Leadership

President: Stephen Bowles ✉

COL (Ret) Stephen V. Bowles, , Ph.D., ABPP, is currently serving as a Visiting Research Fellow in the Institute for National Security Studies at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. and as an Adjunct Faculty at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, MD. He served 27 years in the U. S. Army, is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and is a graduate of The Eisenhower School at the National Defense University. He is a Fellow in the American Psychological Association (DIV 19) and Board Certified in Clinical Health Psychology.

President Elect: Eric Surface ✉

Past President: Mark Staal ✉

Dr. Mark Staal retired from active duty at the rank of Colonel serving as the US Air Force’s senior operational psychologist. Dr. Staal held the rank of Associate Professor of Behavioral Science and Leadership at the USAF Academy and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in human factors engineering at NASA. He spent most of his career serving within US Special Operations Command to include positions as the Deputy Command Psychologist at the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) and the Command Psychologist at the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). Mark is board-certified in clinical psychology and has published over 50 journal articles and book chapters in operational psychology, ethics, resiliency, and decision making. Dr. Staal currently serves as the Past President of the Society for Military Psychology for the American Psychological Association.

Past Presidents of the Society for Military Psychology

Treasurer: Scott Johnston ✉

CAPT Scott L. Johnston is a native Californian and received his bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Davis and his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the Pacific Graduate School in Palo Alto. He also completed a postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric psychology at Harvard Medical School. He has been a licensed clinical psychologist since 1995 and is board certified in both forensic and clinical psychology. CAPT Johnston was commissioned in 1993. During his career he has served at Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD), Naval Hospital Yokosuka Japan, Marine Barracks Washington, Presidential Helicopter Squadron One, and Naval Health Clinic Hawaii. He deployed with the USS Constellation Expeditionary Strike Group to the Persian Gulf; 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit; Charlie Surgical Company to Fallujah, Iraq; 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment to Ramadi, Iraq; 3rd Marine Regiment to Haditha, Iraq; and Joint Task Force, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He is currently stationed at Naval Special Warfare in Coronado, California. Academically, CAPT Johnston has published and lectured around the world on treatment of combat-related PTSD, building resilience in Marines and Sailors, and transitional interventions for returning warriors. He is currently investigating virtual reality treatments for PTSD, stress injuries in detention operations and use of meditation in substance-abuse treatment. CAPT Johnston’s awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal (three awards), Joint Service Commendation Medal, Navy Commendation Medal (two awards), Navy Achievement Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal (Fleet Marine Force), Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal (Fleet Marine Force) and various service and unit awards.

Secretary: Nathan Ainspan ✉

Nathan D. Ainspan, Ph.D., is the Research Psychologist with the Transition to Veterans Program Office (TVPO) of the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Dr. Ainspan's role is to ensure that DoD’s Transition Assistance Program (TAP) is based on the latest best practices in behavioral/psychological science. Throughout his research career, he has also written, taught, and spoken about the psychological issues impacting wounded and transitioning Service members. His research focus has been on improving civilian employment opportunities for transitioning Service members and the psychosocial benefits that employment can have on wounded warriors and injured veterans and people with disabilities. He has edited the following books: The Oxford Handbook of Psychosocial Interventions for Veterans, When the Warrior Returns: Making the Transition at Home, and Returning Wars Wounded, Injured, and Ill: A Handbook. He is a member of the American Psychological Association (APA) and an APA Fellow of Divisions 18 (Psychologists in the Public Service) and 19 (Military Psychology). Dr. Ainspan was recently awarded the Spirit of Service award by DoD for his work with military-to-civilian transitions, veteran employment, and wounded warriors.

APA Council Representative: Carrie Kennedy ✉

Carrie H. Kennedy, Ph.D., ABPP represents Division 19 on the APA Council of Representatives (2017-2019). A neuropsychologist with specialization in military psychology and aeromedical psychology, she is an active duty Captain in the U.S. Navy with deployments to both Cuba and Afghanistan. She is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia and a Fellow of both APA and the National Academy of Neuropsychology. Awards include the APA Division 19 Charles S. Gersoni Award and she is a two time Navy Psychologist of the Year winner. She serves on the editorial board of Psychological Services and is board certified in both Clinical and Police and Public Safety Psychology.

APA Council Representative: Rebecca Blais ✉

Rebecca K. Blais is an Assistant Professor in Psychology. She earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Utah and completed an internship and postdoctoral fellowship at VA Puget Sound, Seattle Division. Prior to graduate school, she completed her B.A. in Psychology at Connecticut College and completed a two-year research assistantship at Yale University. She is the principle investigator of the Military Social Science Lab.
Dr. Blais’ work is focused on military service members/veterans and trauma. Within this program of research, she has three main foci: understanding (1) the impact of military sexual trauma (MST) on sexual functioning and relationship satisfaction in veterans, (2) mechanisms of distress among trauma-exposed veterans, and (3) the association of MST with individual outcomes, including suicide risk and risk for mental health comorbidities. Her work is supported by grants from the Society for Military Psychology (Division 19; APA), Utah State University, and the National Institute of Mental Health. She has authored many papers that have been published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, Journal of Traumatic Stress, Journal of Affective Disorders, Journal of Family Psychology, Military Psychology, Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies, Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, and Training and Education in Professional Psychology.
Dr. Blais also has extensive clinical experience providing cognitive behavioral therapy, couples’ therapy, sex therapy, and mindfulness-based therapy. She has performed clinical services in a variety of settings including VA medical centers, university settings, inpatient hospitals, department clinics, and community clinics. She is a licensed clinical psychologist and offers individual and couples’ psychotherapy in Logan, UT.

Member at Large: Paul Bartone ✉

Colonel (Retired) Paul T. Bartone, Ph.D. is Professor and Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for National Strategic Studies, Center for Technology & National Security Policy, National Defense University. A Fulbright Scholar (Norway, 2006-07), Bartone has taught strategic leadership at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, National Defense University, and at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, where he also served as Director of the West Point Leader Development Research Center. Trained as an interdisciplinary research psychologist at the University of Chicago, he is a seasoned expert in applying psychological, social, cultural, and biological perspectives to the understanding of human behavior. Bartone’s research has focused on understanding and measuring resilient or “hardy” responding to stress, identifying underlying biomarkers for resilience, and applying this knowledge to improve selection, training and leader development programs. A U.S. Army Research Psychologist for 25 years, Bartone also served as the Consultant to the Surgeon General for Research Psychology, and as the Assistant Corps Chief for Medical Allied Sciences. He is a past-President of the American Psychological Association’s Division 19, Society for Military Psychology, a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, and a charter member of the Association for Psychological Science. He holds a U.S. government Secret security clearance.

Member at Large: Tatana Olson ✉

CDR Tatana Olson received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Virginia Tech. She received her master’s degree and doctorate in industrial and organizational psychology from Purdue University, and completed post-doctoral training in cognitive neuroscience at George Mason University.

CDR Olson earned her commission in the U.S. Navy in 2004 as an Aerospace Experimental Psychologist (AEP) and completed aeromedical officer training in May 2005. From 2005-2008, she served as the Biostatistics Division Officer in the Operational Psychology Department at NAMI. She then reported to the staff of the Chief of Naval Personnel (CNP) in Arlington, VA, where she worked as a Special Assistant for Strategic Planning and Communications and served as the CNP’s speechwriter and lead for congressional testimony from 2008-2011. During this time, CDR Olson was asked to serve as the Medical and Social Science Advisor to the Secretary of Defense’s Comprehensive Review Working Group (CRWG) tasked with assessing the potential impacts to the military of a repeal of the law known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and later, as a Special Assistant to the Chief of Naval Operations to facilitate implementation of the repeal within the United States Navy. After completing her post-doctoral work at George Mason in 2012, CDR Olson reported to the Defense Forensics & Biometrics Agency (DFBA) in Arlington, VA as the Special Advisor to the Director for Biometrics in the Maritime Domain and Navy Liaison Officer where she represented the Navy within the Department of Defense biometrics enterprise and provided critical subject matter expertise on Navy biometrics strategy, policy, requirements, acquisition, and science and technology efforts. In 2014, CDR Olson assumed the role of Operational Psychology Department Head at the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute (NAMI) in Pensacola, Florida where her responsibilities included providing oversight, management, and policy guidance for the United States Naval Aviation Selection Test Battery (ASTB), the primary tool used to select pilot and flight officer candidates for the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard.

CDR Olson currently serves as the Deputy Director of the Naval Aerospace Medical Research Lab at the Naval Medical Research Unit-Dayton managing research across a broad aeromedical portfolio, including altitude threats, respiratory physiology, spatial disorientation, aircrew neck and back pain, and aviation personnel selection, to develop innovative solutions to the current and emerging aeromedical challenges facing the Naval Aviation Enterprise.

CDR Olson is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, the Society for Military Psychology, and the U.S. Naval Aerospace Experimental Psychology Society. She is the recipient of the 2017 Heroes of Military Medicine Award and the 2012 Charles S. Gersoni Award for Outstanding Contributions to Military Psychology from the Society for Military Psychology. Her military decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal (2 awards), Joint Service Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (2 awards), Army Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (2 awards), Army Achievement Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and National Defense Service Medal.

Member at Large: Bruce Crow ✉