Constanza Cabello (BA ’08) just celebrated her one year anniversary as VP of Equity Programs at State Street, a financial services provider.
Author: Janice Berriault
Alum Nick Koberstein named 2022 Professor of the Year
Dr. Nicholas Koberstein (PhD ’16), founding associate professor of Child and Family Studies at Keuka College, was named the college’s 2022 Professor of the Year! Congratulations!
Madeline Jones, HDFS Grad Student Spotlight, September 2022
Madeline Jones (Hebert) received her Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry from Spring Hill College (AL) in 2019 with a minor in Philosophy. She graduated summa cum laude and was a member of various honor societies, including Sigma Alpha Nu. In addition, she was awarded the President’s Scholar Award in Biochemistry, a faculty-nominated award for a senior excelling in biochemistry. In 2022, she received her Master of Science degree in psychology from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Her first year, she was nominated for Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant, and the next year, was awarded the Richard G. Neiheisel Phi Beta Kappa Graduate Award, awarded to a graduating master’s student from one of the classical Arts and Sciences curriculum.
Madeline joined UConn’s HDFS graduate program in 2022 to work with Dr. Eva Lefkowitz. Her general research interests are in understanding how sexuality and gender expression influence the development and maintenance of close relationships. Specifically, Madeline is interested in the relationship experiences of LGBTQIA+ individuals and couples, especially romantic ones, and how intersecting identities, such as political or religious identities, may impact these relationships. She hopes to improve discussion, understanding, and overall relationship quality and satisfaction.
Madeline began studying sexuality as an undergraduate student, but officially shifted career paths when she spent a year volunteering in the Sexuality and Secularity lab run by Dr. Dena Abbott and attended classes at Louisiana Tech University. From this work, Madeline, Dr. Abbott, and colleagues published a paper on sexual education in predoctoral internships.
In 2020, Madeline began a master’s program in psychology working with Dr. Hung-Chu Lin in her Developmental Science Laboratory. There, she assisted Dr. Lin and the lab in exploring adverse childhood experiences, sexual self-esteem, and romantic attachments. In addition, Madeline worked with Dr. Lin on her thesis on discrimination based on gender and sexuality. Specifically, she explored how men’s perceived non-conforming gender expression and sexual orientation affect social distance and what factors mitigate and exacerbate this effect. Madeline and Dr. Lin are in the process of publishing her thesis and continue to collaborate on projects related to romantic attachment and non-conformity.
As a new student, Madeline looks forward to actively participating in her lab and its multiple research projects. She is especially excited to work on projects related to the developmental aspects of sexual health and religious identity, LGBTQIA+ college students’ relational and general well-being, and romantic relationship development. In addition, she hopes to pursue a graduate certificate in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Lastly, she looks forward to teaching and getting involved on campus through leadership positions and graduate school activities.
In her spare time, Madeline enjoys exploring restaurants, watching movies, and attending local festivals and farmer’s markets. She looks forward to exploring Connecticut and New England’s food and trails. Upon obtaining her Ph.D., Madeline aspires to become a professor and continue her research on sexuality and gender in relationships.
Tatiana Melendez-Rhodes, HDFS Alumni Spotlight, September 2022
Dr. Tatiana Melendez-Rhodes came to the United States as a Fulbright Scholar to pursue a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at the University of Connecticut in 2003. She continued her doctoral studies in Marriage and Family Therapy and graduated in 2010 from UConn. During graduate school Dr. Melendez-Rhodes gained professional experience as a researcher, teaching assistant, and clinician. In 2019, she pursued advanced training and received a Program Evaluation Graduate Certificate from UConn.
Through the years, Dr. Melendez-Rhodes has maintained a professional collaboration with Dr. Ronald Rohner on different projects related to Interpersonal Acceptance-Rejection Theory (IPARTheory). She became a participating member of UConn’s Ronald and Nancy Rohner Center for the Study of Interpersonal Acceptance and Rejection.
Dr. Melendez-Rhodes had previous professional experience as a psychologist in her native country of Peru. She taught graduate courses on marriage, family therapy, and supervision in universities in the United States, and has taught undergraduate courses in psychology and family and marriage therapy at universities in Peru. Dr. Melendez-Rhodes has worked in public hospitals, inpatient psychiatric hospitals, in private practice, and in outpatient mental health organizations in Connecticut, Oregon, Washington, and Peru. She has gained extensive clinical experience as a psychologist and marriage and family therapist and applies her knowledge and experience to her teaching and research.
Currently, Dr. Melendez-Rhodes is an Associate Tenured Professor and the Program Coordinator of the Marriage and Family Therapy Master’s Program in the Department of Counselor Education at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU). She previously served as a Clinical Coordinator at CCSU. She is very passionate about teaching, mentoring, and interacting with her students. Dr. Melendez-Rhodes has organized and developed international study abroad courses in her native country, Peru, for her CCSU students. As a faculty member, one of her primary goals is to train competitive and sensitive clinicians who will serve diverse communities to the best of their capacities.
In addition, Dr. Melendez-Rhodes is a licensed marriage and family therapist in Connecticut, a Clinical Fellow of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), and an AAMFT Approved Supervisor. She serves on the Board of the Connecticut Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (CTAMFT). Previously, she served as the Chair of the Ethics Committee and as a Minority Fellowship Program Mentor at AAMFT. She has presented her research in national and international conferences and published scholarly work in peer-reviewed journals.
Dr. Melendez-Rhodes resides in Simsbury with her husband and her son. She enjoys traveling abroad and knowing new people and cultures. She is very grateful for the strong education and support from her professors at UConn.
Mary Tabb Foley, HDFS Faculty Spotlight, September 2022
Mary Tabb Foley first joined the UConn community as an undergraduate student nearly twenty years ago. UConn was Mary’s first choice to pursue her undergraduate studies. As a Connecticut native, it felt like the right place to spread her wings while being close to home in a community not all that different from where she grew up. At the start of her time at UConn, Mary was hoping to become an elementary school teacher. However, fate was at play when a course in a major called Human Development & Family Relations with a fieldwork opportunity presented itself. This fieldwork experience was at the Child Development Labs on campus and Mary was asked to complete her fieldwork hours in the infant classroom. That first day at the Child Development Labs put Mary on a new trajectory to pursue a career she knew much less about but knew without a doubt that she found exactly where she was meant to be.
Mary often shares with students how this chance semester led her to a find and follow a new path for a fulfilling and enriching career in early childhood education. After graduating from UConn, Mary worked directly in community-based early childhood education programs in Hartford and Willimantic. As an early childhood teacher, Mary cared for and guided learning for infants, toddlers, and preschool-aged children. During this time, Mary found frequent opportunities to build on her professional calling by volunteering in professional organizations, including the Hartford Association for the Education of Young Children and the CT Association for the Education of Young Children. These experiences fueled her desire to lead and have a meaningful impact on the lives of young children and their families. As a lifelong learner, Mary quickly discovered that she wanted to pursue an advanced degree in education. Mary earned her Master of Arts, dual-degree in Early Childhood Education/Early Childhood Special Education from the University of Saint Joseph, and a CT State Teacher Certification focused on birth through kindergarten. At this time Mary began working directly with some of the youngest children in Connecticut in the CT Birth to Three system. Mary has always believed that shifting perspective to see the world through the children she is with has incredible outcomes to meet each child where they are and respond to their unique needs. With a shift out of the classroom settings, Mary spent just over five years in a statewide program called the Early Childhood Consultation Partnership (ECCP). The ECCP is a mental health consultation program designed to build the capacity of caregivers by offering support, education, and consultation, to support social/emotional needs of children birth to five in CT. This position gave Mary the opportunity to apply all aspects of her professional experience to engage the closest caregivers of young children. Mary’s professional opportunities have bridged the many roles that early childhood educators can have – providing high-quality education, supporting all aspects of development, and accessing community support to engage all of those important people in children lives.
In 2012, Mary followed what seemed to be fate, yet again, into another momentous opportunity and joined the UConn community on the Stamford Campus, as a lecturer and student program coordinator for the Early Childhood Specializations (ECS). This ECS was historically only offered at UConn Storrs for students in Human Development & Family Sciences. However, Mary introduced the specialization in Stamford to address the need for high-quality education for students looking to work with young children. After ten years in Stamford, Mary will continue within her role in HDFS and join the Storrs Campus as of Fall 2022.
Mary lives with her husband, two young sons and her dog, Nico, just over the state line in Longmeadow, MA. Mary is often busy with just life itself, finding ways to enjoy time with family and building a comfortable, loving home. However, her free time usually fills up with her other interests including reading, running, creating endless DIY projects, cooking/baking, organizing/finding ways to simplify life and dreaming up trips to places she will visit someday.
Kaleigh Ligus blogs on Medicare, patient care and policy impact
Check out HDFS grad student Kaleigh Ligus’ blog posts related to Medicare, Medicaid, policy impact, and more!
- Ligus, K. (2022). Medicare Advantage improves patient-centered care efficiency for older beneficiaries. Read blog here.
- Ligus, K. (2022). Medicaid expansion increased total physician visits but failed to bring in new physicians in early expansion states. Read blog here.
- Ligus, K. (2022). AHRQ Advances the Mission for Relevant, Effective Population Data. Read blog here.
- Ligus, K. (2022). Strategies for Maximizing Policy Impact. Read blog here.
- Ligus, K. & Caplan, J. (2022). Policymakers Need to Hear from Experts. Do You Know How to Reach Them? Read blog here.
Alum Wheeler DeAngelis works with BU colleagues to unionize
HDFS and Early Childhood alum Wheeler DeAngelis (2015), Infant/toddler mentor teacher at Boston University Children’s Center, worked with colleagues to vote to unionize the BU Children’s Center teachers. Learn more about these efforts here.
Laura Mauldin featured in UConn Today
Associate Professor Laura Mauldin featured in UConn Today for new website that provides solutions to everyday problems for disabled people and their caregivers. Read the article here.
Rachael Farina, articles featured in Forbes and Men’s Health
Graduate Student Rachael Farina was featured in an article by Forbes entitled, Commitment Issues: What You Need To Know, According To Experts. Read the Forbes article here. She was also featured in an article by Men’s Health entitled, A Growing Genre of Porn Can Teach You How to Be Better in Bed. Read the Men’s Health article here.
Preston Britner, HDFS Faculty Spotlight, August 2022
Dr. Preston Britner is a Professor of HDFS and currently serves as the Associate Department Head for Graduate Studies. “Brit” has been on the faculty at UConn since 1997, and he has been active in service roles at department, college, university, state, and national professional organization levels throughout his time in Storrs.
Brit was born in Washington, DC, and grew up in Virginia. He completed his BA in psychology at the University of Miami, where he also captained the varsity track team, and his MA and PhD in developmental psychology at the University of Virginia, where he contributed to studies of child-parent attachment, child care, and child maltreatment prevention.
At UConn, Professor Britner has researched a number of topics (e.g., attachment-caregiving relationships; youth mentoring; prevention programs) with a focus on the application of child development and parent-child family relationship theory and research to applied settings (i.e., translational science), geared toward the promotion of healthy interactions and the prevention of negative behavioral outcomes. Much of his current research focuses on interventions for families with children in foster care. Brit is examining the effectiveness of college preparatory programs for high school youth in foster care, as well as looking at eventual college attainment for youth in care (and what factors influence those educational outcomes). Since 2001, he has been involved with the study and refinement of the Supportive Housing for Families (SHF) housing and child welfare intervention for families with children in, or at risk for, foster care. SHF is a successful example of a community-based, family-focused intervention that was developed and studied collaboratively with state and nonprofit provider partners.
In addition to publishing two books and dozens of articles and chapters (most with student co-authors), Dr. Britner routinely testifies at state and federal hearings and briefings in Hartford and DC. He has served on numerous editorial advisory boards and was the Editor of The Journal of Primary Prevention (2005-2010). A Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA) since 2007, Brit served as Co-Chair of the Committee on Children, Youth, and Families, leading APA’s policy efforts related to children and families. In Connecticut, he was Co-Chair of the Families with Service Needs Advisory Board at the legislature, working to improve supportive services for “status offender” children and their families.
At UConn, Professor Britner has chaired the Faculty Review Board, the Faculty Standards and Student Welfare committees of the University Senate, the Planning and Evaluation Committee for university accreditation, and the Teaching and Learning advisory board. He was Co-Chair (2008-2012) of the Public Engagement Forum (and the lead author of UConn’s successful 2010 Carnegie Foundation “Community Engagement” classification application). He has been recognized as a University Teaching Fellow (2003) and with the AAUP Service Excellence Award (2011), the Philip E. Austin Endowed Chair (2013-2016; the first UConn HDFS faculty member to hold an endowed chair), the Provost’s Award for Excellence in Public Engagement (2015), and the Edward C. Marth Mentorship Award (outstanding mentoring of graduate students; 2019).
Brit resides in Hampton, CT, with his three children (a chemist, a college runner, and a high school soccer player) and two cats (Mabel and Thea).