Welcome to Season 3, Episode 3 of the Strength in Solidarity podcast. This will be the final season of our Strength in Solidarity podcast series. Thank you so much for tuning in this far. Thank you for all the support, and we hope you continue to share our show in your communities as you continue to fight racism with cross-racial/ethnic solidarity towards being accomplices.
In this episode, we met with Dr. Maysa Akbar to discuss how she has been engaging in cross-racial/ethnic solidarity in her leadership endeavors.
Dr. Maysa (MY-SA) Akbar is a respected scientist-practitioner and APA’s Chief Diversity Officer and Chief of Psychology in the Public Interest. She is charged with infusing equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) into the fabric of the association’s work. As the leading architect of APA’s evolving EDI framework, Dr. Akbar works with APA staff, leaders, and members to refine and build consensus for an overall plan, operationalize its goals and establish metrics to monitor and ensure progress. The CDO also serves as a spokesperson and advocate for EDI in the field of psychology, both within and outside the association. Before assuming the CDO post, she was the founder and chief executive officer of a clinical practice based in New Haven, Connecticut, which specialized in race-based trauma. She created a consulting firm and educational network focused on organizational cultural transformation. Her firm delivered cutting-edge programs anchored in EDI to city governments, public schools and, court systems, among other entities. Dr. Akbar’s areas of specialty include racial identity development, racism, urban trauma and, allyship, topics on which she has authored research articles, books, and book chapters. Dr. Akbar is an experienced instructor and master trainer in EDI for both the medical and the broader community.
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