KCKCC Student Research Conference in the Psychological Sciences

Wendi Williams, Ph.D

President of the American Psychological Association

Psychologist, advocate, and educator, Dr. Wendi Williams applies her work at the intersection of education and psychology to her scholarship and leadership praxis. Williams completed undergraduate studies at the University of California, Davis, where she majored in psychology and minored in African and African American Studies. She completed graduate study at Pepperdine University (MA in Psychology) and Georgia State University, where she earned a doctorate in counseling psychology with an emphasis in multicultural psychology and family systems.

Over a career spanning two decades, Dr. Williams' work delves into the contours of Black women's and girls' inner lives, leveraging deep knowledge of their interiority as source content for developing culturally responsive educational and psychological interventions. Applying critical lenses of liberation psychology and Womanist, Black, and Intersectional feminist theoretical frames alongside an equity-centered systems power analysis, she has leveraged her expertise to develop culturally responsive strategies that drive leader and organizational change.

In her downtime, Dr. Williams enjoys spending time in nature—whether at the ocean or hiking her favorite and/or new trails. Among all the titles and roles she holds, she is most honored to be "Auntie Wendi," which allows her to dote on her nieces, nephews, and godsons as they come of age in Arizona, New York, Washington, D.C., and Japan. Nurturing the lives of these children while being a generous presence to her family and community ranks among her highest life priorities.

Laura A. King

Curators’ Distinguished Professor, University of Missouri-Columbia

Laura A. King received her A.B. in English Literature and Psychology from Kenyon College and her PhD in Personality Psychology from the University of California, Davis. She was on the faculty of Southern Methodist University for 10 years prior to moving to the University of Missouri, Columbia, where she is a Curators’ Distinguished Professor of Psychological Sciences. At SMU she received numerous teaching awards and recently received the Purple Chalk Award for teaching excellence from the Mizzou Student Council.

A personality/social psychologist, Laura’s research concerns well-being, especially meaning in life, narrative approaches, folk theories of The Good Life, and morality. Whatever the topic, her work reflects an enduring interest in everyday people and their everyday lives. She has published over 100 articles and chapters. In 2021, she ranked in the top 1% of Social Psychologists for scholarly impact (World Scientists Ranking, Scopus). She received the Carol and Ed Diener Award for Distinguished Midcareer Contributions to Personality in 2011; the award for Distinguished Service to the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP) in 2015; and the 2018 Jack Block Award for Distinguished Research in Personality Psychology.

A past president of SPSP, Laura has served as editor or associate editor for several journals and was the first woman to edit the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology:  Personality Processes and Individual Differences. Most recently, she served as editor of Perspectives on Psychological Science. She has been a vocal advocate for diversity in these leadership roles.

Jacob H. Tengelsen

Associate Professor of Psychology, Northwest Missouri State University

Dr. Jacob H. Tengelsen is a strong advocate for transformative teaching. He hopes that his students will be relationally and dialogically engaged in learning experiences and discussions throughout his courses. He helps run a theories of psychology lab at Northwest Missouri State University and regularly seeks opportunities to bring students to national and regional conferences. Dr. Tengelsen is a proud methods nerd and enjoys exploring the limitations and potentials of various forms of scientific inquiry.

Academic Interests:

• Human Sexuality 
• Religion 
• Moral Development 
• Social Media 
• Child Sex Trafficking 
• Discourse Analysis 

Woody Orr

Orr is a full-time student at the University of Central Missouri, majoring in psychology. He plans to obtain his bachelor’s degree in Fall 2026 and wants to pursue a career in psychological counseling. He made the choice to return to school to get a degree in psychology after working as an office administrator for Personal and Family Development Associates. He is particularly interested in encouraging others to be more proactive when it comes to discussing and taking action to address mental health concerns.

Cassidy Terry

Terry is an undergraduate psychology student at the University of Central Missouri. She has been passionate about mental health awareness for many years, a commitment that began well before entering college and declaring psychology as her major. Following graduation from UCM, she plans to further her academic career by attending graduate school and ultimately pursuing a PhD. Outside of academics, Cassidy is deeply committed to nature preservation and animal rights. She actively rehabilitates aquatic animals that are sick, injured, or living in unfit environments.