Simms/Mann Faculty Fellows

Education
Institute
2013 - Ongoing

The Simms/Mann Institute Faculty Fellowship recognizes faculty in the field of 0-3 early childhood education whose professional experience, leadership ability, and interest in exploring and integrating research related to early childhood development will make significant contributions to the field and the broader community.

In California, the California Community Colleges and The California State University (CSU) educate the vast majority of the state’s early childhood professionals. With research indicating that two out of three American children under 5 receive some form of nonparental childcare—and that most often, this care begins within the first year of life—the vital need for a highly trained early care and education workforce has never been more clear. To meet the needs of 21st century families and workplaces, it is critical that students graduate ready to provide the highest quality care to children ages 0-3.

The Simms/Mann Institute Faculty Fellowship is designed specifically for California Community College and CSU faculty in the fields of child development, early childhood education, psychology, and related areas of nursing. The unique, yearlong Fellowship provides a select group of faculty access to:

  • World renowned researchers who present cutting-edge findings at the annual Simms/Mann Institute Think Tank;
  • A collaborative, interdisciplinary cohort of faculty interested in furthering their knowledge; and
  • Support in creating and completing a project related to new research in the early childhood field, to be used for classroom and community presentation.

As a result of this Fellowship, faculty who are chosen through a rigorous selection process are able to immediately incorporate leading-edge research into their classrooms, invigorate their teaching, and stimulate student interest in learning. As our faculty become leaders in their field, they equip students with the knowledge and experience to become leaders in the workforce.

2015 - 2016 Fellows

Adreienne Seegers, MA

Columbia College

Adreienne Seegers, MA is a full time professor at Columbia College. She has been with Columbia College for 18 years where she has held classified, management, part time and full time faculty jobs in the Child Development Department. Adrienne received her BA in Community Studies at the University of California at Santa Cruz and her MA in Human Development at Pacific Oaks College. She is passionate about early child development and the success of her students. She stays active in her role at Columbia College by presenting, facilitating and participating in many meetings, workshops and initiatives geared toward student and family success.

Project: Building Better Teachers, One Brain at a Time

Alison Ventura, Ph.D., FTOS

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

Alison Ventura, Ph.D., FTOS is an Assistant Professor of Kinesiology at the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and a Fellow of The Obesity Society. Dr. Ventura earned a B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Community Nutrition from the University of California, Davis. She continued on to earn two M.S. degrees (one in Nutrition and the other in Human Development and Family Studies), and a Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies from The Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Ventura is specifically interested in the aspects of familial interactions that contribute to individual variability in development and obesity risk. A key focus of her research is on the bidirectional influences between children and caregivers, and how child characteristics influence, and are influenced by, caregiver characteristics and behaviors. The overarching goal of her current research is to identify potential targets for the design, implementation, and evaluation of evidence-based obesity prevention programs to promote optimal feeding behaviors, self-regulatory abilities, and weight gain trajectories during infancy and early childhood.

Project: Does maternal distraction impact maternal responsiveness and infant behaviors during feeding? A pilot study. 

Amanda Wilcox Herzog, Ph.D.

California State University, San Bernadino

Amanda Wilcox Herzog, Ph.D. has taught at California State University Santa Barbara for the last 16 years. Dr. Wilcox Herzog is a Professor in the Psychology Department, where they offer a BA in Human Development and an MA in Child Development. In addition, she is the founder and faculty supervisor of the CSUSB Infant/Toddler Lab School. Dr. Wilcox Herzog received her Ph.D. in Child Development and Family Studies at Purdue University. Her professional development over the past 20 years has focused almost exclusively on ways to increase child care quality via teacher training and education. She has engaged in various projects that have utilized assessment, personal reflection, and targeted training opportunities to improve teacher’s interactions and curricular offerings with young children.

Project: Using Biobehavioral Feedback to Increase Reflective Function in Prospective Infant/Toddler Educators 

Annie White, Ed.D.

Cal State Channel Islands

Annie White, Ed.D. is a tenure-track faculty at CSU Channel Islands, Early Childhood Studies program with the School of Education. She received her BA in Human Development from Pacific Oaks College. She continued on to receive her MA from CSU Sacramento and her Ed.D. from UC Davis. Dr. White recently came to CSU Channel Islands with over 25 years of experience as a scholar practitioner. Her field experience includes working with Early Head Start, Head Start, State preschool programs, family child care homes, child care centers, early childhood educators’ professional development, and diverse low-income families. Dr. White’s specialization is birth to three years of age. In addition, she has taught infant and toddler development, learning, and assessment courses at two California Community Colleges. She developed the first online infant and toddler development and care courses for Sierra Community College and provided field supervision for student infant/toddler practicum courses.

Project: Enhancing Family Engagement: A Collaborative Model using Learning Stories to Strengthen Relationships between Teachers, Parents/Guardians, and Infants and Toddlers

Cheryl Williams Jackson, Psy.D.

Modesto Junior College

Cheryl Williams Jackson, Psy.D. is a Child Development Professor, mental health specialist, and a child and family advocate. She holds a doctoral degree in clinical psychology and a master’s degree in educational psychology. For over 18 years, Dr. Williams Jackson has taught college level courses and provided professional training and consulting services on topics focused on child development, child advocacy processes, mental health and multiculturalism. As a full-time professor in the Child Development Department and an adjunct professor in Human Services at Modesto Junior College, she manages the specialization courses on Infant and Toddlers and the Multiculturalism courses. Her clinical work has included providing mental health and therapeutic services to children, families, and professional in early care and education programs and family settings.

Project: Phenomenological Investigation of Early Care and Education Lab with Implementing Trauma-Informed Care

Cynthia Sheaks-McGowan, Ed.D.

Moorpark College

Cynthia Sheaks- McGowan, Ed.D. is a fourth generation educator, carrying on the tradition begun by her greatgrandmother and grandmother, who taught in one-room schoolhouses in Oklahoma and Nevada. She received her BA in Psychology and Spanish at Williamette University, her MA in Education with Emphasis in Early Childhood Education from Mills College, and finally her EdD in Higher Education Leadership from California Lutheran University. Cynthia is passionate about the teaching profession, and has been recognized as “College Teacher of the Year” by the Ventura County Association for the Education of Young Children. She has been an educator throughout her professional life, beginning as an infant and early childhood teacher, later as a Head Start program administrator and trainer, and now as a tenured college professor.

Project: Charting Terra Incognita: Inside the Unexplored World of Infants and their Caregivers

Donna Greene, MA

College of the Desert

Donna Greene, MA has worked in the field of early care and education for more than 25 years. She is currently a full time faculty member in the Department of Early Childhood Education at College of the Desert. During her career in ECE, she has sought to improve the lives of children and families within her sphere of influence. Donna discovered her passion for early care and education while taking classes at Mt. San Jacinto College in San Jacinto. She went on from Mt. San Jacinto to Chapman University and later to California State University at San Bernardino, always seeking to understand children and family dynamics. Her areas of interest include Early Literacy and Dual Language Learners, Reflective Practices for Classroom Teachers, and Infant and Toddler Education and Care Best Practices. Donna is an active member of her community and college and has been instrumental in starting new programs and working with currently running programs to ensure best practices.

Project: Mindfulness, Behavior and Stress 

Adreienne Seegers, MA is a full time professor at Columbia College. She has been with Columbia College for 18 years where she has held classified, management, part time and full time faculty jobs in the Child Development Department. Adrienne received her BA in Community Studies at the University of California at Santa Cruz and her MA in Human Development at Pacific Oaks College. She is passionate about early child development and the success of her students. She stays active in her role at Columbia College by presenting, facilitating and participating in many meetings, workshops and initiatives geared toward student and family success.

Project: Building Better Teachers, One Brain at a Time

Alison Ventura, Ph.D., FTOS is an Assistant Professor of Kinesiology at the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and a Fellow of The Obesity Society. Dr. Ventura earned a B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Community Nutrition from the University of California, Davis. She continued on to earn two M.S. degrees (one in Nutrition and the other in Human Development and Family Studies), and a Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies from The Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Ventura is specifically interested in the aspects of familial interactions that contribute to individual variability in development and obesity risk. A key focus of her research is on the bidirectional influences between children and caregivers, and how child characteristics influence, and are influenced by, caregiver characteristics and behaviors. The overarching goal of her current research is to identify potential targets for the design, implementation, and evaluation of evidence-based obesity prevention programs to promote optimal feeding behaviors, self-regulatory abilities, and weight gain trajectories during infancy and early childhood.

Project: Does maternal distraction impact maternal responsiveness and infant behaviors during feeding? A pilot study. 

Amanda Wilcox Herzog, Ph.D. has taught at California State University Santa Barbara for the last 16 years. Dr. Wilcox Herzog is a Professor in the Psychology Department, where they offer a BA in Human Development and an MA in Child Development. In addition, she is the founder and faculty supervisor of the CSUSB Infant/Toddler Lab School. Dr. Wilcox Herzog received her Ph.D. in Child Development and Family Studies at Purdue University. Her professional development over the past 20 years has focused almost exclusively on ways to increase child care quality via teacher training and education. She has engaged in various projects that have utilized assessment, personal reflection, and targeted training opportunities to improve teacher’s interactions and curricular offerings with young children.

Project: Using Biobehavioral Feedback to Increase Reflective Function in Prospective Infant/Toddler Educators 

Annie White, Ed.D. is a tenure-track faculty at CSU Channel Islands, Early Childhood Studies program with the School of Education. She received her BA in Human Development from Pacific Oaks College. She continued on to receive her MA from CSU Sacramento and her Ed.D. from UC Davis. Dr. White recently came to CSU Channel Islands with over 25 years of experience as a scholar practitioner. Her field experience includes working with Early Head Start, Head Start, State preschool programs, family child care homes, child care centers, early childhood educators’ professional development, and diverse low-income families. Dr. White’s specialization is birth to three years of age. In addition, she has taught infant and toddler development, learning, and assessment courses at two California Community Colleges. She developed the first online infant and toddler development and care courses for Sierra Community College and provided field supervision for student infant/toddler practicum courses.

Project: Enhancing Family Engagement: A Collaborative Model using Learning Stories to Strengthen Relationships between Teachers, Parents/Guardians, and Infants and Toddlers

Cheryl Williams Jackson, Psy.D. is a Child Development Professor, mental health specialist, and a child and family advocate. She holds a doctoral degree in clinical psychology and a master’s degree in educational psychology. For over 18 years, Dr. Williams Jackson has taught college level courses and provided professional training and consulting services on topics focused on child development, child advocacy processes, mental health and multiculturalism. As a full-time professor in the Child Development Department and an adjunct professor in Human Services at Modesto Junior College, she manages the specialization courses on Infant and Toddlers and the Multiculturalism courses. Her clinical work has included providing mental health and therapeutic services to children, families, and professional in early care and education programs and family settings.

Project: Phenomenological Investigation of Early Care and Education Lab with Implementing Trauma-Informed Care

Cynthia Sheaks- McGowan, Ed.D. is a fourth generation educator, carrying on the tradition begun by her greatgrandmother and grandmother, who taught in one-room schoolhouses in Oklahoma and Nevada. She received her BA in Psychology and Spanish at Williamette University, her MA in Education with Emphasis in Early Childhood Education from Mills College, and finally her EdD in Higher Education Leadership from California Lutheran University. Cynthia is passionate about the teaching profession, and has been recognized as “College Teacher of the Year” by the Ventura County Association for the Education of Young Children. She has been an educator throughout her professional life, beginning as an infant and early childhood teacher, later as a Head Start program administrator and trainer, and now as a tenured college professor.

Project: Charting Terra Incognita: Inside the Unexplored World of Infants and their Caregivers

Donna Greene, MA has worked in the field of early care and education for more than 25 years. She is currently a full time faculty member in the Department of Early Childhood Education at College of the Desert. During her career in ECE, she has sought to improve the lives of children and families within her sphere of influence. Donna discovered her passion for early care and education while taking classes at Mt. San Jacinto College in San Jacinto. She went on from Mt. San Jacinto to Chapman University and later to California State University at San Bernardino, always seeking to understand children and family dynamics. Her areas of interest include Early Literacy and Dual Language Learners, Reflective Practices for Classroom Teachers, and Infant and Toddler Education and Care Best Practices. Donna is an active member of her community and college and has been instrumental in starting new programs and working with currently running programs to ensure best practices.

Project: Mindfulness, Behavior and Stress 

Gina A. Cook, Ph.D. is a Professor of Child Development at California State University, Stanislaus. At CSU Stanislaus she primarily works with students in the Early Childhood track of the Child Development major. Her major responsibilities are to teach, advise, and mentor students in their courses and their internships at the CSU Stanislaus Child Development Center lab school. Dr. Cook has been extensively involved in the development and evaluation of early intervention programs for children and families in populations facing challenges of poverty, disabilities, and dual language acquisition. She has worked on the national Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project and has extensive experience as a program evaluator. Her recent research has focused on early parenting and caregiving behaviors that predict attachment security and self-regulation and their influence on later child outcomes, specifically school readiness.

Project: Reflecting and Connecting: Supporting future caregivers in increasing intentionality and synchrony in their work with children

Kimberly D’Anna Hernandez, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at California State University San Marcos. She completed her predoctoral work at Michigan State University and postdoctoral training with the Developmental Psychobiology Research Group at the University of Colorado Denver. Dr. D’Anna Hernandez’s main goals as a professor are to mentor other underrepresented students in research and encourage them in the academic process. Among her research interests are the role of stress/arousal peptides on maternal behavior in mice and the role of acculturation and other psychosocial measures on the biological response to stress in pregnant women, particularly Mexican and Mexican-American.

Project: Prenatal Parenting Intervention Modules for High Risk Pregnant Women

Kristina de Korsak, Ph.D. received her Ph.D. in applied linguistics and second language acquisition from UC Davis. Her education emphasis is in child language acquisition, cognition, socialization and cultural practice. Dr. de Korsak has been a lecturer at Sonoma State since 2011 and has actively engaged in teaching and collaborating in several departments on campus. She has taught pre-school, kindergarten and first grade in California and abroad for eight years, mentoring new teachers throughout her career both in school and university settings. Dr. de Korsak believes education is key to stretching minds, providing opportunities, and advancing social justice.

Project: Learning to Listen, Listening to Learn: Mind-Mindedness, Language Cues, and Early Care Environments

Sarah Garrity, Ed.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Child and Family at San Diego State University and was a practitioner in the field of early care and education for almost twenty years as a teacher, administrator, and literacy coach for Head Start and state-funded programs. She frequently teaches classes on infant toddler development and was the administrator responsible for San Diego’s first Early Head Start program. Dr. Garrity’s research builds upon what she learned during her time working in programs serving young children and their families, and involves the exploration of how best practices are implemented in the field with a focus on continuity of care, guidance policies, and how teacher beliefs influence practice. Using a contextual, postmodern, systems perspective to foreground the social, linguistic, physical, social, and political contexts in which teaching and learning take place, her research aims to increase understanding of the research to practice gap by exploring the complexities of educational settings.

Project: An Examination of How California’s Institutions of Higher Education Prepare Students to Implement Continuity of Care

Sujatha (Suji) Venkataraman, MA is a compassionate and accomplished Early Childhood Educator. She received her certificate in ECE which enabled her to work with toddlers. Suji’s passion for understanding toddler’s growth and development enabled her to provide seminars and workshops for parents. Suji presented seminars on topics like ‘Challenging Behaviors’ or ‘Social- Emotional’ development of a toddler. Suji’s quest to advance in education, took her to Pacific Oaks College. She received her Master’s in Human Development, with a specialization in leadership in education and human services. Within a year of graduation, Suji accepted Adjunct Faculty positions at both Skyline College and at her Alma Mater, Pacific Oaks College. Now Suji enjoys both teaching young children and future generation of Early Childhood Educators.

Project: The Development of Transformative Teaching: Exploring Pedagogy for Infant/Toddler Teachers in a Community College Course

Treshawn Anderson, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences- Child Development and Family Studies at California State University, Long Beach. Dr. Anderson has worked in the field of early childhood education for over 10 years in various positions ranging from toy testing at Mattel, Inc. to being a primary infant toddler caregiver. Her research focus is childcare quality and the professional development of practitioners working with children birth to age three. Her dissertation research involved the development and validation of a measure regarding infant toddler teacher beliefs about developmentally appropriate education and care. She will continue her work on the development and validation of this measure during her professional career in order to make it widely available for use in both research and practice.

Project: Babies Can “Read”: Infant/Toddler Literacy Training for Long Beach Public Library

Gina A. Cook, Ph.D.

California State University, Stanislaus

Gina A. Cook, Ph.D. is a Professor of Child Development at California State University, Stanislaus. At CSU Stanislaus she primarily works with students in the Early Childhood track of the Child Development major. Her major responsibilities are to teach, advise, and mentor students in their courses and their internships at the CSU Stanislaus Child Development Center lab school. Dr. Cook has been extensively involved in the development and evaluation of early intervention programs for children and families in populations facing challenges of poverty, disabilities, and dual language acquisition. She has worked on the national Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project and has extensive experience as a program evaluator. Her recent research has focused on early parenting and caregiving behaviors that predict attachment security and self-regulation and their influence on later child outcomes, specifically school readiness.

Project: Reflecting and Connecting: Supporting future caregivers in increasing intentionality and synchrony in their work with children

Kimberly D’Anna Hernandez, Ph.D.

California State University, San Marcos

Kimberly D’Anna Hernandez, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at California State University San Marcos. She completed her predoctoral work at Michigan State University and postdoctoral training with the Developmental Psychobiology Research Group at the University of Colorado Denver. Dr. D’Anna Hernandez’s main goals as a professor are to mentor other underrepresented students in research and encourage them in the academic process. Among her research interests are the role of stress/arousal peptides on maternal behavior in mice and the role of acculturation and other psychosocial measures on the biological response to stress in pregnant women, particularly Mexican and Mexican-American.

Project: Prenatal Parenting Intervention Modules for High Risk Pregnant Women

Kristina de Korsak, Ph.D.

Sonoma State University

Kristina de Korsak, Ph.D. received her Ph.D. in applied linguistics and second language acquisition from UC Davis. Her education emphasis is in child language acquisition, cognition, socialization and cultural practice. Dr. de Korsak has been a lecturer at Sonoma State since 2011 and has actively engaged in teaching and collaborating in several departments on campus. She has taught pre-school, kindergarten and first grade in California and abroad for eight years, mentoring new teachers throughout her career both in school and university settings. Dr. de Korsak believes education is key to stretching minds, providing opportunities, and advancing social justice.

Project: Learning to Listen, Listening to Learn: Mind-Mindedness, Language Cues, and Early Care Environments

Sarah Garrity, Ed.D.

San Diego State University

Sarah Garrity, Ed.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Child and Family at San Diego State University and was a practitioner in the field of early care and education for almost twenty years as a teacher, administrator, and literacy coach for Head Start and state-funded programs. She frequently teaches classes on infant toddler development and was the administrator responsible for San Diego’s first Early Head Start program. Dr. Garrity’s research builds upon what she learned during her time working in programs serving young children and their families, and involves the exploration of how best practices are implemented in the field with a focus on continuity of care, guidance policies, and how teacher beliefs influence practice. Using a contextual, postmodern, systems perspective to foreground the social, linguistic, physical, social, and political contexts in which teaching and learning take place, her research aims to increase understanding of the research to practice gap by exploring the complexities of educational settings.

Project: An Examination of How California’s Institutions of Higher Education Prepare Students to Implement Continuity of Care

Sujatha (Suji) Venkataraman, MA

San Mateo Community College

Sujatha (Suji) Venkataraman, MA is a compassionate and accomplished Early Childhood Educator. She received her certificate in ECE which enabled her to work with toddlers. Suji’s passion for understanding toddler’s growth and development enabled her to provide seminars and workshops for parents. Suji presented seminars on topics like ‘Challenging Behaviors’ or ‘Social- Emotional’ development of a toddler. Suji’s quest to advance in education, took her to Pacific Oaks College. She received her Master’s in Human Development, with a specialization in leadership in education and human services. Within a year of graduation, Suji accepted Adjunct Faculty positions at both Skyline College and at her Alma Mater, Pacific Oaks College. Now Suji enjoys both teaching young children and future generation of Early Childhood Educators.

Project: The Development of Transformative Teaching: Exploring Pedagogy for Infant/Toddler Teachers in a Community College Course

Treshawn Anderson, Ph.D.

California State University, Long Beach

Treshawn Anderson, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences- Child Development and Family Studies at California State University, Long Beach. Dr. Anderson has worked in the field of early childhood education for over 10 years in various positions ranging from toy testing at Mattel, Inc. to being a primary infant toddler caregiver. Her research focus is childcare quality and the professional development of practitioners working with children birth to age three. Her dissertation research involved the development and validation of a measure regarding infant toddler teacher beliefs about developmentally appropriate education and care. She will continue her work on the development and validation of this measure during her professional career in order to make it widely available for use in both research and practice.

Project: Babies Can “Read”: Infant/Toddler Literacy Training for Long Beach Public Library

2014 - 2015 Fellows

  • Debbie Cazares, PhD- Riverside City College
  • Kristy Gose, Fresno City College
  • Margaret (Peggy) Kidwell-Udin, El Camino College
  • Jennifer Montgomery, El Camino College
  • Marni Roosevelt, Los Angeles Valley College
  • Mark F. Whitney, PhD- MiraCosta College

2013 - 2014 Fellows

  • Eve Adler, Santa Monica College
  • Kimberly Karkos, Oxnard College
  • Judy Osterhage, Santa Barbara City College
  • Wendy Parise, Santa Monica College
  • Ellen Stoddard, Santa Barbara City College
  • Katie Worsdale, Santa Barbara City College