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[ Home ] [ Up ] [ Applied Faculty ] [ Applied Curriculum ] [ Applied Students ] [ Applied Alumni ] [ Applied Careers ]
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Welcome to the Applied Alumni page!
Below, you will find profiles of some of our alumni, working in a variety of types of employment and career areas. Explore these profiles to get a sense of the kind of careers are successfully pursued by graduates of the AP program.
If you are an alumni (Master's or Ph.D.) of the Applied Psychology Program (formerly called Applied Experimental Psychology), please click here to take a short survey to add or update your profile.
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Name:
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Cynthia Berry (formerly Gandolfo)
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E-mail Address:
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cynberry42@msn.com or cberry@ofallon.mo.us
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Year Completed Ph.D. :
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Soon
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Major Advisor (Ph.D.):
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Peggy Stockdale
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Dissertation:
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The Role of Leader Member Exchange Theory in Evaluating the Performance Appraisal Process: From the Perspective of Employee, Co-worker and Supervisor.
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Current Job:
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Director of Human Resources
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Current Employer:
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City of O'Fallon, Missouri
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What you do on your job:
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1. Use of data analysis to develop internal and external equity for salary (in government setting). 2. Organization and implementation of all human resource functions at the City of O'Fallon, one of the fastest growing cities in the United States. Functions include recruiting, interviewing, hiring, orientation, benefits administration, compensation, termination and discipline, training and education, HRIS administration, and employee relations. 3. Regularly communicate with elected officials including the Mayor.
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Advice for new Applied Students:
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1. Stay in the present: work one day at a time. 2. Don't worry about what other students are doing. Stick to your personal interests.
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Name:
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Keli A. Braitman-Clump
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E-mail Address:
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kbraitman@rmwc.edu
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Year Completed Ph.D. :
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2001
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Major Advisor (Ph.D.):
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Nerella Ramanaiah
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Dissertation:
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Body Satisfaction, Early Maladaptive Schemas, and Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance
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Current Job:
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Assistant Professor of Psychology
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Current Employer:
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Randolph-Macon Women's College
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What you do on your job:
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Helping students to get excited about psychology is the aspect of my job that I most enjoy.
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Advice for new Applied Students:
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My biggest piece of advice is to prioritize. Things can get overwhelming, so figure out what to focus your energy and attention on at that moment. That, and make lists! Oh, yes, and have fun!
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Name:
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Amy Yuqiu Cheng
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E-mail Address:
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chengy@battelle.org
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Year Completed Ph.D. :
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2003
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Major Advisor (Ph.D.):
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Peggy Stockdale
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Dissertation:
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An Examination of the Moderating Effect of Person-Team Fit on the Relations between Team Heterogeneity and Team Performance
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Current Job:
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Principal Health Research Scientist
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Current Employer:
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Battelle Memorial Institute
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What you do on your job:
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Program evaluation, Proposal writing, Partnership development
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Advice for new Applied Students:
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Learn as much as you can at ARC, determine the area(s) of specialization as early as you can, and network with people as often as you can.
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Name:
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Sujata Desai
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E-mail Address:
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sujata.desai@hhsc.state.tx.us
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Year Completed Ph.D. :
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1998
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Major Advisor (Ph.D.):
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Alan Vaux
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Dissertation:
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The Measure of Wife Abuse
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Current Job:
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Research Specialist
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Current Employer:
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Texas Health and Human Services Commission/Family Violence Unit
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What you do on your job:
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1. Survey research on intimate partner violence (including developing surveys and analyzing data) 2. Publish research findings 3. Work with advocates, practitioners, and researchers.
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Advice for new Applied Students:
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If you are specializing in a certain field (e.g., violence against women; substance abuse; social service programs, etc.) and intend to pursue a career in that field, it is critical to publish, or at least submit, as many manuscripts as you can while in graduate school. Conference presentations help, but not as much. Having publications in high quality journals far outweigh post-docs or internships.
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Name:
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Kristin Duppong Hurley
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E-mail Address:
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kdupponghurley2@unl.edu
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Year Completed Ph.D. :
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1999
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Major Advisor (Ph.D.):
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Alan Vaux
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Dissertation:
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Intimate Partner Homicide: The Role of Gender Equality and Type of Intimate Relationship
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Current Job:
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Asst. Research Professor
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Current Employer:
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University of Nebraska-Lincoln (Center for At-Risk Children's Services)
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What you do on your job:
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The three most important work-related things that I do are: (1) Evaluate effectiveness of programs for at-risk children. In particular, I am researching a behavior/social skill programs for k-1 graders; (2) Coordinate the implementation of the First Step program in public schools; and (3) Several colleagues and I are starting an evaluation consulting group.
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Name:
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Tchicaya B Ellis
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E-mail Address:
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ellistb@hotmail.com
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Year Completed Ph.D. :
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2000
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Major Advisor (Ph.D.):
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Peggy Stockdale
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Dissertation:
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Development, Psychometric Evaluation, and Validation of a Customer Loyalty Scale
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Current Job:
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Director, Research & Planning/Minority Business Enterprise
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Current Employer:
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Maryland State Lottery Agency
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What you do on your job:
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Evaluating Advertising Effectiveness, Lottery Retailer Satisfaction Assessment, and Promotion Evaluation and Sales Forecasting
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Advice for new Applied Students:
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Be involved in as many ARC projects as possible...ARC was invaluable!
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Name:
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Michelle Hall
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E-mail Address:
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mhall@selu.edu
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Year Completed Ph.D. :
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1995
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Major Advisor (Ph.D.):
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Jack McKillip
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Dissertation:
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Elaboration Likelihood Model in a Field Setting: The Effect of Individual Factors on Blood Donating
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Current Job:
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Director, Office of Institutional Research & Assessment
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Current Employer:
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Southeastern Louisiana University
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What you do on your job:
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Probably the most interesting part of my job is that I get to do such a variety of things. I do surveys, data management, focus groups, straight up reporting, etc. One of the most important parts of my job is the ability to be flexible and help people frame their questions.
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Advice for new Applied Students:
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Get to know the students who are already in the program. They have already been through a lot of the things you will encounter, and they can be an invaluable resource.
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Name:
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Darryl L. Jinkerson
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E-mail Address:
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darryl.jinkerson@coba.acu.edu
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Year Completed Ph.D. :
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1987
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Major Advisor (Ph.D.):
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Jack McKillip
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Dissertation:
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Life Style, Medical, Psychological, and Demographic Characteristics of College Emergency Room Patrons: Implications for Prevention Programming
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Current Job:
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Assistant Professor and Chairman of Management Sciences Department in the College of Business Administration
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Current Employer:
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Abilene Christian University
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What you do on your job:
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1) I teach business strategy (which involves both qualitative and quantitative analysis) 2) I do (evaluation) consulting work that I am able to apply to my teaching 3) I manage a department with 25 faculty
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Advice for new Applied Students:
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Finish your Ph.D. and then go get a job. I completed my dissertation while working and it is extremely difficult. ABD's are a dime-a-dozen, stay there and finish.
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Name:
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Brenda K. Klostermann
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E-mail Address:
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breklos@siue.edu
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Year Completed Ph.D. :
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1995
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Major Advisor (Ph.D.):
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Jack McKillip
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Dissertation:
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Development of a "Motivation to Give" Scale
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Current Job:
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Senior Research Associate
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Current Employer:
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Illinois Education Research Council (housed at SIUE)
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What you do on your job:
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- applied research in the education arena in the State of Illinois - maintain contact with graduate school colleagues - take care of my daughter
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Advice for new Applied Students:
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- Get as much ARC experience as possible; practical experience plus a Ph.D. is a major benefit - Do presentations at conferences (AEA, AERA) - If applicable, watch the amount of student loans accumulated. You'd be amazed how easily they add up and how long it takes to pay off. It may influence the jobs (i.e., salary level) you can accept.
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Name:
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Daniel C. Lockhart
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E-mail Address:
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del@Lilly.com
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Year Completed Ph.D. :
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1986
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Major Advisor (Ph.D.):
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Jack McKillip
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Dissertation:
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Mailed Questionnaire Returning Behavior: A Comparison of Fishbein's and Triandis' Theories of the Predictors
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Current Job:
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Market Research Consultant
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Current Employer:
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Eli Lilly and Co.
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What you do on your job:
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International research. Help bring new drugs to market, gain understanding of why physician prescribe our drugs.
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Advice for new Applied Students:
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Success in a career is much more about personal interactions, leadership, influence, and making good decisions than is grad school.
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Name:
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TK Logan
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E-mail Address:
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tklogan@uky.edu
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Year Completed Ph.D. :
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1994
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Major Advisor (Ph.D.):
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Jack McKillip
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Current Job:
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Associate Professor
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Current Employer:
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Department of Behavioral Science, University of Kentucky
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What you do on your job:
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Write grants, implement grants, disseminate results (publications and presentations)
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Name:
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Jennifer (Owens) Passini
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E-mail Address:
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Year Completed Ph.D. :
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2000
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Major Advisor (Ph.D.):
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Dr. Jack McKillip
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Dissertation:
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Using a Brand Loyalty Scale to Compare Item Selection Criteria and Scale Evaluation Techniques of Classical Test Theory and Item Response Theory
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Current Job:
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Research Manager
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Current Employer:
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Maritz Research
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What you do on your job:
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I design, implement, and report on qualitative and quantitative ad hoc and tracking studies to help my client define, develop action plans, and meet their business objectives.
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Advice for new Applied Students:
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Determine your career direction early in the program so that you can focus on specialization courses that will best prepare you for your future.
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Name:
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Bret Phillips
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E-mail Address:
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bret.phillips@dhs.state.tx.us
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Year Completed Ph.D. :
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2003
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Major Advisor (Ph.D.):
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Ron Schmeck
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Dissertation:
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Dimensions of Socially Desirable Responding
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Current Job:
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Chief Evaluator
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Current Employer:
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Texas Department of Human Services
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What you do on your job:
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Most interesting aspect of my job is working with non-evaluators. First, trying to understand the purpose of a requested study. Second, negotiating the design. Third, communicating the results in a way that makes sense and leads to better business decisions.
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Advice for new Applied Students:
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Learn as much as you can about surveys - not just form design which AP covers well, but also learn about sampling, weighting, and Total Design Method.
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Name:
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Amy Rogers
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E-mail Address:
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arogers@desu.edu
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Year Completed Ph.D. :
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2001
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Major Advisor (Ph.D.):
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Lynda Sagrestano
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Dissertation:
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Power in Marriage: A Multi-Disciplinary and Cross-Cultural Investigation
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Current Job:
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Assistant Professor
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Current Employer:
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Delaware State University
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What you do on your job:
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1) I get to teach a variety of subjects to undergraduate students. 2) I am conducting research on race relations in the city of Dover, Delaware. 3) I get to interact daily with bright and curious minds.
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Advice for new Applied Students:
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I have two bits of advice I would like to give to the incoming/perspective students. The first is a bit philosophical and the second is more practical. 1) Graduate school is difficult for some strange reasons. Certainly the work is harder, but the real challenges lie in the psychological aspects. For example 'dealing with poverty when most people have real jobs' or 'finishing a thesis that has no due date when your life is already crazy busy' are both more psychological challenges than intellectual challenges. I think that it helps to stay in touch with your ultimate goal while focusing on the current step. In other words, never forget your ultimate plans and dreams, they can provide the strength. However, don't let the thoughts of those plans/dreams sidetrack you from the tasks that need to be finished now. The only way out is through. 2) I would also suggest that you keep the big picture in mind in each class. As much as possible, tailor your course work to flow into your thesis and dissertation topics. Decide early on your topics and make every class assignment contribute to the ultimate completion of these two papers. Also remember that you will have the biggest cumulative test of your life during comprehensive exams. Take notes and master the material as if you will need to recall and/or study it years later, because you will.
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Name:
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Michael Schwerin
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E-mail Address:
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schwerin@rti.org
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Year Completed Ph.D. :
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1994
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Major Advisor (Ph.D.):
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Ramanaiah
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Dissertation:
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The Psychosocial Effects of Anabolic Steroid Use
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Current Job:
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Survey Methodologist
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Current Employer:
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RTI International
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What you do on your job:
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1. Survey research methodology specialist 2. Focus groups and cognitive interviewing 3. Project leader
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Advice for new Applied Students:
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1. Spend time building genuine relationships with professionals in your field. 2. Demonstrate your ability to write by publishing and writing conference papers. 3. Try to get the best real-world professional experiences possible. 4. Remember who your customers are and aim for customer loyalty as well as customer satisfaction. These people will be the ones writing your letters of reference and possibly doing business with you 10 years after you graduate.
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Name:
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Teri Senn
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E-mail Address:
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tesenn@psych.syr.edu
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Year Completed Ph.D. :
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2003
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Major Advisor (Ph.D.):
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Kimberly Espy
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Dissertation:
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Development and Evaluation of the Lactation Education Program to Increase Breastfeeding Rates in Hospitalized, Preterm Infants
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Current Job:
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Project Coordinator/Post-Doc
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Current Employer:
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Syracuse University
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What you do on your job:
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1. Suggest study design modifications for an HIV/STD prevention intervention study. 2. Manage and analyze data. 3. Supervise and mentor Research Assistants.
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Name:
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J. Patrick Sharpe
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E-mail Address:
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sharpes3@earthlink.net
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Year Completed Ph.D. :
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1999
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Major Advisor (Ph.D.):
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Nerella Ramanaiah
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Dissertation:
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Construct Validation Study of the Belk Materialism Scale and the Material Values Scale
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Current Job:
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Senior Personnel Research Psychologist
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Current Employer:
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U.S. Office of Personnel Management (Federal Government)
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What you do on your job:
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1. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is the central human resource agency for the entire Federal Government. Our group helps other Federal agencies develop assessment tools for a variety of purposes, including personnel selection, workforce development, and promotion. 2. I have the opportunity to work with many people in many different Federal Government agencies (e.g., State Department, Department of Defense, Department of Agriculture), including travel to Federal installations across the country as well as professional conferences. 3. The Federal Government has about every job you can think of and therefore needs to hire people for positions in many areas, including Clerical/Technical, Professional, Trades and Labor, Science/Engineering, and Information Technology. In development assessments for agencies, I have the opportunity to learn a great deal about a wide variety of occupations through site visits and interaction with the people performing the jobs.
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Advice for new Applied Students:
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Work hard to build skills that will allow you to work in many different areas of applied psychology. Statistics, Research Methods, and Measurement provide an excellent foundation in that regard. You may have an idea of what you would like to do now in terms of a career, but many opportunities to do different kinds of work will come your way and having these basic skills will open doors for you no matter what the job.
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Name:
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Vicki Staebler Tardino
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E-mail Address:
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Vicki_Tardino@alumni.urnass.edu
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Year Completed Ph.D. :
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NA
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Major Advisor (Ph.D.):
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Peggy Stockdale
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Dissertation:
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(completing at St. Louis University)
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Current Job:
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Organization Development Consultant AND Associate
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Current Employer:
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Self-employed AND Center for Organizational Learning & Renewal, Saint Louis University
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What you do on your job:
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1) Assist individual teams, and organizational units in developing their capacity to work more effectively and efficiently through organization development. 2) Develop, deliver and evaluate training and development and organization development interventions. 3) Professional service: Board Member for the St. Louis Organization Development Network, Professional Community Representative for Gateway Industrial/Organizational Psychologists, Ad Hoc Mission/Vision Committee Member for American Evaluation Association; pro bono projects to support the local community
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Advice for new Applied Students:
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I believe consultants (and other professionals) need more than well-developed technical skills to succeed. Networking and relationship building skills are critical to success and are best cultivated over time. Start now by getting involved in local and national professional organizations, conducting informational interviews for those who have the job you aspire to, look for opportunities to collaborate on interesting projects, or develop a mentoring relationship. These types of relationships will help you broaden your network for professional camaraderie, developmental feedback and assistance in locating jobs.
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