“Everybody’s got a little light under the sun….”
–Parliament, “Flash Light”
My scholarship revolves around how early developmental contexts help or hinder children’s development into competent, productive members of society. I address this broad issue by focusing on how parents and co-parents engage with children, especially in the Black community, and how multiple environmental pollutants and social risks impact young people’s school readiness, academic achievement, and court involvement. This work has earned me awards including the Wade and Bev Fetzer Fund for Excellence (2017), a fellowship in the Big Ten Academic Alliance–Academic Leadership Program (2017-18), and the Faculty Diversity Award from the UW System Institute on Race and Ethnicity (2009).
I serve as the Department Chair and Associate Professor in Human Development and Family Studies. Each fall, I review graduate applications for potential advisees. I encourage interested students to email me directly and to learn more about SoHE graduate programs here.
Education
PhD, Psychology (Clinical Emphasis), Rutgers University
MS, Psychology (Clinical Emphasis), Rutgers University
BA, Psychology, Hampton University
Affiliations
Center for Child and Family Wellbeing
UW–Madison Department of Psychology