Women in ACBS Special Interest Group
Affiliated 2016
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Contact Information
Jenna LeJeune
Denver, CO
2023 - 2024 SIG Board
Co-President - Jenna Lejeune
Co-President - Sarah Pegrum
Members at Large - Geraldine Panelli, Racheli Miller & Camille Summers
Managers - Ashlyne Mullen & Francesca Brandolin
Student Reps - Rina Goldstein & Kimberly Collins
SIG Mission
Gender disparities are reflected in the field of behavioral science, as well as in ACBS. These issues, however, are not specific to our organization, but rather, are a worldwide problem that we believe requires patient, relentless attention and engagement in order to foster prosocial change. We believe that women’s lack of a platform from which to share their perspectives diminishes us as a scientific organization, and limits our ability to represent and serve others who may become part of, or benefit from, our work as a professional body. We suggest that the best way to address this issue is to create a space in which women and allies interested in women’s issues may speak and listen to one another. In so doing, we hope that this space will reflect a more balanced and diverse perspective capable of effecting meaningful change in our organization and our world. Thus, we propose the development of a Women’s SIG.
The ACBS Women’s SIG will reflect diversity not just as a value, but also as a practical strategy for facilitating more individual, innovative approaches that include challenges to the organization to overcome disparity as well as to support meaningful growth. As well, we hope that a women's SIG will support the development of a more diverse organization by providing a safe space in which individuals may speak from or share women’s perspectives. We hope that this SIG will allow us to raise issues pertaining to women, and to create sensitivity to the context in which women live, as that context often inherently reflects discrimination and a power differential, to different degrees, across most environments. It is our hope that this SIG will enrich the conversation for all, regardless of gender. We will strive to engage in the community in prosocial ways that help ACBS identify policies and practices that need to change, and to follow those discoveries with action. We would like this group to be a powerful advocate for women of color, for women in oppressive cultures, for young women clinicians and behavioral scientists. Our goal will be to lift them up by its example, help build their strengths, and help them speak with authority and expertise as well as to feel comfortable in bringing the unique and valuable perspective of women to bear on the growth and development of ACBS.
SIG Activities
1. Conference presentation at the ACBS World Conference
2. SIG meeting at the ACBS World Conference
3. Email listserv
4. Work to further equity for women across the world through small projects