GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY - Key Persons
Amber Sansbury, M.Ed, graduated from Georgia State University with a Middle East Studies degree in 2009. Amber then began organizing with the Georgia Close Up Foundation and the Democratic Party of Georgia. Her passion for politics, culture, and empowering marginalized communities moved her international studies into local political action. She would go on to be work for State Rep. Roger Bruce (D-Atlanta) and, later, advocate with labor unions representing educators. In 2015, Amber begun policy work in Maryland around the new QRIS system for family child care providers; implementing a local collective bargaining agreement for a local teacher's union; serving on the Two-Way Immersion Implementation team for Montgomery County Public Schools elementary schools; and responding to bias-related incidents in MCPS schools. Most recently, Amber worked as a Senior Policy Analyst with the National Education Association on ESSA implementation in the areas of school readiness and family engagement while completing her Master's in Early Childhood Education Curriculum & Instruction for Diverse Learners at George Mason University. Today, she is a graduate research assistant supporting the Amigas de la Comunidad project and the African American project in Alexandria; Amber is working towards a PhD in Early Childhood Education and Education Policy.
Beth Davis, MA, works to address education equity for immigrant and undocumented students from PK-16. Her previous work in Prince George's County Public Schools included working closely with newcomer students and their families by increasing wraparound service delivery at school, developing community partnerships, enhancing family-friendly school policy and engagement, and leading college and career programs for first generation students. Beth served on the Prince George's County Public School's Latino Engagement Advisory Committee and has worked with several coalitions in the DMV area to advocate for policy reforms to support the educational needs of immigrant youth. Beth previously worked in Guatemala with indigenous women's cooperatives throughout the country, and has conducted research and led educational programs in El Salvador. Beth holds a MA in International Affairs and an M.Ed in Minority & Urban Education. She is currently working towards a PhD in Education Policy at George Mason University where she is a graduate research assistant supporting the Amigas de la Comunidad project.
Canaan Bethea is working towards a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology at George Mason University. His prior educational experiences include earning a Masters degree in Educational Psychology from George Mason, and earning a Bachelors degree in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. Professionally, Canaan Served as an Assistant Wrestling Coach at George Mason for two seasons. Before coming to George Mason Canaan was the Assistant Director of Mentoring for Beat The Streets Philadelphia. While serving in that role Canaan co-founded the Trenton Youth Wrestling Program, which provides wrestling, tutoring, and mentoring to under-privileged youth at no cost. Some of Canaan's ultimate goals are to combine knowledge in sports, psychology, and self-regulation to create interventions that uplift underprivileged youth and help to narrow the achievement gap.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education and Human Development
Colleen K. Vesely, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education and Human Development and Family Science at George Mason University. Dr. Vesely uses a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach to understand immigrant and refugee families' experiences of trauma and resilience, and how these experiences shape families' navigation and negotiation of parenthood, including experiences with the early care and education system. A second area of work, funded by the Center for the Advancement of Well-being at George Mason University is focused on early childhood education teachers' ecosystemic well-being, and how this shapes teachers' interactions with young children. Dr. Vesely's work is published in Early Childhood Research Quarterly, Journal of Family Theory and Review, Early Education and Development, Educational Psychology Review, Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Journal of Counseling and Development, Journal of Children and Poverty, and the Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences. Her work has been funded by the Office for Child Care in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as a Child Care Scholar, as well as the Bruhn Morris Family Foundation and the Bernard van Leer Foundation.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor of the Human Development
Bethany Letiecq, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of the Human Development and Family Science program at George Mason University. Dr. Letiecq employs community-based participatory and action research approaches to conduct research in partnership with underserved and under-resourced families to promote culturally-responsive, strengths-based interventions and social justice. Currently, she is working with immigrant Latinas from Central America and African American women to build community-university partnerships and delineate pathways to resilience and wellbeing. Dr. Letiecq teaches courses on family law and public policy and relationships and family systems. She serves as an associate editor for the Journal of Family Issues and has published her research in such professional outlets as Family Relations, Fathering, Journal of Family Issues, Journal of Intergenerational Relationships, Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, and Health Education and Behavior. She is affiliated with the National Council on Family Relations, the American Sociological Association, and the American Public Health Association.
Elizabeth DeMulder, Ph.D., is Professor of Education and Academic Program Coordinator of Transformative Teaching (TT), a professional development Masters degree program for practicing teachers at George Mason University. She earned a Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from St. Johns College, Cambridge University. Dr. DeMulder was a Staff Fellow at the National Institute of Mental Health and joined George Mason University in 1994 under the auspices of the National Science Foundations Visiting Professorships for Women Program. Dr. DeMulder's research concerns the study of interpersonal relationships in educational contexts, risk and protective conditions in children's development and early education, and teacher professional development focusing on critical pedagogy and social justice issues. She has been involved in community-based action research in South Arlington, where she developed a family-centered preschool program for low-income, immigrant families as a university/community partnership. Dr. DeMulder co-edited a book entitled Transforming Teacher Education: Lessons in Professional Development (Bergin and Garvey, 2001) and has published her research in a variety of professional journals, including Child Development, Developmental Psychology, the Journal of Praxis in Multicultural Education, the Journal of Curriculum and Instruction, and Reflective Practice.
Marlene Marquez, MSW, completed her bachelor's degree in Social Work in 2015 and completed her MSW degree from George Mason University in 2017. She works as a community organizer on the Amigas de la Comunidad project, a community-based participatory research project in partnership with undocumented immigrant families in the DC-metro region. She worked as a family support worker with The Child and Family Network Centers in Alexandria prior to graduate school. Now she works as a caseworker with Alexandria Department of Community and Human Services. Her work and interests focus on vulnerable populations such as homeless, immigrant families and children. She has a great interest in family reunification since she experienced this herself. She hopes to continue to work with immigrant families on the issue of reunification and help to address the many ways in which separation and reunification affect children and parents.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor in the Counseling and Development
Rachael D. Goodman, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Counseling and Development Program at George Mason University. Dr. Goodman's interests focus on social justice issues in counseling, with an emphasis on trauma counseling, including historical/transgenerational trauma, systemic oppression/marginalization, immigrants and refugees, and disaster response/community outreach. Her research and clinical work has included outreach and trauma counseling among marginalized populations, particularly in communities that have experienced oppression or natural/human-made disaster. Dr. Goodman has disseminated her work through peer-reviewed publications and presentations at local, national, and international conferences. Dr. Goodman served on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Mental Health Counseling (JMHC) and as the Editor for the special issue of JMHC on Trauma Counseling and Interventions. She currently serves on the Editorial Board for the Journal for Social Action in Counseling and Psychology. She is President (2017-2018) of Counselors for Social Justice, a division of the American Counseling Association.