Impact in Memoriam

In Memory of Joseph G. Kotzin

Joseph Godfrey Kotzin died peacefully in his Los Angeles home on the evening of April 14, 2025. He was 86. He is survived by his wife, Diana Slaughter Kotzin, his brother Ted Kotzin, sister-in-law Lynn Kotzin, a nephew Daniel, two nieces Barbara and Sara, and their families.

Joe’s legacy includes a life of service. Fluent in Spanish, he spent decades at the Legal Aid Society, working in the courthouse with vulnerable Angelenos facing eviction to support them in making their case. He had the language skills, knowledge of bureaucracy, patience and belief that everyone deserved housing and should not have to fight for it alone. Joe was also a lifelong educator who worked in a variety of LA public schools and non-profits. He started an adult literacy program through the LA public library, a strong believer in offering support and dignity for adults to learn to read without shame.

Joe valued authenticity in every aspect of his life. The genuine connections he made, always with a lack of judgement led to loyal friendships. He never stopped being curious and was a life-long learner, excited to open his perspective through books, museums and conversation. He built community wherever he went. In his later years, he traveled a lot, became an active member of his neighborhood walking club, the Humanistic Judaism movie club, a group composed of former colleagues from the library, and his grand-niece’s book club. A longtime member of the LA Chapter of Humanistic Judaism, he was drawn to the values that highlighted the culture and questioning that he appreciated about Judaism.

Diana and Joseph also founded the Dr. Diana Slaughter Kotzin and Mr. Joseph G. Kotzin Fund Grant at APF.

In Memory of Lee Gurel, PhD

Dr. Lee Gurel passed away on July 24, 2023. Dr. Gurel was a dedicated member of the APF family, funding numerous programs through the Foundation to support the TOPSS (Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools) Committee.

In Memory of Jim H. Miller

James (Jim) Hiram Miller died on November 4, 2022, at the age of 81 after a seven year-struggle with Parkinson’s and frontotemporal degeneration. Jim was a highly energetic, creative, warm, witty and caring person. He had a mischievous twinkle in his eyes with a great sense of humor. Jim read constantly, was highly interested in politics and was a strong proponent of equitable public education and social justice. He took leadership roles with almost every group with which he was a part. Jim was passionate about education and loved teaching and being a K-12 administrator for over 30 years. After taking an early retirement from the educational field, he obtained an MSW degree from University of Texas at Austin. He greatly enjoyed providing services to adolescents, families, and couples as a clinical social worker for about 25 years. Jim and his spouse Melba Vasquez, former President of APA, had a profoundly deep, rich, and loving relationship. He had numerous warm connections with family and friends, and is missed greatly by all who knew him.

In Memory of Miriam Isserow z”l

In April of 2022, newly appointed APF CEO Miriam Isserow z”l died suddenly following injuries from a kitchen fire. Miriam’s life was dedicated to justice. With a bachelor’s from Barnard College, Columbia University in New York City and a law degree from Hebrew University in Jerusalem, she set out to change the world. Her early career as a lawyer included working at the Israel Women’s Network. Returning to the US, she pivoted to fundraising and development work, bringing her deeply analytical and community-building skills to helping organizations become stronger and more effective.

In her years at APF Miriam accomplished much, including pointing the Foundation in new directions by implementing several grants related to the study of COVID-19 that were turned around in a mere six weeks. Miriam also raised the funds for the EnVision Racial Equity project – a limited series of APF Visionary Grants to study the effects of racism in this country.

In Memory of Josephine D. Johnson, PhD

Dr. Josephine David Johnson died on Thursday, July 13, 2023, in Royal Oak, MI.

As a consultant to Community Mental Health agencies Dr. Johnson provides individual clinical supervision and group case consultation. She served many years as a Psychological Consultant to a residential treatment facility conducting psychological evaluations, providing case consultation, and participating in program development. She provided clinical consultation to the Counseling and Psychological Services Program at Wayne State University. Dr. Johnson was a consultant to businesses, schools, healthcare agencies, and churches and was a graduate of the Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Detroit program.

Dr. Johnson received a BA in Psychology from Northwestern University, Master’s in School Psychology and Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Detroit. She served on the American Psychological Association (APA) Board of Directors and on numerous committees including the Committee for the Advancement of Professional Practice and was chair of the Membership Board and Board of Convention Affairs. She was a fellow of four APA Divisions. Dr. Johnson received APA’s “State Leadership Award in 2017”. She received MPA’s Beth Clark Service Award in 2018. APA’s Division of Psychologists in Independent Practice awarded her their Public Service Award in 2016. Dr. Johnson served as an Officer of the Metro Detroit Association of Black Psychologists.

In Memory of K. Anders Ericsson, PhD

K. Anders Ericsson, PhD, was one of the world’s preeminent experts on expertise and passed away in June of 2020. He is survived by his wife, Natalie Sachs-Ericsson, his children, Lina and Jens Ericsson, and his grandson, Jakob.

Ericsson’s passion for understanding skill acquisition processes, particularly the role of deliberate practice, led to the widespread use of the expert performance approach. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the mental processes and knowledge that differentiates experts from lesser performers and spurred investigations in many domains, particularly in sports and medicine. He contributed to the development of better process tracing techniques to fully understand skill acquisition, including the analysis of concurrent and retrospective think-aloud verbal protocols gathered during problem solving on representative domain tasks.

The K. Anders Ericsson Dissertation Research Grant has been established in his memory.

In Memory of Joseph G. Kotzin

Joseph Godfrey Kotzin died peacefully in his Los Angeles home on the evening of April 14, 2025. He was 86. He is survived by his wife, Diana Slaughter Kotzin, his brother Ted Kotzin, sister-in-law Lynn Kotzin, a nephew Daniel, two nieces Barbara and Sara, and their families.

Joe’s legacy includes a life of service. Fluent in Spanish, he spent decades at the Legal Aid Society, working in the courthouse with vulnerable Angelenos facing eviction to support them in making their case. He had the language skills, knowledge of bureaucracy, patience and belief that everyone deserved housing and should not have to fight for it alone. Joe was also a lifelong educator who worked in a variety of LA public schools and non-profits. He started an adult literacy program through the LA public library, a strong believer in offering support and dignity for adults to learn to read without shame.

Joe valued authenticity in every aspect of his life. The genuine connections he made, always with a lack of judgement led to loyal friendships. He never stopped being curious and was a life-long learner, excited to open his perspective through books, museums and conversation. He built community wherever he went. In his later years, he traveled a lot, became an active member of his neighborhood walking club, the Humanistic Judaism movie club, a group composed of former colleagues from the library, and his grand-niece’s book club. A longtime member of the LA Chapter of Humanistic Judaism, he was drawn to the values that highlighted the culture and questioning that he appreciated about Judaism.

Diana and Joseph also founded the Dr. Diana Slaughter Kotzin and Mr. Joseph G. Kotzin Fund Grant at APF.

In Memory of Josephine D. Johnson, PhD

Dr. Josephine David Johnson died on Thursday, July 13, 2023, in Royal Oak, MI.

As a consultant to Community Mental Health agencies Dr. Johnson provides individual clinical supervision and group case consultation. She served many years as a Psychological Consultant to a residential treatment facility conducting psychological evaluations, providing case consultation, and participating in program development. She provided clinical consultation to the Counseling and Psychological Services Program at Wayne State University. Dr. Johnson was a consultant to businesses, schools, healthcare agencies, and churches and was a graduate of the Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Detroit program.

Dr. Johnson received a BA in Psychology from Northwestern University, Master’s in School Psychology and Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Detroit. She served on the American Psychological Association (APA) Board of Directors and on numerous committees including the Committee for the Advancement of Professional Practice and was chair of the Membership Board and Board of Convention Affairs. She was a fellow of four APA Divisions. Dr. Johnson received APA’s “State Leadership Award in 2017”. She received MPA’s Beth Clark Service Award in 2018. APA’s Division of Psychologists in Independent Practice awarded her their Public Service Award in 2016. Dr. Johnson served as an Officer of the Metro Detroit Association of Black Psychologists.

In Memory of Jim H. Miller

James (Jim) Hiram Miller died on November 4, 2022, at the age of 81 after a seven year-struggle with Parkinson’s and frontotemporal degeneration. Jim was a highly energetic, creative, warm, witty and caring person. He had a mischievous twinkle in his eyes with a great sense of humor. Jim read constantly, was highly interested in politics and was a strong proponent of equitable public education and social justice. He took leadership roles with almost every group with which he was a part. Jim was passionate about education and loved teaching and being a K-12 administrator for over 30 years. After taking an early retirement from the educational field, he obtained an MSW degree from University of Texas at Austin. He greatly enjoyed providing services to adolescents, families, and couples as a clinical social worker for about 25 years. Jim and his spouse Melba Vasquez, former President of APA, had a profoundly deep, rich, and loving relationship. He had numerous warm connections with family and friends, and is missed greatly by all who knew him.

In Memory of K. Anders Ericsson, PhD

K. Anders Ericsson, PhD, was one of the world’s preeminent experts on expertise and passed away in June of 2020. He is survived by his wife, Natalie Sachs-Ericsson, his children, Lina and Jens Ericsson, and his grandson, Jakob.

Ericsson’s passion for understanding skill acquisition processes, particularly the role of deliberate practice, led to the widespread use of the expert performance approach. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the mental processes and knowledge that differentiates experts from lesser performers and spurred investigations in many domains, particularly in sports and medicine. He contributed to the development of better process tracing techniques to fully understand skill acquisition, including the analysis of concurrent and retrospective think-aloud verbal protocols gathered during problem solving on representative domain tasks.

The K. Anders Ericsson Dissertation Research Grant has been established in his memory.

In Memory of Miriam Isserow z”l

In April of 2022, newly appointed APF CEO Miriam Isserow z”l died suddenly following injuries from a kitchen fire. Miriam’s life was dedicated to justice. With a bachelor’s from Barnard College, Columbia University in New York City and a law degree from Hebrew University in Jerusalem, she set out to change the world. Her early career as a lawyer included working at the Israel Women’s Network. Returning to the US, she pivoted to fundraising and development work, bringing her deeply analytical and community-building skills to helping organizations become stronger and more effective.

In her years at APF Miriam accomplished much, including pointing the Foundation in new directions by implementing several grants related to the study of COVID-19 that were turned around in a mere six weeks. Miriam also raised the funds for the EnVision Racial Equity project – a limited series of APF Visionary Grants to study the effects of racism in this country.

In Memory of Lee Gurel, PhD

Dr. Lee Gurel passed away on July 24, 2023. Dr. Gurel was a dedicated member of the APF family, funding numerous programs through the Foundation to support the TOPSS (Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools) Committee.