MPA Leadership Development Academy 

MPA is hosting its second Leadership Development Academy (LDA) beginning in the fall of 2023.  This 10-month program will be held from September 2023 through June 2024 and meets the second Friday of the month from 1:00-4:00 pm.  The program is free of charge and is open to psychologists with less than 10 years of leadership experience who are interested in moving into leadership positions, for example within MPA, in their careers, or in public or civic organizations. We seek a diverse cohort from all corners of our state, from the many sectors that psychologists practice including private practice, hospitals, college counseling, and government agencies. Through diversity, we seek a lively dialogue where leadership fellows can learn from the program and from each other. Future generations of psychology leaders must reflect our profession and the public that we serve.  We encourage applicants from diverse racial, ethnic, gender, sexual orientation, religious, and ability identities.

The LDA has four components including educational workshops, process discussion groups and action projects to digest and implement learning, and a mentorship program for individual coaching. On the second Friday afternoon of the month, we begin with a 2-hour virtual workshop with speakers who are experts in their fields.  Topics include leading with a diversity perspective, forming and working in teams, relationship management through constructive feedback, supervising, coaching, and mentoring, interfacing with the media, legislative advocacy, and leadership in diverse settings.  Some of the workshops are eligible for continuing education credit.

Workshops will be followed by a 1-hour group discussion.  Some of the group sessions will be facilitated by LDA faculty to process the content of the workshops with application to personal experiences.  Some of the groups will be dedicated to working on the leadership action projects.  While the program does allow time to work on action projects, the previous LDA cohort chose the option to schedule additional time to work on the action project.

Each fellow will be paired with a mentor to accompany them on their leadership journey.  Fellows and mentors typically meet monthly and can choose to meet virtually.  With their mentors, fellows process workshops, personalize learning, and discuss leadership and career goals, and mentors help fellows to network through professional introductions.  The last LDA cohort found the mentoring relationship to be particularly rewarding and several elected to continue meeting after completion of the program.

LDA fellows will participate in leadership action projects, working in small teams in conjunction with MPA committees.  The action projects will serve as learning laboratories for fellows to implement leadership skills such as creating teams, establishing team norms and goals, and managing relationships. Fellows will present action project results at the last in-person LDA session in June and will publicize their work in the MPA publication, The Maryland Psychologist. In addition to the action projects, fellows are encouraged to familiarize themselves with MPA by auditing or serving on committees or micro-volunteering for the organization.  The LDA committee will gladly help fellows find the right fit.

Workshops and groups will be held virtually.  The LDA will meet in person on three occasions.  The first meeting in September will coincide with the MPA Board of Directors retreat, where fellows will meet board members and learn about their roles and about the structure of the organization. This will be followed by an LDA orientation. The retreat is generally held in central Maryland on a weekend day.  Fellows can expect to devote a full day to the retreat and orientation. The date and location will be announced after the retreat is scheduled.  In January, LDA fellows will accompany the MPA legislative committee and MPA members to Legislative Day at the Maryland State House in Annapolis, where we will interface with key state legislators to discuss MPA’s legislative priorities and practice hands-on advocacy.  The event is usually scheduled on a weekday morning, date to be determined. The last session will be the second Friday afternoon in June for an in-person wrap up where fellows will present their action project results and provide feedback on the program.

Applications must be submitted by May 30, 2023 and applicants will be notified of acceptance to the program by July 30, 2023.  For additional information, please contact Esther Finglass at [email protected].

If you are interested in applying for the program, please click the link below.

Apply for MPA Leadership Development Academy