Celebrating William James College Accomplishments

The William James College faculty, staff, alumni and students have been recognized for their achievements and service to the community. We are honored to work with individuals who are advancing mental health and demonstrating leadership in our community with a commitment to social justice. Below is a sampling of awards and recognitions received in 2025. New updates will be added throughout the year.

January 2025: Congratulations to the Haitian Mental Health Network for being nominated and chosen by Get Konnected! as one of Boston's Most Impactful organizations serving the Black Community and the Asian Community. Dr. Gemima St. Louis, Vice President of Workforce Initiatives and Specialty Training at William James College and Gina Benjamin, MSW, LICSW, Associate Director of Clinical and Community Services at William James College and Executive Director of the Haitian Mental Health Network have been honored for their exceptional work with the Haitian Mental Health Network. Colette Phillips, Founder of Get Konnected! and President and CEO of Colette Phillips Communications, shared in her award letter, "We believe that your your work is transforming Boston, making a it a more equitable and inclusive city."

March 2025: Dr. Gemima St. Louis, Vice President for Workforce Initiatives and Professor at William James College, has been elected as a Distinguished Fellow of the National Academies of Practice. Members of the Class of 2025 were inducted during the Annual Induction Banquet and Awards Ceremony held in Washington, DC on Saturday, March 15, 2025. 

Membership in the National Academies of Practice is an honor extended to those who have excelled in their profession and are dedicated to advancing interprofessional education, scholarship, research, practice, and policy in support of interprofessional care. Congratulations to Dr. St. Louis!

 

May 2025:  Congratulations to the William James College Psi Chi Chapter!

We’re proud to share that our Psi Chi chapter, under the leadership of Dr. Kerri Augusto and student board members (see below), has been named a 2024–25 Model Chapter by the Psi Chi Board of Directors and Headquarters! Out of more than 1,150 chapters around the world, only 40 received this recognition this year.

The award celebrates chapters that go above and beyond in promoting the mission of Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology. Our chapter will receive a $100 award in recognition of this achievement.

About Our Chapter

Our chapter currently includes 72 members, including graduate students from MA in Organizational Psychology, PsyD in Leadership Psychology, MA in Psychology, MA/CAGS in School Psychology, BS in Psychology and Human Services, and alumni. We also welcome members who transferred their Psi Chi membership from their undergraduate institutions. (Note: Psi Chi induction is not currently available to PsyD in Clinical Psychology or MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling students, per program guidelines.  However, Clinical PsyD students are welcome to transfer an existing membership.)

Kerri Augusto, PhD, Director of Undergraduate Studies and Faculty Advisor for Psi Chi, shared "I’ve had the privilege of working alongside an incredibly dedicated team. We’re deeply grateful for the support of the Office of the Registrar and the Dean of Students Office—particularly Meredith Apfelbaum and Melissa Lane—who collaborated with us on our Week of Service and annual Induction Ceremonies.

A special thank you goes to faculty member Kymberlee O’Brien, who partnered with 2024–2025 Chapter President Tonya Echols (PsyD in Leadership Psychology) to deliver a well attended international Psi Chi webinar on “Crafting and Presenting Compelling Stories,” to Alyssa Battista (MA/CAGS in School Psychology) for leading a creative sneaker recycling drive that successfully raised funds for honor cords and inductee certificates for our members, and to Gail Delgado (BS, Psychology and Human Services), who helped our chapter gain recognition with her published article in the flagship publication, Eye on Psi Chi."

Chapter officers deserve special recognition:

Tonya Echols (PsyD in Leadership Psychology), President (2024–2025)
Alyssa Battista (MA/CAGS in School Psychology), Co-VP, Fundraising Chair, and President-elect (2025–2026)
Fred Bernabe (PsyD in Leadership Psychology), Co-VP, and Vice President-elect (2025-2026)
Gail Delgado (BS in Psychology and Human Services), Secretary until Dec. 2025
Dana Laratte (PsyD in Clinical Psychology, transfer member), Secretary from Jan. 2025, and Secretary-elect (2025-2026)
Jill Kasten  (PsyD in Leadership Psychology), Treasurer 2024 - present

Augusto further shared, "As we look to 2025–2026, our officers are committed to expanding opportunities for increased participation among our diverse membership, which includes distance learners, working professionals, and alumni. We also plan to strengthen international chapter ties and continue offering impactful webinars that highlight the unique expertise within William James College."

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