Maureen O’Brien (’94)

Dr. Maureen O’Brien grew up Southaven, MS, but since most folks didn’t know where that is, she says she learned to take the easy route and claim to be from Memphis. Looking back to her studies as a Psychology major at CBU — and her current position as an Associate Professor of Psychology at CBU — she says the most important lesson she learned was the value of writing. “No matter what career path we take, we all have to write. Even if it’s simply composing emails. In any class I teach, I include a writing assignment, even if it’s a short essay, to make sure my students get practice with this skill.”

After graduating with her BA in Psychology in 1994, Maureen continued her education by earning a MS in General Psychology from the University of Memphis and a PhD in Social Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro — where she was also awarded the Greensboro Scholar Fellowship. Prior to her return to her alma mater as a member of its faculty, she also taught as an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Louisiana State University at Alexandria.

Maureen’s professional research interests include prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination, attitude change and persuasion, and resistance to persuasion. Aside from returning to CBU as a member of the faculty, she has also been as a member of the National Alumni Board for a decade and served a term as its Vice President. She has also been a longtime volunteer at the DeNeuville Learning Center for Women, seeing their mission of educating women as being of vital importance. She served at the Center for multiple years during CBU’s September of Service and has also faithfully attended their fundraising events for many years.

When I was a student at CBU, I felt like I was home. That’s a word I’ve always used to describe CBU: Home. When I graduated, I knew I wanted to become a college professor. I wanted to work with undergraduate students and give them the kind of educational experience my CBU professors gave me. My dream was to come back to CBU, and I sometimes still can’t believe my dream came true. This is the only place I’ve ever wanted to be. CBU is my home.