Alumni Profiles Series: Jane Sigmon

Jane (Nady) Sigmon earned her Ph.D. in counseling/school psychology from Duke University in 1982 after completing an M.Ed. in special education (learning disabilities) from Boston University and a B.A. in psychology from Albertus Magnus College. Over the course of more than three decades in federal service, she worked across the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Justice, and the U.S. Department of State, helping shape national and international programs addressing child abuse, victim assistance, and human trafficking. Her work included launching interdisciplinary training initiatives, establishing child-protection programs, supporting crime victims across the United States, and later designing global programs to combat human trafficking and protect vulnerable children abroad. She retired after nearly 21 years of service at the U.S. Department of State. Today, she enjoys spending time outdoors, hiking with her husband, caring for her grandchildren, and volunteering in an elementary school.

How would you describe your career journey after Duke?

My career has been a series of pivots that I never could have anticipated when I was a graduate student. When I entered Duke’s doctoral program, I expected to spend my career working as a school psychologist, diagnosing and helping children with learning disabilities. That had been my background before Duke, and it was the work I loved.

But soon after graduating, my career began to evolve. I moved to Washington, D.C., and joined the Administration on Developmental Disabilities, where I worked on national programs supporting people with developmental disabilities. One of the most important ideas that shaped my career began there: the importance of interdisciplinary work. Many of the most complex social problems, whether developmental disabilities, child abuse, or trafficking, cannot be addressed by one discipline alone.

Over time, that work expanded. I moved to the Children’s Bureau, where I focused on issues related to child abuse and neglect and helped establish interdisciplinary training programs addressing these challenges. Later, I served as Director of the Office for Victims of Crime at the U.S. Department of Justice, where I worked to expand services for victims of violence across the United States.

After nine years with criminal justice and victim advocacy-focused non-profits, I had the opportunity to work on these issues globally. At the U.S. Department of State, I developed training programs for consular officers to help them respond to Americans who become victims of violent crime overseas. Later, I managed global grant programs designed to combat human trafficking and support victims, including initiatives to combat child trafficking in countries such as Ghana, the Philippines, and Mongolia.

Looking back, the trajectory—from diagnosing learning disabilities to working globally to combat human trafficking—was not something I could ever have predicted when I started graduate school.

Looking back, how did your time at Duke shape the way you think about your work?

One of the most powerful experiences I had at Duke was doing an independent study with Dr. Robert D. Nebes, a neuro-psych researcher at the medical school. He introduced me to a completely different way of thinking about learning disabilities and the brain. More broadly, Duke helped me understand that solving complex problems requires bringing together multiple perspectives. My doctoral training reinforced the value of interdisciplinary approaches, something that became central throughout my career.

Another memory that stands out is spending time in the library stacks on both East and West Campus. I commuted from Greensboro while I was in the program, so I spent a lot of hours there between classes. It became a place where I could read, write, and think deeply. Those quiet hours were incredibly important to my development as a scholar.

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What is the best career advice you ever received?

The best advice I received came from Dr. Lucy Davis, who led the school psychology program at Duke. At one point in my career, I felt somewhat uneasy that my work had moved far beyond school psychology. When I spoke with her about it, she reassured me that I should follow the path where I believed I could make the greatest difference. That advice stayed with me throughout my career.

What advice would you share with current Duke graduate students?

Careers rarely follow a straight path.

One piece of advice I often give is to broaden your perspective and remain open to opportunities that may seem adjacent to—or even outside of—your field. Many issues are deeply interconnected, and the skills you develop during graduate training can apply in contexts you may not initially consider. You don’t have to stay within a single lane. Some of the most rewarding work happens at the intersections between disciplines and sectors. If you remain open to those possibilities, your career may evolve in ways that are far more interesting and impactful than you originally imagined.

AUTHOR

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Paul McKee

Recent Ph.D. graduate, Psychology and Neuroscience

Paul McKee, Ph.D. completed his graduate study in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, where his research examined the motivational factors that influence how individuals perceive and navigate the world. These forces include moral cognition and the fear of missing out (FoMO). He also holds a Master’s in Interdisciplinary Data Science (MIDS) from Duke University and is completing his Executive MBA at the Fuqua School of Business. Paul is the recipient of the 2026 Dean’s Award for Excellence in Mentoring and has secured over $200,000 in grant funding. A Marine Corps infantry veteran, he will begin his legal studies (J.D.) at Yale Law School as part of the Class of 2029. Prior to coming to Duke, he earned his B.S. in psychology from Southern Connecticut State University in 2021.