World-renowned I-O psychologist and former SIOP President Dr. Eduardo Salas is one of the most often cited SIOP members, having co-authored over 300 journal articles and co-edited 27 books. His contributions to the field of I-O outside of his own research include his service on the editorial board of the Journal of Applied Psychology, Personnel Psychology, Military, and many other well respected publications. He has long dedicated his energies to building future researcher through his tenure at the University of Central Florida and now as the chair of the Department of Psychology at Rice University. 

This is our second installment in a two-part series on increasing our military literacy. Last week’s Newsbrief talked about how the military is organized, and this week we will touch upon key concepts underlying why it may be difficult for our military community members to transition to civilian employment. Approximately 200,000 service members leaving the U.S. military annually. Although less than 1% of our U.S. population is currently serving in uniform, approximately 8% of our U.S. population has served and are considered veterans. Additionally, there are an estimated 690,000 military spouses in the U.S. The military community may not be in the majority, but they have served an outsize role to ensure those that have not served can enjoy a life of freedom.

There are numerous ways to serve in the military based upon the type of service component, role, job/occupation, and types of experiences to which someone is exposed. It is critical to recognize that service comes in many forms – uniformed military, military family members, civilian government employees, and contractors all serve the Department of Defense’s military mission in unique and impactful ways. Serving in the military is a total family experience. When a service member serves, so does his or her spouse and children, as the family members must maintain continuity through regular deployments, moves around the world, and conditions that often prevent ever feeling settled into a career for a military spouses or education for military children. 

It’s hard to believe but SIOP’s 2019 LEC is over and the planning for SIOP 2020 LEC is underway! I’d like to take a moment to reflect on the annual consortium and start translating the amazing insights and discussions had during LEC into action.

SIOP’s 2019 Leading Edge Consortium, Advancing the Edge: Assessment for the 2020s (LEC), had record-breaking attendance. In fact, it SOLD OUT! What was even more exciting was that about 20% of the audience were non-SIOP members. Their unique perspectives and expertise greatly contributed to and heightened the conversation about where the field of assessment needs to head in the future.

Happy Veterans Day to SIOP’s military community and beyond. The sacrifices our military men and women and their families make daily are commendable. These sacrifices often go unspoken because it is a way of life for them. Many times when someone stops a veteran to say “thank you for your service” you’ll find the veterans pauses and has to think about a reply. It isn’t that they are not thankful for your gratitude and acknowledgment; it is often that veterans simply do not see their daily actions as anything different from those not wearing a uniform around them. The first few times I (Kristin) was welcomed with such a comment in public after I joined the Army, I fell mute because, in reality, I was simply doing my job as an I-O psychologist in uniform. I, like so many veterans and family members of veterans think of this as a job to be done but to those they protect and enable freedom for, it is far more than that. It is a sacrifice few – about 8% of the U.S. population are veterans – are willing to make for an outsize impact on the world.

SIOP’s Military and Veterans Initiative (MVI) Task Force was launched in fall 2018 after maturing from a prosocial effort first founded in 2012. Focused internally, the Task Force builds a community for those that work on military-relevant or funded topics whether through research, practice, and/or identification as a military community member. Externally, the Task Force communicates best practices of I-O psychology relevant to Veterans’ and their families’ well-being, work conditions, and employment topics.

SIOP elections for president-elect and four members of the Executive Board are open through December 2. Member participation in the election process is important for maintaining strong leadership for SIOP and the field of I-O psychology. Positions and candidates on the ballot are: