Department of Psychology

Faculty and Staff

Contact Us

Department of Psychology

In person: 103 Stewart Hall
Phone: (320) 308-5659

Mailing Address:
103 Stewart Hall
St. Cloud State University
720 4th Ave S
St. Cloud, MN 56301-4498

Office Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday

Reserve the Stewart Hall 306 Computer Lab

Faculty and Staff

Amanda Hemmesch

Amanda Hemmesch

  • Chairperson
  • Professor
  • Ph.D., Brandeis University

(320) 308-3215 | 103N Stewart Hall

Research Interests:

  • Improving health, well-being, and quality of life for older adults and individuals with chronic and rare conditions.
  • Understanding how health and psychosocial factors, especially social relationships, influence development and well-being throughout the lifespan.
  • Dr. Hemmesch is recruiting motivated research assistants who share an interest in developmental, health, and social psychology, especially aging.

Fall 2024 Office Hours (On-Campus and Virtually)  
Monday: By appointment
Tuesday: 10 a.m. to noon and 2-4 p.m. or by appointment
Wednesday: Noon to 2 p.m. or by appointment
Thursday: 10 a.m. to noon and 2-4 p.m. or by appointment
Friday:  By appointment

Brenda Buswell

Brenda Buswell

  • Assistant Professor
  • Ph.D., University of Wisconsin Madison

(320) 308-3096 | 103E Stewart Hall

Fall 2024 Office Hours 
Monday: 1:30-3:00 p.m. and 4-7:00 p.m.
Wednesday: 1:30-7:00 p.m.
And By Appointment

Jody Illies

Jody Illies

  • Associate Professor
  • Ph.D., University of Nebraska

(320) 308-5772 | 103I Stewart Hall

https://web.stcloudstate.edu/jjillies/

Research Interests:

  • Organizational problem solving and decision making, creativity and innovation, leadership and the use of biographical data as an assessment tool.
  • In his most recent studies, he has been exploring the influence of individual differences and situational characteristics on leader emergence and employee creativity.
  • If you find any of his research areas intriguing, or just want to talk about I-O or research in general, please contact Dr. Illies.

Fall 2024 Office Hours 
Monday: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Wednesday: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Friday: 8-10 a.m.

Zoom Meeting Link Available by Request

Maegan Jones

Maegan Jones

  • Associate Professor
  • Ph.D., North Dakota State University

103L Stewart Hall

Research Interests:

  • Understanding what factors provide children and adolescents with barriers against the development of unhealthy eating habits and negative beliefs about the body, and how that information can be best used to create prevention and intervention programs.
  • Examining how families can encourage healthy eating, specifically in terms of the parent-child relationship.
  • Eating disorder comorbidities, such as depression and PTSD.

Fall 2024 Office Hours
Tuesday: 1-5 p.m. (Virtual Only)
Wednesday: 1-5 p.m. (Virtual Only)
Thursday: 11 a.m. to Noon and 4-5 p.m. (Virtual or In-Person)

Link to sign up: https://calendly.com/dr_jones/office-hours

Joseph Melcher

Joseph Melcher

  • Associate Professor
  • Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh

103K Stewart Hall

Research Interests: Cognitive psychology; learning and memory.

Fall 2024 Office Hours 
Monday: 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2-3:30 p.m.
Tuesday: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Virtual Only)
Thursday: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Click here for Zoom Meeting (no password)

In-person walk-ins are welcome, but it’s preferable to make an appointment; for Zoom meetings, you must make an appointment.

Jamie Opper

Jamie Opper

  • Associate Professor
  • Ph.D., Colorado State University

(320) 308-6682 | 103P Stewart Hall

Fall 2024 Office Hours  
Monday: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. or by appointment
Tuesday: 1-3 p.m. or by appointment
Wednesday: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. or by appointment
Thursday: 1-3 p.m. or by appointment
Friday: By Appointment

Daren Protolipac

Daren Protolipac

  • Professor
  • Coordinator of Industrial-Organizational Graduate Program
  • Ph.D., Northern Illinois University

(320) 308-5750 | 103H Stewart Hall

Research Interests:

  • Psychological capital impact student and employee attitudes and performance.
  • Dispositional, motivational, and situational influences on occupational safety.
  • Personality influences on organizational, team, and individual outcomes.
  • Influences on the work-school interface for working students.
  • Employee engagement and organizational climate.
  • His most recent project explored Psychological Capital’s Role in Work-School Facilitation/Conflict on Study Engagement.
  • Students interested in any of these avenues of research, or with personal interests in research related to any aspect of organizational functioning and/or members of organizations are encouraged to contact Dr. Protolipac. He is always looking to create new research teams and projects. 

Fall 2024 Office Hours 
Monday: 8-9 a.m., 10-11:30 a.m. and  1-2:30 p.m.
Wednesday: 8-9 a.m., 10-11:30 a.m. and  1-2:30 p.m.
Friday: 8-9 a.m. and 10-11 a.m.
Or By Appointment

Marcy Young Illies

Marcy Young Illies

  • Associate Professor
  • Ph.D., University of Nebraska

(320) 308-4070 | 103J Stewart Hall

Fall 2024 Office Hours 
Monday: 8-10 a.m., 11:30 a.m.-Noon (In-Person) & 1:30-3 p.m. (Virtual)
Wednesday: 8-10 a.m., 11:30 a.m.-Noon (In-Person) & 1:30-3 p.m. (Virtual)

Zoom Room: https://minnstate.zoom.us/j/4807217403
Zoom ID: 480 721 7403

Therese Todd

Therese Todd

  • Office Manager

Adjunct Faculty

Brooke Bryson

Brooke Bryson

  • Adjunct Instructor
  • Ph.D., Oregon State University

Dr. Bryson teaches a mixture of online and in-person classes, including Health Psychology, Social Psychology, and Cognitive Processes. Her Ph.D. in Psychology from Oregon State University has a focus in Health Psychology.

Research Interests:

  • Her research examines psychosocial factors, such as social support and stigma, that contribute to the quality of life of individuals with common and rare diseases. Her work also seeks to better understand effective symptom management strategies for adults living with diverse blood cancers.
Nicole Chesemore

Nicole Chesemore

  • Adjunct Instructor
  • M.S. American International College

Received her M.S. in Forensic Psychology in 2014 and is currently ABD pursuing her Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from the University of North Dakota. Her dissertation is an examination of public opinion regarding law enforcement's use of unmanned aerial vehicles. She taught undergraduate class at the University of North Dakota.
Michelle Johnston

Michelle Johnston

  • Adjunct Instructor

While I have traveled the world and worked in over 33 different countries, I am a native from MN.  My background is in both Clinical and I-O Psychology and I have over 20 years of industry experience. I’ve been teaching undergraduate and graduate students online and in the traditional classroom for the last six years and have thoroughly enjoyed watching the next generation of students set themselves up for success.  In my spare time, I enjoy reading, running, playing with my three dogs and hanging out with my husband and six adult children.

Kati J. Klitzke

Kati J. Klitzke

  • Adjunct Instructor
Dr. Klitzke received her undergraduate education at St. Cloud State University, where she majored in Psychology and minored in Biology. She then earned a Masters and Doctoral Degree in Clinical Psychology from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, and she had a specialized concentration with the severe and persistent mentally ill population. Dr. Klitzke completed an internship with the Minnesota Department of Human Services at the State psychiatric hospital in St. Peter, Minnesota. She worked at a mental health clinic in a rural hospital setting for almost seven years doing psychotherapy and psychological testing before starting her own private practice in 2021. Dr. Klitzke is a board-approved supervisor for the Minnesota Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy and the Minnesota Board of Psychology.
Anne Neumann

Anne Neumann

  • Adjunct Instructor
  • Ph.D., University at Buffalo, NY

Awarded the Fulbright scholarship to study in the USA in 2004. Received her M.A. in Psychology in 2008 and her Ph.D. in Behavioral Neuroscience in 2011 from the Department of Psychology at the University at Buffalo, NY. Her graduate research involved opioid-mediated phenomena surrounding parturition such as pregnancy-mediated analgesia and maternal behavior in rats and how these are mediated by placentophagia. Placentophagia is the ingestion of amniotic fluid and placenta that occurs at parturition in most female mammals and has been shown to enhance opioid-mediated analgesia. Her dissertation investigated the influence of placentophagia on the development of tolerance, sensitization, and withdrawal that result from the repeated exposure to morphine in rats. She conducted graduate and postdoctoral clinical research on medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorders and chronic pain and the effects of addiction on child welfare outcomes in adolescents and during and after pregnancy. This sparked an interest in behavioral therapy research. She has taught in higher education since 2006 including undergraduate classes in psychology at various universities such as University at Buffalo, NY and Augsburg University in the USA and internationally in Singapore and Germany, where she also taught some graduate classes in psychology.

Rose Stark-Rose

Rose Stark-Rose

  • Adjunct Professor, Licensed Psychologist
  • PhD., University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

With over 20 years of clinical experience, her areas of specialization include adults with eating disorders, body image challenges, mood disorders, and complex trauma. She is trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). Working with multicultural populations, and providing supervision to graduate level counselor trainees. She is the current co-chair of the ethics consultation committee for the Minnesota Psychological Association. Dr. Stark-Rose’s research and peer reviewed publications have included group work with racial minority populations, in class experiential activities for multicultural competence, and awareness of group privilege with college students. Her current research examines risk of eating disorders, and awareness of the western standards of beauty among Somali and Hmong American women college students.

Benjamin White

Benjamin White

  • Adjunct Instructor
  • M.A., Brandeis University

Specializes in assisting students in developing practical applications of material to their individual lives. Over 14 years of experience teaching various psychology courses in two and four-year institutions and has also created over 3 dozen workshops on a variety of topics concerning pedagogy, andragogy, teaching methods, and student success with a goal to provide faculty with different perspectives and methodologies to promote success for themselves and their students inside and outside of the classroom. In 2019 he was invited to give a TEDx talk on motorcycling and anxiety for the Blinn College TEDx event.

Currently serves as an early career mentor for the Society for Teaching of Psychology (STP), a division of the APA, helping instructors who are new to teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels and is an active contributor to the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Innovation at UTK.

Emeriti

Phillip  Godding

Phillip Godding

  • Ph.D., Florida State University
Chris Jazwinski

Chris Jazwinski

  • Ph.D., Purdue University
Leslie Valdes

Leslie Valdes

  • Ph.D., Adelphi University