In a letter from Vice President of Academic Affairs, Dr. Brian Nedwek, it was announced today that Dr. Michael Leftwich has been appointed the position of Dean of the Doctoral Program.
Dr.
Leftwich received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Oklahoma
State
University. He was an NIH
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the Oklahoma Center for Alcohol and
Drug-Related Studies and a Psychologist at the Mental Health Center of East
Central Kansas.
In the academe, he served as an Associate Professor for the
Department of Psychology and Special Education and as Director of the Clinical
Psychology Program at Emporia State University. At
Forest, Dr. Leftwich has served as Director of Clinical Training since 2009.
Also transitioning to a new role will be Dr. David Mrad, who
will leave the position of Associate Dean of the Doctoral Program to become
Director of Clinical Training.
Dr. Mrad has a distinguished career as a
clinician, particularly in the area of forensics, with considerable experience
as a supervisor. He has been in private practice, in addition to working in a
number of institutional settings, including the St. Louis County Adult
Correctional Institute, the Magdala Foundation, and the U.S. Medical Center for
Federal Prisoners where he was Director of the APA accredited internship
program. Dr. Mrad has a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of
Missouri – St. Louis.
"Please join me in welcoming these colleagues to their new
roles at Forest," said Dr. Nedwek. "These changes are important steps in ensuring quality in our
academic programs and in facilitating success in our upcoming APA
reaccreditation."
This will be a transition period, and both Drs. Leftwich and
Mrad will continue to fulfill essential elements of their contractual
arrangements as faculty for the remainder of the semester, even as they assume
new duties and responsibilities.
Additionally, on October 17, Dr. Gerald Porter will drop the
position of Interim Dean with Dr. Leftwich’s appointment and serve full time as
Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs until January 1 when he will
assume the position of VPAA. During this transitional period, everyone will be
staying in their current offices, and correspondence should be sent to both the
current and new office holders until everyone fully transitions into their new
positions in January.