Student & Early Career Council
The Student and Early Career Council (SECC) represents student and early career interests on SRCD committees and foster the development of student and early career scholars who are the future of interdisciplinary research on infant, child and adolescent development in diverse contexts and across life-long trajectories.
The Student and Early Career Council (SECC) was established in 1999 by the SRCD Governing Council to facilitate increased involvement in SRCD for students and young professionals who are within five years of receiving their graduate degree. This involvement includes representing student and early career interests on SRCD committees and working to identify and implement organizational changes that might benefit the student and early professional membership. SECC's overarching goal is to foster the development of student and early career scholars who are the future of interdisciplinary research on infant, child and adolescent development in diverse contexts and across life-long trajectories.
To facilitate this, SECC provides resources and opportunities to student and early career members of SRCD relevant to their professional development through:
- A Dissertation Funding Award for graduate students who are in the dissertation proposal stage
- Expanded programming related to student and early career interests at the SRCD biennial meetings
- Representatives who serve on SRCD committees and SECC co-chairs who serve on the Governing Council to highlight and advocate for student and early career needs and interests. By service on committees and the Governing Council, SECC also serves as an internal information-sharing venue to coordinate activities across the different committees.
> Get to Know Your SECC Representatives
> Read the SECC Spotlight - January 28, 2018
SECC Representatives
| Michelle Brown, Co-Chair | 2023-2027 | University of South Carolina |
| Lorena Aceves, Co-Chair & SECC Rep to Governing Council Representative | 2025-2029 | Child Trends |
| Yan Jiang | 2025-2029 | University of California, San Diego |
| M. Bishop | 2023-2027 | University of Maryland, College Park |
| Christina Rowley | 2025-2029 | San Diego State University |
| Melissa Lucas | 2023-2027 | Boston University |
| Jun Wang | 2025-2029 | Johns Hopkins University |
| Ekjyot Saini | 2023-2027 | Pennsylvania State University |
| Briana Williams | 2025-2029 | Michigan State University |
| Nazlı Akay | 2023-2027 | Middle East Technical University |
| Adelaide Delali Klutse | 2025-2029 | Pennsylvania State University |
| Olivia Martín-Piñón | 2025-2027 | Auburn University |
| Danieli M. Mercado Ramos | 2025-2027 | Loyola University of Chicago |
| Dalhia Lloyd | 2023-2027 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln |
| Alysia Cruz | 2025-2029 | Drexel University |
| Cara Kelly | 2025-2029 | University of Delaware |
| Dominique La Barrie | 2025-2029 | University of Georgia |
| Claudia Cruzik | 2023-2027 | Boston College |
| Qi Huang | 2025-2029 | Michigan State University |
| Qingyang Liu | 2023-2027 | Arizona State University |
| Ashleigh Aviles | 2023-2027 | New York University |
| Lina Carpenter | 2025-2029 | University of California Irvine |
| Yu Chen | 2025-2027 | New York University |
| Jiayi Liu | 2025-2027 | University of Pennsylvania |
| KeLa Allen | 2025-2027 | University of Georgia |
| Keiana Mayfield | 2025-2027 | George Mason University |
| Alexandria Onuoha | 2025-2027 | University of Tennessee, Knoxville |
| Raven Ross | 2025-2027 | University of Maryland, Baltimore County |
| Natalia Palacios, Governing Council Representative | 2025-2029 | University of Virginia |
| Zoë Spencer, Staff Liaison | 2024- | Society for Research in Child Development |
Information on SECC Elections
Read the 2023 call for Nominations
Elected Student and Early Career Council Representatives will simultaneously serve as a representative to a specific SRCD committee for a 2-year term and to the Student and Early Career Council (SECC) for a 4-year term. Any SRCD member can submit a nomination, but only SRCD’s Student and Early Career members will elect the representatives. For a full roster of current SECC Members, visit the Get to Know Your Current SECC Representatives page. Please contact the current committee representative for information regarding the goals and requirements of a specific committee. To learn more about SECC, contact SECC co-chairs.
Eligibility:
Nominees for Student and Early Career Representatives are open to students and early career individuals who are in their second year of doctoral studies and beyond, but no more than one (1) year post-doctoral degree (or equivalent). Membership is not required to be nominated although those elected and appointed must agree to join SRCD for the duration of their term. Preference will be given to nominees who have been an SRCD member for at least a year.
In keeping with the Society's commitment to diversity and inclusion in all its forms, we encourage nominees from groups that have been historically under-represented in SRCD governance including members of under-represented racial/ethnic groups, those from outside the United States, those from disciplines other than psychology, and those from outside research-intensive academic institutions.
Contact Early Career Representatives at secc@srcd.org