Rosie Phillips Bingham, PhD, a professor of counseling psychology at the University of Memphis, has been elected 2018 president-elect of the American Psychological Association. She will serve as association president in 2019

A former member of APA's Board of Directors, Bingham has served many years in leadership roles within APA, including on the governing Council of Representatives, the Finance Committee, the APA Foundation Board, the Board of Professional Affairs and the Board of Educational Affairs. 

"I am deeply honored to have been chosen to serve and I look forward to fulfilling my presidential goals of making APA more welcoming to all psychologists and creating a culture of science throughout the association," Bingham said. "As I said during my campaign, APA is at a time in our history when we must be bigger than we ever thought we could be. We must be and do more than we ever thought we could be or do."

Bingham has been a professor in the University of Memphis's Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Research, and Department of Psychology since 1985. From 2003 to 2016, she was also vice president for student affairs, and from 1985 to 1993, director of the school's Center for Student Development.

She is a former chair of the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors and former president of the International Association of Counseling Center Service.

Bingham's scholarship has focused on the power of inclusion; multicultural vocational psychology; ethics; and living well in a diverse society. She has served on the editorial boards of several journals, including current service on the Journal of Career Assessment. She is the author of numerous articles and book chapters on career counseling, and has co-edited two books. She is a co-founder of APA's respected National Multicultural Conference and Summit, which takes place every two years.

The fifth of 12 children, Bingham's parents were sharecroppers in Mississippi who moved to Memphis when she was about 4 or 5 years old. She earned a bachelor's degree in sociology and education at Elmhurst College, after which she attended The Ohio State University, where she earned a master's degree in counseling and guidance and a PhD in counseling psychology.

Her professional awards include the Janet E. Helms Award for Mentoring and Scholarship, the Authur S. Holman Lifetime Achievement Award, the Charles and Shirley Thomas Award (APA Div. 45), the Dalmas A. Taylor Award, APA Award for Distinguished Contributions to Institutional Practice, the Tennessee Psychological Association Len Handler Award for Distinguished Research Psychologist and an APA Presidential Citation.

The American Psychological Association, in Washington, D.C., is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States. APA's membership includes nearly 115,700 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance the creation, communication and application of psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve people's lives.