Region III Delegate
Dixelia López
Dixelia López, Region III Delegate
Dixelia López, Ph.D. is humbled to be serving as the NYSABE delegate for Region III/ Mid-Hudson Region, alongside Adrienne Viscardi (ESOL Director of Bedford Central School District.).
Dr. Dixelia López is no stranger to advocacy around equitable practice for multilingual-multicultural learners. Dr. López spent the first 15 years of her career advocating for equitable Bilingual-School Psychological practices in the City School District of Albany. As the only bilingually certified School Psychologist in Upstate, N.Y. Dr. López was often called upon to consult with neighboring school districts and universities on various topics including language acquisition, culturally relevant and reflective practices, and interventions, among others. In 2013, Dr. López’s expertise was recognized by her colleagues with a Golden Apple Award.
Dr. López is a second language learner, and proud Dominican-American-Immigrant, who is fascinated by cross-cultural interchanges, thereby seeing personal action as a colorful exhibition of one’s cultural experiences, personality and social-political history. Admittingly, her own social-political history led to the pursuit and attainment of a doctoral degree in International Psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology (January 2016).
Dr. Dixelia López holds her international work in high regard. In particular, her work in Africa provided the opportunity to engage in program management, program evaluation and scholarly work employing the significance of different cultural beliefs and practices in the development of effective community-based interventions. Through projects in Sierra Leone and South Africa, Dr. López applied her skills in the design and delivery of competent psychological services to populations in diverse settings at a community level; one of which involved a group project which was adopted by UNICEF, Sierra Leone.
Most recently, Dr. López spent several years providing leadership and guidance to a variety of professionals as the Bilingual School Psychologist/Evaluation Specialist for the Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES in Yorktown Heights, N.Y., where she was nominated to the NY State Council for Superintendents 2020 Dr. Mary Barter’s Scholarship for Women and Minorities Award.
Dr. Dixelia Lopez’s passion for learning is not only evident in her life’s work but also in her most recent pursuit of a master’s degree in Educational Administration through Bank Street College (pending May 2021). Dr. Lopez’s passion for equitable practice for culturally and linguistically diverse youth continues in her current role as Director of School Counseling in the Ossining Union Free School District.
Dr. Dixelia López also serves in leadership within the National Association of School Psychology (NASP) as the Latinx Co-chairperson of the Multicultural Affairs Committee, and within the executive board of the New York Association of School Psychologist as the Co-Chairperson of the Culturally Responsive Committee. Dr. López also mentors graduate students who assisted in co-writing her most recent featured article: Integrating Latinx/Hispanic Culture, Traditions and Beliefs into Effective School Psychology Practice (Communiqué, December 2020 Issue).
In her personal life, Dr. López enjoys traveling, journaling, painting, Broadway shows and nature walks. She also practices hot-yoga, mindful moments, and gratitude.