Last modified: Friday, December 16, 2005
Sharon Brehm elected president of American Psychological Association
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Sharon Stephens Brehm, professor of psychology at Indiana University Bloomington and former IUB chancellor, has been elected president of the American Psychological Association, the largest association for psychologists in the world.
Brehm was elected by the voting membership, which includes more than half of the 155,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students who make up the organization.
"I very much appreciate my colleagues' support and I look forward to working on behalf of the association and its members," said Brehm. "Psychology faces many challenges and even more opportunities. I hope I can help in developing a strong foundation for a bright future."
Brehm will serve as president-elect in 2006, president in 2007, and past-president in 2008. She will be a member of the APA board of directors throughout her three-year term. Her presidential year comes 103 years after the APA presidency of William Lowe Bryan, who served as IU's president from 1902 to 1937. The APA president serves as a representative of the entire association and conducts the meetings of the board and the council of representatives. Brehm intends to focus on internal and external communications, advocacy on behalf of the field of psychology and assisting the association in preparing for the future.
Brehm was chancellor of the IU Bloomington campus from 2001 to 2003. Prior to coming to IU, she served as provost at Ohio University, dean of arts and sciences at SUNY Binghamton, and director of the college honors program at the University of Kansas.
Brehm's research has examined the effects of psychological reactance, empathy and self-focus. She has published numerous books, chapters, monographs and articles in both clinical and social psychology, including two textbooks in multiple editions. Brehm was a Fulbright Senior Research Scholar at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales and served on the American Council on Education's International Commission. She was chair of the governing board of OhioLINK, the state-wide higher education consortium, and founding chair of the governing board of the Ohio Learning Network. She is currently a member of the board of the Association of American Colleges and Universities and vice president of the board of the Bloomington Area Arts Council.
Brehm received B.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Duke University and an A.M. degree from Harvard University.
To speak with Brehm, contact Tracy James at 812-855-0084 and traljame@indiana.edu.
