10 Within 10 Recognition
Kasee Stratton-Gadke 2006
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Degree: '06 (psychology major), M.A. '10, Ph.D. '12
Current city and state: Starkville, Mississippi
Job title and employer: Assistant professor of school psychology, Mississippi State University; director, Bulldog CHARGE Syndrome Research Lab
Kasee is a leader in CHARGE Syndrome research and advocacy. Much of her work focuses on identifying pain in children who are unable to communicate. She has been published four times since 2010 and continues to present at both national and international conferences.
What is the best resource young people have to contribute to the world?
“Young people bring drive, excitement, and open minds to everything they do. I believe these characteristics are producing a generation of millennials who know what they want, who are willing to work hard, and who are challenging dated and controversial topics to contribute to a more welcoming world for everyone.”
What motivates you?
“Children with CHARGE and their families truly motivate every part of my work. CHARGE is the leading cause of congenital deaf-blindness and presents with multiple anomalies and medical complexities.”
What is your proudest achievement so far?
“The day I passed the most grueling test of my life to become a licensed psychologist is still my proudest moment.”
What is the best piece of advice you have received?
“The best piece of advice I have received, as an adult, would be to travel. Travel enriches you as a person and resonates into your work, family, and values.”
Why is it important for you to stay connected to CMU?
“CMU became my home for nearly 10 years and molded me into the person I am today. This is why staying connected to CMU is important – it’s a home base.”?
10 years of 10 within 10 - 2023 update
Current city and state: Starkville, MS
Current job title and employer: Executive Director, Mississippi Institute on Disabilities at Mississippi State University
What is happening in your life today that you didn't expect when you were named one of the 10 within 10?
When I was named one of the 10 within 10 in 2015, I was very early in my career as a school psychology faculty member. I had just started a small clinic called the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Clinic (ADDC) at Mississippi State University. Since that time, the clinic has grown significantly, serving over 100 clients a week and meeting their educational, social, and behavioral needs. Flash forward, and I have now taken over as the Executive Director of the newly formed Mississippi Institute on Disabilities at Mississippi State University. The Institute now houses the ADDC, a research and service center called the T.K. Martin Center for Technology and Disabilities, and numerous affiliated research labs serving the needs of individuals throughout the southeast with disabilities. Personally, since 2015, I have become the mother of two beautiful girls, Aviana (age 7) and Adalyn (age 3). They are the light of my life, and we enjoy every chance we get to come back to Michigan and campus.
When you think of CMU today, what word comes to mind?
Family.