Faculty Profile
Mary Kay Keller
Chair, Applied Family Science
College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
302-327-4897
Assistant Professor
Ph.D., Florida State University
M.P.A., University of Utah
B.S., Weber State University
A.A., Weber State University
Biography
Dr. Keller earned a PhD from Florida State University, College of Human Science Department of Family and Child Studies; her dissertation research was on teaching five fathers to massage their infants and her critical review set the standard for the Family Science Program. Dr. Keller’s research was presented at TEDx Tallahassee. Dr. Keller also earned a Master of Public Administration in Administrative Law and Human Resources from the University of Utah and a Bachelor of Science with Honors from Weber State University, College of Social Sciences majoring in Psychology, minoring in Sociology. Dr. Keller was the President of the student chapter of Psi Chi International Honor Society in Psychology. Dr. Keller completed an undergraduate internship in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
Dr. Keller is a member of the National Council on Family Relations (2002- current), and currently serves on the CFLE Advisory Board and has presented at the national conferences (national and international attendees) throughout her career.
ACADEMIC TEACHING: Dr. Keller currently teaches Parenting Education, Legal and Ethical Policy Issues, and the Capstone Course. Dr. Keller has completed the Wilmington University Program: Pathways to Instructional Excellence.
Previously Dr. Keller taught Ecological Contexts for Individual and Family Development at Florida State University and Human Development across the Life Span at Utah State University. Dr. Keller earned certifications from Florida State University's Center for Teaching and Learning: Program for Instructional Excellence; Office of Distance Learning - Mentoring Certification and On-line Mentoring.
RESEARCH: Dr. Keller's research interest is optimal science-based parenting infant-toddler activities supporting bonding and attachment to benefit the family ecology. Dr. Keller received a Dissertation Grant Award from Florida State University's College of Human Sciences. The results of Dr. Keller's research are published in the Journal of Social and Behavioral Sciences (JBSS 2.1, Keller). Dr. Keller is a qualitative ethnographic field researcher.
CERTIFICATIONS: Dr. Keller is a Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE) and is in private practice providing science-based education for parents of infants and toddlers and transformational coaching services for parents, adults, and emerging adults.
Dr. Keller is a Certified Educator of Infant Massage (CEIM) and a member of Infant Massage USA since 1997. Dr. Keller is currently the President on the Board of Infant Massage USA (2021-current) and former Vice-President (2019-2020). Dr. Keller serves as chair of the Executive Committee and the Board’s Research and Conference Committee. Dr. Keller has presented for the last three years at the Virtual Infant Massage yearly conference whose attendees include international CEIMs as well.
PUBLIC SERVICE: Dr. Keller’s public service experience spans 20 years in State and County Government social services focusing on the prevention of child abuse and neglect, substance abuse, mental health, domestic violence and rape, and HIV-AIDS. Dr. Keller served on Federal Grant Reviews for the first National Fatherhood Initiative and was on the review committee of the National American Society of Addiction Medicine Patient Placement Criteria-II Revision.
Dr. Keller was the past Executive Director of a non-profit agency in the largest county in the state of Utah, the Box Elder Family Support Center, which provided 24-hour respite and nurturing parenting education services for families at risk of child abuse and neglect. Dr. Keller was the past President of the Family Support Centers Coalition (10 Centers). Dr. Keller successfully advocated at the State Legislature to secure state funding to replace the federal funding for the new center and again the following year for increases in unrestricted (yearly automatic renewal) for all ten Family Support Centers.