Hello everyone! My name is Cathy Faye and as of June 1, I am the Margaret Clark Morgan Executive Director of the Cummings Center for the History of Psychology. I received my Ph.D. from York University in Toronto, Canada, specializing in the history and theory of psychology. I have been at the Center since 2009, serving as Assistant Director. My very first task in that role was to lead the development of our first gallery exhibits, launched in 2010. It was by far the most satisfying work I had ever done as a historian of psychology. I knew then that the Center was where I wanted to be for a very long time.
As I step into my new role as Director, I feel excited and slightly terrified, but mostly I feel grateful for this unbelievable opportunity to explore what we are capable of as we enter this next phase of our development.
As a historian of psychology, I have been thinking so much about what a historic moment we are making our way through right now, with a polarized political landscape, the pandemic, and the powerful uprising against racial violence. Now more than ever, it is imperative to explore how psychology and its history can speak to the present. The Center’s vast collections, its team of smart empathetic educators, and our public gallery spaces provide so many opportunities to engage with the present; to think about these issues from historical perspectives; and to encourage open, honest, and constructive public dialog. This is a role I know our team can fill.
We also have an opportunity right now to speak not just to the present, but also to the future. The stories that we collect and preserve today will be used to write history 100 years from now. The historical narrative of this important moment will come from the archival documents, the images, the videos, and the first-hand stories that we collect now. We have an opportunity today and always to ensure that the archival record reflects all of the voices, stories, and perspectives of our current moment. Psychology shapes, reflects, and shifts with our social world. Those shifts are happening quickly; capturing them in real time is difficult but absolutely necessary.
It seems to me that our central responsibility right now lies in capturing this moment to the best of our ability. And, as we move forward and public attention shifts to other realms, it is still our responsibility to think deeply and critically about what stories, what events, and what voices are represented in all historical collections, including our own. And to act decisively to expand that narrative.
I am grateful for the continued support of all of our partners, visitors, and friends and I hope you will consider ways that you might help us work towards these goals.
Cathy Faye, Ph.D.
Margaret Clark Morgan Executive Director
Drs. Nicholas and Dorothy Cummings Center for the History of Psychology