People at ABAP

BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND COMMITTEE ON ACCREDITATION

(Please click on + next to each name to read bios.)

Board of Trustees Executive Committee

Chair

Jennifer R. Harper, M Div, LP, NCPsyA, CHAIR

Jennifer Harper is the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the American Board for Accreditation in Psychoanalysis. She is also the Director of the Interfaith Doctor of Ministry Program at Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion, where she teaches clinical education and pastoral care for clerical and non-clerical care providers. She is a faculty member and supervisor at the Westchester Institute for Training in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy and also the Blanton-Peale Institutes for Religion and Health. She has held a number of roles at the National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis, including past President. She holds an M.Div. in Psychiatry and Religion from Union Theological Seminary, in addition to her Certificate in Psychoanalysis from the Westchester Institute for Training in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy. She maintains a private practice in psychoanalysis and psychotherapy with individuals and couples in New York City and Tenafly, NJ.

Email: jrharpertx@gmail.com
Term ends June 30, 2025

Chair-Elect

Open position

Treasurer

Michael Connolly, LP, MPA, NCPsyA

Michael is a Licensed Psychoanalyst who has been working with children and families from underserved communities in New York City since 2006. He is president and executive director of the Harlem Family Institute and since 2010 has led the redevelopment of this multicultural psychoanalytic training institute as it seeks to expand its training of aspiring psychoanalysts, especially from underserved communities, to deepen its services to individuals and families in need and to expand its work in its community-based clinical settings where it also offers workshops for parents and for mothers and babies. Since 2014, Michael has also been treasurer of the American Board for Accreditation in Psychoanalysis. Michael holds a Certificate in Psychoanalysis from the Harlem Family Institute, New York, a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Harvard’s J.F. Kennedy School of Government and a yoga-teaching certificate from the World Yoga Center in New York. He has also worked extensively as an editor at major news organizations in the U.S., Australia, Asia and Europe.

Email: michael.connolly@harlemfamilyinstitute.org

Term ends June 30, 2025

Secretary

Open position

Chair of the Assembly of Psychoanalytic Institutes

Annette Vaccaro Ed.D., NCpsyA, SCPsyA

Dr. Annette Vaccaro is the Chairperson of the Assembly of Psychoanalytic Institutes (API) and a member of the Board of Trustees at ABAP. In the past, she has served as the Executive Secretary to the Executive Committee. At NAAP, she was on the conference committee from 2009-2014, 2019 and served on the analyst in training committee while a candidate. She maintains a general practice with a specialty in clinical supervision, in Livingston, NJ. She is the Director of Academic Affairs at the Academy of Clinical and Applied Psychoanalysis (ACAP), and Dean of Curriculum at its academic partner The Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis (BGSP) within the New Jersey Branch campus – The Institute of Counseling and Psychoanalytic Studies (ICPS). Dr. Vaccaro is also an Associate Professor at Caldwell University and Coordinator and a founder of their Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a Specialization in Art Therapy Master’s degree program.

Email: vaccaroaj@aol.com

Term ends June 30, 2025

Chair of Committee on Accreditation

James Holmes, LP, DrPH, NCPsyA

James Holmes is a faculty member, supervisor and training analyst at the National Psychological Association for Psychoanalysis (NPAP), as well as the Director of Training, faculty member and supervisor at the Blanton-Peale Institute. He also serves in multiple roles on the American Board of Accreditation in Psychoanalysis (ABAP). He has taught at Fordham University Graduate School of Social Services, Hunter College School of Health Sciences, CUNY (City University of New York) and Brooklyn College, CUNY, and the New School. He holds a Doctorate in Public Health (DrPH) from Columbia University, and maintains a private practice in New York City.

Email: jholmespsya@gmail.com
Term ends June 30, 2025