By Tamera Ryan | High energy, engaging discussions and crazy board drawings are a given in any class or discussion with Dr. Kevin Kelley. A St. Louis University graduate, Kelley got his bachelor’s degree and masters and doctorate degrees in the state of Missouri in 2007. His memberships in kayaking and karate clubs on campus rounded out his three years in resident life.
Kelley’s first job was with IBM in San Francisco. “It was a travel job,” said Kelley. “I got on an airplane once a week and flew somewhere then came home on weekends.” He left IBM after three years for a position with Apple.
He and wife, Lorianna, married in May 2013 and both started working for Howard Payne in August 2013. His first job as an employee of HPU was as an assistant professor of psychology under Dr. Keith Mask.
“He allowed me to start an industrial and organizational track in the psychology program,” said Kelley. “Some of the most important stuff I teach is real business application.”
Kelley says his most defining moments at Howard Payne have been his involvement with students in the dorms. He was recently on a faculty panel, a “coffee talk” to help students adjust to college life.
“We are assisting with that transition,” he said, “helping students find the balance and helping them where they are rather than telling them where to go and what to do.”
His favorite thing, he says, is teaching students. His favorite subjects to teach are human diversity and statistics.
“I struggled when I was younger with finding out who I am. I want college to be a safe, exploratory experience for them and I want to give them the best tools they can have,” he said.
His aspiration is to teach students to think critically and find the truth – in their personal, professional and spiritual lives, and he strives to help them ground their knowledge in the way they decide.
Dr. Kelley is full of energy. “School can be a slog and a highly-energetic professor can be exciting and I want to share that. I think it is a privilege to be a professor –to join students for a few hours of their journey.”
Outside of school, Kelley plays bass in a local funk pop band called Zak & Nem. He and Lori have one son, Nelson, who is 17 and is enrolled in dual credit courses at Howard Payne. They also have two horses, two dogs, two cats, two goats and a corn snake named Husker.
His future aspirations for Howard Payne include finding more internships for senior level psychology students.