The ECP has some exciting changes happening and we’re going to use this month’s ECP Corner to tell you all about them. These changes include welcoming TWO new members, Janet Peters taking on the role of ECP committee chair, and saying goodbye to three of our cherished members. We’ll also take a moment to briefly describe what we hope to accomplish in the coming year, so look out for some exciting things happening in the coming months!
New Members
Let’s take a moment to highlight the ECP Committee’s newest members: Ciara Kidder & Christina Shane-Simpson. We got great applications and it was a hard decision, but we are so excited to have two new wonderful colleagues join us. Here is a little bit about each new member!
Ciara Kidder will soon be starting a new position as an instructor in the school of Psychological Science at Oregon State University and has been actively involved with the teaching of psychology from the beginning of her career, including presenting at ACT and the National Institute for the Teaching of Psychology, and attending the STP programming at the Midwestern Psychological Association’s annual conference, the “E”ffordability Summit (focusing on open education), PsychONE, and the first Neuroscience Teaching Conference. She also founded and runs the teaching blog “The Novice Professor.”
Christina Shane-Simpson is a 4th year faculty member at the University of Wisconsin – Stout. She has served on the STP Membership Committee, the Graduate Student Teaching Association in a leadership role, as a member for the 2020 STP Diversity Task Force, and served on the leadership committee for Psi Chi Committee for International Collaborative Exchange (NICE).
We are excited to see what these two new members will bring to the ECP! Welcome Ciara and Christina! And although we were only able to accept two new members this year, we want to note that the ECP Committee will be recruiting another new member in November 2022! If you are interested in joining this wonderful team and helping your fellow ECPs, please consider applying (or re-applying) next year!
Welcome to Incoming Chair
We are excited to announce that Janet Peters will be the 2022 ECP Committee chair! Janet has been on the ECP committee for three years. Throughout her time, Janet’s main role on the committee has focused on planning and developing the ECP Committee presentations for STP’s Annual Conference on Teaching. She’s excited to be spending her last year on the committee getting to know the new members and supporting the committee’s mission to serve ECPs.
Saying Goodbye
In addition to welcoming our newest members and chair, we must also say goodbye to our outgoing members: Molly Metz, Karenna Malavanti, and Daniel Storage. As they move on to new horizons, we thought you might want to hear some of their reflections on being part of the ECP committee over the years.
Molly: The ECP committee has been an integral part of my experiences with STP since day 1 - the ECP Happy Hour at the SPSP Teaching Preconference was so welcoming and was a big part of what made me keep coming back. I decided early I wanted to be a part of it, and now I’m finishing up my third year of one of the most meaningful service opportunities of my career! One of my favourite things about this committee is having the opportunity to meet and support people at a stressful and overwhelming time, and a time when our regular networks (e.g., grad school friends) have been upturned, and a time when formal mentorships seem few and far between. It has been an absolute joy to go through this time together, with my fellow committee members and with the ECP community.
Karenna: It was such an honor to be part of this committee for the last three years. I came to this committee having just moved to a new position and with that move, so did my career trajectory. I have loved having conversations with other ECPs about my experiences on and off the tenure track in teaching-focused positions. I enjoyed meeting with other ECPs in person at teaching conferences (including ACT) pre-spring 2020 and virtually since the pandemic started. While this committee has supported me so well, I hope to continue to pay it forward to STP and other ECPs and serve in other capacities. It’s not so much a “good-bye” as much as this is a “see you later!” I can’t wait to see all of you amazing folks again when it is safe for us to gather again in-person. Don’t hesitate to say hi if you see me around!
Daniel: I have loved my time on the ECP committee, and I highly recommend anyone in the earlier stages of their career to make every effort to join in future years! Perhaps what I’ve loved most is the community—being surrounded by and forming friendships with like-minded professionals who care deeply about teaching and supporting teachers worldwide. I will miss my time on this committee, but I’m also excited for what comes next! There are always opportunities to get involved in STP, which is one of the wonderful things about it! I very much look forward to thinking through what gets me excited at this stage in my career and figuring out how I can use that motivation in the context of this community. In the meantime, I am excited to follow what the ECP committee does in my absence! See you at next year’s ACT!
What’s in store for 2022
From mentoring to (hopefully) an in-person ACT, we are planning several opportunities for ECPs to engage in networking and development. As we say goodbye to existing members and welcome new members, we invite you to be part of the process! What would you like to see from your ECP committee in 2022? What workshops, trainings, programs, or resources can we provide to help facilitate your personal and professional success? If you have an idea, email us at: stp-ecp@teachpsych.org
Your STP Early Career Psychologists Committee
Courtney Gosnell, Ph.D.
Karenna Malavanti, Ph.D.
Albee Mendoza, Ph.D.
Molly Metz, Ph.D.
Janet Peters, Ph.D.
Daniel Storage, Ph.D.
