Dr. William (Bill) Pfohl

The 2000 recipient of the Peterson Prize for Outstanding Alumnus, Dr. William “Bill” Pfohl (School, 1979), has accomplished much in his career since graduating from GSAPP. This two-time president of The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) was awarded the NASP 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award.

Using his graduate training as a model, he developed a school psychology certification program at Western Kentucky University (WKU), where he has served as a professor for more than 30 years. He further aided in the development of certification procedures for school psychology for the Kentucky Department of Education, as well as the criteria for emotionally/behaviorally disordered classification. Dr. Pfohl continues to advance the field of school psychology through his position as President of the International School Psychology Association (ISPA). As President, he aids in the training of school psychologists in Europe in crisis response and prevention. Dr. Pfohl states, “School psychology internationally is changing quite quickly." He visited India, where the concept of school psychology is just being introduced.  A prolific writer, Dr. Pfohl has published over 80 articles, books, and professional periodicals. He enjoys writing a technology column for Communiqué, NASP’s monthly newsletter, covering such topics as ethics and encryption. 

Dr. Pfohl received the Cangemi Award for Outstanding Public Service in Psychology and Education in 2002 from WKU for his commitment to the needs of the community. He spends much time serving the public as a child abuse protection advocate, a mental health responder with the American Red Cross, and was even a volunteer fireman. As a self-described “closet community psychologist,” he maintains a strong interest in prevention. Dr. Pfohl served as a co-editor for the Handbook of Youth Prevention Science. His current research interests include cross-cultural examination of aggression in females and school violence.

April, 2010

BRIEF DESCRIPTION: 

William “Bill” Pfohl, PsyD, (School, 1979 and Peterson Prize winner 2000 ) is the recipient of the 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). At left is a picture of Bill receiving the award from Patti Harrison, NASP President.