Faculty
Louise Freeman
lfreeman@mbc.edu
Louise Freeman attended Emory University where she received her Bachelor of Science in biology. She then attended the University of California at Berkeley where she earned her masters in biological psychology, followed by her PhD a few years later. Dr. Freeman also conducted three years of post-doctoral research at the University of Virginia. Her main area of interest is behavioral neuroendocrinology, the effects of hormones on behavior. Specifically, she is interested in the role of hormones in sex differences in both human and
animal models.
Here at Mary Baldwin, Dr. Freeman is Co-head of the Psychology Department. She teaches Introduction to Psychology as a Natural Science, Behavioral Statistics, Drugs and Behavior, Physiological Psychology and Sensation and Perception. She lives in Crozet, VA with her husband, Brian, their two children, Amanda and Noah, and a beagle named Lenny. She is also a soccer mom, a children’s Sunday school teacher at Jefferson Park Baptist Church in Charlottesville, VA and the natural science book review editor for Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith. She enjoys cooking, needlepoint, and travel and is a fan of both the Harry Potter books (see www.hogwartsprofessor.com) and other forms of young adult and superhero fiction.
Her advice for students is to develop your unique set of interests and pursue them to the best
of your ability.
Jenna Holt
jholt@mbc.edu
Jenna Holt received her Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences at James Madison University. She then went on to obtain her Masters in Counseling from Radford University and her Doctorate degree in Clinical and School Psychology from James Madison University. Dr. Holt is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and maintains her clinical skills by performing psychological assessments and outpatient counseling to clients in the area. At Mary Baldwin, Dr. Holt is the clinical psychologist within the psychology department, teaching introductory psychology classes as well as classes such as Techniques of Counseling and Psychotherapy, Abnormal Psychology, and Applied Behavior Analysis. She will also be designing and teaching a new course on Ecopsychology, which is the study of people and their connection/relationship with the natural world. This is Dr. Holt’s personal area of interest outside of her clinical studies, and is also the topic on which she based her dissertation.
Dr. Holt grew up in New York State and Virginia, and she currently lives in Fishersville with her husband and three cats. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, enjoying the outdoors, swimming, baking, and reading.
Pat Murphy
pmurphy@mbc.edu
Dr. Murphy received a Bachelor of Science from George Washington University, and a Master’s and PhD from the University of Vermont. She is also a Fulbright Scholar, having lived in Finland for a year collecting data for her dissertation—a cross-cultural examination of the commodification of the adolescent self-concept. Dr. Murphy lives in Hanover, Virginia with her dogs, Adler and Fromm. Her research interests are focused on the potential impact (the good, the bad, and the ugly) of our increasingly mediated world.
Heather Macalister
hmacalister@mbc.edu
Heather Macalister is a Life-Span Developmental Psychologist with interest in women’s psychosocial development in adolescence, young adulthood, and midlife. At Mary Baldwin she teaches the developmental psychology sequence (Child Psych, Adolescent Psych, and Adulthood) as well as Psychology of Women and Introductory Psychology. She is a firm believer in women’s education and received her own Bachelor’s degree from Smith. Her Ph.D. is in Life-Span Developmental Psychology with a co-major in Women’s Studies. She also holds a Master’s degree in Career Counseling and initially pursued her Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. In addition to completing postdoctoral fellowships in teaching writing at Cornell and Duke, she has been teaching college psychology for 15 years, being part of Mary Baldwin’s Psychology Department since 2003.
Dr. Macalister grew up outside New York City and has lived in MA; NY state; Atlanta; Durham, NC and currently VA with her husband, also an academic psychologist, and their 7-year-old son, a 4-year-old daughter, and Jack Russell terrier, Georgia. She enjoys a variety of child-centered activities that she shares with her family: cooking, crafts, horseback riding, skiing, hiking, bike-riding, travel, "movie night," and snuggling up with a good book.
Matthew Hunsinger
mhunsinger@mbc.edu
Matthew received his undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Mary Washington. He then spent two years at Illinois State University earning a master’s degree in Cognitive Science. Finally, he attended the University of Massachusetts, receiving his Ph.D. in Experimental Social Psychology.
His research examines various aspects of social cognition; more specifically, he is interested in understanding what factors influence how we think about and feel towards individuals from other social groups (racial, ethnic, gender, sexual orientation, etc.). He teaches Introduction to Psychology as a Natural Science, History and Systems, Learning and Behavior, Memory and Cognition, Behavioral Statistics, and Psychology of Peace and Violence.
Matthew lives in Staunton and enjoys many activities, including hiking, spending time with friends and family, meditating, yoga, working out, dancing, playing the Djembe (a West African drum), and playing the Tablas (North Indian drums).
Chandra Mason
cmason@mbc.edu
Stuart Tousman
