Sally Guyon, Ed.D. Assistant Professor and Program Co-Coordinator

Sally (she/her) earned her Education Doctorate at Portland State University in 2019. She has 15 years of experience working in Early Childhood Care & Education, specializing in children aged 0-47 months. She has taught at Portland State University since 2016 and was appointed to a tenure-track position in 2024. She was previously a Lecturer at Cal Poly Pomona and the Early Childhood Education Coordinator at Umpqua Community College. Dr. Guyon has spoken both nationally and internationally. Her dissertation research was the Experiences of Early Childhood Educators Working with Teaching Strategies GOLD(R). Her current research interests are in promoting leadership in Early Childhood Care & Education, creating constructivist-minded, antiracist early learning environments, and amplifying the voices of children, families, and educators in creating ECCE policy. Dr. Guyon contributed a chapter to the Open Educational Resource Leadership in Early Care & Education  (2021).

Will Parnell, EdD , Professor, Curriculum & Instruction and Program Co-Coordinator, On the Web

Will is a professor in early childhood education and a pedagogical liaison to the Helen Gordon Child Development Center at Portland State University. His specialty areas are rethinking readiness, disrupting traditional early childhood research, creating learning designs, and documenting and making young children’s learning visible. Dr. Parnell currently serves as Foundation President of the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Education’s board, a board member for A Renaissance School of Arts and Sciences, committee member of the Reconceptualizing Early Childhood Education program, and president of the Inventing Remida Portland project.

Dr. Parnell finished his doctorate in education at PSU in 2005, and has been researching Reggio-inspired practices related to making listening and learning visible and valued, and working with children’s creative expression, representational work and Remida creative reuse materials. 

Ingrid Anderson, EdD, Associate Professor of Practice; Coordinator of Grad Certificate ITMH

Ingrid (she/her) came to PSU as a doctoral student in 2010. In 2011, she took a position coordinating the Oregon Registry, and in 2015,  a position a faculty in the Master of Early Childhood: Inclusive Ed program and in the Infant Toddler Mental Health Graduate Certificate program. Since 2023, Ingrid has been  working with Trauma-Informed Oregon in the School of Social Work at PSU. Her Master's Degree is from Lesley University in Cambridge MA in Conflict Resolution and Peaceable Schools.  Ingrid works in the area of early childhood educator well-being and constructivist education. She was awarded the COE's Researcher of the Year in 2019.  Her 2021 Redleaf Press book is called Supporting Children's Mental Health and Well-Being: A Strength-based Approach for Early Childhood Educators. Before working at PSU, Ingrid worked for 25+ years in Children's Museums, County Departments of Education, School Districts, and City Government. Ingrid's work is influenced by her Puerto Rican heritage and long-term advocacy with a focus on equity and access in early childhood education.

John Nimmo, EdD, Professor Emeritus , Early Childhood Inclusive Education

www.antibiasleadersece.com

John (he/him) came to PSU in 2016 and was previously an associate professor in family studies and Executive Director of the Child Study and Development Center at the University of New Hampshire. His doctorate in ECED is from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. John is the co-author of three books that offer insight into his core passions: Leading Anti-Bias Early Childhood Programs: A Guide to Change, for Change (with Derman-Sparks & LeeKeenan, 2015 & 2023), Loris Malaguzzi and the Teachers (with Edwards & Gandini, 2015), and Emergent Curriculum (with Elizabeth Jones, 1994). He is also a producer of a film on children’s rights, The Voices of Children (2017) and Reflecting on Anti-Bias Education in Action: The Early Years (2021). His new film , Families Embracing Anti-Bias Values, will be released Fall, 2024. John's collaborative research includes the role of cultural navigators in bridging immigrant families to schools, the development of an ECE teacher program grounded in Indigenous knowledges and pedagogies, and exploring young children’s access to their communities. John is Chair of the Board of Dimensions Educational Research Foundation.  He was a classroom teacher for a decade in his heritage country of Australia and in the USA.

Hollie Hix-Small, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Special Education Department.

Hollie leads the PSU Early Childhood Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education (ECI/ECSE) Program. In addition to preparing licensure and master’s students, Hollie conducts research, and contributes to the field through international training and technical support to organizations including UNICEF. She is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Reconstruction and International Security through Education, serves on the Leadership Team for Infant Mental Health Promotion at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Hollie’s expertise lies in supporting very young children, birth to age five and their families, experiencing developmental or social emotional difficulties and in research and program evaluation. She received her PhD in Early Intervention, Special Education from the University of Oregon. Hollie has trained and consulted on ECD and ECI in over sixteen countries and was a Fulbright scholar to Myanmar in 2019. Her research interests include the timely identification of children with developmental delays and disabilities, development of coordinated systems, and professional development.

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.

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.

Gabriela Bizari, MS

Gabriela Bizari (she/her) earned her Master's degree in Early Childhood: Inclusive Education and Curriculum & Instructional at PSU in 2019, and she has worked for 10 years in early childhood education as a teacher, researcher, program coordinator, and instructor. Gabi is currently the Playful Inquiry School Partner at Teaching Preschool Partners in Portland, OR. She was previously an Instructional Coach for Preschool for All at Multnomah County, supporting early childhood educators to create culturally responsive practices and programs. Gabi is also a part-time faculty in the Early Childhood Education program at Mt. Hood Community College, and she also holds a Bachelor's degree in Human Nutrition from the University of São Paulo (Brazil).

María José Beteta, MS

María José earned her master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Portland State University on 2021. As an Early Childhood Consultant, Maria Jose has expertise in technical guidance and educator training, specializing in assessment tools, NAEYC accreditation and the implementation of inclusion, equity, and diversity strategies through research and mentorship.

As a native Peruvian, María José is Bilingual in Spanish and English, and has developed and implemented social projects around South America and the United States. She has dedicated her practice to the Reggio Emilia approach since 2014, after visiting the Scuolas dell’infanzia and witnessing the benefits of this philosophy in Italy. 

María José is currently a credentialed Trainer for Jefferson County in Kentucky, and serves as an  Early Childhood Coordinator in the state of Connecticut where she lives. She also proudly contributes to Portland State University as a part of the Early Childhood and Inclusive Curriculum Committee.

Liz Carlis, MS

Liz (she/her) has been teaching as adjunct faculty at Portland State University since 2007.  She earned her Masters degree in Curriculum and Instruction with ECE Specialization from PSU and her Bachelors degree and Teaching license for PreK - Grade 3 from the University of Vermont.  Her areas of interest include Reggio inspired and inquiry based practice, loose parts, designing learning spaces, and the intersection of art and design in education.  Liz is also an artist who works with recycled materials and she consults with schools on classroom environment design.

Susie Crandlemire, M.S.

Susie earned her Bachelor in Elementary Education from the University of Idaho in 2008 and her Masters in Curriculum and Instruction with an Early Childhood Education Specialization at Portland State University in 2013. She has worked for 12 years in education and has worked as a K-5 Literacy Specialist, K-5 Instructional Coach, preschool teacher, and adjunct instructor. Since 2014 Susie Susie has taught ECED 573 Assessment and Technology in ECE at Portland State University since 2014. Susie also teachers preschool in a Reggio-inspired preschool in Boise, Idaho. Currently, Susie is one of the researchers on the Caplan Grant researching Playing in Digital Spaces: Creating Online Interactive Early Childhood Environments. 

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.

Tamika Fuller, Ph.D.

My name is Dr. Tamika M. Fuller and I have been an educator for 30 years. I have worn a range of professional hats that include Speech Pathologist, General/Special Educator, Special Education Process Manager, Turn Around Coach, Educator Mentor, School and District Administrator. For 15 of those years, I have served as a National facilitator of professional development, coaching, and consultation. The first five were with Northwest Evaluation Association and the last ten have been with the equity consulting firm I founded in 2013, Education Reform Enterprises. I was born in Louisiana, grew up in Texas, and live in both Baltimore and Minnesota, operating in a new opportunity as the Director of Effective Instruction in St. Anthony Independent School District. I have a passion for teaching, leading, music, dance, art, and family to name a few. I am serious about advocacy and activism for cross-contextual equity and justice, with its roots in education. I am a proud daughter, sister, wife, and mother.

Christine Gmeiner, MA

Christine (she/her/hers) has been in the field of education all her life. She earned a degree in Kindergarten Pedagogy (Austria, 1989) and worked as director and teacher for five years before relocating to Israel. There she worked as developer of child, family, and community informed curriculum for 3 – 6-year-olds and played an active role in the establishment of a multiethnic and democratic early learning setting in Bet Oren. In the US, Christine explored Reggio Emilia inspired teaching opportunities at Children’s School, Carnegie Mellon University, PA, Child Development Center, DeAnza College, Cupertino, CA, and Helen Gordon Child Development Center, Portland State University, OR.

Christine holds a BA in Child and Adolescent Development (SJSU, 2017) and an MA in Early Childhood: Inclusive Education (PSU, 2023). In her action research, she examined the role of family participation in child, family, teacher, school, and place informed anti-bias anti-racism education in the 3 – 5-year-old classroom. In her work in the 3 – 5-year-old classroom, Christine continues her teacher research to expand on the findings of her action research. She is proud to co-teach graduate level courses in the program and to continue her academic journey as an adjunct instructor here at Portland State University.

 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.

Heather Peterson-Bruno, MS

Heather (she/her) holds a master’s degree in Early Childhood Inclusive Education, with a specialization in Infant and Toddler Mental Health from Portland State University. She earned a BA in Child and Family Studies from the University of Washington.

Heather has contributed to the Early Care and Education field for over 30 years as a teacher, program director, early intervention specialist, program developer and consultant, immigrant family and child advocate, Washington State ECE trainer, and as a student-teacher practicum supervisor and reflective partner. 

Her passions include building adult capabilities and well-being through parallel-process and ethics of care; biophilic, trauma-informed and inclusive design in early learning environments/ecosystems; parent-child-educator partnerships; infant and child mental health and the effects of intergenerational trauma on neurobiological development.

Heather is also Associate Faculty at Edmonds College and Adjunct Faculty at Bastyr University. Her work is grounded in a vision of transformative teacher preparation that equips education partners of young children to disrupt bias and advance equity, inclusion and holistic well-being in their practice.

Rachel Rowan, MS.

Rachel earned her master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Portland State University, and her Bachelor’s in Anthropology from Temple University in 2006. Rachel focused her Action Research project on the efficacy of early childhood teachers of color.

Rachel has spent most of her career as a preschool teacher in Three and Four-year-old classrooms at Brooklyn Friends School in New York City. She recently returned to academia and is working toward her Ph.D. in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis from North Carolina State University. Her current research interests are the implementation of constructivist-based pedagogy in publicly funded preschools, positive teacher and child interactions, and making quality preschool programs accessible to all.

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.

Julie Watkins, MS

Julie has a long history of work at Portland State University. That journey began in 2001 when she entered the Child and Family Studies Program in pursuit of a Bachelor’s Degree. A practicum at the Helen Gordon Child Development Center ignited a passion for constructivist curriculum for infants and toddlers, and she has now taught at HGCDC for nearly 20 years. After completing a M.S. in Curriculum and Instruction, specializing in Early Childhood Education, she earned Graduate Certificates in Teacher Leadership and Autism Spectrum Disorders. She is also part-time faculty in the Early Childhood Education program at Mt. Hood Community College. She is a certified Positive Discipline instructor and is dedicated to guiding children’s behavior through respectful interactions.