Meghan I. Huntoon, Ph.D. '17, Honored With Outstanding Young Alumna Award
By Tony Scott

Meghan I. Huntoon, Ph.D. '17, has earned the 2025 Outstanding Young Alumna Award. (Photo: Meghan I. Huntoon)

Meghan I. Huntoon, Ph.D. '17, grew and matured during her time at NIU, learning that failure is a part of the process.
 

“NIU truly cultivated my growth mindset, and it has changed my life,” she said. “My Ph.D program allowed me to challenge myself daily, try difficult projects, and take on as much as I wanted to grow my skills. I am so thankful that my professors allowed me to try, fail, try again, sometimes many times, before achieving success.”

Huntoon has found tremendous success in the field of psychology research as well as in her stellar record of service in the U.S. military, helping to build a more equitable force. 

In addition to her Ph.D. in social and industrial organizational psychology from NIU, Huntoon earned two NIU graduate certificates, in advanced quantitative methods in education and in advanced study in women’s and gender studies. She also earned a B.A. in psychology and an M.S. in psychological science from Montana State University. 

Huntoon currently serves as a research psychologist for the Department of Defense, working as evaluation and assessment portfolio manager for the department's Skillbridge Program. The program is an opportunity for service members to gain valuable civilian work experience through specific industry training, apprenticeships or internships during their last 180 days of service. 

As part of the position, Huntoon conducts scientific research to develop and maintain evaluation and assessment of the program across Department of Defense services and components. 

Huntoon's service and research has been recognized for the positive impact it has had on Army leadership. She has delivered many briefings to general officers across the Army on the status of Army leadership and has provided data-informed recommendations for creating more effective leaders across the Army.

For her service in the military and her exceptional research work in the field of psychology, Huntoon has earned the 2025 NIU Alumni Association Outstanding Young Alumna Award.

Prior to joining the Department of Defense, Huntoon was a research psychologist in the U.S. Army at the Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. There, she was a member of the Foundational Science Research Unit's Basic Research Team. 

An impactful faculty member for Huntoon at NIU was former Department of Psychology Chair Amanda M. Durik, Ph.D, who served as her graduate advisor. 

“Dr. Durik truly molded the way I think about research, learning and life in general,” she said. “She is a role model for the researcher I want to be, and her guidance shaped my professional goals and path in so many ways.” 

She recalled Durik never giving up on her.

“I recall rewriting one paper eight times before it was finally published,” Huntoon said. “With each rejection, my advisor never suggested that I give up. She was always willing to review drafts and brainstorm new ideas. Experiences like that one taught me tenacity, and that tenacity has changed my life.”

After finishing her NIU degree, Huntoon joined the U.S. Army Reserves. She currently serves as adjutant general officer for the Reserves' 103rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command. 

“The tenacity I developed at NIU allowed me to push through all the difficulties of becoming an Army officer and a research psychologist for the Department of Defense,” she said. “The skills and mindset I forged at NIU supported my success in my career and personal goals.”

Huntoon has taught classes in psychology at NIU, as well as at Waubonsee Community College and Montgomery College in Maryland. 

“NIU gave me the opportunity to teach undergraduate classes and mentor undergraduate researchers, which fueled my love of helping others to grow their knowledge and skills,” she said. “I continue to love teaching and mentoring soldiers. My legacy is the students, soldiers and people I have had the chance to connect with in learning spaces.”