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2025 Council Hill Day
Speakers
Stephen Gillaspy, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist with extensive experience integrating psychological services into larger healthcare systems. Dr. Gillaspy is recognized throughout the field of clinical psychology for his hard work and dedication as a Health Psychologist, as well as a vital member of American Psychological Association (APA) staff, serving as the Senior Director of Health and Health Care Financing August 2019 – December 2024, and now serving as the Deputy Chief for Health Policy and Healthcare Financing. He has also been long-standing, active representative of APA to the American Medical Association, and currently serves as the Alternate Advisor to the Relative Value Update Committee (RUC) and the CPT Editorial Panel. Prior to joining APA staff, Dr. Gillaspy was a Professor and Director of Pediatric Psychology in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Oklahoma, College of Medicine. During his tenure in the Section of General and Community Pediatrics at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC), he served as the Director of Research, the Director Clinical Psychology, and Associate Section Chief. He is also a past President of the Oklahoma Psychological Association (OPA), served as Director of the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline, and has authored or co-authored numerous articles published in scientific journals.
Alexandra “Alix” Ginsberg, MPH, is the Deputy Chief of State Advocacy at the American Psychological Association. For over a decade, Ginsberg has advanced key psychology workforce priorities on Capitol Hill, including increased federal support for psychology education and training and access to high-quality mental and behavioral health services for at-risk populations. Ginsberg supports strategic advocacy initiatives for APA, including its grassroots work and the Psychology PAC. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Syracuse University, and Master’s in Public Health from the George Washington University.
Christopher Kush, as CEO of Soapbox Consulting, has trained hundreds of thousands of citizens from all over the United States to effectively influence Congress, state, and local governments. He has helped design sophisticated key-contact networks, Lobby Days, and grassroots training programs for many national associations, including the American Cancer Society, Human Rights Campaign, Easter Seals, Goodwill International, United Way Worldwide, and the American Wind Energy Association. Mr. Kush is the author of three books on grassroots organizing, including Grassroots Games (ASAE, 2002) and, most recently, The One-Hour Activist (Wiley, 2004). He has appeared on National Public Radio, ABC and Fox-news affiliates, CSPAN’s “Book TV,” and in U.S. News and World Report, The Los Angeles Times, and on the Sirius Satellite Radio Network.
Raegina Likewise, MA, serves as a Senior Manager of Congressional and Federal Relations at the American Psychological Association. In this capacity, she focuses on psychology policy and programs for workforce development, education, congressional appropriations, and LGBTQ+ students and youth. Raegina earned her Master of Arts from The George Washington University and holds a bachelor's degree from Knox College.
Katherine McGuire, MSc, is the American Psychological Association’s first Chief Advocacy Officer. With more than 25 years of senior-level policy experience in Congress, the executive branch and the private sector, McGuire was most recently assistant secretary for congressional and intergovernmental affairs at the U.S. Department of Labor. Previously, Katherine served for five years as chief of staff to Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-Ill.), advising on science and technology issues. Before that, she spent five years as vice president for government affairs at the Business Software Alliance, a trade group comprising the world’s leading software companies, including Apple and Microsoft. She served almost 18 years in the U.S. Senate, where she held numerous senior leadership roles, including Republican staff director of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. She also previously served as staff director for two subcommittees of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs and as legislative director for Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.). Katherine McGuire holds a BS and an MS from the University of Wyoming. She also received a certificate in executive leadership from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Doris Parfaite-Claude, MPP, is the Director of Grassroots Engagement with APA’s Advocacy Office, where she is charged with growing and strengthening APA’s grassroots network. She joined APA in July 2021. Prior to that, she served as Federal Advocacy and Research Manager at the ANCOR, working on disability issues. Before that, she worked as a Legislative Assistant for the NALEO Educational Fund and a Polling Analyst for Lincoln Park Strategies. Doris has a Master of Public Policy degree from Georgetown University and an undergraduate degree in Politics from Brandeis University.
Kenneth Polishchuk, MA, MPP, is the Deputy Chief Education and Training Policy at the American Psychological Association where he leads APA’s education policy and advocacy portfolio. He has been with APA since September 2019. His issue areas of focus cover the full continuum of education, from early childhood to elementary and secondary to higher education. For the past 3 years, Kenneth has been named one of The Hill’s Top Lobbyist’s. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Committee for Education Funding and the Title IV-A Coalition. Prior to his work at APA, he spent more than 5 years on the government affairs team at the Council of Graduate Schools. He has an MA in American Politics, an MA in Public Policy, and a BA in Psychology. Originally from New York City, he currently resides in Washington, DC.
Angela L. Sharpe, MG, is a Senior Director of Congressional and Federal Relations in Scientific Affairs Advocacy at the American Psychological Association where she advocates for psychological and behavioral science before Congress and federal agencies. Before coming to APA, Angela briefly consulted with the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) and the Federation of Associations in Behavioral and Brain Sciences (FABBS). She spent more than two decades at the Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA), where she lobbied members of Congress and their staff on health and behavior research and represented COSSA to the executive branch agencies, particularly the National Institutes of Health (NIH). At COSSA, she also co-chaired two COSSA-led coalitions (Coalition to Promote Research and the Coalition for the Advancement of Health Through Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (aka the NIH Friends of BSSR) and led the Collaborative for Enhancing Diversity in Science. Before COSSA, Angela was a legislative assistant to two members of Congress, the late Rep. Carrie P. Meek (D-FL) and the late Rep. R. Lawrence Coughlin (R-PA). She also worked for the Library of Congress’ National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS/BPH). She earned her Master’s in Government from The Johns Hopkins University, a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Relations, and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Karen Studwell, JD, is the Deputy Chief Advocacy Officer for Strategy and Operations at the American Psychological Association. She designs and leads designated advocacy campaigns to increase the impact of APA’s advocacy to advance the discipline and practice of psychology and increase the application of psychological science across both the public and private sector. She leads APA’s advocacy efforts to expand federal funding for graduate psychology education and training programs and inform elementary, secondary, and higher education policy. Karen previously worked in the APA Science Directorate Government Relations Office advocating for psychological research funding at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Institute of Mental Health and the Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences. Karen received her bachelor’s degree in business administration from Ohio University and her law degree from Seattle University.