Maureen O’Connor, Ph.D., J.D. is President Emerita of Palo Alto University (PAU), a small, private non-profit institution dedicated to education, research, service, and clinical training in mental and behavioral health, where she served as President from 2016 to 2025. Prior to joining PAU, Dr. O’Connor held multiple roles at the City University of New York in New York City overseeing the multi-campus doctoral program in Psychology at the Graduate Center and serving as chair of the Psychology Department at John Jay College of Criminal.

Dr. O’Connor completed a dual degree program in psychology, law, and policy at the University of Arizona, earning a Ph.D. and J.D. She holds membership in the bar in Arizona and Washington, D.C., and clerked for the late Honorable Patricia Wald, then Chief Judge of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals prior to her academic career.

An American Psychological Association (APA) Fellow, she has held numerous governance roles in APA, serving as Chair of its Task Force on Human and on its Committee on Legal Issues, Policy & Planning Board, and as a representative to its governing Council. She has been active in the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (APA Division 9) for many years, including serving as its President. As a faculty member, Dr. O’Connor focused on gender and the law and pedagogy topics. She is a Senior Fellow in the American Leadership Fellows program in Silicon Valley.

Current Term

2024 - 2027