ASPPB, APA, and CPA Convene at North American Psychology Leadership Summit
TORONTO, Ontario, October 21, 2025– The Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB), the American Psychological Association (APA), and the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) met at a trilateral leadership summit in Toronto on October 9, 2025, to examine the shared challenges and emerging opportunities shaping the future of professional psychology across North America.
The meeting brought together senior leadership from the three associations:
• Dr. Hugh D. Moore, President, ASPPB
• Dr. Mariann Burnetti-Atwell, Chief Executive Officer, ASPPB
• Dr. Debra Kawahara, President, APA
• Dr. Arthur C. Evans, Jr., Chief Executive Officer, APA
• Dr. Steven Smith, President, CPA
• Dr. Lisa Votta-Bleeker, Chief Executive Officer, CPA
Initiated and hosted by ASPPB, the second annual summit provided an open forum for discussion of issues affecting the profession across jurisdictions in the United States and Canada, including licensure consistency, education and training models, workforce capacity, and the public’s understanding of psychologists’ roles. The dialogue emphasized the increasing interdependence of regulatory, educational, and professional systems and the need for sustained collaboration to ensure psychology remains responsive, evidence-based, trusted, and vital.
Participants examined how psychology can best define its unique contribution to public welfare while adapting to rapid social, technological, and workforce change. The summit concluded with broad agreement that psychology’s future depends on open reflection and coordinated innovation, guided by three central questions:
Should we rethink how we train psychologists?
Should we rethink what it means to be a psychologist?
Should we rethink who is part of the field of psychology?
The associations agreed to continue their collaboration through regular follow-up working sessions and joint initiatives focused on competency alignment, licensure mobility, and data-driven evaluation of training outcomes. Updates on these cooperative efforts will be released jointly in the months ahead.
