Lindsey Allen (they/she)
I am a former middle school ESL teacher/inclusionist. My current research explores student-centered educational experiences and liberatory teacher education pedagogy. My work centers queer of color epistemologies and critical research frameworks.
Amanda Cataneo (she/ella/ela)
Amanda Cataneo (she/ella/ela) is a PhD student specializing in Applied Linguistics and Language Education. Her research interests include teacher education, teachers in dual language programs, and humanizing and culturally responsive pedagogies. She currently supervises teacher interns in the University of Maryland TESOL program. She formerly taught in dual language schools in Denver, Boston, and Washington, DC. She led district-wide professional development for dual language teachers and has consecutively served as the instructional coach for an ESOL summer newcomer program for the past two years.
Jessica Crawford (she/her)
Jessica Crawford (she/her) is a PhD student in Applied Linguistics and Language Education. Her research interests include TESOL teacher education, the literacy and biliteracy development of multilingual youth, and asset-based, culturally sustaining pedagogies. She was previously an elementary teacher, ESOL specialist, and she also taught English abroad in Tajikistan, Ecuador, and Taiwan.
Mel Hardy (she/they)
Mel Hardy (she/they) is a PhD student in the Teacher Education and Professional Development specialization. Her research focuses on induction and retention of teachers representing marginalized identities and university partnerships with school-site mentor teachers. Prior to her work at the University of Maryland, she served as a middle and high school ELA and drama teacher. She also served as the English Department Chairperson for DeKalb County, where she helped to compose writing-based curricula, and partnered with the Kennesaw Mountain branch of the National Writing Project to present her research to the National Council of Teachers of English. Mel has earned a M.A.T. at Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA, and a B.A. at Clark University in Worcester, MA.
Doug McNamara (he/him)
Doug McNamara (he/him) is a PhD student in the Teacher Education/Professional Development specialization. He is a former high-school mathematics teacher in Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS) and Montgomery County Public Schools. At UMD, he has taught Foundations of Education (TLPL 360), worked as a research assistant evaluating the effectiveness of instructional coaching, as well as served as a supervisor for prospective math teachers during their student teaching. He holds a BA in Religious Studies and Government from the College of William and Mary and an M.Ed from the University of Maryland, College Park in Education.
Elizabeth C. Reynolds (she/her)
Elizabeth (she/her) is a PhD student in TLPL with a specialization in Teacher Education and Professional Development. She studies civic online reasoning, history and social studies education, and teacher education. A former middle school humanities teacher, Elizabeth earned her B.A. in Politics from Ursinus College and her M.Ed. in Teaching, Learning, and Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania.
Danielle Gervais Sodani (she/her)
Danielle Gervais Sodani (she/her) currently serves as the Director of the Institute for Innovation and Education in the School of Education at American University. As the director, she cultivates partnerships with educational organizations in DC, nationally, and internationally to jointly conduct educational and translational research and implement research-informed professional development initiatives. She has served as the administrative director for externally funded projects supporting teacher preparation and professional development including projects from the U.S. Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, and the DC Office of the State Superintendent. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Teacher Education/Professional Development. Her research interests focus on how Research-Practice Partnerships encourage the use of research by school leaders and teachers in order to support equitable educational outcomes for students.