Where do you work, and what is your job title? I'm a Consultant at Hogan Assessments.

What led you to join IPAC? I joined IPAC in November 2021 when I joined the Great Lakes chapter (GLEAN) board. One of my colleagues was volunteering as the Marketing Chair at the time and let me know the GLEAN board was looking for Chapter Officers. From there, I really valued the networking, learning more about the different types of work people were doing, and learning about various workplace assessments.

How do you get the most out of local chapters like GLEAN? As a member of a local chapter, I encourage members to attend events, whether they're in-person or virtual. When you see surveys asking for feedback on those events and asking about what types of content or events you'd like to see in the future, share your thoughts! As Chair of the GLEAN chapter, I really do want to put on events that our chapter members are interested in, so we need that feedback. Local chapters are intimate in a way that allows for connection and personalization of the content. As a chapter member, I also make an effort to stay in contact with other event attendees. Doing so has not only led to making friends, but also meeting some brilliant collaborators for IPAC and SIOP conference submissions.

What is a project you are working on right now that you are really excited about and why? I'm really excited about learning American Sign Language (ASL) through the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind. I have a personal connection to the deaf community, and it's brought a great awareness to accessibility features, both in the workplace and elsewhere. I hope to become fluent in ASL to one day use it in not only my personal life, but also client work and possibly events such as IPAC webinars and learning events!

What was your song of the summer? A Whole New Sound is a compilation album by various artists that came out in early September. A few of those singles were released over the summer, like "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from The Lion King and "Part of Your World" from The Little Mermaid. I've been having a lot of fun listening to these songs from some of my favorite early childhood movies, remixed and sung by some of my favorite pop-punk bands. It's a nice throwback!

What made you join IPAC?  Quite a few reasons actually. To narrow it down to one, surely the level of intimacy IPAC has. There is beauty in how modest IPAC is compared to something grand like SIOP. It is much easier to foster relationships, and even things like remembering peoples names, and their dog's or child's name. It brings a feeling of warmth. Kind of like a close nit team.

Favorite Parts of the Annual Conference? Ouu! What are my favorite parts of the annual conference? My mind went directly to the happy hour. In all seriousness, though, having a gathering such as a happy hour brings so much positive energy that may not get recognized. Folks new to IPAC or new to the professional world, feel a level of stiffness at conferences. We are not sure how much "personality" we can show because it is a professional setting. But the happy hour is a good balance. People can loosen up a little and network on a more personable level, which could result in stronger relationships.

What is a project you are working on right now that you are really excited about and why? Well, I just began my job Aug 21st, so I have about week of orientation. So, no work projects yet. But I am working on introducing Industrial / Organizational Psychology to my alma mater, Hampton University. With the help of two of my former classmates who are also in the field, and the organization Blacks in Industrial / Organizational Psychology (BIOP), we plan on bringing I/O Psy to Hampton University.

What is your theme song of the summer? Hmm, "Just Like Music" by Eric Sermon featuring Marvin Gaye. It just makes you want to dance and groove!