Our Team

Karrie A. Shogren, Ph.D. -- Principal Investigator 

Karrie (shogren@ku.edu) is Director of the Kansas University Center on Developmental Disabilities (a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities), Senior Scientist at the Schiefelbusch Life Span Institute, and Professor in the Department of Special Education all at the University of Kansas. Dr. Shogren is the lead author of the Self-Determination Inventory (www.self-determination.org), a recently validated assessment of self-determination and the Supported Decision-Making Inventory System, the first assessment of the supports needed to involve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in decisions about their lives 

Natalie Nordby Chen, M.Ed. -- Project Coordinator

Natalie (nnchen@ku.edu) serves as Research Project Coordinator at the Kansas University Center on Developmental Disabilities, steering activities that strengthen and support each project. An experienced assessment professional with a focus on accessibility, she spent more than twenty years as a language test designer and developer, and taught ESL/EFL in university and intensive language programs in the United States and Taiwan. 

Jessie Kiblen, M.Ed., LMSW -- Graduate Research Assistant

Jessie (jkiblen@ku.edu) is a doctoral student at the University of Kansas and a Kansas University Center on Developmental Disabilities trainee. Her research focuses on teacher professional development and intervention related to self-determination for all students, including students with disabilities, learning in inclusive contexts. 

Hannah Abernathy, M.S. -- Education Program Manager

Hannah (hannah.abernathy@ku.edu) is an Education Program Manager and SDLMI Intervention Coach at the Kansas University Center on Developmental Disabilities. She is involved in multiple projects at KUCDD. Hannah taught special education for several years and now focuses on training and coaching other professionals. 

Abdulaziz Alsaeed, M.Ed. -- Graduate Research Assistant

Aziz (aziz@ku.edu) is a Graduate Research Assistant at the Kansas University Center on Developmental Disabilities and a doctoral student in the Department of Special Education. His research is focused on assessment and intervention in self-determination for all students, including students with disabilities. 

Daniel Greenberg, Ph.D. -- Postdoctoral Researcher

Daniel (greenberg@ku.edu) is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Kansas University Center on Developmental Disabilities. He is currently involved in several projects pertaining to assessment and intervention in self-determination for students and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and his independent research focuses on transition and support programs for college students with autism and the lived experiences of neurodiverse college students. 

Tyler Hicks, Ph.D. -- Lead Statistician

Tyler (tahicks@ku.edu) is an Assistant Research Professor and Director of Research Methodology at the Kansas University Center on Developmental Disabilities. He has served as a methodologist on multiple funded projects and his current research interests focus on statistical solutions to overcoming challenges to modeling data from efficacy trials in special education research, including evaluating applications of Bayesian decision theory. 

Claire Stelter, Ph.D. -- Postdoctoral Researcher

Claire (stelter@ku.edu) is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Kansas University Center on Developmental Disabilities. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is currently involved in several projects at KUCDD related to self-determination for young adults with developmental disabilities, and her independent research focuses on family experiences and post-school planning for transition-aged youth.

Taylor Givens, M.S.W. -- Research Assistant

Taylor (tgivens2@ku.edu) is a research assistant at the Kansas University Center on Developmental Disabilities. She studied at the University of Kansas for her bachelor's and master's degrees. She has worked with children and teenagers with Autism and other developmental disabilities. She previously taught in the Pre-K setting. She supports data collection, processing, and management activities for Propel. 

Amy McCaskey, B.S. -- Research Assistant

Amy (amy.mccaskey@ku.edu) is a research assistant at the Kansas University Center on Developmental Disabilities. She earned her bachelor's degree in Biology from Emporia State University. She supports data collection for Propel. 

Kara Hume, Ph.D. -- UNC Site Principal Investigator 

Kara (kara.hume@unc.edu) is an Associate Professor in the School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Director of National Clearinghouse on Autism Evidence and Practice, and a Faculty Fellow at Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute. Her research focuses on increasing access for individuals with developmental disabilities to high quality community-based and school-based interventions. 

Barbara Bossen, M. Ed. - Project Coordinator & Intervention Coach

Barbara (bbossen@unc.edu) is the Project Coordinator at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prior to joining the UNC team, Barbara worked in schools and school districts as a teacher and autism program specialist for almost 3 decades. 

Gavin Thompson, B.S. Psychology -- Data Coordinator

Gavin (gavgavin@live.unc.edu) is a Data Coordinator at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Gavin has research experience working on projects that examine Sex and Gender in Autism and plans to continue his education in Occupational Therapy in 2024. He supports data collection, processing, and management activities for Propel. In the future, Gavin hopes to conduct his own research related to Autism and how community occupational therapy can facilitate inclusion. During his free time, you can catch Gavin walking his dog or catching up on the newest Netflix shows with his friends.  

Katie Brady, LCSW -- Intervention Coach 

Katie (kbrady1@unc.edu) is a Intervention Coach at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has worked in the autism field for 20+ years in clinical, educational, recreational, and community settings. Katie is passionate about expanding inclusion of neurodivergent people through consultation and coaching around evidence-based practices. She is a North Carolina native and currently resides in Durham with her husband, two sons, and three cats. 

Nadya Logan, M.S. Ed., – Graduate Research Assistant 

Nadya (nmlogan@unc.edu) is a Graduate Research Assistant at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Education from UNC. Nadya received her both her bachelor’s and master’s degree in special education from the University of Georgia. She supports data collection activities and will serve as a coach for the Propel Project. 

Clara Joy Thorn, M.S. Ed., -- Graduate Research Assistant 

Clara (clthorn@email.unc.edu) is a second year Graduate Research Assistant at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She received her Master’s in Special Education with a Concentration in Autism and Developmental Disabilities from the University of Texas at Austin. She supports data collections activities for the Propel Project. 

Emily Cort, B.A. Ed., M.S. Kinesiology -- Graduate Research Assistant 

Emily (emcort@unc.edu)is a Graduate Research Assistant at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill pursuing her Ph. D in Applied Developmental Science and Special Education (ADSSE). She received her BA in English from Emory University and her MS in Kinesiology from the University of Georgia. Emily supports data collection activities for the Propel Project. 

Braden Wilkinson, Research Assistant 

Braden (bwilkinson@unc.edu)is a Research Assistant at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a senior at UNC Chapel Hill, studying Human Development & Family Sciences, minoring in Speech & Hearing Sciences and Spanish. He plans to pursue a master’s degree and become a licensed Speech Language Pathologist. Braden supports data collection activities for the Propel Project.  

Hector Hernandez, B.S Psychology, B.Ed. – Research Assistant 

Hector (hhjr2000@live.unc.edu) is a Research Assistant at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a recent graduate of UNC, receiving his bachelor’s in education and psychology. Hector supports the Propel Project with data collection activities. 

Nadin Abu Khalaf, B.A. Ed. – Research Assistant 

Nadin (nadin@med.unc.edu) is a research assistant at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is a graduate student at UNC, pursuing her Master of Science in Speech and Language Pathology. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Education from UNC Chapel Hill Nadin supports the Propel Project with data collection activities. 

Noorhan Abu Khalaf, B.S.P.H., --Research Assistant 

Noorhan (noorhan4@unc.edu) is a research assistant at the School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is currently a graduate student at the Brown University School of Public health. She obtained her Bachelors in Public Health from East Carolina University. Noorhan supports data collection activities for the Propel Project. 

Erik Carter, Ph.D., Vanderbilt University

Erik is a Professor of Special Education at Vanderbilt University. His research and teaching focuses on peer supports and strategies for promoting full participation, belonging, and valued roles in school, work, community, and congregational settings for children and adults with intellectual disability, autism, and multiple disabilities.

Nancy Scammacca Lewis, Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin

Nancy has worked on projects involving quantitative and qualitative research design and data analysis, meta-analysis, program evaluation, survey construction, and survey data analysis. Her expertise includes advanced statistical techniques such as hierarchical linear modeling, structural equation modeling, and regression-discontinuity analysis.