What is your research focused on now, and where do you see it going in the future?
I am currently an extension specialist in early childhood and an assistant professor in Family Studies and Human Development at the University of Arizona. I conduct applied research, program development, and evaluation. My work generally focuses on early care and education settings and two areas of demonstrated need among Arizona’s young children: health and wellness and early literacy. In addition to my work in Arizona, I also lead a national workgroup of extension faculty that is documenting how cooperative extension systems across the country serve the early care and education workforce.
In the future, I hope that my work continues to focus on improving the lives of young children and their caregivers. I am interested in continuing to learn how I can best serve the communities where I work and employ methods that will allow me to produce research and extension programming that meet community-identified needs and are directly relevant for policymakers.
What did you learn during your time at the FRC as a postdoctoral research associate?
I am incredibly grateful for the time I spent as a postdoctoral research associate in the FRC working with Dr. Barbara Fiese. I enjoyed my time in Illinois and learned a lot from the community of researchers I met there. One of the most important things I learned while working with Barbara was how to conduct interdisciplinary research. She taught me the importance of working across disciplines, showed me how to build effective partnerships, helped me understand and navigate the challenges that inevitably come with this kind of work, and introduced me to researchers from across campus. Barbara also taught me how to write funding proposals, and I learned important lessons about mentoring students by watching how she worked with her graduate students and postdocs.
What are your activities and interests outside of work?
Outside of work I enjoy traveling, reading, spending time outside, and visiting with friends and family, especially my 2-year-old nephew, Liam.