2021-22 PPAGS Officers

2021-2022 PPAGS Board of Directors

	Name and Degree: Tyshawn Thompson, M.A. - Chair Graduate Program: Marywood University, 4th year Psy.D. Candidate Joined PPAGS: 2018 Why I love PPAGS: I love collaborating with the PPAGS board to enhance the graduate student experience for my fellow graduate students. Professional Interests: My interests include primary care health psychology, suicide risk assessment, crisis intervention, emotion regulation, marketing through public education, diversity outreach, & couples therapy. Fun fact: I have never been trick-or-treating
	Name and Degree: Janeyshka Ortiz, M.S. – Chair Elect Graduate Program: Chestnut Hill College, Year III Joined PPAGS: 2021 Why I love PPAGS: I love networking with peers from diverse backgrounds and finding effective ways to advocate and represent students’ voices. This is also a great opportunity to grow within my membership in PPAGS and showcase how impactful it is on student professional development. Professional Interests: My interests include family and couple therapy, diversity and inclusion outreach, child assessment, therapy at school-based settings, & the role of family therapy for children of color Fun fact: I have a passion for singing & I work part-time as a middle school choir teacher.
	Name and Degree: Kas Parsley, M.S. – Past Chair Graduate Program: Year IV at Chestnut Hill College Joined PPAGS: Spring 2019 Why I love PPAGS: PPAGS is an amazing opportunity to get involved in the field and to network with professionals. It has been a fantastic opportunity to learn and network with other professionals from other programs and with different interests, as well as helping to facilitate positive change within the field. Professional Interests: Neuropsychology (specifically TBIs and Dementias; testing and assessment), Psychoanalysis, Diversity and Multicultural approaches to treatment, and mood disorders. Fun Fact: I was a snowboard instructor for a season.
	Name and Degree: Abby Voelkner, M.Ed. – Communications Chair Graduate Program: Lehigh University, 4^th year Counseling Psychology Joined PPAGS: 2019 Why I love PPAGS: I love getting to know graduate students from other programs and trying to figure out how we can provide all of our resources to the greatest number of students. Professional Interests: My interests include gerontology, subjective age, and cognitive abilities. Fun fact: I have a cat who is 20 years old.
	Name & Degree: Kalei Mills, M.A. – Programming Chair Graduate Program Marywood University, 4th year Psy.D. Candidate Joined PPAGS: 2019 Why I love PPAGS: Being a part of PPAGS has granted me a number of opportunities to grow as a student and future clinician. What I love most about PPAGS is that it’s a network of people supporting you to help you become successful in your future career, and I’ve enjoyed being able to connect with others in the field. My experiences in PPAGS have been both valuable and rewarding, and I look forward to all I will continue to learn in the coming years! Professional Interests: Clinically, I am interested in working with children, adolescents, young adults, couples, and underserved populations. My research interests include resiliency outcomes, risk and protective factors such as locus of control and social support, and at-risk populations. Experientially, my interests include programming activities, promoting student involvement, providing educational opportunities, and outreach experiences. Fun Fact: I enjoy doing Zumba & running in my free time!
	Name and Degree: Tina Benno, MSEd – Diversity Chair Graduate Program: Duquesne University, 4^th Year School Psychology PhD Candidate Joined PPAGS: 2020 Why I love PPAGS: I truly enjoy talking with my PPAGs peers about ideas we wish to pursue and how we can all collaborate with each other to do so. It is also great getting to talk everyone about the graduate school experience regardless of which program, training background, or location. We have a great team! Professional Interests: I have interests pediatric chronic illnesses, integrating behavioral healthcare systems into schools, home-school-clinic collaborations, and evaluating the practice of school psychology as it relates to working with children that have health-related needs. Fun Fact: I am bilingual, with my native tongue being Tamil (a South-Indian language)!
	Name and Degree: Stephanie Miodus, M.A., M.Ed. – Advocacy Coordinator Graduate Program: Temple University, 4th Year Ph.D. Candidate Joined PPAGS: 2020 Why I love PPAGS: I love supporting graduate students in engaging in advocacy efforts to support the future of the field of psychology. Professional Interests: My interests include dismantling the school to prison pipeline with a focus on children with autism, mental health and trauma services for children with autism and incarcerated youth, immigrant mental health, and advocacy/public policy. Fun fact: I can't wink.
	Name and Degree: Meghan Prato, Psy.D. – PPA Board Representative Graduate Program: Chestnut Hill College, 2008-2014 Joined PPAGS: That’s hard to remember! I know that I was involved while I was a student, but I recently joined the board in the Summer of 2021. Why I love PPAGS: I have a passion for supporting graduate students transition into the field, and no one supports students as well as PPAGS does.