Kate Amdor

When Kate Amdor (’02 psychology) arrived at Iowa State University, she was focused on exploring different majors and discovering new interests. Determined to find her perfect career path, Kate enrolled in a variety of classes, including introductory psychology courses.

“I was hooked and I declared a psychology major after completing a few 100-level psychology classes, during my freshman year,” Kate said. “I really enjoyed the breadth of courses, the expertise of the professors and the diversity of the psychology field. It was exciting to dive into the material each semester.”

Today, Kate has a successful career in human resources that spans 20 years. She uses her knowledge of psychology “nearly every day” as manager of compensation and benefits at Telligen, a health management company in West Des Moines.

“Much of my job revolves around figuring out how to help our organization and its people grow and succeed,” Kate said. “And a big part of that involves understanding how people operate, why they behave as they do, and ultimately, what motivates them.”

Kate’s role at Telligen has allowed her to guide employees and stakeholders through the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I often referred back to my psychology studies when I was trying to understand how people were perceiving and reacting to changes brought on by the pandemic,” Kate said. “It’s been helpful to use my knowledge of psychology to help our company navigate through challenges and uncertainty.”

Kate would like Iowa State students to know that being an open major has advantages.

“Attending a large college means there’s a lot of room to explore,” Kate said. “And a psychology degree is very versatile and lends itself to many different careers and opportunities at Iowa State that are worth checking out.”