About APA-CoA

The APA Commission on Accreditation shall evaluate doctoral, internship and postdoctoral residency programs in professional psychology, in accordance with published criteria and procedures.

There shall be no fewer than 32 persons appointed to the Commission on Accreditation. To achieve appropriate balance between academic institutions and programs, practitioners of the profession, and the publics served by accreditation, appointments to the Commission on Accreditation shall represent in addition the following domains of perspective and responsibility with regard to professional education and training in psychology, each of which is essential to the balance of viewpoints expected in accrediting bodies and their activities.

Should you need to contact the Commission on Accreditation or any of its members regarding any accreditation issue that correspondence should be sent directly to the Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation. Members of the Commission on Accreditation, as part of their role and their responsibilities to the Commission, are prohibited from consulting with programs during their term of appointment, and for a period of one year thereafter.

What We Do

The accreditation process promotes consistent quality and excellence in education and training in health service psychology. Education and training provides tangible benefits for prospective students; the local, national, and international publics that are consumers of psychological services; and the discipline of psychology itself.

Commission Members

Members

CoA Chair
Janay B. Sander, PhD
Associate Chair, Quality Assurance
Nicole D. Torrence, PhD
Associate Chair, Program Review
Douglas Peterson, PhD
*Note: All terms begin on January 1 and end on December 31 of the given years unless noted otherwise.
Representing the Breadth of the Scientific Discipline of Psychology


Mitchell E. Berman, PhD (2021-26)
Mississippi State University
PhD, Clinical Psychology, 1994, Kent State University
APA member

Sheila Peters, PhD (2022-27)
Fisk University
PhD, Clinical Psychology, 1989, Vanderbilt University
APA member (Divs. 35, 37, 47, 49)

Douglas Peterson, PhD (2021-26)
University of South Dakota
PhD, Human Factors & Applied Experimental Psychology, 1999, Kansas State University

L. James Smart Jr., PhD (2024-26)
Miami University
PhD, Experimental Psychology (Human Factors), 2000, University of Cincinnati


APA Board of Scientific Affairs (BSA)

Joseph D. Hovey, PhD (2021-25)
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
PhD, Clinical Psychology, 1997, The University of Michigan


Representing Professional Education and Training in Psychology


Patricia Daza, PhD (2025-27)
Baylor College of Medicine
PhD, Clinical Psychology, 2000, University of Houston

Philip J. Lanzisera, PhD, ABPP (Clinical) (2020-25)
Henry Ford Health Sciences Center
PhD, Clinical Psychology, 1975, University of Detroit
APA member (Divs. 8, 12)

Michele Willingham, PsyD (2023-25)
Biola University
PsyD, Clinical Psychology, 1996, California School of Professional Psychology
APA member



Robin Oatis-Ballew, PhD (2023-25)
Tennessee State University
PhD, Clinical Psychology, 2001, Howard University
APA member

Valerie Stephens Leake, PhD (2021-26)
Austin Peay State University
PhD, Counseling Psychology, 2006, University of Kentucky
APA member (Divs. 17, 19)



Franci Crepeau-Hobson, PhD (2022-27)
University of Colorado, Denver
PhD, School Psychology, 1996, University of Northern Colorado
APA member (Div. 16)

Janay B. Sander, PhD (2020-25)
Ball State University
PhD, Educational Psychology (specialization in School Psychology), 2001, The University of Texas at Austin
APA member (Div. 16)



Arthur Cantos, PhD (2023-25)  
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
PhD, Clinical Psychology, 1989, State University of New York at Stony Brook
APA member (Div. 12)

Jim A. Haugh, PhD (2022-27)  
Rowan University
PhD, Clinical Psychology, 1998, Saint Louis University
APA member (Divs. 2, 12, 29, 38, 46)



Suzanne Hollman, PhD, PsyD (2023-25)
George Washington University
PsyD, Clinical Psychology, 2005, George Washington University
PhD, History of Medicine, 2020, University College of London
APA member 

Megan G. O’Banion, PsyD (2025-27)
University of San Francisco
PsyD, Clinical Psychology, 2009, The Wright Institute
APA Member (Divs. 2, 35)



Frances R. Brown, PsyD (2021-26)
PsyD, Clinical and Humanistic Psychology, 2008, Michigan School of Psychology
APA member (Divs. 32, 44)



Matthew D. Grilli, PhD (2024-26)
University of Arizona
PhD, Clinical Psychology, 1993, University of Arizona
APA member (Div. 40)


APPIC-Training Communities CoA Nominations Committee (ATCCNC)

OTHER INTERNSHIP GROUPS
Jennifer Cornish, PhD, ABPP (2022-27)
University of Denver
PhD, Clinical Psychology, 1982, California School of Professional Psychology, Los Angeles
APA fellow/APA member (Divs. 17, 29, 35)

Nicole Torrance, PhD (2021-26)
San Francisco VA Health Care System
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco
PhD, Clinical Psychology, 2015, University of Colorado
APA member (Div. 18)


POSTDOCTORAL TRAINING GROUPS

Krista Freece, PhD (2025-27)
Kaiser Permanente
PhD, Clinical Psychology, 2011, Fielding Graduate University
APA Member (Divs. 40)
Representing Practitioners of the Profession


INDEPENDENT PRACTICE

Dinelia Rosa, PhD (2020-25)
Teachers College, Columbia University
PhD, Clinical Psychology, 1996, Adelphi University
APA member (Divs. 31, 42)

Rita Sandidge, PhD (2023-25)
Natalis Psychology and Counseling Solutions
PhD, Counseling and Student Personnel Psychology, 2020, University of Minnesota – Twin Cities

INSTITUTIONAL PRACTICE

David Klemanski, PsyD (2025-27)
Yale University
PsyD, Clinical Psychology, 2006, University of Hartford

Teri Strong, PhD (2025-27)
Strong Partners in Health
PhD, Counseling Psychology, 1994, University of Oregon



SPECIALIZED PRACTICE

Danielle Rynczak, JD, PsyD, ABPP (2023-25)  
University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School 
PsyD, Clinical Psychology, 2012, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology
JD, 2002, Florida State University
APA Member (Div. 2)


Representing the Public Interest

GENERAL PUBLIC

Candace Ganz, EdD (2022-25)
University of Cincinnati
EdD, Educational/Developmental Psychology and Administration, 1996, Seattle University

Karl Gauby, PhD, JD (2023-25)
PhD, Education Leadership & Policy, 2004, Arizona State University
JD, 1990, Arizona State University

INDIVIDUAL AND CULTURAL DIVERSITY


Maria Teresa Coutinho, PhD (2024-26)
Wheelock College of Education, Boston University
PhD, Counseling Psychology, 2010, Boston College
APA member (Divs. 17, 45)


Representing Graduate Student Consumers of Education and Training


Jessica Lanctot (2025)
Doctoral student, PhD, Clinical Neuropsychology, Roosevelt University


Open CoA Seats

Sara Dolan, PhD (2025-27)
Baylor University Graduate School
PhD, Clinical Psychology, 2004, University of Iowa
APA Member (Divs. 2, 12, 28, 40, 50)

Aida L. Jiménez-Torres, PhD (2024-26)
University of Puerto Rico
PhD, Clinical Psychology, 1993, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan
APA member (Divs. 43, 45)

Special Appointments

Rachel Chickarella, PsyD (2024-26)
Antioch University New England
PsyD, Counseling Psychology, 2021, University of Massachusetts Boston
APA Member (Divs. 17, 44)

Angélica M. Díaz-Martínez, PsyD (2024-26)
Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP) Rutgers, State University of New Jersey
PsyD, Clinical Psychology, 1998, GSAPP Rutgers University
APA Member

Sofia Pham, PhD (2023-25)
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
PhD, School Psychology, 2016, Temple University
APA member (Div. 16)

Jerrold Yeo, PsyD (2024-26)
Private Practice
PsyD, Clinical Psychology, 2018, University of Denver
APA Member (Divs. 22, 38, 40)

Why accreditation matters

APA accreditation ensures programs meet standards that produce graduates ready to provide excellent clinical psychological service to the public.

About APA Accreditation

Learn more about the purpose and scope of APA accreditation.