Kara Orvis

Kara has more than 15 years of experience conducting military R&D, with much of that experience being specific to the Army. She has supported a dozen Army Research Institute projects across five field units, serving as Principal Investigator or Project Manager for the majority of those. Dr. Orvis’ work has focused on Army training, including analysis, design, development, production, implementation, and evaluation. She has also worked across all echelons of the Army, from the squad to Division staff. The contract work she has led for ARI has received positive reviews, and associated publications have resulted in several awards, including conference best paper awards. Kara has led the development of a broad range of training products for soldiers, including classroom instruction, web-based instruction and job aids, CD-based instruction, handheld training apps, hip-pocket training, and a training game. The training knowledge and skills for that work have ranged from procedural military decision-making processes to complex leadership skills, such as ethical climate setting.

Kara holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from George Mason University and a B.A. in Psychology from Ohio Wesleyan University. She is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Academy of Management, and the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology.