- Research & Initiatives
- Research Centers & Labs
- Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning
- CASTL People
CASTL People
With over 200 research faculty, scientists and staff, CASTL is a collaborative and innovative environment focused on the latest research that improves teaching and learning from infancy to higher education.
CASTL Faculty

Julia Blodgett
- Associate Professor
- Clinical Psychologist

Margaret (Peg) R. Burchinal
- Research Professor

Julie Jackson Cohen
- Charles S. Robb Associate Professor

Jamie DeCoster
- Research Assistant Professor

Jason T. Downer
- Professor
- Director, Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning

Shereen El Mallah
- Research Assistant Professor

Tanya Evans
- Research Assistant Professor

Jennie K. Grammer
- Stern Bicentennial Associate Professor in Education and Neuroscience

David W. Grissmer
- Research Professor

Tara Hofkens
- Research Assistant Professor

Chris S. Hulleman
- Research Associate Professor

Karen Kurotsuchi Inkelas
- Professor of Education

Patricia A. Jennings
- Professor

Lieny Jeon
- Jane Batten Bicentennial Associate Professor

Jamie J. Jirout
- Assistant Professor

Emily A. Kohler
- Research Assistant Professor

Traci Kutaka
- Research Assistant Professor

Ann Partee
- Research Assistant Professor of Education

Robert C. Pianta
- Batten Bicentennial Professor of Early Childhood Education

Sara Rimm-Kaufman
- Commonwealth Professor of Education

Josipa Roksa
- Professor

Shubhi Sachdeva
- Research Assistant Professor

Emily Solari
- Edmund H. Henderson Professor of Education

Yoi Tibbetts
- Research Assistant Professor

Khara Turnbull
- Research Assistant Professor

Virginia E. Vitiello
- Research Associate Professor

Jessica E. Whittaker
- Research Associate Professor
- Director of Birth to Eight Initiatives

Amanda P. Williford
- Batten Bicentennial Professor of Early Childhood Education
- Associate Director for Early Childhood Education, CASTL
- Clinical Psychologist
CASTL Research Associates

Pilar Alamos Valenzuela
- Postdoctoral Research Associate

Jhonelle Bailey
- Early Childhood Research Scientist

Sooyeon Byun
- Postdoctoral Research Associate

Karime Cameron
- CASTL Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Project Associate

Caroline Chamberlain
- CASTL Research Specialist Intermediate

Marie Cushing
- Research Specialist

Kelly Edwards
- Postdoctoral Research Associate

Natalie S. Evans
- Research Associate

Carolyn Gosse
- Senior Scientist

Yin Gu
- Research Specialist

Samantha Haigood
- Research Specialist

Christa Haring
- Research Scientist

Laura Helferstay
- Research Specialist

Lilian Hummer
- Research Specialist

Karen F. Kehoe
- Research Associate

Ryan D. Kiley
- Senior Research Specialist

Allison P. Leach
- Research Scientist

Ann Shargo Lhospital
- Senior Scientist

Richard Marks
- Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Hannah Frances Melton
- Research Specialist

Min Hyun Oh
- Research Associate

Hallie Parten
- Research Specialist

Ashley Harden Reid
- Research Specialist Intermediate

Brittany Rettig
- Research Specialist

Katlyn Reynolds
- Research Specialist

Jaclyn Russo
- Research Scientist

Rasha Salous
- Research Specialist

Zhiling Shea
- Research Scientist

Megan W. Stuhlman
- Research Scientist

Jasmine M. Truong
- Research Specialist
- EL-VEST Coordinator

Wanda L. Weaver
- Research Scientist
CASTL Staff

Tashia Abry
- Senior Research Specialist

Stephanie Adams
- Project Associate-PM59

Jenny Paola Rincon Aguirre
- Bilingual Education and Outreach Specialist

Rinyka Belle Allison
- Early Childhood Education Coach

Stephanie Altman
- Project Associate
- Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant

Jissel Belinda Anaya
- Research Scientist

Anna Ballantyne
- Lab Manager, Educational Neuroscience Lab

Amanda Balsamo Doherty
- Grants and Contracts Administrator

Andrea Barrett
- Research Specialist Intermediate

Anna Josephine Barrick
- Research Specialist

Erin Beard
- Education and Outreach Specialist

Janet Beaulieu
- Early Childhood Education (ECE) Coach

Michelle Behnke
- Virginia Literacy Partnerships Education and Outreach Specialist

Patricia E. Bennett-Wilhelm
- STREAMin3 Early Childhood Coach

Rainey Blackwell-Bullock
- Education and Outreach Specialist

Kama Danielle Booher
- Early Childhood Education (ECE) Coach

Claire Bremner
- Research Specialist

Terra Browne
- Motivate Lab Project Associate

Michele N. Burke
- PALS Education and Outreach Specialist

Marcela Courtade Carlock
- Education and Outreach Manager

Lingmei Cheng
- PALS Senior Web Developer

Myra Childs
- Professional Development Early Childhood Education Coach

Leah Chilson
- Project Management Associate

Carlin Conner
- Senior Scientist

Dylan Cooper
- Software Engineer 3

Hayley Corey
- Education and Outreach Specialist

Laura Jo Darcy
- Education and Outreach Director

Jenifer Davis
- Project Associate

Jenn Donnelly
- Senior Grants and Contracts Administrator

Monique Calderon Dotson
- Postsecondary Pathways Director

Caitlin Ellis
- Early Childhood Education Project Manager

Anne Etten
- Education and Outreach Specialist

Natalie S. Evans
- Research Associate

Lauren Farina
- Research Specialist Intermediate

Michelle Francis
- Senior Data Manager

Cloe E. Frank
- Coordination and Research Coordinator
- Data Systems Administrator
- Research Specialist

Jennifer Fry
- Early Childhood Coach

Callen Garrett
- Senior Grants and Contracts Administrator

Michele A. Gay
- Software Engineer

Laura C. Giessler
- Education and Outreach Specialist

Jocelyn Gilchrist
- STREAMin3 Implementation Specialist

Cassandra M. Godwin
- Early Childhood Education (ECE) Coach

Michelle Gomes
- Early Childhood Education (ECE) Coach

Allison Gray
- Senior Data Analyst and Visualization Specialist

LaNijah Grier
- Education and Outreach Manager

Christopher Gulla
- Manager, IT Applications Development

Brooke Haas
- Project Associate
- STREAMin3 Project Management Associate

Jamie Hammond
- Education and Outreach Manager

Sarah Hawthorne
- Data Specialist

Anne-Marie Howard
- Education and Outreach Specialist

Susan C. Hughes
- Administrative Coordinator

Sharon Lorey Hung
- Project Manager

Jenny Isaacs-Lowe
- Education and Outreach Manager

Janine Jakim
- Data Specialist

Brianna Jaworski
- Research Coordinator

Pamela S. Jiranek
- CASTL Research Specialist

Moira Johnson
- Project Manager

Lydia Jordan
- Early Childhood Education (ECE) Coach

Benjamin King
- Data Management Specialist

Katie Kinsella
- Communications and Outreach Specialist

Heather C. Kitsis
- Virginia Literacy Partnership Project Manager

Brian Kozuch
- CASTL Finance Generalist

Natarsha B. Lee
- Research Specialist Intermediate

Tekalign Lenahan
- Data Specialist

Daniel Lipscomb
- Research Specialist

Ailsa Long
- CASTL Graphic Designer

Alison Lubin
- CASTL Center Administrator

Sarah Virginia Lydic
- Senior Instructional Technology Specialist
- Multimedia Developer

Marianna Lyulchenko
- Research Specialist

Sharon Sarah Manana
- ECE Content and Training Developer

Alicia Matho
- Education and Outreach Manager

Genevieve Matthew
- Research Specialist Intermediate

Kate Matthew
- Project Manager

Keisha J. McClain
- Early Childhood Education (ECE) Coach

Angel McCray
- VKRP Communications and Outreach Specialist

Jazmyn McGhee
- Early Childhood Education Content and Training Developer

Kelly McGuire
- Multimedia Creative Professional

Katherine James McLemore
- Instructional Coach, TeachSIM Lab

Franny MeLampy
- Early Childhood Education Content and Training Developer

Amy K. Mireku
- FP3 Research Specialist

Lauren Moriarty
- Senior IT Project Manager

Kathy Neesen
- Research Scientist
- Instructional Technology Director

Becky Newell
- LinkB5 Education and Outreach Manager

Lisa Nielsen
- Early Childhood Education Coach

Vanessa Olivar
- UVA Bilingual Data Collector

Sandra Annette Patillo-Mason
- Early Childhood Education (ECE) Coach

Danielle Peacock
- Director of Program Management, ECE Virginia

Sanford Pliskin
- Early Childhood Education Coach

Jessica Ponton
- Education and Outreach Manager

Amanda Reitze
- Education and Outreach Specialist

Yolanda Torres Richey
- ECE Content and Training Developer

Melody Roberts
- Administrative Coordinator

Nathalie Rose
- Education and Outreach Manager

Elise Rubinstein
- Research Manager

Miriam Rushfinn
- Early Childhood Education Project Manager

Nina Rushing
- Early Childhood Education Coach

Sarah Schroeder
- Education and Outreach Manager

Tara Scott
- Early Childhood Education Project Associate

Matthew C. Semanik
- Multimedia and Web Developer

Autumn Shaffer
- Project Associate

Kerry Abigail Shea
- Research Specialist Senior

Amanda Sheehan
- Education and Outreach Manager

Lauren Simmons
- Research Specialist
- LinkB5 Outreach Specialist

Lori Stahl
- Communication and Outreach Specialist

Kacey Sterne
- Education and Outreach Manager

Celeste Sumo
- Senior Project Management Associate

Margaret Tamayo
- Project Associate

Bree Paige Taylor
- K-3 Literacy Data Collector

Carolyn Taylor
- Early Childhood Education Coach

Delaram Totonchi
- Research Scientist

Barbara L. Totschek
- CASTL Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant

Lisa Tyree
- Virginia Literacy Partnerships Education and Outreach Manager

Analia Lessenberry Valdez
- Bilingual Early Childhood Education and Outreach Specialist

Benita Voran
- Data Management Specialist

Alyssa Vukelich
- Project Management Associate

Stephanie Walker
- Senior Instructional Design and Technology Specialist

Pat Watkins
- StreamIn3 Coach

Octavia Wells
- Senior Fiscal Technician

Beth S. Williams
- Virginia Literacy Partnerships Education and Outreach Director

Kara Williams
- Project Associate

Melissa A. Williams
- Early Childhood Coach

Solitia D. Wilson
- Research Specialist Intermediate

Amy Wolford
- Education and Outreach Manager

Julie Young
- Education and Outreach Manager
Affiliated Faculty
UVA Affiliated Faculty
Other Affiliated Faculty
Making an Impact
My work experience is so invigorating, fulfilling, and packed with indescribable support, respect, and compassion. There are countless moments of gratitude expressed in our every day works to strengthen the early childhood field.
Tara Scott
Early Childhood Education Project Associate