Dr. Lauren Leach-Steffens

Associate Professor

Education

• Ph.D. Family and Consumer Economics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1993
• M.S., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1988
• B.S., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1985

Course Taught

• People, Money, and Psychology
• Case Management
• Personal Adjustment
• Internship/Field Experience in Psychology

Academic Interests

• Perceived economic well-being
• Semantics in advertising

Scholarly Activity

• Leach-Steffens, L. Do euphemisms change perceived quality of a used car? Presented at American Association of Behavioral and Social Sciences Annual Conference, Washington, D.C., May 23-26. 2019.

• Leach-Steffens, L., Edwards, C., Bucher, A., Stumpf. Presented The more things change: An exploration of money and power in marital relationships. Presented at American Association of Behavioral and Social Sciences Annual Conference, Las Vegas, NV, February 8-10. 2015.

• Leach-Steffens, L. (2013) A glimpse of a generation: Debt load and quality of life assessments from alumni of a midwestern university. Presented at Canadian Symposium for Home Economics XII; proceedings in process.

• Leach-Steffens, L. (2009).  Salaries and benefits among child and family studies graduates at a Midwestern research university.  In Community of Colleges, Universities, and Research (Ed.), American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences –Colleges, Universities, and Research Proceedings 2009, Knoxville TN.

• Allen, M.W., Edwards, R., Hayhoe, C.R., and Leach, L.J. (2007).  Imagined interactions, family money management patterns and coalitions, and attitudes toward money and credit.  Journal of Family and Economic Issues, DOI 10.1007/s10834-006-9048-1 (Electronic copy available at SpringerLink, http://www.springerlink.com/content/y46ww8448364v5m7/ [January 21, 2007].

• Hayhoe, C. R., Leach, L., Allen, M. W., & Edwards, R. (2005) Credit cards held by college students.  Financial Counseling and Planning, 16(1), 1-10.

• Leach, L.J, and Davis, C. (2003).  Web-based supplemental exercises in a personal finance class: Value added?  .  In Travnicek, R. (Ed.), In Travnicek, R. (Ed.), Proceedings of the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education,  Savannah, GA.

• Leach, L.J., Hayhoe, C.R., Allen, M., and Brewster, B.  (2003).  Improving college students’ communication about credit.  In Travnicek, R. (Ed.), Proceedings of the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education, Savannah, GA.

• Hayhoe, C.R. & Leach, L.J. (2000). Changes in perceived economic well-being of college students: A longitudinal study. Proceedings of the Third Conference of the International Society for Quality of Life Studies, Girona, Spain.

• Hayhoe, C.R., Leach, L.J., Turner, P.R., Bruin, M.J., & Lawrence, F.C. (2000). Differences in college students’ spending habits and credit use.  Journal of Consumer Affairs, 34(1), 113-133.

• Leach, L.J. & Hayhoe, C.R. (2000). Region, college size, and college student credit card use for expenditures.  A poster session at the 2000 Eastern Region Family Economics-Resource Management Conference, February, 2000, Urbana, IL.

• Leach, L. J., Celia R. Hayhoe, C. R. & Turner, P. R. (1999).  Factors affecting perceived economic well-being of college students: A gender perspective. Financial Counseling and Planning, 10(2), 11-21. (Note: Although the journal year is 1999, this article went to press in July 2000.

• Leach, L.J. (1999). Teaching resource management while modeling community: An experience of service learning in a Family and Consumer Sciences course.  Kappa Omicron Nu Forum, 10(2), 19-28.

• Hayhoe, C.R., Leach, L.J. & Turner, P.R.  (1999). Discriminating the number of credit cards owned by college students using credit and money attitudes. Journal of Economic Psychology, 20, 643-656.

• Hayhoe, C. R., Turner, P. R., Leach, L. J., Bass, B. Gross, P. & Xiao, J. J. (1998). College students' money and credit attitudes. 1998 Eastern Family Economics-Resource Management Conference, February, 1998,
  Blacksburg, VA.

• Leach, L.J. & Hayhoe, C.R. (1998). Exploring college students’ awareness of and use of credit. Journal of Consumer Education. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois.

• Hayhoe, C.R., & Leach, L.J. (1997).  An exploration of college student credit use.  A poster session at the annual meeting of the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, Washington, DC, June 1997.

• Hayhoe, C.R., Leach, L.J., Turner, P.S., Gross, P.E., Bass, B., and Xiao, J.J. (1997).  College students’ use of credit cards: a descriptive study.  In J.J. Xiao (ed.), Proceedings of the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education, San Diego, CA.

• Fitzsimmons, V.R. and Leach, L.J. (1994).  Net worth change:  Beginning and expanding life cycle stages.  Financial Counseling and Planning, 5, 65‑82.

• Fitzsimmons, V.R. and Leach, L.J. (1991).  Marital stability: Role of financial management in predicting divorce.  In S. M. Danes (Ed.), Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Association of Financial Counseling and Planning Education. St. Paul, MN: University of Minnesota.

• Fitzsimmons, V.R. and Leach, L.J. (1990).  Family finance handling: Roles vs. utility explanations.  In C.J. Peck (Ed.), Abstracts of Research Presentations, 1990 Annual Meeting of the American Home Economics Association. Bloomington, IL: Meridian Education Corporation

Other Professional Experiences

• Nationally recognized moulage artist

• Certified in CERT and disaster case management