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Presidential Priorities
A VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF PSYCHOLOGY
Meet Dr. Candice Hargons
Discovering my Purpose
My journey to psychology was shaped by a childhood spent navigating diverse regional cultures across Western New York, Virginia, and Georgia. I decided to become a psychologist at 16, after a high school psychology class helped me better understand what I was observing in the various communities I’d called home. At Spelman College, outstanding pedagogy refined my perspective, though upon graduation I briefly detoured into teaching high school English when someone incorrectly told me that Black people don’t see psychologists. When those literature lessons with teens evolved into unofficial group therapy sessions, I returned to my original calling. I earned my MS at Georgia State University and entered the counseling psychology PhD program at Howard University, eventually completing my doctorate at the University of Georgia under Dr. Edward Delgado-Romero in 2015.
Academic Overview
For nine years, I served on the faculty at the University of Kentucky, where I earned the rank of Full Professor immediately before transitioning to my current role as a tenured Associate Professor at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. As Director of the SMASHER Lab, I’ve collaboratively secured over $14M in funding as PI and co-I for projects like the NICHD-funded ADD SEX FUN study and the SAMHSA-funded Neighborhood Healers Project. Whether publishing 90+ peer-reviewed articles or appearing in The New York Times, Essence Magazine, or Science Vs., I know APA CAN DO more to move psychological research out of the ivory tower and into the public square.
Leadership Background
As a leader, I don’t just join committees and boards; I build systems that outlast my tenure. As a doctoral student and Member-at-Large for the APAGS Committee, I co-developed the APPIC standardized reference form, a tool still in use by the profession today. I have psychology leadership experience at the division level (Society of Counseling Psychology Executive Board) and the state level (Kentucky Psychological Association Executive Board). I have consistently broken early career glass ceilings, serving as the first ECP to represent Division 17 on the APA Council of Representatives and the second ECP to serve on the APA Board of Directors. In these roles, I collaborated with psychologists from all walks of life to champion liberation-oriented policies and promote a sense of belonging.
My leadership bridges the academic, the entrepreneurial, and the community. I have served as Interim Department Chair and Director of Master’s Training at the University of Kentucky. I also founded an independent practice in 2019, the Center for Healing Racial Trauma, to provide therapy services, training, and consultation for industry leaders like Viacom. I have also held leadership roles in civic organizations, such as Advocacy and Outreach Chair of the Lexington Urban League Young Professionals and Historian of the Greater Metropolitan Atlanta Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. I am also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. As Advocacy and Outreach Chair, I launched the "Put on for My City" and "School Daze" initiatives, which organized members to attend monthly City Council and School Board meetings. These initiatives continue today and have resulted in members advocating for changes in school system policy. My career proves that when we lead with intentionality, APA CAN DO the work of systemic change.
Meet the CAN for APA Campaign Crew
Dr. Candice Hargons' campaign is supported by a dynamic and expanding network of colleagues who are committed to strengthening the future of the profession. They represent a shared belief in collaborative liberation-oriented leadership, supporting practitioners, connecting with our local communities and colleagues across the lifespan, and advancing the impact of psychological science.
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