Dr. Marion Blake
Texas A&M University-Kingsville
Bachelor of Arts in Health Psychology
Dr. Blake is an Associate Professor of Psychology, who has served as faculty since 2013. She teaches a variety of undergraduate psychology courses, including health psychology and social psychology in face-to-face and online teaching-learning environment.
Dr. Dana L. Byrd
Texas A&M University-Kingsville
Bachelor of Arts in Health Psychology
Dr. Byrd is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Texas A&M University–Kingsville, teaching classes including Experimental Psychology, History and Systems of Psychology, Child Psychology, Lifespan Developmental Psychology, and Introductory Psychology. Dr. Byrd conducts research into the cognitive neuroscience of higher-level cognitive functions called executive functions, utilizing electroencephalogram- (EEG-), electrocardiogram- (ECG/EKG-), and respiration-based psychophysiological measures.
Dr. Diane Friend
Texas A&M University-Kingsville
Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness
Dr. Diane Friend is the primary instructor and head of the Agribusiness department at RELLIS Campus for Texas A&M University – Kingsville. She earned her Ph.D from Texas A&M University, College Station, and continues her research in Agricultural Leadership and Cooperative Development. She is a Board of Director on the Texas Agricultural Cooperative Council, where her focus is education and internships. Friend teaches core classes for the Agribusiness degree program here at RELLIS, which include; Farm Management, Ag Marketing, Sales & Consulting, Ag Leadership, Price Analysis, Ag Policy, International Marketing, and other Special Topics.
Prospective students are encouraged to contact Dr. Friend to further discuss opportunities in the Agribusiness program at RELLIS by emailing or calling diane.friend@tamuk.edu – (559) 302-7371.
Dr. Brenda Hannon
Texas A&M University-Kingsville
Bachelor of Arts in Health Psychology
In general, Dr. Hannon is primarily interested in complex cognitive constructs, such as comprehension and problem solving. Her current research interests focus on determining the component skills of reading that predict both online (i.e., as a child reads) and offline (post-passage questions) performances on measures of reading comprehension.
Dr. Maura L. Krestar
Texas A&M University-Kingsville
Bachelor of Arts in Health Psychology
Dr. Krestar has been an assistant professor at Texas A&M University-Kingsville since 2014, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in psychology and communication sciences and disorders. Originally from Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Dr. Krestar obtained a B.A. in Psychology from Mercyhurst College (University) in Erie, PA. She then went on to complete an M.A. in Experimental Psychology and Ph.D. in Adult Development and Aging at Cleveland State University. Her research interests focus on speech perception across the adult lifespan, especially spoken word recognition of emotional speech.
Dr. Richard Miller
Texas A&M University-Kingsville
Bachelor of Arts in Health Psychology
Dr. Miller received his Ph.D. in 1975 from Northwestern University. He recently completed a four-year term as Chair of the Psychology & Sociology Department at Texas A&M University–Kingsville. He served for many years as the Director of applied behavioral science research projects for the Human Resources Research Organization in Heidelberg, Germany, after which he set up a community college program for English speaking residents of Mallorca, Spain. He is the recipient of four national teaching awards, including being named U.S. Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
Dr. Celeste Riley
Texas A&M University-Kingsville
Bachelor of Arts in Health Psychology
Dr. Riley completed her doctorate in Health Psychology/Behavioral Medicine at the University of North Texas in 2005. Clinical training involved a pre-doctoral internship at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, and a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. Dr. Riley joined the TAMUK/RELLIS faculty as an Assistant Professor of Practice in 2020, after 14 years of private practice specializing in health psychology, and serves as the Coordinator for the Health Psychology program at RELLIS. Teaching interests include psychopharmacology, human sexuality and abnormal psychology.