2019
Jennifer Crocker
Jennifer is Ohio Eminent Scholar in Social Psychology at Ohio State University. She received her PhD from Harvard and her BA from Michigan State, and was a faculty member at Northwestern University, University at Buffalo, and University of Michigan. She studies how social motivations shapes psychological experience and relationships.
Julie Garcia and Diana T. Sanchez
Julie Garcia received her Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of Michigan and is currently a Professor in the Psychology and Child Development Department, and Interim Associate Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion at California State University, San Luis Obispo. Her research explores managing multiple social identities, multiracial identity, and underrepresentation in STEM. She has been a member of SPSP’s Diversity and Climate Committee since 2015.
Diana T. Sanchez is a Full Professor in the Department of Psychology at Rutgers University. Her research explores the complexities associated with close relationships, identity, and stigma. Within these themes, she is most widely known for her work on multiple identities, gender dynamics in close-relationships, and stigma coping and transfer.
Oz Ayduk and Sam Sommers
Dr. Ayduk received her Ph.D. from Columbia University (1999) and has been a faculty member at the University of California, Berkeley, Department of Psychology since 2002. Dr. Ayduk’s research aims to understand vulnerability and resilience to stress using both personality and social psychological paradigms. Her broader aim is to leverage basic science findings from her lab to develop scalable interventions.
Sam Sommers is Professor and Chair of Psychology at Tufts University and an SPSP Fellow. His service to SPSP includes past membership on the Diversity and Climate Committee, a term as Board Member-at-Large, and co-chair of the Task Force on Sexual Harassment.
2018
Stephanie Fryberg
Stephanie Fryberg has used her research and passion in many contexts, including her own community, within SPSP, and within APA, to initiate activities and enact change. Always a passionate voice for underrepresented minorities, Dr. Fryberg’s leadership is transformative and enriched in empirical science. As the SPSP representative to the APA Council, Dr. Fryberg provided training that was relevant to chronic and unresolved tensions about culture and diversity within Council and APA. Her ability to transcend tension to be a calm voice for change within SPS and APA has earned her the 2018 SPSP Service to SPSP Award.
2017
Stacey Sinclair
Stacey Sinclair is a professor of psychology and African American studies at Princeton University. She received her BA from Stanford University and her PhD from UCLA. She has made major contributions to the society through her encouragement and support of diversity in our membership. Especially noteworthy is her leadership in designing our Summer Program for Undergraduate Research (SPUR), an internship program for underrepresented students who would otherwise not have access to quality research projects. She has advocated for its funding and has helped ensure that we offer training to the best students, regardless of their access to educational resources. For Stacy’s continued dedication to diversity in our science, she is recognized with the 2017 SPSP Award for Distinguished Service to the Society.
2016
Linda Skitka
The 2016 SPSP Service Award honors Linda Skitka for her many distinguished contributions to the field and to the Society. The service that stands out the most is her work with the journal Social Psychologist and Personality Science. Linda was a founding member of the Consortium that includes four separate societies and in the 8 years of the journal, she has served as chair of the Consortium on two different occasions. With deep gratitude for her calm approach service, we present Linda Skitka with the 2016 SPSP Award for Distinguished Service to the Society.
2015
Susie Schroeder
This award honors Susie Schroeder for her unique and important contribution to the Society serving as the first Chief Financial Officer in its history, designing and implementing a professionalized accounting system to protect the Society’s assets and enable them to be wisely invested towards the future. As part of this activity, she discovered a significant fraud perpetuated by past employees of the Society, which had gone undetected for years. She persistently and creatively investigated all the circumstances of this case and provided the evidence and documentation necessary for criminal and civil actions that were ultimately successful. She also instituted safeguards to make sure nothing like this could happen again and her work is a key component of the new professional foundation of the Society as it moves to new and expanded activities in the future. With deep gratitude for these unusual and important contributions we present Susie Schroeder with the 2015 SPSP Award for Distinguished Service to the Society.
2014
John Dovidio
This award honors Jack Dovidio for his many distinguished contributions to the Society for Personality and Social Psychology.Jack served as Executive Officer of the Society from 2010 to 2014. During this period he dealt wisely and calmly with a large number of difficult issues during a period of major change. He made great strides towards re-organizing the administration of the society so that it could operate efficiently and on the basis of accurate informational concerning its financial standing and its membership. He kept track of the astonishingly numerous operational details of this complex organization, motivating and helping numerous volunteers to do their many different tasks. He led the professionalization of accounting practices that led to the discovery of significant fraud by former staff members, and led the response of the Society, which had to deal with complex legal and practical issues. He led the change in the management of the annual meeting which promises important savings as well as better efficiency in future planning. All along, he provided wise counsel to a succession of Presidents of the Society, who all valued his knowledge, experience, and his fair-minded approach to controversial issues. At the end of his term, Jack may have made his greatest contribution, by guiding the Society to develop a professional staff and permanent office, and by leading the selection of its first full-time Executive Director. This activity laid the foundation for what SPSP will be for many decades to come.With deep gratitude for these exceptional contributions, we present Jack Dovidio with the 2014 SPSP Award for Distinguished Service to the Society.
Linda Dovidio
This award honors Linda Dovidio for her major contributions to the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. Serving as much more than Jack Dovidio’s “right hand” during his period as Executive Officer, Linda put in many hours organizing the broad range of activities of this complex organization. Her efforts transformed the Executive Office and helped the Society to recognize that changes were needed to ensure the effectiveness of a mature organization. She kept in close contact with the chairs of numerous committees in charge of awards, convention activities, educational programs, diversity enhancement, public communication, and many other activities. She organized the tasks of numerous volunteers, motivating them and reminding them when necessary, making sure that everything that needed to be done was done. Twice a year, she produced the agenda book for the Executive Committee meetings that organized the activities and progress of each of the committees,, allowing the Executive Committee to have thorough knowledge and background for its decision making and policy formation. Through it all, she maintained a consistently cheerful outlook that helped to maintain the enthusiasm of others through sometimes difficult circumstances.With deep gratitude for these and other exceptional contributions, we present Linda Dovidio with the 2014 SPSP Award for Distinguished Service to the Society.
2014
Donelson R. Forsyth, Ph.D.
This award honors Don Forsythe for his major contributions to the Society for Personality and Social Psychology.Don agreed to help with operation of the Society’s website, little knowing what lie in store. A sudden and unexpected series of events made Don the only person standing between the Society and total chaos in its operations and contact with members. Through this crisis period, Don calmly took over responsibility not just for electronic resources but also the maintenance of records of and communications with the Society’s several thousand members, dealing along the way with gaps and inaccuracies in the information with which he had to work. His contribution during this period cannot be overstated; for a time, the very survival of the Society seemed to be at stake. In the end, the Society came out of this experience better organized than ever, and in a position to have a valuable presence on the web and to communicate better with its members and the world. With deep gratitude for this major contribution at a critical time, we present Don Forsythe with the 2104 SPSP Award for Distinguished Service to the Society.
2013
Wendi Gardner
This award honors Wendi Gardner for her many distinguished contributions to the Society for Personality and Social Psychology.Wendi Gardner has served the society in a number of vital ways. Beginning with her service on the SPSP Program Committee, Wendi has served on the Convention Committee, as an elected member of the Executive Committee, and as the liaison to the Committee on International Relations in Psychology. She played an especially important role in guiding the future of the annual meeting.Wendi co-chaired the SPSP Convention Working Group, chaired the Convention Services Comparison Task Force, and has served as event planning co-liaison to our new convention organizers, FASEB. Wendi has been instrumental in the smooth operation of the convention and has helped manage a number of crises on behalf of the field. Wendi has also serves as a passionate advocate for graduate students and has been a constant source of wisdom and integrity in her service to the field.With gratitude for her longstanding service to the society, we present Wendi Gardner with the 2013 SPSP Award for Distinguished Service to the Society.
George (Al) Goethals
Al Goethals does not simply study leadership, he is a leader. Al has served the profession in a variety of ways, including a highly successful term as Provost of Williams College. The Society recognizes him with the Award for Distinguished Service to the Society for his leadership as Secretary-Treasurer of SPSP during a pivotal time in the Society’s development. During his term as Secretary-Treasurer (1995-1997), Al shepherded the Society through lean financial times and helped establish a solid financial foundation for SPSP through its publications program. The Society for Personality and Social Psychology has benefited significantly over many years because of Al’s his vision, wisdom, and guidance. His service to the Society was truly transformational. This award acknowledges the contributions Al Goethals made to the Society and the legacy of the leadership he provided us.
2012 - Monica Biernat & Chris Crandall
The Society for Personality and Social Psychology is delighted to present Monica Biernat and Chris Crandall with its Award for Distinguished Service to the Society for Personality and Social Psychology.While serving the field in numerous other ways, and while making important and creative research contributions that continue to add greatly to the intellectual vigor of the field, Biernat and Crandall served ably as editors of the Society’s newsletter, Dialogue, for two four-year terms from January 2001 to December 2008. Under their stewardship, Biernat and Crandall kept Society members abreast of news, developments, and events related to the Society and to the broader field of social andpersonality psychology during a time in which the activities of the Society expanded greatly. Their editorial work kept members informed about the opinions and thinking of other members, including thoughts of top scholars. It exposed members to debates about cutting-edge issues within the field. Their editorial tenure kept members informed in a lively and engaging way. Biernat and Crandall have served the Society in a number of other ways, expressing a deep commitment sense of professional responsibility and generosity of their time and effort. Monica Biernat also served SPSP in a variety of other capacities, including Division 8 Council Representative (2001-2003), member and Chair of the Convention Committee (2007-2009), and Secretary-Treasurer of the organization (2010-2012). With gratitude for their longstanding service to the society, we present Monica Biernat and Chris Crandall with the 2012 SPSP Service to the Society Award.
2011 - Richard Petty & Mark Snyder
Mark Snyder has served the society in deep and meaningful ways, including as its President. His vision of the field integrates personality and social psychology, and has strengthened both subfields, and the society as a whole. His contributions to the leadership of the Foundation for Social and Personality Psychology have strengthened the field and are appreciated by the Society. Mark Snyder is widely recognized for his compassion, fairness, breadth of perspective, and diverse intellectual talents – all of which have benefited SPSP significantly across his many years of service. SPSP deeply appreciates his integrative vision and dedicated service to the Society.
Richard Petty has served the society in many different capacities, including as editor of Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, chair of the Publications Committee, and President. With his clear vision and skillful leadership, our flagship journal has prospered. He was instrumental in forging collaborative international relationships across organizations that formed the foundation for a new journal, Social and Personality Psychology Science. The Society recognizes his deep commitment, wisdom, and integrity. His thoughtfulness, patience, and persistence have made the society stronger. His many contributions are deeply appreciated.
2010 - David Dunning
2007 - Roy F. Baumeister,& Dianne M. Tice
2006 - Jim Blascovich
2005 - Harry Reis
2004 - Marilynn Brewer, Chuck Huff & Scott Plous
2003 - Martin Chemers & Bibb Latané
