BS Psychology Faculty – Bachelor's of Psychology (2024)

Dr. Stacy Bjorkman started with Walden in 2011 as a Contributing Faculty member and in 2013 became a Core Faculty member. Dr. Bjorkman completed her doctorate in Psychology with a specialization in School Psychology at Northern Illinois University and has taught at the university level for over 7 years. Prior to Walden, Dr. Bjorkman spent several years as a special education teacher and school psychologist in the public school system in Illinois. She taught graduate classes in psychology and education at a local university and another online university before accepting the full-time position at Walden. Her background as a special education teacher influences both her work as a school psychologist and her teaching methods, in that she makes every attempt to accommodate individual differences in learning and maximize the positive impact of the diverse backgrounds of her students.

She continues to consult with local school districts on the implementation of the federally mandated Response to Intervention initiative, which focuses on using data to inform instruction and respond to the educational and social-emotional needs of students. Dr. Bjorkman has taught various courses in Walden’s BS Psychology program, but regularly teaches PSYC 3002 Introduction to Basic Statistics. For fun, Dr. Bjorkman enjoys traveling, reading, cooking, yoga, and anything that involves being outdoors in the sun.

Advice: Explore the resources that Walden has to offer! Need help building your writing skills, writing in a scholarly voice, or polishing up your APA style? Check out the Walden Writing Center for webinars, interactive and multimedia resources, self-paced modules on a variety of topics, or to schedule a paper review with one of the writing tutors. Interested in searching for a job, creating or revising your resume, preparing for an interview, or using social media to network and brand yourself? Peruse the Career Services Center for resume-writing tools, webinars, videos, or to schedule an appointment with a Career Services team member. Looking for a tutor to help with statistics homework, navigating a new (or old!) software program, or finding success strategies as you embark upon or continue your academic career? The Academic Skills Center is the place to go for a variety of resources to support you on your journey. Having trouble finding an article that is the perfect fit for an assignment or discussion? Visit the Walden Library to find course readings, learn how to efficiently search for books and articles, and even contact a librarian directly for that specialized support you need. Walden has an amazing array of tools and support staff to help you achieve your goals at every step along the way. Feel free to bookmark the websites linked above, or ask any of your course instructors for more information about the many free resources that are available to you as a Walden student.

Background: Dr. Donna Busarow started working for Walden in 2010 as a Contributing Faculty member. She took on the role of Senior Faculty in 2017. Dr. Busarow has a Doctorate in Family Psychology and a Master’s in Guidance and Counseling. She has been teaching at both the Graduate and Undergraduate levels for about 20 years. Dr. Busarow worked in clinical practice specializing in marriage and family concerns and all aspects of psychological testing. Her career has allowed her the opportunity to interact with diverse individuals from all age ranges and economic backgrounds while servicing a variety of needs including academic and career advisem*nt, interpersonal relationship counseling, career, neurological, intelligence and behavior testing and interpretation, and developing student and faculty skills for success. In 2017 she and her family moved to the Panhandle of Florida and she has her dream home on the water.

Other Related Work: Dr. Busarow’s research is in the area of time management and online learning success. She is currently working on a study to review learning style and success in online, entry level psychology program to see if specific learning styles impact student performance and success. Dr. Busarow has co-authored a book on time management and presented at a conference regarding student success and time management.

Dr. Busarow has taught various courses for Walden, but regularly teaches PSYC 4010 Psychology Capstone. Dr. Busarow’s hobbies include group fitness, kayaking, boating, crabbing, fishing, and spending time at the beach.

Advice: A piece of advice Dr. Busarow gives to her students is to remember to engage in self-care. It can be easy to forget about one’s mental and physical health, so she encourages students to find ways to regroup such as yoga, talking with a trusted friend, watching a short comedy, or even exercising. Dr. Busarow also likes remind students to stay ahead of assignment due dates as this can lessen stress in the event that an unexpected emergency pops up which may take their focus and energy. Staying ahead of deadlines makes room in the schedule to recover from things such as family emergencies and computer issues while still giving time to submit work in a timely manner. Finally, Dr. Busarow likes to remind her students to be proactive in communication. She encourages students to reach out if they need any help and she appreciates when students ask multiple questions as she is there to help students reach their maximum potential.

Background: Dr. Liz Clark began working for Walden in 2008 as a contributing faculty member in the undergraduate psychology program. Since that time she served as a Subject Matter Expert, rewriting PSYC 3007, Influence and Persuasion. Dr. Clark was previously a full professor at Kaplan University and currently teaches for other online universities at the undergraduate and graduate level. She has co-authored a Human Services degree program for an online university and has written courses for that program and others. Dr. Clark earned Doctorate in Human Development, a Master’s degree in School Counseling and another MS degree in Organizational Systems. She has taught at the college level for over 35 years and has been teaching online classes since 2004.

Other Related Work: Dr. Clark’s research interests are qualitative in nature and she has presented her work on the influence of place as agentic in our daily communicative activities, overseas and here in the US. She has also conducted research involving the online discussion board experience for adult learners in a university degree program, and has also researched the role of anonymity on learning in the environment.

Dr. Clark has taught various courses for Walden in the Undergrad Psych program, the Undergraduate and Graduate Human Services program, and works with our PhD students as Chair, second committee member and a Walden URR. She regularly teaches PSYC 3007. Dr. Clark’s hobbies include reading, walking the hills with Mica her black lab, and puttering in her flower garden.

Advice: Dr. Clark encourages all of her students to review the assignments early in the week and to reach out to her with questions sooner rather than later. She also reminds students to check Announcements often where she puts sample APA formatted work, links to help students in any given week and important updates that impact all students. Dr. Clark advises students to ask for a phone call which often can clarify the questions the student has in a short amount of time as she and the student can review the work in question together in real time. Dr. Clark stresses that she uses the rubrics when grading and students should use those to make sure all prompts are fully addressed before submitting assignments. Lastly, she encourages students to reach out to the faculty at the writing center. We have so many super resources for our students!

Background: Dr. Tonya Inman began working for Walden in 2008 as a contributing faculty member in the undergraduate psychology program. Since that time, she served as a Subject Matter Expert, creating PSYC 4112, Forensic Assessment and redesigning PSYC 4111 and 4112 into a new course on Forensic Interviewing and Evaluation. Dr. Inman was previously research faculty and the Assistant Director for the Center for Forensic Psychology at the University of Houston as well as a forensic evaluator in private practice. Dr. Inman earned her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology with a focus on the application of psychology to the legal system. She has taught at the undergraduate and doctoral level for over 18 years and has been teaching online classes since 2005.

Other Related Work: Dr. Inman’s research interests relate to juror decision-making, custody evaluations, high-conflict divorce, juvenile justice, forensic evaluation, and psychological autopsies. Her previous work in private practice primarily focused on forensic evaluations and consultation in civil litigation (e.g., sexual harassment, product liability, personal injury, wrongful death) and juvenile justice.

Dr. Inman has taught various courses for Walden in the Undergrad Psych program, but regularly teaches PSYC 2009 and PSYC 4112. Originally from San Francisco, California, she transplanted to Houston, Texas with her husband for 17 years, but recently moved back to California (Los Angeles area) with her husband and three children. Dr. Inman’s hobbies include reading, beachcombing, hiking, and spending time with her family outdoors.

Advice: Dr. Inman encourages students to communicate with their instructors regularly. It is easy to get “disconnected” in online classes, but with good communication students can work with faculty to address any concerns or questions and manage any challenges that life invariably throws our way during a course. Dr. Inman also encourages students to ask questions early and often during the course. She recommends that students review all assignments and the rubrics early in the learning week to allow time for clarification and planning for completion of assignments. Lastly, Dr. Inman reminds students to take advantage of the many resources available to students at Walden including their instructors. Students often feel that they are bothering faculty members with questions, but Dr. Inman believes most faculty would agree that they love hearing from students who have questions about the course material and the field.

Background: Justina Grayman, PhD, started working for Walden in 2018 as a Contributing Faculty member in the BS Psychology program. Dr. Grayman is a community psychologist and artist (dance, film, community spaces) with a BA in Psychology from Stanford University and a PhD in Applied Psychology from New York University. Since 2013, Dr. Grayman has taught psychology courses at New York University and Manhattan School of Music. Justina is committed to inspiring communal liberation through divine connection.

Other Related Work: When Justina did her PhD, she studied what influences people to form or join a group that engages in collective action (activism, basically). She is interested in all topics that will help her to understand how to get people to work together to create a brand new world and how we create experiences and living spaces that are liberating and transformative. She is also an artist (dancer/filmmaker) and uses her art to motivate people to take action and to create these transformative community spaces. As a movement creator and filmmaker, Justina most recently premiered Black Man in America (2018), a dance film that explores what it means for Black men to break free. The film received tremendous community support, raising over $21K for the project from over 400 supporters and premiering at San Francisco Dance Film Festival. Her first dance film, Woman Versus (2016) also explored collective liberation and was an official selection of American Dance Festival’s Movies By Movers. As a dancer, Justina has been a company member in STREB Extreme Action Company (2013-15) and currently dances with Kristin Sudeikis Dance. As an activist-researcher, her largest project involved collaborating with over 30 New York City community organizers to study and reflect on the strategies they used to invite people to activism events. Justina currently dances and teaches psychology classes at Walden University (Intergroup Conflict and Peacebuilding, Racial and Ethnic Identities, Methods of Psychological Inquiry), while creating a movement method for raw, dynamic movement and partnering with communities to create celebrations of Black men (blackmaninamericafilm.com). Her ultimate mission is to transform the institutions of daily life with divine connection.

Advice: A piece of advice I give to my students is to take care of yourself. If you are at Walden, the reason why is because, despite all things you have going on, you have chosen to advance your education. You have already proven that you are beyond dedicated, and what matters is that you are psychologically healthy. Don’t stress yourself out trying to be perfect because nobody is. Resting, understanding your limits, and knowing that you are doing the best that you can. Know that it is okay to take a day, an hour, a minute to rest your mind and not worry.

Dr. Meredith McKee started with Walden in 2010 as member of our core faculty and in 2013 become the Academic Program Coordinator. Dr. McKee completed her doctorate in Developmental and Child Psychology at the University of Kansas, and has taught at the university level for nearly 15 years. Her other professional interests include the use of well-established principles of applied behavior analysis in the design of model behavioral programs for elementary and secondary educational settings, as well as in the design of effective, proactive, parenting interventions. At the university-level, her research has included the facilitation of classroom interventions specifically designed to decrease common misconceptions people typically hold about various areas of psychology (particularly the “myths and misconceptions” that surround psychoanalysis and behaviorism). Dr. McKee is also interested in the “Critical Thinking” research as it pertains to adult learning strategies in both academic and employment settings. Dr. McKee has taught various courses in the program but regularly teaches PSYC 3003 Methods in Psychological Inquiry, and is the Psi Chi advisor to Walden’s Undergraduate Chapter. For fun, Dr. McKee enjoys traveling, reading, and is an avid walker who completed two half-marathons last fall.

Advice: Don’t want until the day assignments are due to begin working on assignments! Research indicates that newly learned information is retained better when students distribute their study time across several sessions rather than in one long session, and take hand-written notes. As such, an effective approach at Walden is to start early in the week by first reviewing all of the assignment directions (discussions, applications, etc.) to organize the focus of your study, and then begin reading the assigned Learning Resources. As you read, take hand-written notes (as you would if you were sitting in classroom) that could help you in your preparation of your assignments. The best way to grasp the material is to take notes and summarize the material in your own words rather than provide word-for-word content from the learning resources. If you are unclear what the assignment expectations are, or you need clarification on challenging aspects of the readings, do not hesitate to contact your instructor for help – that is what we are here for! Finally, be sure to give your instructor at least 24 hours to answer your questions and provide feedback, which is another good reason to start working on assignments early in the week.

Background: Lana Nassen, PhD, LPC, RPTS started working for Walden in 2010 as a Contributing Faculty member in the BS Psychology program. Her bachelor’s degrees are from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, where she studied aviation and psychology, and her master’s in counseling is from the University of Akron. She obtained a PhD from University of Northern Colorado where she focused on child psychology, human development and research methods and statistics. Dr. Nassen has been teaching college since 1997 and has been doing licensed clinical work since 2000. She recently tallied the courses she has taught: Over 200 total courses, and around 37 different subject areas. In research and practice, Dr. Nassen specializes in childhood psychological issues and play therapy, parenting concerns and lifespan development. Dr. Nassen has worked primarily with children and their families in practice but also does consultation and supervision with clinicians who are becoming play therapists. Dr. Nassen is currently in the upper peninsula of Michigan with her daughter, a golden retriever, a great dane puppy, three frogs, three rabbits, three rats and a revolving door of visiting creatures who are fosters or temporary guests.

Other Related Work: Dr. Nassen took a multifaceted approach to her education. She knew she would want to have many opportunities in life after she was finished with her education, and so with each degree she layered in a skill set that was not technically required. In doing so, she has been able to take her career in several different directions. For a few years Dr. Nassen worked in an underserved area in Colorado treating children and families with the National Health Service Corps which enabled her to have a large portion of student loans paid off by the program. She recommends that all new clinicians spend some time with underserved populations because the experiences and range of clinical expertise that can be mastered in a short time is incomparable. More recently, she took her daughter and a range of pets on an RV through most of the US and explored state and national parks for about 7 years doing volunteer work, conducting research, and doing therapist supervision from a distance while she has been teaching.

Dr. Nassen has two major research projects running currently: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and how they connect with career and health choices later in life, and an exciting delve into Minecraft-based therapy with children where a team of Minecraft experts who are also child therapists are test-driving some possibilities in virtual therapy for kids in-game.

Advice: Try not to be concerned about what other people think and try not to worry about getting approval or acceptance or admiration from other people related to your academic work and achievements. Also, blaze your own trail—if there isn’t a degree or a specific pre-designed path to where you want to go, create a path that will work for you to get where you need to go.

Background: Dr. Mary Wells completed her masters and doctorate degrees in Clinical Psychology at Ohio University. Prior to her career in higher education, she worked as a clinician specializing in community mental health and the treatment of persons with severe and chronic mental illnesses. Mary started working for Walden in 2009 as a contributing faculty member. She has taught a number of undergraduate courses for the Psychology Department including Social Influences on Behavior, Psychology as a Natural Science, Psychology as a Social Science, and Psychological Disorders. She currently teaches Introduction to Addictions, Addictions Assessment, Prevention and Treatment of Addictions, and Case Management and Addictions. In addition to her duties at Walden, she is also an Associate Professor and Chairperson for the Psychology Department at Sinclair College in Dayton, Ohio.

Other Related Work: Mary served as a Campus Lead for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s Completion by Design Initiative and as the National Project Director for the initiative’s teaching and learning project. She is currently a coach for the Ohio Student Success Leadership Institute and consults with other Ohio colleges on the development of structured academic pathways. She also served as a Faculty Fellow for Sinclair’s Center for Teaching and Learning and as coordinator for Liberal Arts and Sciences Career Community.

Mary regularly presents at conferences and colleges across the country on the topic of guided pathways and faculty engagement. Her research interests include academic hope theory and the impact of teacher empathy on student success.

Advice: A piece of advice that Mary gives to other faculty is to let students see your passion for your discipline. It is contagious!