ALLAN P. GOLD, PHD, NCSP District Psychologist (Retired) Reed Union School District San Francisco, CA https://marquismillennium. com/13th_Ed/allan-gold/113/ An alumnus of the University of California Berkeley, Dr. Allan P. Gold earned a BA in mathematics, summa cum laude, followed by an MA in statistics and an additional BA in psychology. In 1978, he earned a PhD in educational psychology. During his graduate studies, Dr. Gold joined the U.S. Army Reserve during the Vietnam War, where he was appointed to a medical unit. This experience led him to pursue the field of psychology. While studying toward his doctorate, Dr. Gold joined the Reed Union School District in Tiburon, California, in 1976, where he excelled as a district psychologist until his retirement in 2023. Dr. Gold is a nationally certified school psychologist and a member of the National and California Associations of School Psychologists. He founded the TEA Club, a club that educates children on the importance of acceptance and equity among all individuals during their lunch periods. He also started the Gender Sexuality Alliance, a student organization that establishes a safe space for them to discuss sexuality and gender identity. Dr. Gold won the 1991 and 2017 Outstanding School Psychologist Awards from the California Association of School Psychologists. He was the recipient of the 1994 First Educator Award for Outstanding Educators from the Reed Union School District. How have you navigated disruptions in your industry to remain a top professional? Being flexible, trying to put myself in the position of people who are challenged, and sharing my own stories. COVID-19 shut everything down in March 2020, and by May, I felt as if I wasn’t doing much because I couldn’t go to work and counsel kids. I wrote a letter to staff and parents to calm them down. There were many parents who were anxious about their kids losing their education, so I shared my own story about how when I was 8 years old and got polio, I was out of school for five months. It didn’t impact me. I also said everybody is in the same boat, and we want to preserve mental health. Don’t worry about academics; everybody will catch up. That was one thing that people appreciated – they liked being calmed down and gaining a perspective on how to handle crises. When somebody does something positive for you, thank them and let them know; nobody should have to wait until their funeral to hear positive stories about themselves.
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