State Leadership Conference 2010
The 27th Annual State Leadership Conference
March 6-9, 2010 in Washington, DC
The Power of Advocacy
The theme for the 2010 State Leadership Conference: "The Power of Advocacy."
This theme reflects the tremendous effort that is needed to advocate for a profession as complex and multifaceted as psychology. It also speaks to the synergy that comes about when we integrate the resources of APA Practice with those of our 60 state, provincial, and territorial psychological associations (SPTAs) to confront these challenges.
Health care reform has been at the center of the national dialogue, with Members of Congress inundated by traditional and electronic communications from constituents. More than half a billion dollars has been spent by forces both supporting and opposing sweeping reform.
So forget about complacency and apathy--the power of advocacy is alive and well.
At the 2010 State Leadership Conference it was our hope to tap into and generate the enthusiasm and passion reflected in Margaret Mead’s famous quote: “Never underestimate the power of a few committed people to change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
Conference Workshops and Plenary Sessions
Photos
SLC Briefing Materials for Capitol Hill Visits
One of the most important aspects of SLC is the Hill Day visits. On the final day of the conference, psychology’s practice leaders visited their representatives in hundreds of meetings on Capitol Hill. The fact sheets prepared by the APA Practice Organization Government Relations office are an important part of the briefing materials that SLC attendees received in their Capitol Hill "drop-off" packets.
The better participants are able to understand the issues outlined in these fact sheets, the better they can convey psychology’s priorities to legislators.