Kimberley Duff, professor of psychology at Cerritos College, has been elected western regional vice president of Psi Beta, the national honor society in psychology.

A chapter adviser for Psi Beta at Cerritos College for 15 years, Duff said the role will allow her to be more involved at the national level with Psi Beta, to mentor chapters and to showcase the work of Cerritos College students.

The position is a culmination of her dedication to her students.

“We meet once a week with honors students and mentor them in psychology research and community research,” Duff said. “And once or twice a year we take these students to regional and national conferences where they present their undergraduate research.”

Duff said Cerritos College psychology students have won numerous national awards for their scholarship. She will serve in her new role starting this month through December 2015.

Psi Beta promotes professional development of psychology students in two-year colleges.

Duff will help coordinate Psi Beta programming, attend annual meetings with the Psi Beta National Council and approve applications for new Psi Beta chapters.

Her family came to the U.S. from Scotland when she was 9 years old. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology, with honors, from UC Santa Barbara, and both her master’s degree and doctorate from the University of Illinois, Chicago.

Duff developed the Mentoring Through Alumni in Psychology website, or MAP, which connects alumni with her current students at Cerritos College. The website also helps her students with information related to their majors.

The idea came to fruition as Duff was awarded a sabbatical year for professional development.

“The caliber of students at Cerritos is outstanding, and they could serve as mentors to future students” at four-year schools, Duff said. “Many of my students that transferred, they are able to get in touch with current students who are interested in staying on that transfer path. That’s what’s been really rewarding.”

Some of Duff’s former students have become her colleagues. One is a professor at UCLA and another teaches at Cerritos College.

Duff received the Society for Teaching of Psychology’s 2008 Wayne Weiten Excellence in Teaching Award, which annually recognizes an outstanding teacher at a two-year college.

Duff lives in Long Beach with her husband, Vern Breitenbucher, and their two children, an 8-year-old son and a 5-year-old daughter.

Contact Josh Dulaney at 562-714-2150.