Kaye Usry

Kaye Usry is a North Carolina native who attended NC State University for her bachelor's degree. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2018.

Within the discipline of political science, Dr. Usry's research interests are in American politics and political psychology. She has published papers on how different traumatic life experiences (e.g. natural disasters, military combat) can shape understandings of power and politics. She has works in progress on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and contact with social services (DSS, CPS). 

In public policy, Dr. Usry research interests are in violence prevention. From 2014-2022, she worked part-time as the co-facilitator of two different state-certified, court-mandated domestic violence intervention programs for men. She is currently investigating the long-term effects of programs like these for children and families. There are opportunities for students interested in conducting undergraduate research (4999 hours) to collaborate on this project.

In her classes, Dr. Usry strives to teach students about structural barriers to equality, freedom, and justice, while modeling democratic modes of decision-making and imparting a sense of agency. On campus, she is an active member of Elon's AAUP chapter.