WSPA Board of Trustees
The WSPA Board of Trustees (BOT) is central to our mission, providing strategic leadership through ethical governance, legal compliance, and sound financial management policies.
Board Structure:
The board consists of up to 11 trustees, elected by the membership.
- Trustees serve three-year terms and may serve up to two consecutive terms. They are eligible for re-election after a one-year hiatus.
- One position is reserved for a Graduate Student Trustee, who serves a one-year term following a year as a non-voting Trustee-Elect. The Graduate Student Trustee serves as Co-Chair of the Graduate Student Committee, alongside another trustee.
- Trustees meet monthly, primarily via Zoom, to guide initiatives and oversee WSPA operations. Trustees chair committees, represent WSPA in statewide initiatives, and attend APA national conferences.
Board Officers:
Board officers are elected annually from within the trustees to serve a one-year term. Officer responsibilities include:
- President: Leads the board and ensures alignment with WSPA’s mission
- Vice President: Chairs the Convention Programming Committee
- Secretary: Chairs the Communications Committee
- Treasurer: Chairs the Sponsorship & Partnership Committee
Add Your Voice to WSPA’s Leadership:
Are you passionate about advancing psychology in Washington? WSPA encourages innovative and service-driven psychologists—whether early in their careers or seasoned professionals—to contribute their expertise on the Board of Trustees.
Elections are held annually in October. Check back in September to nominate yourself or another member!
If you are interested in serving on the Board of Trustees, please contact our Executive Director, Sarah Lerman at wspa@wspapsych.org and provide us with your name, contact information, and a brief rationale for your interest. For more information, please review the Board Member Expectations and Board Member Recruitment & Election process documents.
Contact information for the Board of Trustees is here. You will need to log in.
Lori Woehler, Psy.D.
President
Committee Member: Legislative Action, Partnership & Sponsorship, Convention Programming | Committee Liaison: Grassroots Advocacy, JD/PhD, RxP
Lori Woehler, Psy.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist and founder of Bellevue Psychotherapy, PS LTD where she provides therapeutic and assessment services. Dr. Woehler’s research focus includes trauma, suicidality, and addiction. Her clinical training included pre-doctoral internship at the Veterans’ Administration North Las Vegas Medical Center with specialized training in trauma, addiction, and neuropsychological assessment. She served as a post-doctoral fellow at Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. Prior to internship, she completed year- long clinical trainings at Madigan Army Medical Center Child and Family Behavioral Health Services, Western State Hospital, and a community mental health clinic. Her orientation and evidence-based practice is based in relational psychodynamic, humanistic, cognitive, behavioral, and family systems through multi-cultural, trauma-informed, neurobiological development, and attachment lens.
Dr. Woehler has presented her research at national and international conferences, holds adjunct faculty appointment at Hazelden Graduate School of Addiction Studies, developed and conducted training to reduce implicit bias in cross-discipline healthcare providers. She is a member of APA, Divisions 56 and 50, and serves on the WSPA Continuing Education Committee. She previously volunteered for King County crisis connections and served on a regional board of a national non-profit focused on youth community involvement. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, outdoor activities in the pacific northwest, traveling in her airstream, board games, and reading non-fiction. Dr Woehler’s earlier career experience includes US Army active-duty service, federal government and commercial sector leadership roles, and executive leadership roles at Microsoft as Managing Director of global security and privacy consulting services, Chief of Staff for Windows Server and Tools Marketing, and Senior Director of Online Services and Azure global security, privacy, and compliance.
Conny Kirchhoff, Ph.D.
Vice President
Committee Chair: Convention Programming, Graduate Students (Co-Chair) Committee Member: Good Trouble (Diversity in Assessment Group Co-Facilitator)
Originally from Germany, where she was trained and worked as a Psychologist, Dr. Kirchhoff moved to the U.S. in 2009. She got her Ph.D. in 2015 and became a faculty member at the WSU Psychology Department in Pullman. As Associate Director of the WSU Psychology Clinic, she greatly enjoys teaching and training students in their therapy and assessment skills. Dr. Kirchhoff got involved with the WSPA Good Trouble committee in 2020 and has since enjoyed the connection with colleagues across the State and the honest conversations and work toward greater equity, inclusion, and diversity.
As a new board member, she looks forward to serving the community of psychologists, student trainees/ future colleagues, and to work on improved mental health for WA clients.
Jay Patel, Ph.D.
Secretary
Committee Chair: Communications
Committee Member: Legislative Action
Dr. Jay Patel is a licensed clinical psychologist at Virginia Mason Franciscan Health in Seattle, specializing in neuropsychological evaluations. He has prior experience with various committees focused on advocacy, social justice, and inclusion. He has a special interest in advocating for legislation and policies that promote equitable practice and training in clinical psychology. In his free time he enjoys hiking, gardening, and cooking.
Angela Agelopoulos, Psy.D.
Treasurer
Committee Chair: Sponsorship & Partnership
Committee Member: Membership
I am a licensed clinical psychologist working at Kaiser Permanente in Olympia. I currently primarily engage in cognitive assessments for a variety of neurodevelopmental and neurocognitive disorders in adults. My individual therapy interventions tend to be centered around ACT, mindfulness, and Schema Therapy techniques, and I primarily work with individuals who have chronic illnesses and/or identify as a member of the LGBTQIA2S+ community. I have a strong passion for matters related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and am part of my organization's Antiracism Committee, where I co-facilitate white affinity groups' discussions of racial trauma and how to reduce implicit bias and improve mental healthcare for BIPOC individuals. I am also one of my organization's Wellness Champions, where I will be able to assist providers in improving their care for all of our patients, as well as reducing the likelihood of burnout. During my graduate education, I had a focus on Health Psychology, and I worked alongside some of the leading Diabetes Psychologists. I completed my internship and post-doctoral fellowship at Columbia Valley Community Health, a FQHC in Wenatchee, WA, where I had a more generalist experience, working with children and adults with mental health difficulties (ranging from PTSD to schizophrenia spectrum disorders), chronic illnesses, and those experiencing domestic violence. While I am an ECP, I have a strong passion for furthering the development of our profession and working toward reducing systemic injustice in our community.
Alexa Barcena, Ph.D.
Trustee
Committee Liaison & Member: Good Trouble, Legislative Action
Committee Member: Communications
I am a licensed clinical psychologist working at Kaiser Permanente in Olympia. I currently primarily engage in cognitive assessments for a variety of neurodevelopmental and neurocognitive disorders in adults. My individual therapy interventions tend to be centered around ACT, mindfulness, and Schema Therapy techniques, and I primarily work with individuals who have chronic illnesses and/or identify as a member of the LGBTQIA2S+ community. I have a strong passion for matters related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and am part of my organization's Antiracism Committee, where I co-facilitate white affinity groups' discussions of racial trauma and how to reduce implicit bias and improve mental healthcare for BIPOC individuals. I am also one of my organization's Wellness Champions, where I will be able to assist providers in improving their care for all of our patients, as well as reducing the likelihood of burnout. During my graduate education, I had a focus on Health Psychology, and I worked alongside some of the leading Diabetes Psychologists. I completed my internship and post-doctoral fellowship at Columbia Valley Community Health, a FQHC in Wenatchee, WA, where I had a more generalist experience, working with children and adults with mental health difficulties (ranging from PTSD to schizophrenia spectrum disorders), chronic illnesses, and those experiencing domestic violence. While I am an ECP, I have a strong passion for furthering the development of our profession and working toward reducing systemic injustice in our community.
Charles Benincasa, Psy.D.
Trustee
Committee Liaison & Member: Early Career Psychologists
Committee Member: Membership
Dr. Charles (Chuck) Benincasa is committed to advancing the field of psychology through advocacy, education, and trauma-conscious practice. His work spans clinical, forensic, and consulting practices, as well as research and clinical training with an emphasis on complex trauma, dissociation, and dignity-based intervention. He holds an affiliate faculty appointment in the PsyD in Clinical Psychology program at Antioch University, Seattle, and an adjunct faculty appointment at the Seattle Institute of East Asian Medicine. Dr. Benincasa has held various leadership roles, including co-chairing the WSPA Trainee Insurance Reimbursement Task Force and serving as the Convention Programming Chair and Awards Chair for APA Division 56 (Trauma Psychology).
Dr. Benincasa’s advocacy efforts focus on equitable treatment of psychologists in the healthcare industry, improving training opportunities, and expanding access to care. He is dedicated to amplifying marginalized voices and dismantling oppressive systems within the field of psychology.
Elizabeth Scriven, Psy.D.
Trustee
Committee Liaison & Member: Continuing Education
Committee Member: Convention Programming
Dr. Elizabeth Scriven is a licensed psychologist and disability advocate who supports individuals with addiction and mental health diagnoses in community mental health settings. Born with Spina Bifida and identifying as Disabled, Dr. Scriven educates others on ableism and promotes healing from its trauma.
Her advocacy extends to promoting equity at the systems level, including through her roles with WSPA and the APA Division 35 Women and Disability Committee. In her free time, Dr. Scriven enjoys sports, outdoor activities, arts and crafts, and spending time with family and friends.
Jennifer L. DelVentura, Ph.D., ABPP
Trustee
Committee Member: Membership
Dr. DelVentura is a clinical health psychologist licensed in Washington (and Georgia). She specializes in evidenced-based assessment and intervention with patients with chronic pain. She is active in many quality improvement and clinical program evaluation projects aiming to improve access and quality of pain care in her local facility. Additionally, she has presented for many regional and national audiences on equity, diversity, and inclusion in pain care and on evidence-based assessment/intervention for patients with chronic pain (e.g., ACT, CBT, mindfulness, presurgical assessment). She serves as an ad hoc peer reviewer for various pain and health psychology journals. She is also active in behavioral medicine training for psychology interns and postdoctoral residents.
Dr. DelVentura's current WSPA roles include: member of the Board of Trustees, co-Vice President (shared role with Dr. Wagoner), and Continuing Education Committee Chair. She has been an active WSPA member since relocating to Washington State in 2019 and has enjoyed the opportunity to meet, collaborate with, and support psychologists and trainees across the state. She values the role that state psychological associations play in advocacy, education, advancing the field, and creating professional community and believes in active engagement in professional service as a means of living professional values and supporting the community.
Megan Wagoner, Psy.D.
Trustee
Committee Chair: Membership
Committee Member: Good Trouble
I am a licensed psychologist in private practice in Seattle. I enjoy working with adults using lenses of psychoanalytic, feminist, and liberation theories. Though I have been a WSPA member since my internship year, I only became more active in the organization when the Good Trouble committee was formed in 2020. Through participation in that group, I have found significant meaning in connection with my psychologist colleagues as we wrestle to identify and work towards shared mission, vision, and goals. My collaborative process skills have deepened through this work as well. I enjoy working on these processes with the wider WSPA board, and helping the organization meet the needs of our members and of the practice of psychology in Washington state as a whole. I am thrilled to share co-leadership responsibilities with Jenna DelVentura and look forward to continuing to connect with WSPA!
Kelly Walk, M.S., M.A., LMHCA
Graduate Student Trustee
Committee Chair: Graduate Students (Co-Chair)
Committee Member: Communications, Legislative Action
Kelly Walk is a fourth-year PhD student in the APA-accredited Clinical Psychology Doctorate program at Fielding Graduate University. She resides in the Pacific Northwest, near Lakewood, where she works as the Director of Organizational Change Management at Western State Psychiatric Hospital (WSH). Additionally, she is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate (LMHCA).
Kelly’s clinical interests include working with individuals who have committed sexual offenses, as well as those who have been victims of sexual violence. Having personally experienced the impact of sexual violence within her family, Kelly is deeply committed to advocating for improved psychological services for all individuals involved in sexually violent cases, including victims, offenders, and their support systems. She also aims to contribute to the advancement of public education, as well as legislative and judicial reforms in Washington state, to more effectively address these complex issues.
Cara Guthrie, M.S., M.Ed.
Graduate Student Trustee
Committee Chair: Graduate Students
Cara Guthrie is a second-year Child Clinical Psychology PhD student at the University of Washington. She resides in Seattle, where she provides therapy to children, adolescents, and families through the university’s Psychological Services and Training Center. Before entering her doctoral program, Cara worked as a mental health case manager supporting children with complex needs in under-resourced communities. These experiences sparked her passion for systemic change and inform both her research and clinical work. Her current research focuses on parent-child communication and emotion socialization in the context of chronic stress and adversity, such as pediatric illness or family disruption. She is committed to expanding access to evidence-based mental health services and promoting culturally responsive care across Washington State.