What are SIOP's committees?
SIOP encourages all of its members to take an active role in the Society. Serving on a committee is one of the best ways to participate and learn about the issues that confront SIOP as an organization. Committee work will broaden your knowledge of how SIOP functions, give you an opportunity to express your point of view, and introduce you to a wide variety of people in the profession.
Volunteer terms are generally for one year, beginning each May. Note that some committee roles have longer terms, and specific membership requirements which you can read about in the descriptions below. Committee leaders are recruited directly by the President-Elect during the previous year and generally serve a 2 year term. Committee Chairs begin recruitment volunteers during May-June, and plan to fill their roster by July 1 each year. Students are encouraged to volunteer! Note that a committee roster may be comprised of up to 25% Student volunteers, allowing the committee to elicit a student perspective when needed, however, some committees do not accept any Students due to the nature of the committee's work.
View all members serving on committees
Click on any of the following Committee names for more information to help you decide for which ones you may wish to volunteer.
Standing Committees
The ARC was created to support SIOP’s government relations initiative conducted by our partner, Lewis Burke (LB). The committee, which evaluates SIOP’s work with LB, is composed of individuals who have had direct experience with the history SIOP’s science advocacy work and with LB. Committee members are appointed to serve 6 year terms, conducting an evaluation every 3 years and making recommendations prior to our contract renewal with LB.
The goals of this committee are to (a) support the career development of I-O psychologists; and (b) make SIOP the most valuable resource for the ongoing development of practitioners as evidenced by career long utilization of SIOP business and professional development resources, high participation, and attendance at programs.
The purpose of this committee is to provide efficient and effective means to connect job seekers with employers looking to hire I-O psychologists. We facilitate these opportunities through two main avenues; the Conference Career Center (CCC) and the I-O Job Network. The committee organizes and coordinates the CCC leading up to and at the annual conference, providing a variety of services for SIOP members including, job search resources, networking, and opportunities to interview with hiring organizations. We also maintain the I-O Job Network, an online job seeking/posting portal hosted on the SIOP.org website where job seekers can post their resumes and search through available job postings, and where employers can list job openings.
Supporting and reinforcing ethical decision-making in our students, researchers, and practitioners is arguably as fundamental to the health of the I-O profession as the technical quality of our pedagogy, research methods, and practice. The Committee for the Advancement of Professional Ethics (CAPE) is tasked with supporting professional development needs associated with addressing ethical challenges in the practice, research, and educator roles played by I-O psychologists. Activities include (a) identifying, developing, and sharing professional development resources; (b) raising the profile of professional discourse about ethical decision-making; and (c) serving as a response team to proposed changes to the APA Ethics Code (which also serves as SIOP’s Ethics Code).
Members of this committee focus on issues related to ethnic minorities both within SIOP as an organization as well as within the field of industrial-organizational psychology as a whole.
The committee coordinates CE credit activities for SIOP's fall and spring events, assesses the CE and professional development needs of members, and promotes opportunities for members to improve their professional skills.
This committee was established to organize the four various SIOP consortia which occur on the Wednesday prior to the annual SIOP conference. The Consortia Committee is a sub-committee of the SIOP Instructional and Educational Portfolio and has goals that align with and further the goals of the SIOP Instructional and Education Portfolio, and also SIOP strategic goals. Specifically, the goals of the Consortia Committee are to provide programming that is valuable and relevant to SIOP members across their professional lifetime, and to create an opportunity for attendees to network and build their relationships with other SIOP members. The Consortia Committee is comprised of a Consortia Chair, and the Chairs and Chairs in Training for the Master’s, Doctoral, Jr. Faculty, and Early Career Professional Practice Committees.
The mission of this committee is to address the issue of racial and ethnic underrepresentation in funded doctoral programs in I-O psychology. The pipeline initiative seeks to increase awareness of I-O and strengthen the applications of racial and ethnic minority students. This program is aligned with SIOP’s strategic goal to “build a diverse, inclusive, and agile SIOP that maximizes our impact through effective people, process, technology, and data infrastructure.” The mission is to increase diversity within the field of I-O psychology, and ultimately SIOP, by increasing the diversity of students who are applying to and accepted into funded I-O doctoral programs. Our vision is to see a significantly larger talent pipeline of Black/African-Americans, Hispanic/Latinx and Native Americans for I-O graduate education and ultimately SIOP.
The members on this committee monitor the state of graduate education in industrial and organizational psychology (I-O), encourage and promote the development of the scientific and practitioner skills of the Society’s prospective members, prepare and revise the Guidelines for Education and Training at the Masters/Doctoral Level in Industrial-Organizational Psychology, teaching modules, and contribute to and collaborate with Education and Training Boards of other professional societies (e.g., APA, APS). Special projects are usually focused on the status of graduate education and determining future changes. For example, a special project initiative focuses on international graduate education of I-O Psychologists. Time commitments vary according to the project and the role the member plays.
The ECC’s purpose is to leverage electronic forms of communication to progress the goals of SIOP. The ECC works to maximize the effective use of current and emerging technology resources to increase awareness of I-O psychology and SIOP, to facilitate and support the completion of SIOP’s initiatives, to create online resources for members, and to connect SIOP’s members to each other and to available resources. Currently, the ECC oversees the generation of the ECC Podcast and collaborates with SIOP’s committees and administrative office to create social-media content while supporting the administrative office and other SIOP committees in their online communications with members and with the public.
The Engagement and Communications for Practitioners committee promotes practitioner engagement within SIOP. Activities include professional practice update newsletters, social media initiatives, conference networking events, practitioner needs surveys, and practitioner advocacy for awards and fellow nominations.
This committee supports SIOP's efforts to advocate for I-O interests to various external audiences. The committee plays an important role in (a) maintaining SIOP's relations with other organizations in order to advance our strategic goals and (b) encouraging SIOP members to participate on committees and boards of partner organizations so that the I-O perspective can add value and drive impact in work being done outside of SIOP.
In the fall, each member of the committee must review the nomination of every candidate. The committee then recommends a slate of candidates to the Executive Board for approval. The new Fellows are presented to the membership at the annual conference.
You must be a Fellow of the Society in order to serve on this committee. Please contact the chair if you are interested in serving.
The purpose of this committee is to help SIOP in the sphere of advocacy. This includes helping SIOP have a direct impact on Federal policy and legislation and on more local issues and activities. Committee activities include helping to facilitate the nomination of SIOP members to serve on federal advisory panels or boards or grant review panels; create and coordinate activities such as Congressional briefings and SIOP sessions; and organize initiatives to generate interest and knowledge about advocacy among the SIOP membership.
The primary responsibility of the History Committee is to preserve the Society's history, which involves communicating, documenting, and preserving the historical record. The committee also has two student volunteers who assist the Historian with various projects related to chronicling activities and historical linkages of SIOP membership.
The journal takes a focal article–peer commentary–response format. Members of this committee work to elicit research and commentary for publication in this quarterly scholarly journal.
The Institutional Research Committee establishes polticies regarding SIOP's participation in surveys and third-party research including the use and disposition of data. The committee works to maximize the value of surveys given to SIOP members (e.g., salary, career, member practice surveys, etc.) by defining how the data are archived, accessed, and used. To help do this, the committee reviews all surveys before they are given to the SIOP membership to ensure the survey, its communications, and the research plan are all relevant and appropriate. This committee also oversees the triennial Income & Employment Survey (i.e., the Salary Survey) of SIOP members. In particular, the committee leads efforts associated with the design, marketing, administration, analysis, and reporting of the Salary Survey results for the SIOP membership.
This committee aims to (a) increase awareness regarding cross-cultural and international issues in I-O psychology practice and research; (b) foster international collaboration between SIOP members and international affiliates; (c)) establish new collaborations and enhance current ones with various international I-O organizations and associations; and (d) disseminate I-O knowledge relevant for the science and/or practice of I-O psychology in an international/multi-cultural environment. The IAC subcommittees achieve these goals through SIOP conference activities, including community of interest meetings, international receptions, and other engagements that increase the IAC’s visibility. Additionally, the IAC connects affiliates and members of similar international associations around the world, supports the editorial process and generation/solicitation of topics and authors for the SIOP White Paper series, and serves on the International Research Collaboration Grant subcommittee to review a small set of submissions for international research. Finally, the IAC initiates and coordinates global actions that favor collaboration between I-O psychologists and I-O organizations, with the aim of supporting the generation and dissemination of I-O relevant knowledge.
The LEC Committee organizes the Leading Edge Consortium each year. The topic and chairs are selected by an ad hoc team appointed each year by the Executive Board. The chairs then appoint committee members based on expertise and other factors related to each year’s event. Volunteer members are not solicited or accepted due to the unique nature and accelerated pace of the work of this committee.
Members on this committee are involved with the development and dissemination of valued practitioner information and resources for focused, actionable, research-based learning about I-O issues vital to organizational success. Resources include, but are not limited to, CHRO Advisory Board guidance, I-O webinars, TIP’s “The Bridge: Connecting Science and Practice” articles, SIOP Research Access, and SHRM-SIOP White Paper Collaborations.
The purpose of establishing this committee was to begin to encourage research on LGBTQIA+ issues and promote LGBTQIA+ voice within SIOP. The committee has a Working Mission Statement, which is "To increase favorable attitudes and awareness of LGBTQIA+ issues within SIOP, to encourage research on LGBTQIA+ issues, and to promote LGBTQIA+ voice and support." The committee is looking for graduate students, faculty, and practitioners who are interested in serving as a resource for subcommittee chairs. The subcommittees are: Mentorship, Education, Research, Practice, Membership, and Awards. Volunteers would be assigned to a subcommittee based on their interests and would work with their respective sub-committee chair to accomplish yearly goals. Attendance on monthly conference calls may be requested.
This committee promotes the interests of the Society and its membership by concerning itself with matters affecting licensure, certification, and credentialing issues as well as the practice of psychology. It also updates SIOP leadership on licensure, certification, and credentialing issues that may affect SIOP members. Committee members are concerned with monitoring and influencing developments and changes to state licensing laws. The success of this committee depends on its members’ willingness to make contacts outside of SIOP in state and provincial psychological associations, as well as other organizations involved in certifications and/or credentialing in activities that include the practice of I-O psychology.
The goal of the Local I-O Group Relations Committee is to create a strong connection between SIOP and locally operated I-O groups. The committee provides a Local Group I-O Toolkit which is an “instruction guide” to help emerging groups learn from the lessons of others in forming, growing and maintaining their local I-O Groups. Additionally, the Local I-O Groups Committee maintains a database of local groups in North America and around the world, and liaises with those groups to inform them of current issues and provides access to the various resources available from SIOP. We aspire to strengthen and connect local I-O communities around the globe.
The Membership Committee drives functions related to the attraction, selection, and retention of SIOP's membership. The leadership team oversees three core subcommittees that support SIOP’s strategic goals. The Analytics Subcommittee drives data initiatives and provides insights related to membership composition and trends within the SIOP community. The Applications Subcommittee focuses on consistent reviews, trend spotting, and streamlining the approach to membership applications. The Survey Subcommittee revises and launches the annual membership survey as well as the annual exit survey, and produces summaries with key recommendations. The membership committee also includes ad hoc subcommittees that advise SIOP leadership and staff on succession planning, diversity & inclusion, and international membership expansion, and data infrastructure.
SIOP proudly reflects a diverse representation of members from the research and practice communities. The Open Science and Practice (OSP) Committee will review and provide input on open science approaches and practices in journals, in academic research, in organizational practice, at the SIOP conference, in collaboration with other disciplines, and so on. The primary goal is to educate SIOP members in all major areas tied to open science and practice: e.g., pre-registration of research and projects; sharing of data, protocols, measures, and code; and transparent and efficient research and practice workflow.
The intent for the OSTA Book Series is to facilitate translation – science to practice, practice to science, and multidisciplinary exchange – broadly construed. The OSTA Series will aim to publish one (or more) volumes per year and is co-sponsored by SIOP and Oxford University Press (OUP), the publisher. Among the main goals is to take scientific advancements that have implications for practice and translate them into detailed and actionable innovations for use within organization.
This committee produces a series of volumes on scientific developments in industrial and organizational psychology. Members are appointed by the Committee chair with the approval of the SIOP President.
This Committee produces a series of volumes on practice issues in industrial and organizational psychology. This committee’s membership is appointed by the editor of the series.
The APA Program Committee is responsible for developing SIOP’s program for the annual APA Convention. Program committee members' primary responsibility is reviewing and evaluating proposals submitted to APA as Division 14 submissions, as well as developing program proposals and/or soliciting proposals from others.
The APS Program Committee is responsible for developing the I-O track for the annual APS convention. Program committee members have two responsibilities: (a) developing program proposals and/or soliciting proposals from others; and (b) reviewing and evaluating proposals submitted to the I-O track at APS.
This committee helps with the planning and organization of the scholarship and program side of the annual conference. There are several subcommittees within this committee whose various aims are to create the Call for Proposals and to develop Special Sessions, Communities of Interest, and Competitions & Awards and coordinate those sessions leading up to and at the conference. Most of the work takes place in the summer and fall before the conference.
This committee is concerned with all aspects of industrial and organizational psychology as a science. Its members encourage, promote, and facilitate greater contributions of a scientific and technical nature. For example, members of this committee work on projects such as providing input to the APA committee that wrote the
Standards. The workload of this committee is variable and depends on the issues that arise during the year. The work is both sporadic and short fuse. The committee chair often has little notice of the need to feed information to another organization, and members must respond quickly if SIOPs voice is to be heard.
This committee is responsible for planning and organizing the annual conference. The current steering committee includes the chair of the Conference Committee, the current SIOP president, the past president, the Local Arrangements chair, the chair for Workshops, the chair for Placement Center, the chair for the Program-SIOP, the chair of the Consortia Committee, the Volunteer Coordinator, the Site Selection Chair, and the Conference Evaluation Chair.
Committee members participate by developing and submitting material for publication in the quarterly publication,
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist (TIP). Regular columns may be developed if there is a widespread ongoing interest (e.g., Practice Network). Some committee members may undertake special projects; time demands are greatest in the weeks before TIP publication deadlines (3/l, 6/1, 9/1, 12/1). All members of this committee are appointed by the editor.
This committee seeks to bring I-O related theory, research and practice to help advance the programs and goals of the United Nations Economic and Social Counsel (ECOSOC). The UN committee’s specific goals include generating high quality solutions to address humanitarian and development issues within ECOSOC and UN agencies, building and maintaining the infrastructure for facilitating pro-bono work within SIOP, and forming multi-stakeholder partnerships with UN agencies who can leverage SIOP members’ expertise in meeting their strategic goals. The UN committee also participates as a member of the Psychology Coalition at the UN (PCUN), an alliance of psychology associations working together on UN efforts. Members serve a longer term on this committee due to additional requirements of the UN.
The role of the Visibility Committee is to increase the visibility of SIOP, SIOP members, and I-O psychology to business leaders, public policy officials, and the general public. There are currently 5 subcommittees who work together to accomplish this purpose.
• Advocacy & Prosocial aims to promote, guide, and encourage SIOP members’ use of I-O knowledge and skills for: 1) prosocial work within organizations in need (e.g., small businesses and non-profits), 2) research on topics which enable I/O to be a force for good, and 3) prosocial efforts aimed at serving college students in the fields of HR and I/O
• Bridge Builders aims to enhance the visibility of I-O psychology to high school, undergraduate students, and anyone else looking for a career change
• HR & Business aims to educate HR and business executives about I-O psychology and the value it can bring to their organizations
• Branding & Media aims to reinforce the branding guidelines, outwardly push the visual SIOP brand, enhance the visibility of SIOP and I-O through all traditional and non-traditional media channels, and build media relations
• Metrics aims to assess the efficacy of SIOP initiatives and the extent to which SIOP is gaining visibility.
Members of this committee focus on issues related to women's treatment, inclusion, and experiences both within SIOP as an organization as well as within the field of industrial-organizational psychology as a whole.
The Workshops and Learning Programs are responsible for planning and coordinating the annual SIOP pre-conference workshops. The WLP ensures that the workshops provide value to the SIOP membership, address topics salient to a broad range of SIOP members and comply with APA Continuing Education criteria. All WLP members participate in the workshop planning process by individually submitting ideas for potential workshops and then, working together to refine the ideas and select the final slate of workshops. Once the list of workshops is finalized, each member is responsible for coordinating a workshop, which includes identifying speakers, working with the speakers in the months leading up to the workshop to ensure all deadlines are met and a quality workshop is developed, and facilitating the delivery of the workshop on workshop day. The annual workshop planning meeting is held at the conference site the day prior to the current year’s workshops.
Ad Hoc Committees
Disability, Inclusion and Accessibility (DIAC) (ad hoc): We are thrilled to announce SIOP’s new Disability, Inclusion and Accessibility committee which seeks to help SIOP become a barrier-free society by raising awareness of issues of disability and disability identity in the workforce and helping improve the experiences of all SIOP members, I-O students, and other people with disabilities in the workforce through science and practice. Given its mandate, the committee is composed of scientists and practitioners, U.S. and international members, people with a lived experience of a disability and allies, and people at different career stages.
Military and Veterans Inclusion Committee (MVI) (ad hoc): The MVI focuses on building collaborations, creating a community for SIOP members working on military and veteran topics, and enacting efforts aimed at increasing research, identification and dissemination of best practices, workplace resources, and expert consultation to support military communities (e.g. veterans, Guard and Reservists, and military spouses) during their service and while employed in civilian settings.
Support, Planning, and Research Committee (SPARC) (ad hoc): The committee consists of the various invited members who serve a 5 year term. The committee’s purpose is to delve into the details of policies that effect the Society and provide reports and/or recommendations to the Executive Board.
Awards Committees
Awards Committee: The Awards Committee administers the SIOP awards and the awards, scholarships, and research grants for the SIOP Foundation. The Awards Trio, consisting of the Committee Chair, Associate Chair, and Chair-In-Training, selects subcommittee chairs for each of the awards to evaluate nominations and applications. Some of the awards are presented to the Executive Board for approval. Subcommittee members review supporting materials before making a recommendation to the Executive Board. Because the recommendations are made at the September meeting of the Executive Board, most work for this committee is done immediately following the SIOP conference and in early summer.
Awards Subcommittees: As stated in the above Awards Committee description, there is a subcommittee for every SIOP and SIOP Foundation Award that evaluates the nominees and makes recommendations of the recipients to the Executive Board. In the SIOP Volunteer System (SVS), the name of each of these subcommittees is preceded by the abbreviation AWD to make them easily distinguishable as being connected to awards. Because the awards subcommittees are awards-related, no student may serve on any of them, and because they are active for such a short period of time, they have the same status as ad hoc committees, in that a member may serve on both a standing committee and an award subcommittee. Please note that many of these subcommittees have very specific requirements for membership (e.g., must have a certain number of years of experience, be a Fellow, must have published in a particular area, etc.). For that reason, most of the staffing of these committees is done outside the SVS system. Learn more about awards committee requirements here.
Task Forces
Each year the SIOP President may appoint a short-term task force to undertake a specific goal or project. Some task force members are specifically recruited for the term of the task force, while others are recruited within the SVS.
So how do you serve on a committee?
Click here to volunteer for a committee