After twenty-plus years as a mental health and family therapist, crisis and school counselor, Kris joined Penn State in the Smeal College of Business, where she advised students and coordinated FYS PSU 6 for 6 years. When she was ready for new challenges, she moved to the Nese College of Nursing as Director of their Academic Success and Advising Center, where she served for 12 years before returning to her Smeal roots. Full circle, she is now Senior Director of Advising in Smeal, and grateful to be back home.

Kris' B.A. was in Psychology and and her M.Ed. was in Secondary School Counseling. She completed a Ph.D. in Penn State's Workforce Education and Development program, emphasizing Human Resources Development and Organization Development and Change, and Consulting. She has also earned graduate certificates in Institutional Research, and Public Sector Human Resource Management.

Kris' eldest daughter Jordan completed concurrent degrees in Meteorology and Theatre at PSU then moved to Helsinki, Finland, to complete a University of Helsinki masters degree in Atmospheric Science. She loved Finland so much she decided to stay for her PhD, and she's working to save our climate. Kris' younger daughter Riley is an LPN tracking for her RN, and Riley's husband Angel is an EMT studying to be a paramedic. Stepson Parker is a graduate from The Pennsylvania School of Technology in Security and Risk Analysis and works at MiniTab. Kris' husband is a computer guy in PSU’s College of Agriculture, and they all share our home and free time with a variety of furry critters.

When she has time to myself, Kris enjoys hiking with Bob or snuggling with her fur family, people-watching, running {Netflix} Marathons, volunteering for Centre County PAWS, updating her home, searching Pinterest for vegetarian recipes or getting lost in a good book.

Expertise

Interests:
Student engagement and retention strategies
First Generation college students
Mental health and wellness
Equity and Inclusion
Family engagement
Staff development
Organizational change
Program assessment and design