About the People of CSPP

The community of people affiliated with the California School of Professional Psychology includes faculty, students, staff, field supervisors, alumni, friends and supporters in the mental health community. The links above will introduce you to many of the members of this diverse community.

Additionally, please click this link to view profiles of some current CSPP students.

Proudly Announcing Our New Leaders

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Morgan T. Sammons, PhD, ABPP, as Dean of the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University.

A Fellow of the American Psychological Association and a diplomate of the American Board of Professional Psychology, Dr. Sammons currently serves as President of the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology and was Specialty Leader for US Navy Clinical Psychology. He served as Special Assistant for Mental Health to the US Navy’s Surgeon General. Prior to that, he served as Director for Clinical Support for the United States Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, directing policy implementation and service delivery for US Navy shore-based military treatment facilities.

Having served as faculty in CSPP’s ground-breaking postdoctoral master of science program in clinical sychopharmacology, he is also a leader of the nationwide “prescriptive authority movement,” a legislative advocacy initiative that seeks prescription authority for properly trained psychologists. “I’m tremendously pleased and honored to have been offered this position,” Dr. Sammons said. “Through my previous association with Alliant and history of work in psychopharmacology, I’m familiar with the cutting-edge nature of many of CSPP’s rograms. I’m extremely optimistic about the future of our profession and of CSPP.”

A prolific author, Dr. Sammons has edited two volumes and published over 40 journal articles. He is an associate editor for the APA journal Psychological Services. Dr. Sammons received both his MC and PhD from Arizona  tate University and completed a Fellowship in Psychopharmacology at Walter Reed Army Medical Center from  991-1994. Sammons assumed his new duties in January 2008.

The hiring of new provost Dr. Russ Newman signals auspicious new beginnings at Alliant International University. Dr. Newman, who was the Executive Director for Professional Practice at the American Psychological Association (APA), began his term as Alliant’s Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs in January 2008. Dr. Newman serves as the top academic officer and second in command on President Geoffrey Cox’s leadership team.

Dr. Newman, who is a clinical psychologist and attorney, was most recently responsible for spearheading and promoting APA activities involving legislative advocacy, legal initiatives, efforts to shape the evolving health care market and a nationwide public education campaign to enhance the value of psychological services. Since its
start, he has been active in the “prescriptive authority movement,” the profession’s effort to gain prescriptive authority for appropriately trained psychologists.

Dr. Newman joins Alliant at a time of new vision, leadership and new growth. In the past several years, the California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) pioneered the nation’s first postdoctoral master of science program in clinical psychopharmacology, a masters program in psychology in Japan and the fi rst US-based doctoral program in clinical psychology offered in Hong Kong.

“Russ Newman is an innovator and a persuasive leader,” said Dr. Geoffrey Cox. “He’s joining an organization that values those traits, and we look forward to his contributions here at Alliant. Dr. Newman is highly respected in the
psychology profession, and he has a track record for growing his organization. We welcome his vision, his energy and his organizational skills.”