MPA LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY

MPA is excited to host its third Leadership Development Academy (LDA or Academy) beginning in fall 2025. This 10-month program runs from September 2025 through June 2026, meeting on the second Friday of each month from 1:00–4:00 PM EST. 

The LDA is designed to nurture future generations of psychologist leaders in Maryland. As the landscape of mental health services evolves, doctoral-level psychologists will increasingly fill supervisory, managerial, and policy-making roles in the delivery of mental health care. The Maryland Psychological Association stands at the vanguard, keeping Maryland psychologists current with developing trends, advocating for the profession, and participating in legislative and public policy decisions. The Academy’s mission is to build the leadership track of our association and profession.  We strive to be inclusive to reflect the diversity of psychologists practicing in our state, including varied races, ethnicities, genders, and other identity factors.  Our objective is to include psychologists from multiple geographical regions across the state from the variety of employment placements where psychologists work and practice. The Academy is committed to the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion and will incorporate these values into the curriculum.

The LDA aims to bring together a cohort of aspiring leaders who will actively engage in self-reflection and evaluation to challenge themselves to grow in their current and prospective roles.  Leadership fellows will encourage each other to maximize their potential by sharing personal leadership successes and challenges.  Fellows are expected to formulate realistic and attainable goals, actively participate in a group project, identify personality attributes associated with leadership performance, and work on developing additional leadership strengths.  Through dialogue and mutual encouragement, we anticipate that fellows will form a cohesive cohort who will coach and support each other during and after the program.

MPA is excited to host its third Leadership Development Academy (LDA) beginning in fall 2025. This 10-month program runs from September 2025 through June 2026, meeting on the second Friday of each month from 1:00–4:00 PM. 

Program Objectives 

LDA is designed for early to mid-career psychologists (less than 10 years of leadership experience) who are interested in: 

  • Growing in their careers 
  • Advancing within MPA 
  • Leading in public/civic organizations 

We seek a diverse cohort from various professional settings, including: 

  • Private practice 
  • Hospitals 
  • College counseling centers 
  • Government agencies 
  • Inpatient Facilities 
  • Any place psychologists practice 

Future psychology leaders should reflect the profession and the public they serve. We strongly encourage applications from individuals of diverse backgrounds. 

Program Components 

LDA includes four core components: 

1. Educational Workshops (2 hours per session) 

  • Led by expert speakers 
  • Topics include: 
    -Leading with a diversity perspective 
    -Team dynamics 
    -Relationship management 
    -Coaching and mentoring 
    -Media interfacing 
    -Legislative advocacy 
    -Leadership in diverse settings 
  • Some workshops offer continuing education (CE) credit 

 2. Post-Workshop Groups (1 hour per session) 

  • Provide experiential practice  
  • Apply learning to leadership experiences 
  •  Coordinate action projects 

3. Mentorship 

  • Each fellow is paired with a mentor for: 
    -Monthly virtual or in-person meetings 
    -Personalized leadership discussions 
    -Career guidance and networking opportunities 

4. Leadership Action Projects 

  • Fellows collaborate with MPA committees on hands-on projects 
  • Results are: 
    -Presented in the final LDA session (June 2026) 
    -Published in The Maryland Psychologist 
  • Fellows are encouraged to engage with MPA committees and micro-volunteering opportunities 

Meeting Format 

  • Most sessions are virtual, with three in-person meetings:
    1. September 2025 – Full-day LDA Orientation
    2. January 2026 – Advocacy Day at the Maryland State House 
    3. June 2026 – Final session with project presentations & program feedback 

Application Details 

  • Application Deadline: May 30, 2025 

  • Acceptance Notifications: July 30, 2025