Michelle Boyd, Ph.D.
Dr. Boyd is an SRCD Congressional Fellow in the Office of Representative Pete Stark and on the Ways and Means Health Subcommittee. Prior to this assignment, Michelle was a researcher at Tufts University’s Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development working on the 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development, a longitudinal assessment of the key characteristics of positive youth development and key ecological assets that promote positive youth development. In addition, she was a researcher at the Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service working on longitudinal projects investigating the links between civic engagement and psychosocial well-being among college students and the civic engagement of proven-risk youth. Her personal graduate research focused on understanding how media can be used to encourage positive development, specifically the relations between news media use and youth civic engagement. Her work also promoted media literacy as an essential set of civic skills and as a means for encouraging active and engaged citizenship. Michelle earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in child development at Tufts University and a B.S. in psychology from Howard University, and is originally from Kansas City, MO.
Amanda Clincy, Ph.D.
Dr. Clincy is a Society for Research in Child Development Executive Branch Fellow in the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) in the Administration for Children and Families. She recently completed her graduate studies in Developmental Psychology, with a concentration in Quantitative Psychology, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH). While attending UNC-CH, she worked on the Family Life Project, a longitudinal, multi-method, multi-respondent rural study that explores the ways in which child, family, and contextual factors shape child development overtime. Her research focused on understanding the longitudinal effects of parenting practices on African American children’s social-emotional functioning during the transition to school. More specifically, she examined self-regulatory mechanisms that may underlie linkages between early physical discipline and children’s behavioral problems. In graduate school, Dr. Clincy also worked part-time as a program evaluation analyst for Durham’s Partnership for Children’s Early Head Start Program. Her long term career goal is to use her research background to inform child and family policy, with the ultimate goal of promoting low-income children’s successful transition to school and continued success throughout school.
Kelly Fisher, Ph.D.
Dr. Fisher is a second year Executive Branch Fellow in the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) in the Administration for Children and Families. Prior to starting her Fellowship, Kelly completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for Re-Imagining Children's Learning and Education in Philadelphia. During her tenure at the Center, Kelly implemented outreach initiatives designed to translate learning sciences research to parents, educators, and practitioners. She also conducted research on how pedagogy impacts creative problem-solving. Prior to her postdoctoral position, Kelly completed her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology at Temple University and a M.S. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Missouri State University. Kelly’s postdoctoral and graduate research explored: (1) cognitive mechanisms that facilitate learning, (2) the impact of pedagogy on learning, and (3) biological factors that impact learning and development in early and middle childhood. Over the last eight years she has also worked as a consultant on a variety of applied projects, including the evaluation of preschool education models, adapted recreation programs, and state-sanctioned family visitation programs. Kelly is deeply invested in a career that focuses on improving developmental and educational outcomes of those who are economically disadvantaged throughout the world.
Christine Fortunato, Ph.D.
Dr. Fortunato is an Executive Branch Fellow in the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) in the Administration for Children and Families. Christine recently completed her Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies at The Pennsylvania State University. Her research focused on how the interplay among neurophysiological stress responsivity, behavioral risk, and adverse parenting in early childhood influences the development of externalizing problems and comorbid anxiety. Christine is ultimately interested in translating basic research on stress neurobiology and early experiences into more refined and targeted preventive interventions for children from economically disadvantaged families. These research initiatives were sparked by her post-undergraduate work as an Americorps volunteer leading children and youth after-school programs, and as a research coordinator studying risk factors for pre-term births at Yale School of Medicine. Christine is invested in continuing to conduct rigorous interdisciplinary and prevention research targeting at-risk children and families, as well as gaining an expertise in effectively disseminating research findings to policymakers and practitioners.
Lindsey Hutchison, Ph.D.
Dr. Hutchison is an Executive Branch Fellow in the Children and Youth Policy Division of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE). As a first-year Fellow at ASPE, Dr. Hutchison is working on policy issues and initiatives related to early childhood programs, with a focus on Head Start. Prior to her placement, she completed her Ph.D. and M.A. in Applied Developmental Psychology at George Mason University (GMU). She earned her B.S. in Psychology from the University of North Florida. While at GMU, her research focused on the cognitive, language, and behavioral development of preschool and school-age children from low income families, particularly for children who are Dual Language Learners (DLLs). She served as a research assistant on the Miami School Readiness Project, a longitudinal project intended to evaluate the school readiness skills of preschool children from low-income families in Miami, FL. Her dissertation work examined relations between bilingualism and executive functioning for 5- to 7-year-olds. With her colleagues, Dr. Hutchison also developed a workshop designed to aid parents and teachers in managing young children’s behavior problems. As a Fellow, she hopes to facilitate communication between science and policy regarding early childhood issues and initiatives for DLLs.
Kathleen McCoy, Ph.D.
Dr. McCoy is an Executive Branch Fellow in the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) in the Administration for Children and Families. At the University of Notre Dame, Kathleen researched the impact of marital conflict on family processes (e.g., parenting, child adjustment). Constructive marital conflict was her primary focus. Additionally, she worked on intervention programs aimed at reducing destructive marital conflict and improving overall family functioning. After receiving her Clinical Psychology degree, she became the Chief psychology post-doctoral fellow at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine/Northwestern Memorial Hospital. She conducted individual therapy, as well as researched health disparities in juvenile justice youth.
Beth Meloy, Ph.D.
Dr. Meloy is an SRCD Congressional Fellow in the Office of Senator Al Franken. She completed her doctorate in Developmental Psychology from Georgetown University, her master’s in public policy from the Georgetown Public Policy Institute, and her BA in Psychology from UNC-Chapel Hill. She was named a Child Care Research Scholar by the Administration for Children and Families and awarded a grant to fund her dissertation research in 2010. Her primary research and policy interests revolve around service system intersections for children and families—specifically early care and education (ECE), early intervention, preschool special education, child and maternal mental health, and child welfare. Her graduate research explored early child development in context with an emphasis on the role of ECE in the lives of children living in poverty, children involved with the child welfare system, and children with developmental delays. She is committed to a career focused on: (1) improving outcomes of children at high risk for derailed development by exploring the role of ECE in promoting their social-emotional well-being and school readiness; (2) improving intervention strategies to support the neurophysiological development of young children who have experienced trauma and “toxic stress;” and (3) moving both research and service provision for children and families towards an integrated approach to health, education, child protection, and family support.
Akilah D. Swinton, Ph.D.
Dr. Swinton is an Executive Branch Fellow in the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) in the Administration for Children and Families, with a joint placement in the Division of Economic Independence and the Division of Child and Family Development. Akilah completed her graduate studies in Developmental Psychology with a concentration in Quantitative Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research focuses on how minority adolescents’ achievement attributions differ by gender, develop over time, and relate to achievement-related behaviors. Akilah is also interested in how factors from the self, home, school environment, and other important contexts (e.g., media, peer group) influence achievement-related outcomes. At OPRE, Dr. Swinton has worked on a number of evaluation and research projects related to early childhood education, youth development and child welfare, educational training, and economic self-sufficiency. These projects include a grant program for dissertation research on child care topics, an evaluation of services helping youth transition out of foster care, and an evaluation of demonstration projects that provide educational training in healthcare fields to low-income individuals. Akilah received her B.S. in psychology from Howard University and is a native of Columbia, SC. She hopes to pursue a career conducting applied research that will help to inform youth and educational policy.