Provost and Senior Vice President Wendi Williams, Ph.D., Elected 2026 APA President

Note: This announcement is adapted from the American Psychological Association’s press release from Sept. 23, 2024.

Dr. Wendi Williams

Wendi S. Williams, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president at Fielding Graduate University, has been elected 2026 president of the American Psychological Association.

A psychologist, advocate and educator, Dr. Williams focuses her work on the inner lives of Black women and girls. Blending ideas from liberation psychology and various feminist perspectives to guide her work, she designs and runs programs for individuals, groups and organizations aimed at personal and organizational growth. Her goal as a psychologist is to help diverse women and girls thrive while pushing for meaningful change in organizations and society as a whole.

“In our increasingly complex world, the science and practice of psychology play a crucial role in offering insights and guidance into how we can enhance our lives and thrive collectively,” said Dr. Williams.

Dr. Williams celebrates the power of psychologists and their work when galvanized to educate and support the public to healthfully and prosocially respond to the myriad challenges that affect individual and collective wellness.

She has been an active member of APA for more than 16 years, most recently serving as president of APA’s Division 35, the Society for the Psychology of Women, and as the division’s representative to APA’s governing Council of Representatives. She was previously president of the Section on Black Women of Division 35 and a member of the APA Division 17 Presidential Taskforce Against Racism in K-12 Schools.

As APA president, Dr. Williams said her goal is to bring about her campaign slogan of “Radically Well Together.”

“Psychologists are scientists, practitioners, advocates and teachers, but more than anything, we are leaders. The world needs us, and we need a healthier world,” she said. “Our campaign’s slogan refers to the translation and application of psychological science to promote wellness in our world. Throughout my career, I have served as a counseling psychologist, educator and leader in professional organizations, including dedicated service to APA. It will be my honor to continue this journey as the next president of our association.”

Dr. Williams earned a BS in psychology from the University of California, Davis, an MA in general psychology from Pepperdine University and a Ph.D. in counseling psychology from Georgia State University. In addition to her position at Fielding, she serves as the co-board chair for Girls Leadership, a nonprofit that teaches girls and gender expansive youth to exercise the power of their voice through programs grounded in social-emotional learning.

Gary Wagenheim, chair of Fielding’s Board of Trustees, offered congratulations to Dr. Williams. “Since arriving at Fielding, Provost Williams has been instrumental in continuous innovative solutions that benefit our students and the entire Fielding community,” he said. “We know she will continue to make a difference with her dedicated, passionate and strategic leadership as APA president-elect in 2025 and as president in 2026.”

A co-author of numerous journal articles and book chapters, she is also author of the books “Black Women at Work: On Refusal and Recovery” and “WE Matter!: Intersectional Anti-Racist Feminist Interventions with Black Girls and Women.” She is also a co-editor of the “APA Handbook on the Psychology of Women.”

She will serve as 2025 APA president-elect before becoming president on Jan. 1, 2026.

About the American Psychological Association:

The American Psychological Association, in Washington, D.C., is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States. APA’s membership includes over 157,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance the creation, communication and application of psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve lives.