Advocate Spotlight: Eugene Borgida, PhD

Name: Eugene Borgida, PhD
Home State: Minnesota
APA Division: APA Division: Division 1 (Society for General Psychology), Division 8 (Society for Personality and Social Psychology), Division 9 (Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI)), Division 41 (American Psychology-Law Society)

I have been engaged in advocacy work since my undergraduate years. I joined APA Division 9 (SPSSI) as a graduate student at Michigan in the early '70s and deeply valued the ways in which psychological science connected to social justice issues, particularly prejudice reduction and institutional change efforts. As a faculty member, over the years, I have been on a variety of committees charged with advocacy for psychology. I also have served as an expert witness in civil and criminal cases where my task was to educate about psychological science.

An emphasis on the value of psychological and social science evidence in all efforts. Making every effort to explain the pertinence of our science including the strengths and limitations of the evidentiary rationale. Being passionate about this evidence also requires patience and the ability to re-group in order to achieve or come close to achieving one's goals.

Involving the constituencies affected by advocacy efforts and listening to seeking out their input is crucial for advocacy to be effective. In other words, process matters.