace

Personal narrative:

My peace-related epiphany occurred when I encountered the field of Peace Studies, which is the interdisciplinary study of factors that lead to war and peace at levels ranging from the international to the personal. In considering how Psychology relates to this field, I’ve had several realizations. First, clinical/counseling work is peace work, as it is always directed toward finding peace for individuals and families. Second, psychologists working in prisons operate at more than one level, as they protect society by helping troubled people achieve more peace toward others and internally. I have also been influenced by the fact that Peace Studies emphasizes action along with thought. Accordingly, I have taken three groups of students to Hagley Gap, Jamaica, to do service learning work as part of a Peace Studies class, and more locally I have worked with the Wisconsin Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies. Finally, after I realized the connection between therapy and Peace Studies, I decided to respecialize in Counseling Psychology, and am currently completing my internship with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections. If elected, my goals would be to heighten awareness of the connections between the clinical and counseling worlds and peace work, to examine the role of psychologists within correctional institutions, and to work with prison reform.