Alumni
The department has alumni working in numerous child development fields such as policy, research, government, healthcare and education. Highlighted below are several of our graduates and the work that they are doing.
Dr. Rachel Schechter, AG13, is the founder of LXD Research, a research team at Charles River Media serving national and international clients that sell educational products in the U.S. Previously, she served as Director of Research at Lexia Learning and Vice President of Learning Sciences at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Anne Hentschel, AG24, has been accepted into the Fred Rogers' Productions Writers' Neighborhood.
Katrina Ho one of our recent 5 year graduates, A23, has just been offered a job with the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children's Hospital. Katrina will be Research Assistant at DWL, where she will be working to assist studies, coordinate IRB and CCI submissions, and crate data collection reports and analytical summaries, as well as contribute to articles researchers
in the lab are generating.
Graduating from Eliot-Pearson in 1992 under the mentorship of Professors Feldman and Feinberg, Dr. Jie-Qi Chen currently holds the Barbara Bowman Professorship in Early Childhood Education at Erikson Institute in Chicago. At Erikson she has served as Director of the doctoral program, Dean of Faculty, and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs. Dr. Chen successfully secured $28 million in program and research funding, co-authored and co-edited 18 books, and engaged in scholarly activities across five continents. She has been deeply committed to serving teachers and children in underserved schools and communities across Chicago for over 30 years. As the founder of the Early Math Collaborative at Erikson, she and her team have transformed the teaching and learning of early mathematics, empowering educators to prioritize foundational math learning and critical thinking skills. Previously served on the NAEYC Governing Board, and she currently serves as a Director for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
Connell Cloyd, A03, AG05, receives the 2024 Alumni Distinguished Achievement Award. Originally from Memphis, TN, Connell is a seasoned educator with almost two decades of experience. He holds degrees in Child Development (LA '03) and Education (BA '05) from Tufts University . Currently teaching middle school mathematics at the Henderson Inclusion School for 13 years, Connell believes in showcasing the real-life applications of math, ensuring his students grasp its significance in daily living...Read Full Bio
Rachel Katz, AG18, SRCD Policy Fellow Alum and Director of Research and Evaluation at Start Early, was the moderator at SRCD webinar on “How To Build Relationships with Policymakers,” in April.
Robyn Silverman, AG’04, PhD in Child Study and Human Development, was featured in a recent Tufts NOW article on Eight Ways to Raise Happier, Healthier Kids. She commented on way #8 Keep talking—and listening. Robyn is an expert in child development and communicating with children, offers tools to help you ace the challenge. Read full article in Tufts Now.
Steven Tran, AG'19 (he/him) is currently a fourth-year graduate student at the PGSP-Stanford Psy.D.Consortium. He recently matched for internship year at the Sepulveda VA in Los Angeles, CA, and will begin in July 2024. Steven is also an APA Minority Fellow 2023-2024. Read full article in our February/March 2024 newsletter.
A double major in Child Development and Art History, Sam Bissonnette, A13, is now a Los Angeles-based television writer specializing in comedy and animation. She is currently developing an animated comedy series for kids ages 6-11 for Mattel. Sam can be reached through her website at www.sambwrites.com/contact
Henderson Upper Math Teacher Wins National Teaching Award One of our own, Connell Cloyd, A03, AG05, receives national teaching award. Some of you may remember Connell Cloyd from both our undergrad and grad programs. For full story, click link: https://www.dotnews.com/2023/henderson-upper-math-teacher-wins-national-teaching-award
Robyn Silverman, AG’04, PhD in Child Study and Human Development wrote a new book that outlines the best ways to help kids open up about what's really on their minds. https://now.tufts.edu/2023/11/08/how-talk-your-kids-and-get-them-talk-you
Vi Nguyen, AG’23, MA in Child Study and Human Development, hopes to use research as a tool to create systemic change that positively impacts the lives of children and families. Read the full article here from the ASE Grad website: : https://asegrad.tufts.edu/news-events/news/power-research
Elena Sanchez de Varona, AG23, MA in Child Study and Human Development. Elena was interviewed back in May for the Commencement Spotlight. What’s your superpower? I’m empathetic. I can meet people where they are and help them with whatever they need in the moment to get to wherever they’re going next. For the full interview see https://now.tufts.edu/2023/05/01/meet-elena-sanchez-de-varona-ag23
Kim Austin, J92, has a newly published book on student-centered learning, “Small Shifts, Cultivating a Practice of Student-Centered Teaching.” Small Shifts showcases bright spot stories from innovative educators making small but impactful changes in their instruction and provides a framework for student-centered teaching and learning.
Laura Beals – Director, Department of Evaluation and Learning at Jewish Family and Children's Service
Laura is an evaluator with expertise in research methods and management in nonprofit settings. She is currently the Director of the Department of Evaluation and Learning at a human service agency in Boston.
Brian Burkhard – Senior Research Analyst at EVERFI
Brian first started working as a public school therapist before transitioning to graduate school to pursue a PhD at Eliot-Pearson. He currently works on EVERFI's research team to drive social change to 30+ million learners worldwide.
Meere Menon – Associate Director of Research and Evaluation at NICHQ
Meera received her Ph.D. from Eliot-Pearson in 2019 and now works as a Associate Director at NICHQ. In her role, Meera contributes to applied research initiatives focused on ensuring children's optimal health.
Dylan Portelance – Product Manager at Google
After graduating from Tufts with his Master's in Child Study and Human Development in 2015, Dylan went on to become a Product Manager for Google.
Sophie Simkin – Implementation Lead at Panorama Education
Sophie's role focuses on using data to improve the lives of children and families in the United States, with a specific focus on the social-emotional health and development of young children.
Christina Zagarino – User Experience Researcher at Google
After graduating from Tufts with a Master's in Child Study and Human Development, Christina has gone on to serve in a plethora of different roles – from Senior Associate at Strategy Insight Group to Content Producer at Speakaboos to her current position at User Experience Researcher at Google.
Taylor Levesque – Assistant Program Manager for Child Services at MGH Aspire
Taylor is an experienced group leader and emerging program manager with a demonstrated history of working in the healthcare and education industries.
Anneli Hershman – Research Assistant and PhD Candidate at MIT Media Lab
After earning a Master's in Child Study and Human Development at Tufts in 2015, Anneli went on to pursue a PhD at the MIT Media Lab. She currently studies the development of educational technology and the development of universal curriculums that target all types of learners.