Fellows: 2002-2003

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About the Fellows
The following brief summaries highlight the extraordinary talent of the 2002/2003 Executive and Congressional Fellows. For further interest in the fellowship program, please contact the Office for Policy and Communications at abrowning@srcd.org.

Dr. Liz Albro
As an Executive Branch Fellow, Dr. Liz Albro will be applying her recent experience as an Assistant Professor at Wheaton College to the Office of Educational Research and Improvement. With a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Chicago, Dr. Albro has concentrated on children’s narrative recall of events, with an extended interest in social development in classrooms and at school. As a professor, Dr. Albro has also integrated policy issues into her teaching and research, discussing the impact of government policies and how policies influence development.

Dr. Heather Biggar
As a congressional fellow for the 2002-2003 fellowship year, Dr. Heather Biggar will apply her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology and M.A. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Georgia to the House of Representatives. Working on issues such as welfare reform and education, Dr. Biggar will contribute to Representative Jim McDermott’s office.

Dr. Stephanie Curenton
With research interests in working with low-income ethnic minority children, Dr. Curenton has worked on research investigating children’s cognitive development and literacy abilities. With a Ph.D. in Developmental and Community Psychology from the University of Virginia, Dr. Curenton will pursue her interest in Head Start, utilizing her experience with the NICHD’s Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, at the Administration for Children and Families. She will apply her expertise by working at the Child Care Bureau.

Dr. Laurie Cutting
Having worked extensively on children’s issues, Dr. Laurie Cutting is coming from Johns Hopkins University where she has been an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology and the Department of Education. Dr. Cutting has a Ph.D. in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Northwestern University and subsequently worked as a postdoctoral fellow with NICHD at the Kennedy Kreiger Institute/Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She will be working with the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development as an Executive Branch Fellow.

Dr. Tamara Haegerich
With a specific interest in youth welfare and social justice, Dr. Tamara Haegerich has worked extensively with perceptions surrounding juvenile offenders and child witnesses. She will spend the next year working with the Office of Educational Research and Improvement. Recently she has been working as the Project Director with the Chicago Children's Advocacy Center Program Evaluation. Dr. Haegerich has a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Chicago in Social Psychology, and a minor in Psychology and Law.

Dr. Ivelisse Martinez-Beck
Dr. Martinez-Beck continues her SRCD Executive Branch Fellowship with a third term at the Administration for Children and Families, DHHS. She will continue to work in the Child Care Bureau. Dr. Martinez-Beck has a Ph.D. in Psychology as well as a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Michigan, where prior to her Fellowship, she was involved in the study of developmental psycholinguistics.

Dr. Jonathan C. Miles
With an emphasis on children and family issues, Dr. Jonathan C. Miles received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Arizona State University. Having focused extensively on children's issues, there Dr. Miles worked with the Prevention Research Center to gain a better understanding of how children react in stressful situations. He comes most recently from an internship with the Child and Adolescent Team, Center for Behavioral Health, in Bloomington, IN where he worked with children, adolescents, and their parents. As an Executive Branch fellow, Dr. Miles will work with the Administration for Children and Families on the Child Outcomes Commissioner's Office of Research and Evaluation team.

Dr. Anthony Salandy
Dr. Anthony Salandy is completing a second fellowship with the National Institute on Drug Abuse. With a Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies from Auburn University, Dr. Salandy spent last year as an SRCD Congressional Fellow with Representative Rangel’s office. While on the Hill, he focused on TANF and HIV/AIDS issues.

Dr. Cassandra Simmel
Dr. Cassandra Simmel will continue her fellowship for a second year at the Administration for Children and Families, in the Commissioner's Office of Research and Evaluation (CORE). With a background focusing on issues surrounding foster care and child abuse, Dr. Simmel received her Ph.D. in Social Welfare from the University of California, Berkeley. Her work will continue to focus on foster care, child abuse and neglect.

Dr. Ann Marie White
Ann Marie White recently earned her doctorate in Human Development and Psychology at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education. She comes to the fellowship having served as Student Representative to SRCD’s Committee on Policy and Communications, and was an early recipient of the Putting Children First summer fellowship program at Columbia University. Dr. White joins the Senate Subcommittee on Children and Families as a Congressional fellow where she will be working on legislation pertaining to families and education, among other topics.

Standing, from left to right: Jonathan Miles, Liz Albro, Laurie Cutting, Tamara Haegerich, Cassandra Simmel, Ivelisse Martinez-Beck, Heather Biggar, Helen Raikes, Anthony Salandy. Seated: Ann Marie White, Stephanie Curenton