HERO LAB
High-reliability, Emotion, and Risk in Organizations
Our Students
Allison Chandler
Organizational Science Doctoral Student
My research interests include working parents, work-life fit, re-entry into the workplace after leave, perceptions of pregnancy in the workplace, leisure time use, women in academia, navigating stress in the workplace in a healthy way, and coaching tactics for employee workplace success. I am currently engaged in various projects, including work with Dr. Banks, Dr. McGonagle, Dr. Yavorsky, Dr. Bochantin, and Dr. Rogelberg. Additionally, some of my work involves interuniversity collaboration, so I also work with some professors from other universities!
When did you enter your program?
2016
What is your Academic History?
Appalachian State University, BS in Psychology, Concentration in Business; UNC Greensboro, BA in Sociology; UNC Greensboro, MA in Sociology
What is your favorite thing about HERO Lab?
The collaboration - multiple perspectives bring awesome ideas and results!
Allison Toth
Organizational Science Doctoral Student
I research social skills, emotion regulation, and occupational health outcomes both in high-reliability organizations and in other occupations and career fields.
When did you enter your program?
2015
What is your Academic History?
Clemson University
What is your favorite thing about HERO Lab?
I love the real world applications of the lab. It's great having the opportunity to meet and work with police officers and engage in research that could actually help improve their work.
Aly Stetyick
Organizational Science Doctoral Student
Aly Stetyick is a third-year doctoral student pursuing her PhD in Organizational Science and MA in Industrial/Organizational Psychology at UNC Charlotte. She earned her BA in Organizational Development from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) in 2016. She is also currently working as an applied consultant and analyst for a private firm and the Charlotte-Mecklenberg Police Department.
Aly is pursuing a number of projects related to her interest in organizational effectiveness and issues of identity in blue-collar and high-risk populations, including police, firefighters, nurses, and social workers. These include (1) a qualitative study of perception, identification, and safety policy compliance among firefighters, (2) a qualitative study of occupational identity in police, (3) a quantitative study of health, wellbeing, and social support among police working midnight shifts, and (4) a study of risk-based identity in virtual communities.
When did you enter your program?
2016
What is your Academic History?
Interdisciplinary Studies: Organizational Development, BA - University of Maryland, Baltimore County
What is your favorite thing about HERO Lab?
HERO Lab has been a wonderful way to network as an academic - we regularly work with people in the field, organizational science practitioners, and scholars from other programs and institutions.
Ashleigh Dickson
Organizational Science Doctoral Student
I am primarily interested in work-life interactions and specifically work-family interactions in dual-income families. I am also interested in employee motivation and the dark side of organizations, such as bullying, incivility, and burnout. I am currently working on research with Dr. Jaime Bochantin, Dr. Jill Yavorsky, Dr. George Banks, Dr. Eric Heggestad, and Dr. Cliff Scott.
When did you enter your program?
2017
What is your Academic History?
Psychology B.A. - Clemson University
What is your favorite thing about HERO Lab?
I love the opportunities HERO Lab provides to get involved in practical, hands-on experience. I love that it allows us to make a positive impact on the community and get involved with men and women who do important work to protect us every day.
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Katie Kavanaugh
Organizational Science Doctoral Student
I am interested in occupational health topics such as safety, work/life balance, and burnout, especially in the context of high-risk jobs. I'm also currently working with Dr. Linda Shanock on learning reflexology and will be developing a study exploring reflexology and the workplace.
When did you enter your program?
2017
What is your Academic History?
James Madison University, B.A.
What is your favorite thing about HERO Lab?
I'm excited to work with police officers and contribute to research that can actually make a difference in their lives.
Krista Engemann
Organizational Science Doctoral Candidate
My research interests span such topics as safety, risk, high reliability organizations, knowledge, strategic human resource management, virtual communities, and organizational learning. I currently lead several works-in-progress in these areas, in addition to having presented and published works with such conferences and journals as the Eastern Academy of Management, the Interdisciplinary Network for Group Research (INGRoup), the Leadership Quarterly, the International Journal of Business Continuity and Risk Management, and Human Resource Management Review.
When did you enter your program?
2014
What is your Academic History?
BA, Georgetown University (German and Psychology Majors, Economics Minor); MBA, Iona College; MA, UNC Charlotte (Industrial/Organizational Psychology)
What is your favorite thing about HERO Lab?
The research is rewarding and applicable!
Vanessa Alonso
Graduate Student
M.A in Communication Studies
Although communication is an innate ability to be human, it is also one of the main reasons for conflict between people or lack of engagement within organizations. For this reason, my great passion (and challenge) in life is using communication as a tool to promote connection. After a five-year experience in dealing with organizational communication and community engagement issues in Brazil and other countries in South America, on Fall 2017 I decided to move from Brazil to the United States to deepen my academic knowledge by becoming a student of the M.A in Communication Studies at UNC Charlotte. Previous to that, I worked as a reporter in the career and business section of a wide known newspaper in my home town. My areas of interest are organizational, leadership communication, stress, burnout, and well-being in the workplace.
When did you enter your program?
2017
What is your Academic History?
My educational background includes MBA from Getulio Vargas Foundation (Brazil) and a Bachelor Degree in Communication with Emphasis in Journalism from Federal University of Bahia (Brazil).
What is your favorite thing about HERO Lab?
Hero Lab is an experience that makes possible to assemble theory and praxis together inside the university environment. And it is even better because it brings the possibility to perform applied high-quality research in an interdisciplinary atmosphere, combining psychology, communication, organizational science and other related fields to dive into interesting subjects and broaden knowledge.