Image: Kristen Eggler Kristen is a fourth-year doctoral candidate from Hayfield, Minnesota. Her main area of study is diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace with the goal of understanding how both interactions with others and organizational practices impact employees and their wellbeing. She is a member of the Industrial Organizational Psychology Student Association and serves on the newsletter committee and diversity committee. For the Psychology Department, she is a member of the diversity committee and serves as a P.U.M.P. mentor. Outside of UGA, Kristen is engaged with the broader I/O community and serves on two committees for the Society of Industrial Organizational Psychologists: the Disability, Inclusion, and Accessibility Committee and the LGBTQIA+ Committee. Kristen was recently awarded the Dan Mack Graduate Student Research Grant in honor of Dr. Dan Mack who's life was tragically cut short by a drunk driver in 2000, less than one short year after receiving his PhD from the University of Georgia. This grant has allowed Kristen to launch a new data collection project, creating an opportunity to be a primary investigator in a study and mentor an undergraduate student. The current project that she is working on addresses organizational practices, exploring recruitment tools (i.e., job advertisements) as one way to support and attract underrepresented employees. The goal of the proposed study is to better understand whether diversity statements in job advertisement influence a person's perception of the organization. The study will explore how attractive the organization is as a potential employer and whether participants think the organization is committed to supporting diversity. Previous research has found that components of diversity statements can either mitigate or exacerbate feelings of authenticity and inclusion. The current study will explore the presence of a statement focusing on the companies values (e.g., "Embracing diversity reflects our commitment to fostering a workplace where every individual's voice is heard"), a statement referencing research on diversity (e.g., "Research supports the role of diversity in enriching teams, fostering collaboration, and enhancing collective success."), and a more historical Equal Employment Opportunity statement (e.g., "All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran."). Kristen has received the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant - Lab Instructor Award from Old Dominion University as well as the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award from the Department of Psychology at Old Dominion University for exceptional instructional quality. She was awarded the Donald G. Paterson Undergraduate Award in Psychology from the Minnesota Psychological Association for demonstrating high achievement and career potential. Kristen belongs to three honor societies: Psi Chi, Phi Betta Kappa, and Order of Omega. Following family tradition, Kristen attended Gustavus Adolphus College in Saint Peter, Minnesota for undergrad, where her parents met and all her aunts, uncles, and younger sister attended. She has an adorable Shih Tzu named Charlotte who manages to have the personality of a toddler and grumpy old man all at once. Her two biggest hobbies are yoga and baking. She has done yoga across the world from Brazil to Denmark and to Portugal! She had the opportunity to work in a bakery in college and a gourmet cupcake shop in Chicago which led her to cater the weddings of friends and family.
