Kristen Gleason, PhD

SHE | HER | HERS

Associate Professor of Psychology

207-780-4251

kristen.gleason@maine.edu

Download Curriculum Vitae

Science Building, Room 510 (A-wing), Portland Campus

Territory/Specialty

Community & Cultural Psychologist

Education

University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, M.A., 2014; Ph.D., 2016
Temple University, M.Ed., 2008
Grove City College, B.S., 2003

Current Courses

Fall 2025 Sabbatical

Research Interests

Poverty
Housing, Homelessness
Human Trafficking
Food Insecurity

(on sabbatical Fall 2025)

Department of Psychology College of Science, Technology, and Health

Kristen Gleason, Ph.D., is the Chair and Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Southern Maine. Dr. Gleason received her Ph.D. in Community and Cultural Psychology from the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa in 2016. She completed a postdoctoral position with the Center for Community Research at DePaul University in 2016-2017 and a Libra Professorship with the University of Maine at Augusta in 2017-2018. She has been in the Psychology Department at USM since the fall of 2018.

Her current research focuses on understanding the systemic and structural factors that contribute to and maintain housing insecurity and homelessness. She is committed to fostering collaborative community partnerships and addressing local concerns in socially just and practical ways. Dr. Gleason’s laboratory at USM is dedicated to better understanding issues related to poverty and homelessness in Maine. She has published several peer-reviewed academic papers, a community-facing op-ed article, and a StoryMap website about her work on rural homelessness and housing insecurity in Maine.

Selected Publications

Gleason, K., Martin, J., & Bernier, E. (2024). Community narratives on rural homelessness: Tales of terror and tales of compassion. Journal of Prevention & Intervention in the Community, 52(1), 143–172. https://doi.org/10.1080/10852352.2024.2315367

Gleason, K., Dube, M., Martin, J., Bernier, E., & Gibson, J. (2023). Rural housing insecurity: A case study comparison across four rural areas in Maine. Journal of Ethnographic and Qualitative Research, 17, 38-57.

Gleason, K. (2022, February 22). Scholar Strategy Network: Homelessness and housing in rural Maine. Kennebec Journal, A3. Retrieved from: https://www.centralmaine.com/2022/02/22/scholars-strategy-network-homelessness-and-housing-in-rural-maine/

Gleason, K., Dube, M., Bernier, E & Martin, J. (2021). Using geographic information systems to assess community-level vulnerability to housing insecurity in rural areas. Journal of Community Psychology, 50(4), 1993-2012. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.22589

Gleason, K. & Corlew, L.K. (2019). Using qualitative research methods for advancement of peace. In M.G.C. Njoku, L.A. Jason, & R.B. Johnson (Eds.), The Psychology of peace promotion – Global perspectives on personal peace, children and adolescents, and social justice (pp. 357-372). Springer Nature.

Gleason, K., Barile, J.P., & Baker, C. (2017). Describing trajectories of homeless service use in Hawai‘i using latent class growth analysis. American Journal of Community Psychology, 59, 158-171. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12128

Gleason, K., Baker, C., & Maynard, A. (2017). Discursive context and language as action: A demonstration using critical discourse analysis to examine discussions about human trafficking in Hawai’i. Journal of Community Psychology, 46(3), 293-310. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.21940

Jason, L.A., Stevens, E., Ram, D., Miller, S.A., Beasley, C.R., & Gleason, K. (2016). Theories in the field of community psychology. Global Journal of Community Psychology Practice, 7(2), 1-27.

Helm S., Lee W., Hanakahi V., Gleason K., McCarthy K., & Haumana. Using Photovoice with youth to develop a drug prevention program in a rural Hawaiian community. American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research, 22(1), 1-26. https://doi.org/10.5820/aian.2201.2015.1

Student Authored Op-eds from Dr. Gleason’s Psychology in the Public Interest (PSY 375) capstone course:

Williams, M. & Gleason, K. (2025, June 10). Scholar Strategy Network: Maine’s fishermen tangled up in Medicaid cuts. Kennebec Journal. Retrieved from: https://www.centralmaine.com/2025/06/10/maines-fishermen-wrongly-caught-in-medicaid-cuts-net-opinion/

Bolduc-Ignasiak, P. & Gleason, K. (2025, May 7). We must create safe and inclusive schools for students who do not fit traditional gender roles. Bangor Daily News. Retrieved from: https://www.bangordailynews.com/2025/05/07/opinion/opinion-contributor/maine-legislature-bills-safe-inclusive-schools-lgbtq-transgender-nonbinary-students/

Levesque, E. & Gleason, K. (2024, August 20). We are failing our LGBTQ+ unhoused youth. Bangor Daily News. Retrieved from: https://www.bangordailynews.com/2024/08/20/opinion/opinion-contributor/failing-lgbtq-unhoused-youth/

Roberts, M. & Gleason, K. (2024, July 9). Rehabilitation versus punishment: How American prisons contribute to recidivism. Bangor Daily News. Retrieved from: https://www.bangordailynews.com/2024/07/09/opinion/rehabilitation-versus-punishment-american-prisons-recidivism-joam40zk0w/

Koval, H. & Gleason, K. (2024, June 11). With so many overdoses each year, Maine is not the way life should be. Bangor Daily News. Retrieved from: https://www.bangordailynews.com/2024/06/11/opinion/opinion-contributor/maine-overdoses-poverty-stigma/

Timmons, A. & Gleason, K. (2024, April 30). Unreliable eyewitnesses top reason for wrongful convictions. Bangor Daily News. Retrieved from: https://www.bangordailynews.com/2024/04/30/opinion/opinion-contributor/unreliable-eyewitnesses-wrongful-convictions-joam40zk0w/

Cross-Robertson, M. & Gleason, K. (2023, June 20). Community-wide involvement is needed for the fight to prevent teen substance use. Kennebec Journal, A3. Retrieved from: https://www.centralmaine.com/2023/06/20/scholars-strategy-network-community-is-key-to-preventing-teen-substance-use/?auth0Authentication=true

Goldstein, H. & Gleason, K. (2022, June 21). Scholar Strategy Network: America needs to criminalize gay conversion therapy on children. Kennebec Journal, A3. Retrieved from: https://www.centralmaine.com/2022/06/21/scholars-strategy-network-america-needs-to-criminalize-gay-conversion-therapy-on-children/