Mary Coussons-Read

Coussons-Read is a Professor of Psychology and currently serves as Department Chair at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS). She also holds an appointment as a Professor of Community and Behavioral Health in the Colorado School of Public Health. Among her many accomplishments, she is the founding principal for Strategic Mind, LLC, a consulting firm that provides strategic planning, change management, and leadership development consulting and coaching for both higher education and business organizations.

In addition to her academic career, she has extensive experience in higher education leadership and administration. She has served as Department Chair, Associate Dean, and Associate Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of Colorado Denver, and, most recently, she served as the Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at UCCS. She received her PhD in Psychology and Neurobiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and completed postdoctoral training in Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

Coussons-Read has an extensive and award-winning record in teaching, research, and service, with a special emphasis on supporting female and underrepresented faculty in academia and providing opportunities in science and research to underrepresented students. Her research program continues to be funded by the National Institutes of Health, and her primary focus is understanding the neural-immune consequences of stress during pregnancy and how these affect infant development. Coussons-Read is also a professional executive coach, focusing on conflict management and organizational communication. She is active in her profession and in the community, serving in leadership roles for the American Psychosomatic Society and the PsychoNeuroImmunology Research Society, as well as on the Board of Smart-Girl, Inc. She is currently on the Board of Directors for Goodwill Industries of Southern Colorado and recently retired as a Trustee for the Colorado Springs School.

Mary holds an appointment as a Professor of Community and Behavioral Health in the Colorado School of Public Health. In addition to her academic career, she has extensive experience in higher education leadership and administration. She has served as Department Chair, Associate Dean, and Associate Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of Colorado Denver. Most recently she served as the Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at UCCS, and she is currently the Chair of the Psychology Department there. She received her PhD in Psychology and Neurobiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and completed postdoctoral training in Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Coussons-Read has an extensive and award-winning record in teaching, research, and service, with a special emphasis on supporting female and underrepresented faculty in academia and providing opportunities in science and research to underrepresented students. Her research program continues to be funded by the National Institutes of Health and her primary focus is understanding the neural-immune consequences of stress during pregnancy and how these affect infant development. Coussons-Read is also a professional executive coach, focusing on conflict management and organizational communication. She is active in her profession and in the community, serving in leadership roles for the American Psychosomatic Society and the PsychoNeuroImmunology Research Society, and on the Board of Smart-Girl, Inc.. She is currently a member of the Board of Directors for Goodwill Industries of Southern Colorado and recently retired as a Trustee for the Colorado Springs School.