Our Team

ConnectUP is a collaboration among researchers at the University of Kansas, the University of Minnesota, and the University of Virginia.

Project Leadership

Karrie Shogren, University of Kansas (shogren@ku.edu)

Karrie Shogren, Ph.D. is a researcher who values partnering with schools to figure out the best ways to support students with disabilities as they navigate secondary school and their transition to adulthood. She works at the University of Kansas and directs the Kansas University Center on Disabilities. KUCD has a large team that focuses on supporting schools, students with disabilities, and their families. The KUCD team has lived disability knowledge, research expertise, and experience in schools and in special education. Karrie partnered with educators and students to develop the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction that will be a part of the ConnectUP project and is excited to support C&C mentors to use it!

James Houseworth, University of Minnesota (jhouseworth_sta@ku.edu)

James Houseworth, Ph.D., is a Research Associate and received his Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Minnesota in 2016. As a Research Associate at the Institute on Community Integration (ICI), he has worked with both with quantitative and qualitative methods to explore many important areas, mostly related to the quality of life of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including transition. Recently, he has worked on the Project of National Significance for Transition at ICI. He has also published a large amount of work on outcomes for people with IDD using the National Core Indicators. Dr. Houseworth is also an Evaluation Specialist for Check & Connect®. In this role, he is responsible for a range of activities to monitor the fidelity and effectiveness of the program.

LaRon Scott, University of Virginia (ysv3ps@virginia.edu)

LaRon Scott, Ed.D. is a professor of special education at the University of Virginia and a co-principal investigator for the project. His research centers on the recruitment, preparation, and retention of teachers, with a particular emphasis on special education teachers of color. He also examines postsecondary transition programming and outcomes for Black youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Additionally, LaRon’s work explores how historical and contemporary policies at the local, state, and federal levels shape the experiences of minoritized special educators. He is excited to support mentors and coordinators through training and material development for this project.

Lauren Bruno, University of Kansas (bruno@ku.edu)

Lauren Bruno (she/her), Ph.D. is an Assistant Research Professor at the Kansas University Center on Disabilities. She used to work as a teacher for high-school students with disabilities. Her research focuses on promoting positive post-school outcomes for youth and young adults with disabilities by supporting teachers and instructors implement use evidence-based practices in secondary settings, with particular emphasis on self-determination and inclusion. Lauren is excited to support mentors and coordinators in ConnectUp!   

Project Staff

Ann Romine, University of Minnesota (aromine@umn.edu)

Ann Romine, MPA, is an Implementation Specialist with Check & Connect® dedicated to supporting mentors, coordinators and district-level trainers. She is committed to aligning support systems with the needs of students and their families. Ann enjoys bridging research into practice through her training and looks forward to translating insights from the ConnectUP project into future implementation.

Dasha Gerasimova, University of Kansas (gerasimova@ku.edu)

Dasha Gerasimova, Ph.D. is an Assistant Research Professor and a member of the KUCD data science team. She brings expertise in randomized controlled trials, measurement, and open science. Her research focuses on advancing research methodology and making it more accessible to other researchers as well as on student engagement measurement. Dasha is excited to provide methodological support to the ConnectUP project!

Jana Ferguson, University of Minnesota (jahallas@umn.edu)

Jana Ferguson, M.Ed., is a Check & Connect® Program Manager responsible for overseeing training and special programs. She is passionate about developing high-quality professional learning and systems-level support to create sustainable C&C implementations, resulting in better student outcomes worldwide, and looks forward to including ConnectUP in this work.

Jessica Blanchat, University of Kansas (jessica.blanchat@ku.edu)

Jessica Blanchat, M.A., CCC-SLP is a Research Project Coordinator at KUCD. She is a licensed Speech Language Pathologist with experience supporting children and adults with a variety of disabilities by promoting inclusion, independence, and self-determination in school and community settings. Jessica is excited to contribute to the ConnectUP project by supporting the coordination of research efforts!

Sarina Russo, University of Kansas (sarinarusso@ku.edu)

Sarina Russo, M.A., is a doctoral student and research fellow at KUCD. She has experience in working with children and families with disabilities in and out of the school context. Her research focuses on family involvement, self-determination, and transitions for students with disabilities. Sarina is excited to support the ConnectUP project!

Sheila Ward, University of Minnesota (ward1266@umn.edu)

Sheila Ward, M.A. is an Implementation Specialist for Check & Connect®. She has decades of experience working with students with disabilities of all ages. From the onset of her transition work, she learned the importance of mentoring and self-determination in student success. Sheila has worked collaboratively with national, state, and local education agencies for several years to provide education, training, professional development, and technical assistance to ensure all stakeholders, including students and families, achieve positive outcomes. Sheila is excited to support training and implementation of Check & Connect® in the ConnectUP project!

Tyler Hicks, University of Kansas (tahicks@ku.edu)

Tyler Hicks, Ph.D., is the director of the KUCD data science team and is thrilled to be part of the ConnectUp Project. His background is in educational statistics and special education, specifically modeling data from randomized controlled trials with reduced sample sizes within a Bayesian epistemological framework, decision theory, and applications of large language models in data systems to advance disability studies. For the ConnectUP project, he is supporting with all things data- making measures and collecting and analyzing data. He is looking forward to supporting mentors and coordinators to make data-based decisions.

Questions?

Contact connectup@ku.edu to get more information.

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