It may be the custom for a new APsaA president to spend a bit of time in a first TAP column introducing himself and laying out his vision for the next two years. But we know from the past two years that life is full of uncertainty. When Bill Glover and I took our respective roles as president and president-elect in February 2020 (several months early because the late Lee Jaffe, Bill's predecessor, was ill and unable to complete his term), who would have predicted that the world was about to change dramatically a month later? So, while Bill and I both came into office with some clear ideas about what we wanted to accomplish together, there is no question that our agenda was shaped to a significant degree by external circumstances beyond our control.
I'm grateful to Bill for inviting me to work closely with him in leading APsaA through the past two years. Since it's probably fair to assume that at this point I'm a known quantity, I'll skip the introduction and go straight to what I'd like to talk about, which is my friend Bill. For those of you who were unable to attend our recent Meeting of Members in Boston, here's an excerpt from the remarks I made then:
Sharing in the leadership of APsaA during the past two and half years has been an honor, and I couldn't have been luckier than to do it paired with Bill. To say that Bill's tenure was an eventful one is an understatement. Leading our Association through Covid, political and social upheaval, and several complex internal initiatives has been an intense experience. Bill has navigated these overlapping crises and opportunities with steadiness, intelligence, and grace. It has been an incredible learning experience for me to be able to work by his side.
Bill has been just the president APsaA needed during this time of crisis. Like a wartime president, he has kept calm in the face of calamity, and has carried on despite the challenges and burdens of the role. I also feel bad for Bill in that nearly his entire presidency has been conducted on Zoom; the pandemic has cheated him of being able to interact with members in person at our annual meetings, until Boston. I had the pleasure, midway through the pandemic, of having dinner with Bill and Andra at their home in Berkeley, spending the night there, and then going to breakfast with them at the Jewish deli they founded the following morning. Being with Bill in person is even better than being with him on Zoom!
I hardly knew Bill before we started working together. But I can say that, since February 2020, we've probably spoken on the phone, FaceTime, or Zoom a thousand times, not to mention several thousand emails. Robert Caro, the biographer of Lyndon Johnson, once said that “power doesn't corrupt; power reveals.” While it's an open question as to how much power an APsaA president actually has, there's no question that how one inhabits such a role is revealing of their character. And I can tell you that, from up close, I have seen Bill's character on display throughout, and I have nothing but admiration and affection for him.
I'm excited at the prospect of working closely with APsaA's new president-elect, Dan Prezant, and hope the two of us can develop a similarly close working relationship. But I know that I'm about to go into serious withdrawal from Bill. Working with him has been a gift for which I'll be forever thankful. This Association owes him its heartfelt gratitude. Bill, I love you and look forward to many more years of friendship.
Sharing in the leadership of APsaA during the past two and half years has been an honor, and I couldn't have been luckier than to do it paired with Bill.
I will have other opportunities to communicate directly with APsaA's membership through this TAP column, on the Members list, in New York next February, in Town Halls, and in many other meetings and venues. For now, I am committed to continuing the work that Bill and I have been focused on together, which we collectively referred to as “Reimagining APsaA.” This includes the passage of our Expanded Membership initiative, the implementation of the Holmes Commission's recommendations, a revision of our Ethics Code and procedures, and—near and dear to my heart—a renewed attention to our advocacy and public information efforts. Psychoanalysis has so much to offer the public, first and foremost in the clinical setting, but also—importantly—in its application to many aspects of life in this complicated and difficult world of ours. I look forward to working with all of you in this journey.
Kerry J. Sulkowicz, M.D., is president of APsaA.