2026 LACPA Award Honorees
Since 1991, LACPA has been privileged to honor individuals for their accomplishments in various areas. These awards are presented at LACPA’s annual convention. Please note the goal is to honor individuals based on the breadth and depth of their accomplishments, not just because a person is well liked. LACPA does not present all of the awards every year but only when there is significant accomplishment to warrant a particular award. We are pleased to announce the 2026 Honorees.

Distinguished Service to LACPA by a LACPA Member
David Glass, J.D., Ph.D.

Dr. David Glass has been a member of LACPA for 20 years (since 2006). Within two years, he became an active member of the Editorial Committee – now the Publications Committee – where, for 18 years, he has contributed greatly to LACPA’s award- winning The Los Angeles Psychologist Magazine (TLAP). In 2023, he became the main editor for the magazine, which represents current, often cutting-edge research and interviews with outstanding professionals. As members, we look forward to reading it and know that it represents us and our profession well. His professionalism and creativity helps TLAP remain relevant to the Los Angeles psychological community. Perhaps more importantly, David has always had LACPA's best interests at heart and has furthered its mission in several ways. His feedback regarding key ethical, legal, and financial issues is freely given, not just at board meetings and Finance Committee meetings, but he is quick to answer phone calls and emails on important, time-sensitive issues. He often presents creative solutions that benefit our long-range sustainability. His keen, informed perspective has enabled LACPA to prosper, and we look forward to many more years of his clear-sighted and candid contributions to our future well-being.

Distinguished Service to the Community, Diversity, or Social Justice
Harpreet Malla, Ph.D.

Dr. Harpreet Malla’s record reflects commitment and achievement in all three domains of this award. Dr. Malla has served her local community; her private practice primarily serves minority and queer populations, and she hosts free community mental health workshops in her county. She has served the LACPA community; her first role at LACPA was on the student leadership committee, she served briefly on CPA & LACPA’s joint CARE committee, and then most
notably, she served as LACPA’s Diversity Chair for four years. She has now returned to LACPA to serve as LAN Chair. Dr. Malla has also served the larger of psychologists as well; she has published a chapter on how to work clinically with South Asians, she has conducted trainings on diversity issues, she has presented at CPA and nationally, and she has served CPA as Division VII’s Chair of Diversity and Social Justice.

Dr. Malla’s term as LACPA’s Diversity Chair began in 2020, a tumultuous time which had her oversee switching from in-person to online events through the pandemic, writing statements of solidarity with care, and compiling resource lists for communities affected by the death of George Floyd and by the spike in Asian hate crimes. She programmed a successful slate of speakers, expanding diversity talks within LACPA beyond racial minorities to include
speakers on body positivity, immigrant health concerns, and gender and sexual minorities, as well as an embodied healing workshop involving alternative medicine practices such as yin yoga, sound healing, and breathwork.

Dr. Malla is both outspoken and diplomatic, two qualities that are especially important in someone doing work in the arena of diversity and social justice. She is also somebody who carries her various identities with pride, humor, and affection, and in so doing, she encourages others to do the same. Harpreet Malla lives her values both in her professional and personal lives. 

Distinguished Legislator Award
Supervisor Hilda Solis

Supervisor Hilda L. Solis is being recognized due to her exceptional leadership advancing the mental health, equity, and wellbeing of Los Angeles County residents. Throughout a distinguished career spanning the California State Legislature, the U.S. Congress, service as U.S. Secretary of Labor, and her current role as County Supervisor, Supervisor Solis has consistently demonstrated a deep commitment to policies that promote psychological health, social stability, and access to essential services.

As Supervisor for the First District, she has championed large-scale affordable housing development and homelessness response initiatives such as Project Roomkey and Homekey, directly reducing housing instability and trauma exposure among vulnerable populations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Supervisor Solis directed hundreds of millions of dollars toward healthcare access, rental assistance, food security, childcare, and workforce protections in communities disproportionately affected by economic strain and mental health stressors.

Her leadership in environmental justice, including expanding access to green space and addressing toxic exposure, reflects a preventive public health lens with long-term mental health implications. Supervisor Solis has also been a tireless advocate for immigrant communities, authoring numerous motions to protect immigrant families and leading humanitarian responses for unaccompanied children. Her commitment to reimagining public safety through community investment, healthcare, and rehabilitation further aligns with evidence-based approaches to psychological wellbeing and social resilience.

Supervisor Solis exemplifies the values of the Distinguished Legislator Award and stands as a true friend of psychology through her sustained commitment to community healing, equity, and systemic change.

Distinguished Legislator Award
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger serves the residents of the 5th District — Los Angeles County’s largest — spanning 2,785 square miles, including 20 cities and 83 unincorporated communities, in the Santa Clarita, Antelope, San Gabriel, Crescenta, and San Fernando Valleys.

Her district includes the Eaton Fire area, and she has been tireless in her efforts to help the residents in the impacted area get relief and now assists them as they  go through the difficult and sometimes painful process of rebuilding.  (Because of the differing demographics, those in the Palisades often get the press while the needs in the Eaton fire area are often overlooked).

Supervisor Barger is truly a dedicated public servant who  has spent most of her adult life serving her community.

She began her career in public service as a college intern in the office of former Supervisor Antonovich and rose to become his chief deputy in 2001, where she served until her election to the Board of Supervisors in 2016. She both served as Chair of the Board and was reelected for her second term in 2020.  As Chair she had the unenviable role of dealing with the COVID pandemic.

Building upon her work from her time as chief policy advisor on health, mental health, social services, and children’s issues, Barger continues to advocate for services and programs to improve the quality of life for foster children, seniors, veterans, those with disabilities, and those with mental illness. She also focuses on issues related to the environment and public safety.

Distinguished Service to the Profession of Psychology
Daniel Nuñez, Psy.D.

Dr. Daniel Nuñez embodies the very essence of this award through his exceptional contributions to clinical practice, community mental health leadership, multicultural service delivery, supervision and training, and nonprofit executive leadership in Southern California.

Dr. Nuñez’s professional journey is both extraordinary and deeply instructive for our field. Raised in Santa Ana, California, in a low socioeconomic immigrant household where Spanish was the primary language spoken, he navigated significant early adversity — including academic barriers related to dyslexia, gang involvement in adolescence, multiple high school transitions, and time within the juvenile justice system. His life trajectory shifted when a social worker recognized his potential and introduced him to the transformative power of psychological
support. That experience not only changed his life — it shaped his professional calling. After overcoming homelessness during his undergraduate studies and persisting through years of hardship, Dr. Nuñez earned his Bachelor’s degree from LIFE Pacific College, a Master of Divinity from Azusa Pacific University, and ultimately his Doctorate in Psychology (PsyD) from Azusa Pacific University in 2016. His attainment of a doctoral degree was not merely a personal
accomplishment; it was a commitment to serve historically marginalized communities who rarely see themselves reflected in psychological leadership.

In 2019, Dr. Nuñez co-founded New Horizons Community Wellness Center, a nonprofit mental health clinic in Santa Ana, where he serves as President and CEO as well as a licensed clinical supervisor. Under his leadership, New Horizons has become a multilingual, multicultural, trauma-informed organization serving underserved communities across Southern California, including Hispanic, Asian, African American, faith-based, and LGBTQ populations. The clinic delivers services in multiple languages and integrates culturally responsive care into all aspects of practice.

Dr. Nuñez stands out particularly in the following areas of distinguished service:
Clinical Leadership and Community Mental Health Innovation:
He has expanded access to trauma-informed psychological services for populations disproportionately impacted by systemic barriers to care. His work reflects an integration of clinical excellence and social responsibility, ensuring that evidence-informed practices are delivered in culturally meaningful ways.

Training and Supervision of Future Psychologists:
Each year, New Horizons provides clinical training to approximately 20 graduate students from programs across four counties. Dr. Nuñez’s dedication to supervision, mentorship, and workforce development strengthens the profession by cultivating culturally competent psychologists prepared to serve diverse communities. His commitment to mentoring emerging clinicians represents a significant and lasting contribution to the profession’s future.

Nonprofit Executive Leadership and Public Sector Impact:
As President and CEO, Dr. Nuñez has demonstrated exceptional organizational leadership in building sustainable community-based mental health infrastructure. His work bridges clinical psychology with nonprofit management, community partnerships, and public-facing advocacy for underserved populations. Through strategic growth, he has expanded services, strengthened training pipelines, and elevated the presence of trauma-informed, culturally
grounded psychology within community systems.

Advancement of Multicultural and Bilingual Psychological Services:
Dr. Nuñez’s lived experience and professional leadership address critical disparities in mental
health access. By creating a clinic rooted in hope, health, and healing, he has operationalized
values that align deeply with the ethical and social justice commitments of our field.

Dr. Nuñez’s career reflects distinguished service not only through professional achievement but through systemic impact. He has advanced the profession of psychology by increasing access, training future clinicians, modeling culturally responsive leadership, and demonstrating how personal resilience can be transformed into institutional change. His work exemplifies how psychologists can serve as healers, educators, administrators, and community architects simultaneously. His contributions reflect the highest ideals of our profession and have meaningfully strengthened psychological services throughout Southern California and beyond.

Distinguished Service to LACPA by a Graduate Student
Delly Loro, M.A.

During her tenure as Chair of the Student Leadership Committee (SLC), Delly demonstrated exceptional leadership marked by creativity, thoughtfulness, and a deep cultural sensitivity that consistently honored the diverse perspectives within our community. She cultivated a collaborative leadership environment in which students felt genuinely welcomed to share ideas, contribute their strengths, and grow as emerging professionals. Delly’s forward-thinking approach and passion for student engagement guided the SLC in developing and delivering a series of meaningful, student-focused events that supported professional development, community building, and connection with the broader LACPA network. Through her dedication, generosity of time, and commitment to elevating student voices, Delly has strengthened the bridge between graduate students and LACPA in a way that will have lasting impact. She is a thoughtful, capable, and inspiring leader whose service embodies the spirit of this award, and she is more than deserving of this recognition.