Sponsored by UNC

Our Staff


Lead Project Investigator
Lynne Vernon-Feagans, Ph.D.
The William C. Friday Distinguished Professor & Coordinator of Early Childhood, Intervention and Literacy
Professor of Psychology
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Dr. Lynne Vernon-Feagans is the William C. Friday Distinguished Professor of Education at UNC-Chapel Hill. She has studied the development of young children for over 25 years. Her numerous articles and books on topics including otitis media, school readiness, and language and literacy skills have been cited in The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Parents’ Magazine and other media outlets.
Phone: 919.966.5484
Email: lynnevf@email.unc.edu
Penn State Project Co-Investigator
Mark Greenberg, Ph.D.
Bennett Chair of Prevention Research
Director, Prevention Research Center
The Pennsylvania State University
Dr. Greenberg is Director of The Prevention Research Center for the Promotion of Human Development (http://www.prevention.psu.edu). The Prevention Center aims to promote the well-being of children and youth and to reduce the prevalence of high risk behaviors and poor outcomes for children, families and communities. View a listing of Dr. Greenberg's research projects.
Phone: 814.863.0112
Email: mxg47@psu.edu
Executive Committee
Martha J. Cox, Ph.D.
Dr. Martha Cox is the Director of the Center for Developmental Science and Professor of Psychology at UNC-Chapel Hill. She has studied children and their families for over 25 years. Her numerous books and articles have been cited in publications such as Newsweek, Time, Parent Magazine, The New York Times, and The Durham Herald-Sun.
Phone: 919.966.3509
Email: coxm@email.unc.edu
Nan Crouter , Ph.D.
Dr. Nan Crouter is the Director of the Center for Work and Family Research and Professor of Human Development at Penn State University.
Phone: 814.985.2647
Email: ac1@psu.edu
Project Co-Directors:
Patricia Garrett-Peters, Ph.D., UNC
Email: garrettp@email.unc.edu
Roger Mills-Koonce, Ph. D., UNC
Email: rmk@email.unc.edu
Maureen Ittig, Ph.D, PSU
Email: mpi2@psu.edu
Administration
Akua Jackson
Data Manager/Site Coordinator
UNC: Goldsboro, NC
Phone:1-800-514-3982
Email: alteague@email.unc.edu
Sarah Richardson
Project Administrator
UNC: Chapel Hill, NC
Phone: 919-843-0437
Email: scrichar@email.unc.edu
Alison Quade
Social Research Specialist
UNC: Chapel Hill, NC
Phone: 919-962-7372
Email: aquade@email.unc.edu
Cathy Jantzer
Site Coordinator
PSU: University Park, PA
Phone: 814-865-1573
Email: ckj1@psu.edu
Michael Coccia
Data Manager
PSU: University Park, PA
Phone: 814-863-1321
Email: mac373@psu.edu
Support Staff
Devon McChesney
Staff Assistant
PSU: University Park, PA
Phone: 814-865-3581
Email: ddm129@psu.edu
Sean McCurry
DVD Manager and Web Designer
PSU: University Park, PA
Phone: 814-865-8246
Email: smm48@psu.edu
  • UNC Home and School Visitors

The UNC Home Visitors
Front row: Janice Ray and Kathleen Lunsford
2nd row: Alice Young, Ann King, Akua Jackson, Malerie Young and Alfreda Faircloth
Last row: Sheena Jacobs, Gwen Faircloth and Lalia Dixon

  • All of our staff have state and federal clearances.
  • Staff TB testing is up-to-date.
  • All of our staff have extended experience working with children, many have experience working in schools and some have even been teachers themselves.
  • Forty to fifty hours of training at each time point, consisting of:
    • Reading training manuals
    • Observing, learning and practicing individual tasks
    • Making certification tapes and/or live certifying on individual tasks
    • Observing, learning and practicing whole visits
    • Live certifying on home visits
    • Cross-site videoconferencing (between Penn State and UNC)
    • Cross-site travel for training and observation
About UNC's Home and School Visitors
Janice Ray
Janice Ray has been with the project since 2005. She has conducted home visits and child assessments in the school. She enjoys seeing the children in the project grow up. It is exciting to see how much they have matured from the first visit and how some even remember staff. The job is very rewarding for Janice in that it affords her an opportunity to meet so many different people. She loves her job.
Kathleen Lunsford
Kathleen Lunsford began working for the Family Life Project in early 2004 and initially did 2 month home visits. Since then she has been both a home visitor (seeing families at the 24, 36, and 48 month periods) and a childcare/school visitor (doing 6 month childcare through kindergarten visits). She enjoys the opportunity to meet so many different families and especially likes seeing and interacting with the same children as they get older.
Alice Young
Alice Young has been with the project since 2005. She conducted both home and school visits. As a former teacher, she really loves keeping in contact with the community and families. Her experience with the project has been very rewarding and exciting.
Ann King
Ann King began working for the project in 2003. She began recruiting families through birth records. She currently tracks families that move and fills in any area that she is needed.
Akua Jackson
Akua Jackson began working for the project in 2004. She is presently the Data Manager/Site Coordinator for the NC site but began as a home visitor at the 6 Month Home Visit. She has a background in Psychology and has worked on various research projects. She enjoys getting to know each family and watching the children develop.
Malerie Young
Malerie Young is the mother of a beautiful little girl named Joy who is the love of her life. She has been with the study since 2007 and loves every moment of it. She began as a home visitor at the 35 Month Home Visit. She has also done child care and school visits. She is looking forward to all the future visits.
Alfreda Faircloth
Alfreda Faircloth has been with the project since 2004. She has done each assessment since the 6 Month Home Visit, as well as contacting participants for a brief follow up phone call. She has a background in Early Childhood Education. She enjoys visiting the families and seeing the growth of the children.
Sheena Jacobs
Sheena Jacobs has been with the project since 2006. She graduated from Mount Olive College with a BS in Psychology. She thought the Family Life Project would enhance her experience in the psychology field and she feels that it has. She has learned a lot about the families in the project and their varied dynamics.
Gwen Faircloth
Gwen Faircloth has been with the project since August 2003. She started out recruiting potential participants and eventually became a home visitor. For Gwen, it has been a pleasure watching the children grow up visit-to-visit. She thanks all of the parents for inviting FLP into their homes and treating home visitors like family.
Lalia Dixon
Lalia Dixon began working for the project in 2004. Initially she was recruiting potential participants. She later became a home visitor and has seen families at each assessment period since the 6 Month Home Visit. She has also conducted School Assessments and Observations. She gained experience working on various research projects, nothing in comparison to FLP. Her experience with the Family Life Project has been rewarding because of the many families she has come to know and visit. The project has given her the opportunity to see the kids grow and develop. She counts it as a real joy to work with the families and to see the positive changes taking place in many of their lives. She looks forward to seeing the continual growth and development of the children in the study.

  • PSU Home and School Visitors

    • The PSU Home Visitors
    Left to right. Top: Amy Adams, Brandy Harpster, Ang Hall, Gwen Kreamer; Bottom: Cathy Jantzer, Chris Carney, Maureen Ittig, Katie France

    • All of our staff have state and federal clearances, including the Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance, FBI background check and the Pennsylvania State Police criminal record check (PATCH).
    • Staff TB testing is up-to-date.
    • All of our staff have extended experience working with children, many have experience working in schools and some have even been teachers themselves.
    • Forty to fifty hours of training at each time point, consisting of:
      • Reading training manuals
      • Observing, learning and practicing individual tasks
      • Making certification tapes and/or live certifying on individual tasks
      • Observing, learning and practicing whole visits
      • Live certifying on home visits
      • Cross-site videoconferencing (between Penn State and UNC)
      • Cross-site travel for training and observation
    About PSU's Home and School Visitors
    Amy Adams
    Amy holds a Bachelor’s Degree in teaching (Elementary and Special Education). She taught junior high learning support for 4 years. She is also certified as a Yoga Ed. Instructor for grades K-8. She has a live-in-partner and together they have a 7-year-old son and a 5-year-old daughter. She enjoys reading, walking and yoga.
    Brandy Harpster
    Brandy holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Penn State University and a Master’s in Education-School Counseling from Liberty University. She recently got married on October 13, 2007. She teaches two classes (elementary and adolescent level) at Assembly of God Church. She walks daily. She and her husband are active members of a volleyball team. Her favorite vacation spot is Aruba, though she and her husband are planning a trip to Las Vegas for next year.
    Ang Hall
    Ang holds an Associate’s Degree in Early Childhood Education and is currently working on her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. She is married and has five children. She enjoys spending time at the lake with her family and it’s a treat if she can read something other than a textbook for school!
    Gwen Kreamer
    Gwen attended Penn State University and majored in Elementary Education with a minor in Human Development and Family Studies. She taught at Head Start for 3 years. Her hobbies are cooking, biking and shopping.
    Cathy Jantzer
    Cathy has worked on the Family Life Project since it began. She holds a Master’s Equivalent from the Washington Montessori Institute and two degrees from Penn State: a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Development and an Associate’s in Letters, Arts, and Sciences. She and her husband have two teenagers – one in high school and one in college. Her community activities include 4-H, Global Connections, and ushering at the Penn State theatres.
    Chris Carney
    Chris holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Agricultural Economics/Rural Sociology. She has her Teacher’s Certification and has taught for 7 years in the areas of Agriculture, Biology and General Science. She is married and has a 19-month-old daughter. Her family enjoys Penn State football, Steeler football and Pittsburgh Penguins ice hockey. They also have a beef cattle farm.
    Maureen Ittig
    Maureen holds her PhD in Human Development and Family Studies and serves as the Project Director. She recently moved to Pennsylvania, from Wisconsin, to work with the Family Life Project and has been enjoying getting to know the families and the area.
    Katie France
    Katie holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Suny Geneseo in New York. She is currently studying for a Master’s Degree in counseling at Penn State and for her nutrition license. She is married. She loves to travel, loves movies and enjoys spending time with her husband.

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