The impact of certain individuals is felt long after their passing. APF is proud to offer an opportunity to remember those who have left their mark, whether on the field or on individual lives. By making a donation to APF in memory of a friend, colleague, or loved one, their impact is continued through funding important psychological research and supporting the careers of graduate students and psychologists. Click on the photos below for more information on these incredible individuals.
Thank you to all of the partners who have donated in memory of those who are dearly missed. If you have made a donation in memory of someone and would like to request they be added to this page, please fill out the form located below.
Dr. Lee Gurel passed away on July 24, 2023. Dr. Gurel was a dedicated member of the APF family, funding numerous programs through the Foundation …
View MoreIn Memory of Lee Gurel, PhD
James (Jim) Hiram Miller died on November 4, 2022, at the age of 81 after a seven year-struggle with Parkinson’s and frontotemporal degeneration. Jim was …
View MoreIn Memory of Jim H. Miller
In April of 2022, newly appointed APF CEO Miriam Isserow z”l died suddenly following injuries from a kitchen fire. Miriam’s life was dedicated to justice. …
View MoreIn Memory of Miriam Isserow z”l
Dr. Josephine David Johnson died on Thursday, July 13, 2023, in Royal Oak, MI. As a consultant to Community Mental Health agencies Dr. Johnson provides …
View MoreIn Memory of Josephine D. Johnson, PhD
K. Anders Ericsson, PhD, was one of the world’s preeminent experts on expertise and passed away in June of 2020. He is survived by his …
View MoreIn Memory of K. Anders Ericsson, PhD
Dr. Lee Gurel passed away on July 24, 2023. Dr. Gurel was a dedicated member of the APF family, funding numerous programs through the Foundation to support the TOPSS (Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools) Committee.
James (Jim) Hiram Miller died on November 4, 2022, at the age of 81 after a seven year-struggle with Parkinson’s and frontotemporal degeneration. Jim was a highly energetic, creative, warm, witty and caring person. He had a mischievous twinkle in his eyes with a great sense of humor. Jim read constantly, was highly interested in politics and was a strong proponent of equitable public education and social justice. He took leadership roles with almost every group with which he was a part. Jim was passionate about education and loved teaching and being a K-12 administrator for over 30 years. After taking an early retirement from the educational field, he obtained an MSW degree from University of Texas at Austin. He greatly enjoyed providing services to adolescents, families, and couples as a clinical social worker for about 25 years. Jim and his spouse Melba Vasquez, former President of APA, had a profoundly deep, rich, and loving relationship. He had numerous warm connections with family and friends, and is missed greatly by all who knew him.
In April of 2022, newly appointed APF CEO Miriam Isserow z”l died suddenly following injuries from a kitchen fire. Miriam’s life was dedicated to justice. With a bachelor’s from Barnard College, Columbia University in New York City and a law degree from Hebrew University in Jerusalem, she set out to change the world. Her early career as a lawyer included working at the Israel Women’s Network. Returning to the US, she pivoted to fundraising and development work, bringing her deeply analytical and community-building skills to helping organizations become stronger and more effective.
In her years at APF Miriam accomplished much, including pointing the Foundation in new directions by implementing several grants related to the study of COVID-19 that were turned around in a mere six weeks. Miriam also raised the funds for the EnVision Racial Equity project – a limited series of APF Visionary Grants to study the effects of racism in this country.
Dr. Josephine David Johnson died on Thursday, July 13, 2023, in Royal Oak, MI.
As a consultant to Community Mental Health agencies Dr. Johnson provides individual clinical supervision and group case consultation. She served many years as a Psychological Consultant to a residential treatment facility conducting psychological evaluations, providing case consultation, and participating in program development. She provided clinical consultation to the Counseling and Psychological Services Program at Wayne State University. Dr. Johnson was a consultant to businesses, schools, healthcare agencies, and churches and was a graduate of the Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Detroit program.
Dr. Johnson received a BA in Psychology from Northwestern University, Master’s in School Psychology and Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Detroit. She served on the American Psychological Association (APA) Board of Directors and on numerous committees including the Committee for the Advancement of Professional Practice and was chair of the Membership Board and Board of Convention Affairs. She was a fellow of four APA Divisions. Dr. Johnson received APA’s “State Leadership Award in 2017”. She received MPA’s Beth Clark Service Award in 2018. APA’s Division of Psychologists in Independent Practice awarded her their Public Service Award in 2016. Dr. Johnson served as an Officer of the Metro Detroit Association of Black Psychologists.
K. Anders Ericsson, PhD, was one of the world’s preeminent experts on expertise and passed away in June of 2020. He is survived by his wife, Natalie Sachs-Ericsson, his children, Lina and Jens Ericsson, and his grandson, Jakob.
Ericsson’s passion for understanding skill acquisition processes, particularly the role of deliberate practice, led to the widespread use of the expert performance approach. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the mental processes and knowledge that differentiates experts from lesser performers and spurred investigations in many domains, particularly in sports and medicine. He contributed to the development of better process tracing techniques to fully understand skill acquisition, including the analysis of concurrent and retrospective think-aloud verbal protocols gathered during problem solving on representative domain tasks.
The K. Anders Ericsson Dissertation Research Grant has been established in his memory.
Dr. Josephine David Johnson died on Thursday, July 13, 2023, in Royal Oak, MI.
As a consultant to Community Mental Health agencies Dr. Johnson provides individual clinical supervision and group case consultation. She served many years as a Psychological Consultant to a residential treatment facility conducting psychological evaluations, providing case consultation, and participating in program development. She provided clinical consultation to the Counseling and Psychological Services Program at Wayne State University. Dr. Johnson was a consultant to businesses, schools, healthcare agencies, and churches and was a graduate of the Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Detroit program.
Dr. Johnson received a BA in Psychology from Northwestern University, Master’s in School Psychology and Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Detroit. She served on the American Psychological Association (APA) Board of Directors and on numerous committees including the Committee for the Advancement of Professional Practice and was chair of the Membership Board and Board of Convention Affairs. She was a fellow of four APA Divisions. Dr. Johnson received APA’s “State Leadership Award in 2017”. She received MPA’s Beth Clark Service Award in 2018. APA’s Division of Psychologists in Independent Practice awarded her their Public Service Award in 2016. Dr. Johnson served as an Officer of the Metro Detroit Association of Black Psychologists.
James (Jim) Hiram Miller died on November 4, 2022, at the age of 81 after a seven year-struggle with Parkinson’s and frontotemporal degeneration. Jim was a highly energetic, creative, warm, witty and caring person. He had a mischievous twinkle in his eyes with a great sense of humor. Jim read constantly, was highly interested in politics and was a strong proponent of equitable public education and social justice. He took leadership roles with almost every group with which he was a part. Jim was passionate about education and loved teaching and being a K-12 administrator for over 30 years. After taking an early retirement from the educational field, he obtained an MSW degree from University of Texas at Austin. He greatly enjoyed providing services to adolescents, families, and couples as a clinical social worker for about 25 years. Jim and his spouse Melba Vasquez, former President of APA, had a profoundly deep, rich, and loving relationship. He had numerous warm connections with family and friends, and is missed greatly by all who knew him.
K. Anders Ericsson, PhD, was one of the world’s preeminent experts on expertise and passed away in June of 2020. He is survived by his wife, Natalie Sachs-Ericsson, his children, Lina and Jens Ericsson, and his grandson, Jakob.
Ericsson’s passion for understanding skill acquisition processes, particularly the role of deliberate practice, led to the widespread use of the expert performance approach. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the mental processes and knowledge that differentiates experts from lesser performers and spurred investigations in many domains, particularly in sports and medicine. He contributed to the development of better process tracing techniques to fully understand skill acquisition, including the analysis of concurrent and retrospective think-aloud verbal protocols gathered during problem solving on representative domain tasks.
The K. Anders Ericsson Dissertation Research Grant has been established in his memory.
In April of 2022, newly appointed APF CEO Miriam Isserow z”l died suddenly following injuries from a kitchen fire. Miriam’s life was dedicated to justice. With a bachelor’s from Barnard College, Columbia University in New York City and a law degree from Hebrew University in Jerusalem, she set out to change the world. Her early career as a lawyer included working at the Israel Women’s Network. Returning to the US, she pivoted to fundraising and development work, bringing her deeply analytical and community-building skills to helping organizations become stronger and more effective.
In her years at APF Miriam accomplished much, including pointing the Foundation in new directions by implementing several grants related to the study of COVID-19 that were turned around in a mere six weeks. Miriam also raised the funds for the EnVision Racial Equity project – a limited series of APF Visionary Grants to study the effects of racism in this country.
Dr. Lee Gurel passed away on July 24, 2023. Dr. Gurel was a dedicated member of the APF family, funding numerous programs through the Foundation to support the TOPSS (Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools) Committee.
