From her family profession and connection to the University, Katie Judd seemed cosmically bound for her place at Truman.

A common storybook theme is a protagonist drawn to a particular path, as if forces beyond their control are setting the stage for them to fulfill their destiny. In hindsight, Katie Judd’s story appears to have some of those foreshadowed elements that make it clear she would one day be exactly where she is today.

The daughter of a psychologist, Judd was thumbing through psychology textbooks as early as age three. She found herself fascinated by people, particularly how they make decisions and what drives their motivations.

“People are big messy blobs, and I love putting together the puzzle pieces that can help an individual live their best life,” she said.

When it came time for Judd to pick a school to study psychology, those invisible forces again appeared to be at work. Not only was her father James F. Judd (’76, ’78) a two-time alumnus of the University, her grandfather James E. Judd (’62) also attended. Although Truman was always on her radar, the decision to follow in her family’s footsteps was her own.

“Using my own experience to help students learn to face stress in their own lives was thrilling and immensely gratifying.”

— Katie Judd
associate professor of psychology

“I knew Truman was the place for me as a student the first time I visited. It felt like home,” she said. “And my experience as a student made me want to come back as soon as I could. I built strong relationships with my professors, and I always felt like more than a number. I wanted that same experience with students of my own.”

After graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology in 2011, Judd went on to earn a master’s and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. It didn’t take her long to reach her goal of returning. Within two weeks of earning her Ph.D. she started at Truman as a professor. In her eight years on the faculty, she has taught General Psychology, Psychology Research Capstone, Abnormal Psychology and Introduction to Clinical Psychology.

Left to right: James F. Judd (’76, ’78), Katie Judd (’11) and James E. Judd (’62)

“My absolute favorite part of the job is working with students,” she said. “I get such a rush when we hit a topic that is especially interesting to a class and there are 30 hands in the air waiting to talk about it. The students have my heart. They are why I do the job. They are why I love the job.”

The feeling from students is mutual. Last year, Judd received a thank you note from a student who took two of her upper-level courses in the same semester. Although they struggled at times with the material, they expressed gratitude for the experience they had and her efforts as a professor. It’s a sentiment that lines up perfectly with Judd’s approach to the educational process.

“I don’t care as much about the grades my students earn. I care that they’re learning and gaining experience,” she said. “I want students to feel safe voicing their opinions and disagreeing with each other, because that is how learning happens. I also give them opportunities for scaffolding and support so that they can challenge themselves while still having a little bit of a safety net.”

Judd’s focus on the best interests of her students has even worked its way into some of her research. One of her longest-running projects is a collaboration with students on the creation and validation of a scale to measure “stress pride,” a concept in which individuals use stress and workload as a marker of success, often to the detriment of their health and well-being.

In 2022, Judd had the opportunity to share some practical knowledge with students on how to cope with stress. She delivered the Truman Lecture to incoming first-year students and relayed her experience having brain surgery the previous year. Judd had a vestibular schwannoma, a benign, slow-growing tumor doctors estimated had been there since she was about 10 years old. In the previous eight years her symptoms slowly got worse. It was removed without complication, and Judd’s prognosis is good, although she is now deaf in one ear due to the surgery.

“I learned to cope with one of the most intense stressors I had ever encountered,” she said. “Using my own experience to help students learn to face stress in their own lives was thrilling and immensely gratifying.”

Judd clearly seems to be on the path she was destined for, and confirmation of that can be seen in her career progress. In addition to her role as associate professor, she is also the chair of the Psychology and Counseling Department. Having served as chair since 2023, she has the distinction of working in a prominent position with peers who were once her instructors.

“It’s still surreal some days. I’m working with many of the people who taught me, and now I’m tasked with leading them,” she said. “It’s incredibly rewarding as well. I am humbled that my colleagues trust me to lead the department, and I’m dedicated to giving back to the department that served me.”

To her students, Judd tries to instill the concept of balance, and she follows her own advice. A self-described introvert, she enjoys creative outlets like crocheting, painting her nails in ridiculously bright colors, and cooking fancy food and plating it as if she worked for a food magazine. She’s also been known to binge watch her favorite television shows, and she has an appreciation for the slower aspects of life.

“I’m super happy when I have a porch swing, a good book and a light breeze,” she said.