Announcing PAA’s Incoming CEO, Dr. Bill Hanson
After an extensive and collaborative search, the Psychologists’ Association of Alberta (PAA) is pleased to welcome Dr. Bill Hanson, PhD, R. Psych, as its new CEO, May 1, 2025.
“I’m honoured and energized by this opportunity. Dr. Judi Malone did a remarkable job as CEO, taking the association to new heights. I hope to do the same. I want members to be successful and proud to be psychologists. Psychologists are, after all, the ‘go-to’ for mental health assessment, diagnosis, and treatment and make meaningful and measurable differences in their work. Mental health care is at a crossroads in Alberta. I’m determined to help lead the way and ‘move the needle.’ Moving the needle starts with good processes and authentic leadership.”
— Dr. Bill Hanson.
Dr. Hanson brings substantial leadership experience to this role. He is innovative, collaborative, pragmatic, and a strategic, big-picture thinker. He earned his Ph.D. from Arizona State University in the APA-accredited Counselling Psychology program and completed his pre-doctoral internship at the APA-accredited Duke/Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Additionally, he completed two post-doctoral clinical residencies, including one at the Cross Cancer Institute. For over 25 years, he was a professor of clinical and counselling psychology and at various times directed and coordinated four different doctoral programs.
Dr. Hanson won multiple teaching awards during his tenure and is recognized as one of Canada’s most-cited psychologists, with an impressive array of peer-reviewed journal publications, test reviews, book chapters, and hundreds of conference presentations. He served on numerous Editorial Boards, ad hoc review committees, and over 100 thesis/dissertation committees. He also served on national task forces and Co-Chaired conferences. In his most recent leadership role at the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP), he oversaw entry-to-profession credentials evaluations, continuing competence, and regulatory navigation. Additionally, he served on CAP’s Practice Advisory Committee and assisted CAP’s Conduct department with investigations and ethics practice reviews. Clinically speaking, Dr. Hanson has specialized expertise in Collaborative/Therapeutic Assessment (CTA), Measurement-Based Care (MBC), grief and loss, sleep disorders, and career burnout. For fun, he writes children’s books and OP-EDs related to hockey analytics.
“Given my background in research, regulation, and private practice, I’m passionate about understanding and turbocharging client change processes and outcomes, setting and achieving high standards in the field, and providing high-quality supervision to students and provisional psychologists. I’m also passionate about the health and wellbeing of psychologists themselves, which is a high-priority touchpoint in my new CEO role,” says Dr. Hanson, as he reflects on the next chapter of his professional life at PAA.
Outgoing Interim PAA CEO, Lori Pratt said, “It has been an honour to work alongside such dedicated professionals who strive every day to support the mental health and wellbeing of all Albertans. I would like to extend a heartfelt welcome to Dr. Bill Hanson. With your leadership, I look forward to watching PAA continue to flourish.”
Dr. Hanson’s lifelong dedication to advancing the field and profession, combined with his alignment with PAA’s mission, vision, and values, establishes him as an outstanding new leader for the organization. We invite you to join us in welcoming him to PAA.
If you have any questions about PAA or want to connect with Dr. Hanson, please contact us at paa@paa-ab.ca.
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Psychologists’ Association of Alberta (PAA).