Dr. Grisham is Professor in the Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education program at the University of Kentucky, Lexington. She received her doctorate in education from the University of Kentucky. She is also Faculty Director of the Early Childhood Laboratory at the University of Kentucky, an inclusive early childhood program for children from birth to 5 years of age.
Dr. Grisham has directed research projects on topics including linking assessment and instruction, early care and education program quality, and individualizing instruction for young children with disabilities. In addition, she has conducted research on the effectiveness of instructional procedures that are embedded into developmentally appropriate activities, the application of multi-tiered systems of support in early childhood settings, and coaching teachers and caregivers to implement evidencebased instructional strategies with fidelity. Dr. Grisham is Project Director for the Kentucky Deaf-Blind Project, which provides technical assistance to families and service providers of infants, toddlers, children, and youth with deaf-blindness. She coauthored a book titled Reach for the Stars: Planning for the Future (with D. Haynes; American Printing House for the Blind, 2013), which is used to support families of young children in planning for their children’s future and articulating their priorities to educational team members, as well as Blended Practices for Teaching Young Children in Inclusive Settings, Second Edition (with M. L. Hemmeter; Brookes Publishing Co., 2017), and Assessing Young Children in Inclusive Settings: The Blended Practices Approach (with K. Pretti-Frontczak; Brookes Publishing Co., 2011).
Finally, Dr. Grisham directed the nationwide field test for AEPS-3. Dr. Grisham is frequently asked to provide professional development to state departments of education, universities, and local education agencies on topics for which she conducts research throughout the country. Dr. Grisham is co-founder of a children’s home and preschool program in Guatemala City, Hope for Tomorrow, where she accompanies students for the education abroad program. Dr. Grisham also works internationally in other locations to promote inclusion of young children with disabilities.
Mary Louise Hemmeter, Ph.D., is Professor in the Department of Special Education at Vanderbilt University. Her research focuses on effective instruction, social-emotional development, challenging behavior, and on coaching teachers.
She has been a principal investigator (PI) or co-PI on numerous projects funded by the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services. Through her work on the National Center on Social Emotional Foundations for Early Learning and Institute of Education Sciences (IES)–funded research projects, she was involved in the development of the
Pyramid Model for Supporting Social Emotional Competence in Young Children and practice-based coaching, a model for supporting teachers in implementing effective practices.
She is currently the PI on on an IES–funded development project on programwide supports for implementing the
Pyramid Model, a co-PI on an IES developmental project on implementing the Pyramid Model in infant–toddler settings, and a co-PI on an IES efficacy study examining approaches to supporting teachers in implementing embedded instructions.
She is a co-author on the Connect4Learning Early Childhood Curriculum and the Teaching Pyramid Observation Tool (TPOT™). She was a coeditor of the
Journal of Early Intervention and President of the Council for Exceptional Children’s Division for Early Childhood (DEC). She received the Merle B. Karnes Service to the Division Award and the Mary McEvoy Service to the Field Award.
Pamela J. Winton, a Senior Scientist at Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, has been involved in research, outreach, technical assistance, professional development, and scholarly publishing related to early childhood for the last three decades. Winton has directed multiple national TA centers over the last two decades including the National Center on Professional Development on Inclusion (NPDCI), whose purpose was to work with states to create a cross-agency system of high quality professional development (PD) for early childhood teachers; and CONNECT, bringing an evidence-based practice approach to professional development in key early childhood content areas. Winton has published numerous books, articles, chapters, and curricula on topics related to professional development, collaboration, systems change, family-professional partnerships, and inclusion. She has served on national, state and local advisory boards, review panels, and been recognized by local, state and national awards.
Marilou Hyson, Ph.D., is a national and international consultant in early childhood development and education. Formerly Associate Executive Director of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), Marilou's professional work and publications have focused on social and emotional development, children's approaches to learning, and early childhood teacher education. Marilou was an SRCD Fellow in the US Department of Education and Professor and Chair of the University of Delaware's Department of Individual and Family Studies. She currently serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors at the Foundation for Child Development.
Dr. Kristie Pretti-Frontczak is a highly sought-after speaker, accomplished author, and educators’ educator. With nearly three decades of educational experience, Kristie cultivates real change within educational systems. She instills an impressive sense of joy, humor, and fun in creating inclusive educational practices and empowering teachers and leaders to spread wellness both in and beyond the classroom walls. Along with Dr. Julie Causton, at Inclusive Schooling, Kristie designs and delivers transformative professional development that addresses and supports the wholeness of the adult professional and helps leaders create school cultures that ensure all children experience a sense of belonging. Kristie spent 16 years, as faculty, at Kent State University and has published extensively in peer-referenced journals and is an author of over 10 books and monographs. Since 2013 she has followed her true passion, which is supporting adult learners. As a result, she has accumulated over 50,000 hours of helping educators and leaders work from a place of compassion, hope, and love in locations from Cincinnati to Singapore. She currently resides in Northeastern Ohio. You can learn more about Kristie and Inclusive Schooling at www.inclusiveschooling.com.
Check out our spotlight on Kristie Pretti‐Frontczak! Discover bestselling books, an engaging webinar recording on inclusion, and download a free classroom poster! Anna H. Hall, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education in the Eugene T. Moore School of Education at Clemson University. She earned her Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education from the University of Kentucky.
Sarah Hawkins-Lear, Ed.D. is Associate Professor at Morehead State University. She received her Ed.D. in Moderate to Severe Disabilities from the University of Kentucky.
Julie Harp Rutland, M.S. is Assistant Professor of Early Childhood, Elementary, and Special Education at Morehead State University. She is a Ph.D. candidate in Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education at the University of Kentucky.
Dr. Artman-Meeker is an associate professor of early childhood special education at the University of Washington (UW) and Director of Research at the UW Haring Center for Inclusive Education. She has led state, local, and national training on preventing challenging behavior and promoting social skills. Her training, product development, and scholarship focus on the diverse teachers, children, and families in urban and rural communities served by Head Start, Early Head Start, and military child care. Her main area of research is effective and efficient forms of professional development for early educators.
Elizabeth McLaren, Ed.D. is Associate Professor of Education in the Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education program at Morehead State University. She earned her Ed.D. from the University of Kentucky.
Ragan H. McLeod, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor in the Department of Special Education and Multiple Abilities at the University of Alabama. She received her Ph.D. in Special Education from Vanderbilt University.
Jill F. Grifenhagen, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor at North Carolina State University. Dr. Grifenhagen earned her Ph.D. from Peabody College of Education and Human Development at Vanderbilt University.
Lillian Durán, has a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Minnesota and is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Special Education and Clinical Sciences at the University of Oregon. Her research focuses on improving instructional and assessment practices with preschool-aged dual language learners (DLLs). She is currently a Co-Principal Investigator on an IES Goal 5 measurement grant to develop a Spanish version of the Individual Growth and Development Indicators (S-IGDIs) an early language and literacy general outcome measure for screening and progress monitoring in preschool.
Dr. Jessica K. Hardy is currently Assistant Professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Hardy received her doctorate in early childhood special education from Vanderbilt University and her M.Ed. and BA from the University of Florida. She taught in Portland, Oregon, as a Head Start teacher and an early childhood special education teacher. Dr. Hardy’s primary research interests are evidence-based instructional practices and early childhood coaching and professional development.
