Scientist-practitioner, clinical and community psychologist and health care innovator Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD, is CEO of the American Psychological Association, a post he assumed on March 20, 2017. In this position, he heads the leading scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States, with nearly 115,700 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students as its members.

Before joining APA, Evans spent 12 years as commissioner of Philadelphia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Service, a $1.2 billion health care agency that is the behavioral health and intellectual disabilities safety net for 1.5 million Philadelphians. He realigned the agency’s treatment philosophy, service delivery models and fiscal policies to improve health outcomes and increase the efficiency of the service system. The transformation of the Philadelphia service system has saved millions of dollars that the city reinvested in other community-based services

Evans has been recognized nationally and internationally for his work in behavioral health care policy and service delivery innovation. In 2015, he was recognized by the White House as an “Advocate for Action” by the Office of National Drug Control Policy. In 2013, he received the American Medical Association’s top government service award in healthcare, the Dr. Nathan Davis Award for Outstanding Government Service. Evans is also regarded as a strong mental health advocate and was recognized by Faces and Voices of Recovery with the Lisa Mojer-Torres Award. In 2017, he was awarded the Visionary Leadership Award by the National Council of Behavioral Health and inducted into the Florida Atlantic University Alumni Hall of Fame at his alma mater. He has also been recognized as a strong advocate for social justice, having received three different Martin Luther King Jr. awards.

Evans holds faculty appointments at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Drexel University School of Public Health and the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, and has held a faculty appointment at the Yale University School of Medicine.

Earlier in his career, Evans was deputy commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services, where he led major strategic initiatives in the state’s behavioral health care system. Similar to his work in Philadelphia, he was instrumental in implementing a recovery-oriented policy framework, addressing health care disparities, increasing the use of evidence-based practices and significantly improving community engagement. He also developed a thriving private practice.

Evans is the author or co-author of 40 peer-reviewed research articles and of numerous chapters, reviews and editorials. He is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment and a fellow and member of the board of trustees of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia.

Education

Evans holds a doctorate in clinical/community psychology from the University of Maryland and a master’s degree in experimental psychology from Florida Atlantic University, where he also completed his undergraduate work.