Stephen M. Gavazzi graduated in 1986 with his master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy prior to completing his Family Studies doctorate in 1991. Upon graduation, he accepted a position at The Ohio State University, where he has remained for the past 30 years. For many years, Steve’s scholarship remained closely connected to two of his committee members – UConn professor emeritus Steve Anderson and UConn professor emeritus Ron Sabatelli – with a strong focus on issues pertaining to families with adolescents. After publishing 50+ articles on this topic, Steve’s first book – Families with Adolescents: Bridging the Gaps Between Theory, Research, and Practice – was published by Springer Press in 2011. His service in two administrative positions – as Director of The Ohio State University’s Center for Family Research and Dean of Ohio State’s Mansfield regional campus – ignited an interest in the topic of land-grant universities, with a special emphasis on the community engagement activities that are embedded in the land-grant mission. Steve’s first book on this topic – Land-Grant Universities for the Future: Higher Education for the Public Good – was co-authored by West Virginia University president E. Gordon Gee and published by Johns Hopkins University Press in 2018. A second book on the public’s perceptions of higher education – titled What’s Public About Public Higher Ed? – written by Gavazzi and Gee will be published by Johns Hopkins University Press in early fall 2021. Most recently, Steve has focused his attention on the debt that land-grant universities across the country owe to Native American tribes. That is, the “land” in “land-grant” came from broken treaties and acts of violence perpetrated on Indigenous peoples. This “Original Sin” of the land-grant universities is the subject of several new publications that Steve has written. Currently, he is leading a research project that engages Tribal Leaders in discussions about the reparative actions that land-grant universities can take in service to healing the harm caused by these historical atrocities.

Congratulations to Dr. Nicholas Koberstein (Ph.D., 2016), who received the 2021 Award for Outstanding First-Year Student Advocate from the National resource Center (NRC) for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition. Dr. Koberstein is the Founding Associate Professor of Child and Family Studies at Keuka College. Learn more about Dr. Koberstein and the award here: https://www.keuka.edu/blog/keuka-college-professor-receives-national-first-year-student-advocate-award

Amanda Blazka graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree with Honors in Human Development and Family Sciences and a specialization in Early Childhood Development in the Spring of 2019. Given her passion about understanding human development from multiple perspectives, she pursued her Master’s degree at Northeastern University in Criminology and Criminal Justice. At Northwestern, she combined her undergraduate background in lifespan development and family functioning with her graduate studies that had a research emphasis on evidence-based policy, education policy, and early prevention. While at Northeastern University, Amanda worked with the Center on Crime and Community Resilience as a field researcher, supporting the organization’s mission to help disadvantaged communities with impactful policy solutions through research. Most recently, Amanda has served as a College and Career Strategy Intern for the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (RIDE) where she primarily supports programs stemming from the PrepareRI initiative that prepares all youth in Rhode Island with the skills they need to excel in college and/or a career upon graduation. Amanda believes that her academic pursuits have led her full circle, providing her with an understanding of the support people need to develop positively and the outcomes that could result for individuals if the system is not supportive. After graduating from Northeastern in December, 2020, Amanda was excited to continue working with RIDE as an Early Learning Education Specialist, where she supports the state of Rhode Island’s expansion of high-quality Universal Pre-K.

Mayor De Blasio appointed Margaret Forgione (’89, Stamford) as Acting Transportation Commissioner to NYC.

Two HDFS alumni, Constanza Cabello (’08) and Fahd Vahidy (’95) were panelists in #ThisIsAmerica: Exploring the History of Racism at UConn.  More information can be found here.

Annika Anderson graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Sciences in the spring of 2020 and completed the Early Childhood Specialization program. As an HDFS student, she received the 2019 Clyde A. Jones Scholarship in Human Development and Family Sciences and the 2020 Outstanding Senior Award. Annika is passionate about studying the dynamic relationship between early education and lifelong health outcomes.

Annika loved the Early Childhood Specialization program because it challenged her to consider how relationships, play, curriculum design, and other environmental factors influence the development of the whole child. She spent two semesters doing her practicum in the infant and toddler classrooms, applying her coursework to practical experience. These classes helped her develop confidence, that she describes as the highlight of her undergraduate career. As a former biology major, Annika was drawn to the Early Childhood Specialization program because of its multidisciplinary nature, the fact that the program pushed her to think in ways that she otherwise wouldn’t, and its consideration of child development as both a science and an art. Annika describes the program as the perfect avenue for students who are interested in working with children in their future careers.

Stemming from her involvement in the program, Annika has worked for the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in New York City as both an intern and a contracted early childhood consultant. This work included involvement in early childhood development projects, including Ahlan Simsim, a collaborative humanitarian initiative created by the IRC and Sesame Workshop (funded by LEGO and the McArthur Foundation). Annika is currently pursuing her Master’s Degree in Public Health at UConn. She largely draws from her experiences, skills and knowledge from the UConn Early Childhood Specialization program to continue studying early childhood development education and health.

Jonelle A. Reynolds, Ph.D (pronouns: she/her/hers), is the Director of Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives in the UConn Office for Diversity and Inclusion. In her role, she develops, manages, and supports data-driven diversity and inclusion strategies for the University of Connecticut system, including the regional campuses and UConn Health. She identifies gaps in resources and trainings, then works in partnership with community stakeholders (i.e., faculty, staff and students) to meet those needs. In addition, Jonelle supervises the Native American Cultural Programs. She also a certified facilitator in cultural intelligence and managing unconscious bias.

Jonelle earned a doctorate in Human Development and Family Sciences at UConn, a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Oklahoma State University, and a bachelor’s degree in Business Journalism at Baruch College [CUNY]. Her clinical and research experiences have afforded her the opportunity to work with diverse populations and levels of need.

Haley Hamlin graduated from UConn in 2015 with a degree in Human Development and Family Studies.  After several years of serving as head counselor of Kindercamp at the Holiday Hill Day Camp in Mansfield Center, CT, Haley is currently employed year-round at Harvard’s Botanical Gardens Early Childhood Learning Center, in Cambridge, MA.

Sara K. Johnson, Assistant Professor in the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development at Tufts University, has been awarded the Evans Family Assistant Professorship. This professorship recognizes one outstanding junior faculty in the School of Arts and Sciences, with preference for faculty conducting research to advance our understanding of cognition, human development, and learning. Sara received her Ph.D. in HDFS at UConn (major advisor: Preston Britner) in 2012.

Dr. Erin Donohue accepted a Visiting Assistant Professor position in the psychology department at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University.