Annie K. Schulz Begle
I am the newly elected SECC representative to the International Affairs Committee. Currently, I am a Post Doctoral Research Associate working with Dr. Kenneth Rubin at the University of Maryland, and I am expected to defend my dissertation in the next few months at the National University of Córdoba, Argentina. My research interests are focused on the social and emotional development of children, more specifically, I am interested in social competence and social information processing and their positive and negative emotional and relational outcomes, especially from a cross-cultural perspective. As a SECC representative to the IAC I look forward to improving the dialogue with international students, not only in North America but from the rest of the world, expanding the opportunities and resources for international and cross cultural research, and contributing to increasing SRCD’s international impact and membership.
Carolyn Dayton
I am the incoming representative to the Interdisciplinary Committee. My professional background includes graduate and post-graduate work in the fields of Social Work, Clinical Psychology, Developmental Psychology, and Psychiatry. I have worked clinically with children and families as a clinical psychologist and social worker. My expertise is in the area of infancy research and Infant Mental Health. Most recently I completed my PhD in Clinical Psychology from Michigan State University where I worked with Dr. Alytia Levendosky. Currently, I am a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Michigan Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry where I am working with Drs. Brenda Volling and James Swain.
My program of research examines the influence of psychosocial adversity, including poverty and exposure to violence, on maternal and child outcomes. I am especially interested in the internal working models of children that parents form during pregnancy and the ways in which these representations influence parenting behaviors and child outcomes across early child development. My most current work examines the influence of paternal parenting behaviors on child development outcomes with an emphasis on gender differences in parenting behaviors during infancy. In addition, I am currently involved in a research project designed to explore the neurological correlates of parenting in traumatized mothers.
On a more personal note, I am the mother of a young child and enjoy spending my free time riding bikes, throwing snowballs and generally goofing around with my family.
Jed Ellison
I am the outgoing SECC representative to the History Committee. I received my Ph.D. in developmental psychology from the University of North Carolina and I am currently a postdoctoral fellow at the California Institute of Technology. My research program focuses on developmental cognitive neuroscience and neurodevelopmental disorders. My interest in the history committee (not surprising for those of you who know me) stems in part from a fascination with James Mark Baldwin as a writer, researcher, philosopher, and perhaps most importantly, as an historical figure in the larger theater of players that make up our discipline. I am excited to continue my participation in SECC.
Dawn E. England
I am a doctoral student in Family and Human Development in the School of Social and Family Dynamics at Arizona State University with Dr. Carol Martin. My research interests include gender development in boys and girls with a focus on cognitive processes and the effects of gender socialization on children. Some of my research projects have included an exploration of the gender role portrayals in the Disney Princesses and children’s media, and a study of the dyadic interactions of boys and girls during science learning. Currently I am participating in an investigation of children’s gender related identities, attitudes and beliefs and the development of these from Kindergarten through middle school. I also have an interest in Dynamical Systems theories and the application of these methodological approaches to current questions in child development. I enjoy serving as the incoming SECC representative to the History Committee.
Benjamin Freer
I am the student representative to the Interdisciplinary Committee. I am a fifth year graduate student in Cognitive and Developmental Psychology at the University of Kentucky. My research is guided by the developmental psychopathology framework to examine typical and atypical child cognitive development. Through this lens, my broad research interest is in the development of executive function, specifically inhibition and working memory. To this end, my primary line of research examines brain activity (via EEG) and functioning on tasks of inhibition and working memory among typical and atypical child development (i.e. ADHD, maltreatment, etc.). I currently maintain two additional lines of research: (1) examine the experience of traumatic events and the effect of these traumatic events on the life course and (2) examine how to effectively teach the logic of the scientific method to 4th graders. For my dissertation, I plan to conduct an investigation of the effect maltreatment and trauma responses have on inhibitory processes. Additionally, I am working to attain the College Teaching and Learning Certificate, which focuses on the development of young professionals based on the history and current trajectory of higher education institutions. I am hopeful the Interdisciplinary Committee can continue the recent tradition within SRCD to bridge the disciplines studying child development to produce greater understanding.
Jennie K. Grammer
I am a co-chair for SECC and the outgoing SECC representative to the Governing Council. Before becoming the co-chair of SECC, I served as the student representative to the Interdisciplinary Committee. I completed my PhD in Developmental Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2010. Since then, I have been working as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan. My interests lie at the intersection of research in developmental psychology and education, with a concentration on both basic research in cognitive development and applied issues in education and social policy. More specifically, I am interested in the ways in which the experiences children have in elementary school facilitate the development of cognitive skills including executive functions and strategies for learning and remembering. To this end, since coming to the U of M I have been conducting a school-based investigation of the impact of schooling on behavioral and neurological changes in executive functions. In a separate but related line of work, I am engaged in a project designed to compare multiple observational measures of the elementary school classroom. The goal of this work is to identify elements of instruction that are most effective in promoting the development of cognition and achievement. I am excited to continue my involvement with SECC and to represent the needs of the student and early career members of SRCD!
Steven J. Holochwost
I am a second-year doctoral student in developmental psychology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where I hold a Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation. My research interests are centered around self-regulatory capacities in early childhood: their neurophysiological underpinnings, the effects of environmental risk on their development, and the formation of policy designed to ameliorate those effects. Prior to matriculating at UNC, I was an Assistant Child Advocate with the Office of the Child Advocate of the State of New Jersey, and then Associate Director of Research at the University of Delaware’s Early Learning Center, a model early care and education facility. I earned a masters degree in governmental affairs from the University of Pennsylvania and his undergraduate degree from Yale University.
Aesha John
I am the outgoing SECC representative to the international affairs committee. I received my Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Science from Oklahoma State University. In Fall 2011, I will be joining as a faculty in the social work program at Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, KS. My research interests are focused on families of young children with intellectual disabilities in India and the United States. Specifically, I look at family processes such as parent-child interaction, attachment relationships, maternal coping and stress among families of children with intellectual disabilities in the two cultures.
Anna Johnson
I am the outgoing SECC representative to the Policy and Communications Committee. I recently completed my Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology at Columbia University. While working towards my doctorate, I also earned a Master of Public Administration degree at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.
I am now a post-doctoral research fellow in the Department of Psychology at Georgetown University, funded through a National Research Service Award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). My research focuses on the intersection of developmental science and social policy, specifically with respect to the role that public policies can play in enhancing the development of low-income children. In particular, I study the potential of early intervention, in the form of early childhood education and care programs, to reduce school readiness gaps between low-income children and their more advantaged peers. I am excited to continue working with SECC!
Katie Lingras
I am the out-going representative to the Teaching Committee and a member of SECC. This is my final year in the Developmental Psychopathology and Clinical Science program at the University of Minnesota. I am currently completing my clinical internship at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, with a focus on Early Childhood. I plan to pursue a combination of clinical work and developmental research, with an emphasis on translating basic research into practice. Broadly, my research interests are in relational aggression/victimization and risk/resilience. Specifically, I am interested in the causes, correlates, and prevention of negative peer relations (e.g. relational aggression) and how to promote resilience to these experiences. I am also interested in how social-emotional components of school readiness contribute to children's academic success. My dissertation research focused on the role of executive function and effortful control in aggressive behavior across middle childhood. I received my B.A. and M.A. from Stanford University in 2006. In my free time, I enjoy exploring Los Angeles, singing, and traveling as much as possible! I'm excited to serve as a SECC representative and always look forward to hearing your ideas.
Kathryn Monahan
I am an assistant professor in the Psychology Department at the University of Pittsburgh. I completed my doctoral degree in Developmental Psychology from Temple University. My research focuses on socioemotional development during adolescence, with a focus on adolescent externalizing behavior, including antisocial behavior, substance use, and high risk sexual behavior. I apply an ecological systems approach to the study of patterns of risk and resilience in relation to psychopathology and am particularly interested in the policy and prevention implications of such developmental patterns. I look forward to serving on the SECC Program Committee.
Natalia Palacios
I am an assistant professor in the Educational Psychology and Applied Developmental Sciences program at the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia. I completed my doctoral degree in human development and social policy at Northwestern University. My research is focused on improving the developmental and academic outcomes of young immigrant children. In particular, I investigate the school readiness and achievement of children from low-income, minority or immigrant backgrounds, focusing on the interaction of culture, ethnicity, race, and socioeconomic status. I am currently in the process of developing a project designed to understand the cultural specific teaching practices that Latino Spanish speaking parents engage in with their young children prior to school entry. My research also explores the role of teachers and schools in serving language minority children. I look forward to serving as SECC representative to the Ethnic and Racial Issue Committee.
Jessica E. Salvatore
I am the outgoing SECC representative to the Program Committee. I recently finished my PhD at the Institute of Child Development (University of Minnesota), where I was co-advised by Andy Collins and Jeff Simpson. I am now a postdoctoral fellow at the Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavior Genetics (Virginia Commonwealth University), where I am advised by Danielle Dick. I study adult romantic relationships as contexts for development. I am particularly interested in how romantic partners either aggravate or mitigate vulnerabilities related to emotion functioning. As the SECC representative to the Program Committee, I co-organized (with SECC chair Carlos Santos) the “Grant Writing for Student and Early Career Members” roundtable at the Montreal meeting. I look forward to continuing to serve SRCD’s student and early career members for the next two years.
Jonathan Santo
I am an incoming Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Nebraska, USA. I'm currently a third year Ph.D. student at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec working with William Bukowski. My research among early adolescents examines how the interplay between individual and peer characteristics is associated with peer acceptance in general and friendships specifically. I'm also interested in the factors that differentiate peer groups and how these differences influence the interactions within the peer group. In general, I'm interested in the role that culture (or context) plays is shaping group dynamics. On the Student Early Career Council I will be serving as the publication committee representative.
Carlos Santos
I am co-chair of the Student and Early Career Council (SECC) and the SECC representative to the Governing Council (GC). I was formerly the SECC representative to the Ethnic and Racial Issues (ERI) committee. During my tenure in the ERI committee, I helped organize and plan SRCD’s 2012 Themed Conference on the positive development of ethnic minority youth. As co-chair of SECC and as GC representative, I hope to revitalize efforts to have the voices of early career folks actively represented in various efforts by the society, including publications. My professional title is Assistant Research Professor at Arizona State University. My research examines individual and peer dynamics of adolescent identity development, and how these processes influence mental health and educational outcomes. Please contact me if you have any suggestions and recommendations for SECC. I am eager to hear diverse voices from the early career scholar’s community of SRCD on ways to best represent them.
Lisa Slominski
I am the incoming representative to the Teaching Committee, and I have been serving on the SECC for the past two years as a general member. I completed my graduate work in developmental psychology at the University of Michigan in 2010, and am currently working as a postdoctoral research fellow at Emory University through the Fellowships in Research and Science Teaching (FIRST) program. This program combines traditional postdoctoral research training with intensive training in teaching. My research is with Dr. Sherryl Goodman in the department of psychology and examines the effects of maternal perinatal depression on infant development. Future research will explore early vulnerabilities for depression among school-age children of depressed mothers. Within the next few years I also will be co-teaching several courses with Dr. Kai McCormack in the department of psychology at Spelman College.
Russell Toomey
I am the incoming representative to the newly formed Equity and Social Justice Committee. I am currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Prevention Research Center at Arizona State University and work with Drs. Adriana Umaña-Taylor and Nancy Gonzales. I recently received my PhD from the University of Arizona in Family Studies and Human Development where I worked with Dr. Stephen Russell. My research focuses on adolescent health disparities and focuses on two populations: lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth and Latino youth. Much of my work focuses on the contexts and processes that may place these adolescents at risk, such as discrimination, negative peer relations, and family rejection. I am especially interested in exploring positive youth development settings that reduce risk for these populations. I look forward to serving on the SECC and the Equity and Social Justice Committee in the coming years.
Michelle Wright
I am currently a 4th year graduate student at DePaul University in Experimental Psychology with an emphasis in Human Development and I am the newly elected publication committee representative. My interests are in emotional and social development with much of my research focused on how individuals, primarily adolescents and emerging adults, process social information with a focus on the role of peer status, the target-evaluator relationship, and the social context (i.e., online versus real life) in their processing. Much of my current research applies the social information processing model to adolescents’ and emerging adults’ online interactions or investigates parenting behaviors and the relationship these behaviors have to psychosocial adjustment. Many of these investigations have been conducted in the cross-cultural context, specifically with Chinese children and adolescents. Future interests include friendships and romantic relationships in the online context as well as the role of emotions and mood in social evaluations.