SRCD SOGIE Caucus Current Leadership
Shannon D. Snapp, Ph.D.
Chair
California State University, Monterey Bay
Current Term: 5/4/2025 - 4/10/2027
Dr. Shannon Snapp (she/her) is a TEDx speaker and Associate Professor in Psychology at California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB). Her research focuses on reducing (mental) health and educational disparities through supportive relationships and educational/health practices and policies. She uses an intersectional lens to study the lives of LGBTQ+ youth. She strives to do asset-based, justice-driven, critically conscious work that has the potential to create social change and reduce inequality. Her teaching focuses on love, relationships, and social justice. She currently teaches a course she developed called How to Love: The Art and Science of Love and Intimacy. Her commitment to scholar activism has earned her the 2025 Social Justice Advocate Award at CSUMB. Dr. Snapp is the current Chair of the Sexual Orientation Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) Caucus within the Society for Research in Child Development and the Chair of the programming committee within the SOGIE Caucus. You can read more about her work at shannonsnapp.com.
Rachel H. Farr, Ph.D.
Chair Elect
University of Kentucky
Current Term: 5/4/2025 - 4/10/2027
Dr. Rachel H. Farr (she/her) conducts strengths-oriented, mixed method, and community-based research on diverse families, particularly those with adoptive and LGBTQIA+ members in the U.S. For nearly 20 years, she has directed a longitudinal study about parental sexual orientation and child, parent, and family outcomes among adoptive families. Rachel also studies racially, economically, and geographically diverse youth with LGBTQIA+ parents. She publishes in top-tier developmental and family science journals, such as Child Development, Journal of Family Psychology, and Developmental Psychology, and receives national media attention (e.g., New York Times, Huffington Post, Washington Post, National Public Radio). Rachel's findings are cited in numerous amicus briefs for U.S. Supreme Court cases. Rachel is editor of the National Council on Family Relations’ Research and Policy Briefs, as well as associate editor for several other family science journals. She serves in leadership roles in several departmental, community, and professional organizations.
Michael R. Sladek, Ph.D.
Secretary
The University of Oklahoma
Current Term: 5/4/2025 - 4/10/2027
Dr. Michael R. Sladek (he/him, they/them) is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at The University of Oklahoma, where they direct the Contexts of Health, Adolescent Resilience, and Measuring Stress (CHARMS) Lab. Dr. Sladek’s research centers diverse adolescents and young adults using strengths-based and identity-affirming approaches to advance health equity and social justice in developmental science. They use a variety of methods to better understand how the combination of youth’s contextual experiences (like how people treat them and who they interact with) and identities (what they know and how they feel about themselves) uniquely shape their health, well-being, and adjustment in school.
Their research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the William T. Grant Foundation, and the Institute of Education Sciences (U.S. Department of Education). They serve as a consulting editor for Child Development, the Journal of Youth and Adolescence, Journal of Research on Adolescence, and Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology.
Brian T. Gillis, Ph.D.
Treasurer
Auburn University
Current Term: 5/4/2025 - 4/10/2027
Brian Gillis is an assistant professor of marriage and family therapy at Auburn University. He studies the role of sleep as a driver of health equity among LGBTQ+ and low-income youth. His research highlights the power of sleep to promote physical and mental health, and identifies behaviors that promote consistent, restful sleep. He teaches courses on mental health diagnosis, family theory, lifespan development, LGBTQ+ identity development, and sex therapy. He is faculty affiliate of the Women’s & Gender Studies program at Auburn. Brian mentors master’s and doctoral students who study a range of topics on healthy development. He holds an B.A. from Auburn University, an M.Div. from Yale Divinity School, an M.F.T. from Southern Connecticut State University, and a Ph.D. from Auburn University.
Shixin Fang
Student/Early Career Representative
The Pennsylvania State University
Current Term: 5/4/2025 - 4/10/2027
Shixin Fang (she/her), is currently a graduate student in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at The Pennsylvania State University.
Ruby Van Vliet
Student/Early Career Representative
University of Groningen
Current Term: 5/4/2025 - 4/10/2027
Ruby van Vliet (she/her) is currently a graduate student in the Department of Pedagogy at the University of Groningen. In her research, Ruby examines the school experiences of sexually and gender diverse youth in secondary and vocational schools. After completing her master’s in Youth, Education and Society at Utrecht University, she developed a strong passion for contributing to positive youth development through structural change. In her role as Student/Early Career Representative, Ruby aims to foster community among junior members.
Robert Marx, Ph.D.
Member-At-Large
San José State University
Current Term: 5/4/2025 - 4/10/2027
Robert Marx, Ph.D. (they/them), is an Associate Professor of Child and Adolescent Development at San Jose State University. They earned their PhD in Community Research and Action from the Peabody College of Education at Vanderbilt University. An interdisciplinary scholar, their community-engaged research and practice focus on reframing dominant visions of queer young people, so that they are no longer viewed as deviant, damaged, or at-risk, but rather as the gifted, complex people they are. Marx deploys a variety of qualitative and quantitative research methods, including critical youth participatory action research and meta-analysis, to better understand and promote marginalized youth’s development. As a former high school English teacher, they approach this work from the intersection of educational studies, developmental psychology, and critical pedagogy, and their work encourages young people to see themselves as producers of knowledge and as change agents. For more information, see Robert's CV.
Esther (Esa) Burson, Ph.D.
Member-At-Large
Smith College
Current Term: 5/4/2025 - 4/10/2027
Dr. Esa Burson (she/her or they/them) is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Smith College. They conduct quantitative and qualitative research on adolescent critical consciousness, intergroup attitudes, and wellbeing. They received a PhD in Applied Psychology from NYU Steinhardt and completed Postdoctoral training at the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research and the Einhorn Center for Community Engagement at Cornell University.
Laura Baams, Ph.D.
Laura Baams, Ph.D. (she/her) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Interdisciplinary Social Science at Utrecht University. She is also past-Chair of the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity/Expression Caucus of the Society for Research in Child Development (2023-2025) and co-editor of the volume Sexually and Gender Diverse Adolescents: Critical Perspectives on Risk and Resilience (Routledge, 2025). Her research spans several areas, including the mental health and wellbeing of LGBTQ+ youth, the impact of stigma and victimization, and the role of school, policy, and community contexts in shaping adolescent development.