Occidental psychology professor Nancy Dess has been elected president of the American Psychological Assn.'s Division 3: Experimental Psychology.
Dess will begin a year as president-elect this August, becoming president next August. The post will put her in a position to advocate for maintenance of a diversity-oriented mentoring program she has been involved in through the division.
Dess' work is rooted in the ancient underpinnings of mammalian behavior. Her focus is on eating and emotion--their interactions and role in human problems such as anxiety, depression, and eating disorders. A graduate of UCLA and the University of Minnesota, she teaches introduction to psychology, methods & statistics, perception, learning, evolutionary psychology, motivation & emotion, and writing seminars.
members are employed in a variety of settings including universities, colleges, government, and industry and are united by their commitment to the development of experimental psychology as a science. The current president is professor Karen L. Hollis of Mount Holyoke College.
Jorge G. Gonzalez, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the College, called Dess™ selection "a great indicator of the status that she has in her field."
