Norman B. Anderson (1955-2024).

Abstract

Memorializes Norman B. Anderson (1924-2024). Norman B. Anderson was born on October 16, 1955, in Greensboro, North Carolina. He died unexpectedly on March 1, 2024, in Durham, North Carolina, while recovering from knee surgeries. In a life of considerable accomplishments, the readers of this journal will note his 13-year leadership as executive vice president and chief executive officer of the American Psychological Association (APA). From 2003 to 2016, Norman led the APA to its ascendant status among behavioral health professional associations. Norman's approach was to lead with a calm, mindful, humble, and graceful demeanor, which made everyone feel seen and heard. Norman began his career in 1985 as an assistant professor at the Duke School of Medicine and was among the first behavioral scientists to study and write about the role of psychosocial stress in the development of hypertension in African Americans. From 1995 to 2000, Norman served as the founding director of the National Institutes of Health Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research. After the National Institutes of Health, Norman briefly served on the faculty of the Harvard School of Public Health. He cultivated a profound interior life but was also engaged as a competitive amateur athlete and actively promoted the social activism exemplified by his heroes-Martin Luther King, Jr., Howard Thurman, and others committed to social justice. Norman sought to integrate the active and contemplative dimensions of human experience. He will be deeply missed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).