Since graduating in 2008, Tonya has already made an impact in the world of early childhood education and her influence only continues to grow. She credits this success to her time in HDFS at UConn. Tonya came to UConn excited about majoring in HDFS with a concentration in Early Childhood Development and Education and participating in the work-study program at the UConn Child Development Labs. Her classwork with top-notch professors and mentors who weren’t afraid to be progressive, the hours she spent in the amazing Child Labs, and her years as president of the HDFS Undergraduate Committee, were foundational to her future success. Her study of child development, families, diversity, and curriculum set the stage for her advocacy for high-quality and equitable childcare across several states and settings. With a desire to dive more deeply into teacher certification to enable her to serve young children with special needs and in urban settings, Tonya completed a Master’s in Early Childhood Special Education from Southern Connecticut State University in 2012. Tonya strove to acquire a range of experiences to decide where she could have the most impact and to understand experiences of children in different socioeconomic and ability groups. Her full-time work was at a private school in the PreK program. During several summers and weekends, she worked at the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp for kids with chronic illnesses. She completed student teaching in urban settings within public school elementary classrooms as well as an inclusive Head Start classroom. During graduate school, Tonya completed a summer with Semester at Sea studying Multicultural Education to expand her understanding of early childhood education globally. Tonya then joined Teach For America in New Orleans to work on the complex and urgent educational inequity movement happening there. She started working in one of the most challenging schools in the city. Tonya then moved to a progressive charter management organization called ReNEW Schools where they were starting an early childhood program directly related to her graduate school work. She started in their first early childhood center that would feature classrooms with both students with special needs and typically developing students (often referred to as a collaborative model). Over her eight years with ReNEW, Tonya became Center Director, then Curriculum Specialist, then Instructional Coach for all early childhood programs, and then Director of Early Childhood Programs. Tonya led the original center as well as two additional centers she started with the organization, several public preschool and pre-k grant programs, and a city-wide early intervention program. Tonya led all programs to have high-quality scores on state-wide quality assurance measures ensuring positive early education outcomes that could change the trajectory of young children’s lives. Under her leadership, ReNEW Schools provided fair wages and full benefits for all full-time early childhood educators. Her high standards for herself, the teachers and leaders she mentored, and her programs were grounded in her early work in HDFS and at the Child Labs. She constantly seeks growth and learning for herself but her foundations for what is right for kids and what is possible for them is rooted in the content, mentoring, and experience that she received at UConn from mentors like Anne Bladen, Meg Galante-DeAngelis, Fabienne Doucet, and Kate Andrew.

In 2019, Tonya started a family and relocated to Pennsylvania where she started a consulting firm, Teach Reach Master Consulting, that serves childcare centers, school systems, and families nationally to provide training and coaching. She continues to stretch her impact at local and national levels through providing training to promote the implementation of high-quality interactions, higher-order thinking, and equity-based leadership. Tonya’s time at UConn allowed her to be outside of her comfort zone and lead others. Those challenges provided her the confidence and courage to continue to face larger challenges and adversity after college. She was mentored by women who held the bar high regarding interacting and teaching students to help them meet their highest potential every day. The experience, courage, and confidence she built at UConn, has helped Tonya influence many children and to ensure that ALL children have access to the highest quality of early childhood education.

Alum Sam Lawrence (PhD, ‘22), was awarded the RFS Award in Science for the best paper by a woman in science or underrepresented minority in a Liebert peer-reviewed journal. Sam’s paper Bullying involvement at the intersection of gender identity, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, and disability: Prevalence disparities and the protective power of school-related developmental assets” was published in LGBT Health, and can be found here: https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/lgbt.2023.0076

Cheryl Hilton, a UConn graduate from 1991 with a BS in Human Development and Family Relations (HDFR) with a concentration in social policy and public relations, has made significant contributions in various fields. During her time at UConn, Hilton was actively involved as a Husky Ambassador, Campus Tour Guide, and an active member of the H. Fred Simons African American Cultural Center.

After graduation Hilton embarked on a 14-year career in health and welfare insurance. However, her entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to service led her to pivot into real estate. Recognizing disparities in the industry she created the Greater Hartford Association of Realtors Bridge Committee, Connecticut’s first and longest running real estate diversity, equity, and inclusion committee. In 2016, she along with a committee member championed the reintroduction of Fair Housing Education as a mandatory, in-person continuing education requirement, earning her The Connecticut Fair Housing Empowering Communities Award.

In 2020, Hilton shifted her focus to continuing education curriculum creation and instruction. She was the key content creator and played a pivotal role in developing the groundbreaking course “Understanding and Preventing Bias in your Real Estate Practice,” which she taught to over 8,000 real estate licensees in 2021. Her impact extended beyond real estate. Hilton served two consecutive terms on the Greater Hartford Association of Realtors Board of Directors, two consecutive terms on the Connecticut Board of Directors, and served as a Commissioner of The Southington Housing Authority. In 2021, she received the prestigious Realtor of The Year award from the Greater Hartford Association of Realtors.

In the fall of 2023, Hilton transitioned to a hospital administrator’s position, managing the Community Health and Well Being Department at Saint Mary’s Hospital / Trinity Health Of New England in Waterbury, CT. Driven by a desire to make a difference, Hilton founded The Hilton Advocacy Group, LLC in 2010. Through this organization, she passionately advocates for K-12 students with Individual Education Programs (IEPs), 504 Plans, and those facing racial or LBGTQIA+ issues. In 2019 she joined RE-Center’s Race & Equity Board of Directors, where today she serves as the Board Secretary. Hilton’s commitment to service extends to her role as the current President of The Waterbury (CT) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated, where she has been a proud and active member since 2006.

Hilton resides in Southington, CT with her spouse and fellow UConn Alum Howard Campbell. She is the proud mother of Jared Campbell (RPI,’22, BArch) and Trent Campbell (UConn, Storrs Poli Sci Class of 2026).

Mamta is originally from India and moved to the United States in her late twenties. Before moving to the US, she received her master’s degree in child development from the University of Delhi and worked as a lecturer at MS University in Vadodara, Gujarat, as a consultant at IGNOU, and as a research assistant in the area of developmental disabilities at Lady Irwin College. After relocating to the US, she worked as a substitute teacher and afterschool director in California and a preschool teacher in Connecticut. These roles provided her with practical experiences and a socio-cultural systems perspective of the field.

In 2008, she joined the UConn HDFS Department. Under the supervision of Drs. Anne Farrell, Kari Adamsons, and Edna Brown, she completed her dissertation on the caregiving aspects of adult siblings of individuals with disabilities. Dr. Farrell also guided her in completing her fellowship – leadership education in neurodevelopmental and related disabilities (LEND) from UConn Health. She also worked with Dr. JoAnn Robinson to evaluate Early Head Start Programs which exposed her to field observations and coding as a method of study. After graduation in 2013, she was hired as a visiting assistant professor in UConn HDFS and taught undergraduate and graduate courses.

Mamta joined the State University of New York at Oswego Department of Human Development in 2016 as an assistant professor and was tenured and promoted to associate professor in 2021. She teaches courses on lifespan development, research methods, program evaluation, internships, diversity, equity, inclusion, siblings and extended family, and mental health issues. She spearheaded the department’s standardization of methods courses to align course objectives, activities, and assessments for data-driven practices, and evaluation of courses. The initiative resulted in revisions in course objectives and activities that promoted student success regardless of differing instructor effects.

Mamta also serves as co-chair of the sibling relationship focus group at the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) and as a program evaluation consultant for Sibshops – a program for siblings of individuals with disabilities. Her research includes mixed methods studies on sibling relationships and caregiving, caregiver’s mental health and caregiving patterns, program evaluation, and pedagogy. Her current research project aims to study trends in demands, family routines, coping, life satisfaction, and their influences on perceptions of stress in post-pandemic contexts. She was recently elected to chair the Family Science Conference 2025 in Costa Rica.

Mamta received the Best Presentation Award (May 2023) for her paper on  gender issues in navigating demands, family routines and stress during the pandemic at the World Conference for Women Studies in Singapore. She was also awarded the Cognella Innovation in Teaching Award for Family Science (Nov 2022) at NCFR.

Mamta has always been passionate about teaching and her experiences at both UConn and SUNY Oswego with students have encouraged her to experiment with innovative methods in teaching and have given her “big-picture thinking.” She continues to think of how teaching can be made more relevant, applied, effective, and efficient and mentor junior faculty to do the same. Ultimately, she would like to transition from a faculty to a leadership position in higher education that integrates DEISJ perspectives, curriculum development, and teaching/research on pedagogy. Mamta’s son is now in college and that leaves her with a lot of time for her hobbies, especially taking care of her vegetable garden in summer. When she is not teaching, she enjoys nature walks, gardening, cooking, sewing, and listening to podcasts on the neuroscience of meditation, focus, learning/motivation, and more.

Congratulations to Dr William J. Doherty (PhD ’78) on his 2024 retirement after 38 years on the faculty of University of Minnesota! Dr. Doherty is also a past president of NCFR.  Learn more about Dr. Doherty here: https://www.ncfr.org/news/william-j-doherty-will-retire-2024

Melissa Lovitz graduated in 2015 with a BA in HDFS and a minor in public policy. At UConn, she participated in the HDFS honors program, which was a highlight of her undergraduate experience. The major’s small cohort of honors students and the individualized attention from her thesis advisor, honors advisor, and teaching assistants were unforgettable. Her experience writing an undergraduate thesis was a catapult into a lifelong journey of studying and teaching about families and children. Her honors research focused on family engagement in education and used approaches inspired by community-based research that highlighted parents’ voices. Nearly 10 years later, she is still researching this topic!

After graduating from UConn, Melissa earned her master’s degree in urban education policy at Brown University. In addition to coursework, she interned with a parent advocacy group at a local charter school and helped teach parents the skills to testify at public hearings about school choice. She also worked on challenging traditional ideas about parent engagement. Relatedly, she published a paper on  urban parents’ school engagement. Melissa also gained valuable experience as a research and teaching assistant in Education. The research skills she gained at UConn made her a competitive applicant for these opportunities. She presented about family engagement in education at a national conference in collaboration with her undergraduate and graduate mentors. She also was able to use her HDFS background to bring a unique lens to understanding education policy; she was not satisfied with only averages and statistics, but wanted to be mindful of children and families as individuals. This challenge was what solidified her path in HDFS-related jobs and education moving forward.

After receiving her master’s degree, Melissa worked as a research study coordinator at the Brazelton Touchpoints Center. There, she learned from some of the best in the field – including Dr. Brazelton himself! – about supporting families and young children and the essential role of research in funding family and community programming and documenting child and family outcomes.

In 2018, Melissa joined the Tufts Child Study and Human Development Ph.D. program, where she worked with Dr. Ann Easterbrooks and Dr. Jayanthi Mistry to deepen her understanding of parenting and families. Her dissertation research focused on understanding the parent-teacher relationship in early childhood education. She used responses from teachers and parents to identify areas of convergence and divergence regarding their perceptions of that critical partnership. Her honors thesis advisor, Dr. Alaina Brenick, attended her dissertation defense, demonstrating the lasting relationships and advice she received from her UConn mentors. During her Ph.D. program, Melissa also developed a love for teaching. She moved from being a teaching assistant to a teaching fellow and finally to an adjunct professor at Boston College, strengthening her pedagogical skills and confirming her desire to pursue a career path in teaching in higher education.

In 2023, Melissa became a full-time HDFS faculty member at Queens College, where she can connect her passion for teaching and urban education with her vast knowledge and experience with HDFS. Melissa fondly remembers the compassion of her instructors and the relationships she built with faculty members at UConn – many of which are still strong today! She strives to be an approachable, caring, equity-minded educator and build authentic relationships with her students. Those relationships were so meaningful to her as an undergraduate, so she knows it’s important for her students, too!

Melissa lives in Queens, NY, with her two rabbits – Freyja and Oakley. She is a licensed foster care provider. She enjoys singing with her choir, attending Broadway shows, exploring green spaces around NYC, and finding unique coffee shops around the city. She is so proud of her time at UConn and grateful for all it inspired!

Suzanne came to UConn with a BS in psychology from Penn State University hoping to become a therapist. She enrolled in the UConn HDFS master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy program. She selected the Marriage and Family Therapy degree because it meant she wouldn’t have to get a Ph.D. to practice. The irony of course is she did get a Ph.D. at UConn in Family Studies with a specialization in Marriage and Family Therapy. Her time at UConn was foundational and challenging. She started the master’s program with no idea about HDFS or Marriage and Family Therapy and quickly, thanks to her professors, became immersed in both. She had worked in a research lab as an undergraduate but wasn’t passionate about research until taking the first research methods course in HDFS. From that she got the “research bug” and hasn’t looked back since. Although the thesis was optional in the MS program, she did a thesis, collecting her own data from multiple family members. She took courses with many of the professors, and Ron Sabatelli said he was particularly impressed with her work and asked if she would consider a Ph.D. She said yes, still not really knowing what she was going to do with her life. She completed the Ph.D. with Ron Sabatelli as her advisor, and Rob Ryder and Steve Anderson as her committee members. They were very supportive, and they wrote other manuscripts together. She had some publications when she completed her degree. She went off to “save the world” with research and got a position at a research contract firm in the DC area. She hated it, and through contacts at UConn, got the opportunity to be a visiting professor at Virginia Tech’s Falls Church campus in a Marriage and Family Therapy master’s program. As soon as she got back into academia and started to teach and mentor students, she knew she was where she belonged. Again, through contacts at UConn, she applied for and got her current position at The Ohio State University as a professor in their Couple and Family Therapy Program.

Suzanne has been with The Ohio State University for 32 years, she received tenure in 1997, and became a full professor in 2007. She became the program director for their accredited Ph.D. program in Couple and Family Therapy in 2003. Currently she holds this position and is working to have a new master’s program in Couple and Family Therapy accredited. Throughout her career she has published her research, taught courses at the undergrad and graduate level and supervised new clinicians. Whenever she starts a new manuscript she thinks about the lethal red pen of Steve Anderson and the comments and edits of Ron Sabatelli on her first few manuscripts at UConn. They taught her how to write, how to think and how to be critical of the literature. She has used those skills and passed them on to her own students. When she met Steve and Ron at conferences she would joke with them that they were now grandparents to her own students. Now she has her own “grandchildren” in terms of academic pedigree and she is continually grateful for the training she received at UConn. This training and her work culminated in her receipt of the 2023 Cumulative Contribution to Family Therapy Research Award from the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy. Suzanne was honored to receive this award.

Suzanne will be retiring in the next few years and hopes to paint and travel. Her time at UConn seems like a long time ago, but it shaped her and provided the foundation for her success.

Susana Herrera (BA ’18) is the new Program Coordinator of Connecticut CASA. Since her time at UConn, she earned an M.S. in counseling and worked at UConn as a Student Services Program Coordinator.

Amber Eddy-Martinez, a 2020 UConn graduate with a B.A. in HDFS, showcased her commitment to underprivileged youth during her time at UConn, contributing over 300 hours to a church-run early learning center in Norwalk, CT. Her engagement extended to UConn’s Husky for a Day program, where she provided prospective students with insight into academic programs.

Post-graduation, Amber excelled as a Lead Infant/Toddler Teacher at Dartmouth College’s Childcare Center, integrating nature and seasons into curriculum development. In 2021 she relocated to Denver, where she thrived at The Beehive and The Wonder Academy. At these private early learning centers, she gained exposure to employment-based childcare dynamics. Amber embraced a new challenge when she became the Infant Program Supervisor at The Wonder Academy, a Reggio-Emilia school in downtown Denver. This position expanded her expertise in childcare logistics, encompassing staff management, parent communications, and billing.

In March 2023, Amber transitioned to Auraria Early Learning Center as Operations Coordinator, overseeing children ages 1-5 and managing diverse responsibilities like social media, supply procurement, staff onboarding, and newsletters. Her journey reflects a passionate commitment to early childhood education.