Psychology alumni recognized for career achievements

During its annual awards ceremony, the Clemson University Department of Psychology recently recognized two alumni for their career achievements and contributions to psychology and public health.  

Kathryn Arden ’74 received the Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her outstanding lifetime career accomplishments and Collen Reedy ’04 received the Early Career Achievement Award in recognition of his early career.

“Our outstanding alumni forge unique paths after graduating from Clemson with a psychology degree,” said Department of Psychology Chair Pat Raymark. “Kathyrn and Collen provide wonderful examples of the different ways in which our graduates can make a substantial impact on the lives of others.”

Kathryn Arden ‘74

Though Arden graduated from Clemson in 1974 with a degree in psychology, she did not begin her Clemson journey as a psychology major. She began as a zoology major but wanted a curriculum that better aligned with her interests in human biology, disease and behavior.  After graduation, these interests led her to medical school and a career in public health.

“My career in public health provided an intellectually stimulating environment and the opportunity to be of service to the community,” said Arden.

In 1979, she joined a group of physicians and health science students touring health and education facilities in four Chinese cities. During her senior year of medical school, she worked four weeks at an Indian Health Service clinic and hospital on Navaho lands. Since completing her residency in family medicine at the University of Alabama Birmingham, her career has included roles in private practice and at the Trident District of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SC DHEC). She also earned a master’s degree in health science administration at the Medical University of South Carolina.

Later, she became Lowcountry Region Medical Director at SC DHEC, and, in her role, expanded involvement in disease investigation and outbreak control, disaster preparedness and animal bite consults.  After retirement, she returned as a part-time physician consultant to the tuberculosis program in 2016.

In a full circle moment, Arden recently visited Clemson – the place where it all began – to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Department that prepared her for medical school and her career.

“This recognition is an honor and a great opportunity to reconnect with my alma mater and learn more about the current psychology department,” she said.  

Collen Reedy ‘04

Early Career Achievement Award recipient Collen Reedy always wanted to work in clinical psychology.

Reedy received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Clemson University and a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy from Appalachian State University. After graduation, he moved to Maryland and specialized in child and adolescent therapy as well as trauma-related issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Later, he worked as a military and family life consultant for a Department of Defense contract and helped families across the United States, Europe and Asia.

Throughout his career, Reedy said his inspiration has always come from one place – the people.

“It’s all about the people for me,” Reedy said. “Regardless of the type of work I am doing, it’s important to me that I am a supportive leader and colleague and that the work I am doing has a positive impact.”

Now, his career has taken a different path since he joined Accenture, a global leader in technology consulting, since 2016. He is the Strategic Operations Lead for the Enterprise Risk Management Team in Accenture Legal where he helps mitigate risks for the organization’s vast global workforce. He is building expertise in artificial intelligence ethics and governance, focusing on creating responsive AI and its impact on people and organizations.

“The human mind and behavior have always fascinated me,” Reedy said. “While my career path has not been linear, I feel uniquely positioned to understand and be a voice in shaping how technology will impact us going forward.”

Though he was not able to attend the awards ceremony, he said he is grateful for the recognition.

“It is reaffirming and a reminder of the impact that Clemson has had on my academic career as well as my professional career,” Reedy said. “It is an honor to be recognized by the Department of Psychology.”

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The Department of Psychology is a part of the College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences. Established in July 2016, CBSHS is a 21st-century, land-grant college that combines work in nine disciplines – communication; nursing; parks, recreation and tourism management; political science; psychology; public health sciences; sociology, anthropology and criminal justice – to further its mission of “building people and communities” in South Carolina and beyond.