Faculty Bio's

ECED-ITMH Full-Time Faculty

Ingrid Anderson, EdD, (she, her, ella) Associate Professor of Practice; Coordinator of Grad Certificate ITMH

Ingrid Anderson, Ed.D., is an associate professor of practice at Portland State University, working in both the College of Education and the School of Social Work. Dr. Anderson is the program coordinator for the online Infant/Toddler Mental Health (ITMH) Graduate Certificate and the Indigenous First Steps Program, and works with Trauma Informed Oregon. She works with faculty across campus to foster interdisciplinary and innovative community partnerships, creating opportunities for professional development, research, advocacy, and services to children and families.

Dr. Anderson’s research focus is on well-being in early childhood and the emotional lives of early childhood educators, where she has secured over $2.75 M since 2015 for scholarships and research. Her current work focuses on supporting early childhood educators in rural Oregon, working to support the Indigenizing of early childhood coursework and professional development, and creating culturally responsive online learning environments. In 2019, Dr. Anderson was named the College of Education Researcher of the Year and, in 2022, a Foundation for Child Development Young Scholar.

Dr. Anderson works with early childhood education programs across the US and in Singapore and Peru. She served nationally on the National Association for Early Childhood Teacher Education and in Oregon on the Oregon Child Care Research Partnership, the statewide Oregon Child Development Coalition (seasonal and migrant Head Start) Board and is collaborating with Bank Street College in a Community of Practice supported by the National ECE Workforce Center. Her books from Redleaf Press include Supporting Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing: A Strength-Based Approach for Early Childhood Educators and Caring for Self: A Workbook for Early Childhood Educator Wellbeing.

Ingrid finds great joy in cooking the traditional recipes of her childhood. You can find her most weekends cooking arroz con gandules for family and friends, spending time reading, or exploring the Pacific Northwest.

ECED Adjunct Faculty

Sherri L. Alderman, MD, MPH, IMHM-E® Clinical & Policy, FAAP

Sherri teaches Infant and Toddler Mental Health at PSU. She is a board certified Developmental Behavioral Pediatrician with over 10 years of experience in clinical and policy work in infant mental health. Sherri is Sr. Policy and Technical Assistance Specialist at ZERO TO THREE. She practices individual and group clinical and policy reflective supervision and facilitates supervision for cross-sector administrators, supervisors, policy leaders, and direct service providers. She has infant mental health Endorsement® at the highest level (mentor) in both clinical and policy. Dr. Alderman is immediate Past Chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Council on Early Childhood and is currently appointed Executive Committee member of the AAP Council on Health Mental and Emotional Development. She is an AAP Early Childhood Chapter Champion in Oregon, CDC Act Early Ambassador to Oregon, and received national distinction as the first National Help Me Grow Physician Champion. She serves on numerous national and state early childhood advisory boards including HRSA Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Infant Mortality and is Past President of the Oregon Infant Mental Health Association. She was principal investigator for the Nurturing Healthy Attachment project promoting secure attachment with incarcerated mothers and the Act Early Oregon COVID Parent Mentor Project in partnership with Oregon Child Development Coalition focused on empowering migrant and seasonal farm-working communities.

Dalia Avello , MA , IMH-E (IV-P)

Dalia has worked for over 15 years in private, public, and non-profit organizations in the areas of research and organizational development. She has dedicated the last 10 years of her career to Infancy and Early Childhood, with special focus on adversity and mental health policy. Trained as a Psychologist, she has a MA in Education and International Development from University College of London, and an AMI Montessori teaching diploma. She has Endorsement® at the mentor level, and regularly provides trainings to professionals serving infants, toddlers, and their families. In Oregon, she has led projects in the areas of advocacy, professional development, inclusion and social justice.

Jean Barbre Ed.D.

Jean has worked in the field of early child care and education for over 30 years, where she has managed preschool programs, coached administrators, and trained and taught early child care providers. She holds a Doctorate from Pepperdine University in Educational Leadership, a MS degree in Counseling, a MA degree in Consumer and Family, and is a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist with advanced training and certification in trauma and holistic practices. She is an author of four books published by Redleaf Press: Foundations of Responsive Caregiving Infants, Toddlers, and Twos; Activities for Responsive Caregiving Infants, Toddlers, and Two; Baby Steps to STEM Infants, Toddlers and Twos, and Supporting Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing: A Strength-based Approach for Early Childhood Providers. Jean trains and consults on many topics for the California Department of Education, and has presented at NAEYC, California AEYC, Orange County STEM Conference, snd internationally at Shanghai Normal University, and the Asian Pacific Educational Research Association in Singapore.

Patricia Blasco, Ph.D.

Dr. Patricia M Blasco is a researcher at the Oregon Health & Science University. She is active in the Division of Early Childhood as the chair of the Publications and Products Advisory Committee, former associate editor of Young, Exceptional Children and a reviewer for the Journal of Early Intervention. Her research focus is on executive function and neurodevelopmental outcomes for children who were born preterm. Patrica teaches ECED Dynamic Models of IT Health at Portland State University.

Rachel Elliott, MA

Rachel earned a Masters of Arts degree in Curriculum and Instruction (Early Childhood Education) from Portland State University. Presently, she is an Early Childhood Education Content Specialist for an Oregon statewide Head Start Organization. Additionally, Rachel was the president of the Oregon Association for the Education of Young Children Governing Council board (affiliate of tNAEYC). Her many years as a teacher of young children sparked inspirations from the educational approach of the pre-primary schools of Reggio Emilia, Italy. Rachel’s additional professional interests include investing her time supporting early childhood professionals in the implementation of Developmentally Appropriate Practices through coaching and mentoring. These practices foster the the learning and development of the whole child and build rich life characteristics for our youngest citizens. She is an Oregon Registry Master Trainer and Certified Positive Discipline Parent trainer and provides professional development workshops and training's on a variety of Early Childhood Education topics.

Cynthia M. Jaeger, Ed.D.

Cynthia holds an Ed.D. with a specialty area in special education and counseling. Cynthia is a licensed teacher of Preschool-grade 9; school psychologist, school counselor, and, school administrator (principal and coordinator/supervisor of programs). Working both in the US and internationally, Cynthia has worked on various boards including Board Officer for Oregon Association of Central Office Administrators, Confederation of School Administrators, Board member for county Mental Health, Commission on Children and Families, Regional Invesment Advisory Board, Infant-toddler Mental Health Advisory Board, Court Appointed Special Advocate Board, Kiwanis Board, Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, Oregon School Psychologist Association, National Association of School Psychologists.

Sara Koyano, MS., QMHP-C, CADC-R

Sara is a current PSU education leadership doctoral student who earned her master's in inclusive early childhood education from PSU in 2019. In addition to being adjunct faculty at PSU, Sara is involved in the PSU Indigenous First Steps research projects. She has worked as a DHS human services case manager, a preschool teacher, and as a mental health therapist with young children. Most recently, she has been engaged in youth prevention/wellness with Cow Creek Tribal youth. She is also involved in opioid education in her local community. Sara has a special interest in education, Indigenous issues, disability, mental health, and substance use and currently sits on the Disability Rights Oregon Mental Health Advisory Council. Sara was born in Canyonville, Oregon, and is a citizen of the Nahánkʰuotana (Cow Creek People) with Cree, Kalapuya, and Cow Creek ancestry along with French and Scots-Irish. She lives in Roseburg, Oregon on her people's traditional homelands with her husband, two children (ages 12 and 17), a dog, a bunny, three rats, and five cats. She loves spending time outdoors enjoying the beauty of the Umpqua Valley, and also loves spending time with her family and working in her garden. Sara is the mom of five (Jessie, Zack, Payton, Bailey and Carly) and the grandma of two (Tyson, and Enzo).

Aoife Rose Magee, PhD,

Aoife earned a doctoral degree in Special Education from the University of Oregon Early Intervention Program. Her research and professional interests have been largely focused on the social-emotional development of young children and how positive parenting and teaching practices may contribute to healthy development, promote resiliency and mediate risk factors. Aoife is an instructor, supervisor, consultant, and professional development specialist for students and practitioners in the areas of Early Childhood Education, Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education and Parenting Education. Aoife is also a Master Trainer for the Oregon Registry and frequently provides community based and private workshops for early childhood educators.

Shelly Stratton, Ph.D. LCSW

Shelly (she/her) is a licensed clinical social worker and community psychologist. She is committed to efforts to strengthen diverse social and cultural approaches to promoting the well-being of children, families, and communities. Shelly holds a master’s degree in social work from the University of Washington and a Doctorate in Depth Psychology: with an emphasis in Community Psychology, Liberation Psychology, and Ecopsychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute, CA. Shelly previously worked with families who were houseless, including working at a school for children living in shelters and transitional housing, and was in private practice as a child and family therapist. Her experience with African immigrant communities emerged out of her dissertation research that engaged refugees in a process of exploring and elaborating on the cultural perspectives and values that contribute to psychosocial resilience and adaptation to their life in New Hampshire. Shelly remains closely connected to community healing efforts in East Africa through the African Great Lakes Initiative (AGLI) and Transforming Communities for Social Change (TCSC). Currently, she maintains a private practice as a child and family therapist, consultant, and supervisor of psychology students and associates. As a child therapist, she works with children and families using sand play, play, and expressive art therapy.

DawnDee Walraven, MS, IMH-E®

DawnDee earned their Masters degree in Early Childhood: Inclusive Education and Curriculum & Instruction along with a Graduate Certificate in Infant Toddler Mental Health (ITMH) at PSU in 2018. She has nearly 20 years of experience in the ITMH home visiting field and is currently the Early Childhood Program Manager at A Family Place Relief Nursery and Healthy Families Home Visiting program. They work closely supporting a diverse group of Early Childhood Therapeutic Classroom Teachers, Outreach and Family Engagement Specialists, Home Visitors, parents, and children ages 0-5. Since 2019 DawnDee has taught a variety of coursework including Leadership in Home Visiting, Intro to Early Childhood Mental Health, Intro to Infant Mental Health, and IMH Endorsement. Mx. Walraven has a passion for supporting ITMH professionals with earning their Endorsement® by providing reflective supervision/consultation, supporting professional development, along with advising on and reviewing IMH-E® portfolios.

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