Dr. Cheryl Fountain, Executive Director, Professor of Education
Fountain, is a professor of education at the University of North Florida where she also directs the Florida Institute of Education, a statewide research center charged with strengthening the quality of education in Florida through research and collaborative partnerships. A researcher focused on education reform and interventions designed to improve learning outcomes for at-risk children and students, she has been the principal investigator of over 30 major research grants funded by federal, state, and local agencies, and private foundations. She was selected to participate in the Spencer Foundation-funded Workshop on Quasi-Experimental Design and Analysis in Education hosted at Northwestern University.

Fountain is an active member in the community and works collaboratively with local agencies, state agencies, and community-based efforts to improve educational outcomes for children. She was appointed the staff co-director for the New Century Commission on Education (an appointed commission charged with developing a vision and plan for achieving educational excellence in Jacksonville). She was instrumental in bringing together a citywide collaborative effort to improve school readiness outcomes in Jacksonville, the Jacksonville Early Literacy Partnership. She was selected as a Florida Times-Union EVE Award for Education recipient for her outstanding contributions in education. She holds a doctorate from the University of Florida.

Dr. Madelaine Cosgrove, Associate Director for School Readiness
Cosgrove brings a unique blend of public school experience, leadership, professional learning, involvement in university/school readiness collaborations, and applied research to FIE. As a former elementary school teacher and assistant principal, Cosgrove is particularly interested in the relationship of teacher knowledge and skill to improved outcomes for children at-risk and how best teacher knowledge and skill is developed and sustained. With more than 10 years overseeing the professional learning of coaches and facilitating the learning of preschool teachers working with children living in low-income neighborhoods, she is responsible for the development and implementation of the FIE Strategic Coaching Model. She works with a variety of research-related projects designed to improve the teaching-learning process. Most recently, Cosgrove served as Co-Investigator and Project Director for the U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences/Preschool Curriculum Evaluation Research (PCER) program implemented in three diverse geographic regions across Florida. As Project Director and facilitator for the Florida Network of Community-Based Early learning and Professional Development Hubs, she provided statewide leadership for the Hubs initiative linking researchers and practitioners, providing a forum for accessing new information and tackling common and uncommon problems, leveraging resources, and establishing a shared vision that spanned traditional organizational boundaries. Other FIE responsibilities include serving as FIE’s primary liaison with Florida’s school readiness community both at the local and state level, coordinating FIE assessment efforts, and serving as FIE’s liaison to the university Internal Review Board. She holds a doctorate from the University of North Florida. Cosgrove is currently a board member of the Early Learning Coalition of Duval.

Cindy L. Dickerson, Associate Director and Business Program Manager
Dickerson has over 23 years of business and grants management experience as an Associate Director, Finance Director, Controller, and Assistant Controller of government, university, and nonprofit organizations. She holds a master’s degree in Public Administration. Dickerson has been with FIE as the Associate Director/Business Manager for over six years. Her primary responsibilities include oversight of state funds, contract and grants funding of over $4 million annually including budgeting, development, organization, planning, and accountability with regard to the financial aspects of this department. Dickerson maintains familiarity with the types of funding sources and the regulations that are part of a progressive department such as FIE. She is a member of the National Council of Research Associates and the Society of Research Administrators that meet on an annual basis to review and update members on grant accounting and financing practices with generally accepted accounting practices. She serves as a budget liaison with FIE grants based in Tallahassee including, the Florida Department of Education Office of Safe & Drug Free Schools, the Agency for Workforce Innovation Office of Early Learning, and the Head Start State Collaboration Office.

Dr. Rebecca England, Family Involvement Specialist
England spent seven years teaching in a first grade classroom before coming to FIE. Her first three years at FIE were spent working as a Literacy Coach for the Early Literacy and Learning Model (ELLM) as well as a visiting instructor for the College of Education at The University of North Florida. She taught courses on family involvement, early literacy, and music and movement. In 2005, England completed her dissertation, “Learning the ABC’s: Family Involvement in Kindergarten Literacy” which looked at the effect of family involvement on early literacy skill acquisition. England is currently serving as Family Involvement Specialist which allows her to put her dissertation study to work as she engages in literacy programs with families of 3-, 4-, and 5-year old children. She holds a doctorate from the University of North Florida.

Dr. Linda Goudy, Associate Director/Program Development and Administration
Goudy brings to FIE a wealth of experience from both K-16 public education and the nonprofit educational sector. Before joining FIE, Goudy worked with state and national leaders in the design and development of an online K-12 data analysis tool, incorporating assessment and demographic data from all K-12 public schools in Florida. The data analysis tool was coupled with an in-depth Best Practice study of high-performing schools throughout the state, which was then shared nationally as a template for identifying "what works" in high-performing schools. Goudy has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in science methods and educational technology, worked with elementary teachers modeling methods for integrating science into the daily curriculum, and served as liaison between the Florida Department of Education, K-12 schools, colleges and universities in the integration of Florida curriculum and assessment standards. She has published research in her areas of expertise and given numerous presentations at state, national and international meetings and conferences. Goudy holds a master's degree in Instructional Technology, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership.

Dr. Janice Hunter, Research Fellow for Early Learning and Literacy
With more than 35 years experience in K-12 public education, Hunter has a strong background in educational leadership, school improvement, curriculum and instruction, and early literacy. She has taught graduate courses in educational leadership and curriculum and has designed and implemented training programs for teachers and administrators. Recently, she collaborated with a consultant from the Consortium for Policy Research in Education to design and develop a district snapshot system for assessment of program implementation at the school level in a large urban district. She is currently collaborating with staff at both FIE and the Don Brewer Center for Early Learning and Professional Development to identify and implement research-based, best practices for instructing young children who live in high-needs neighborhoods. Validated practices will then be disseminated to other child care centers through the Jacksonville Early Literacy Partnership, of which FIE is a member organization. Additionally, through a public school system/FIE partnership, she is assisting in development of a framework for PreK, K and 1st grade transitions and curriculum alignment. Hunter holds a master’s degree in Administration and Supervision and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction.

David Lacy, Computer Applications Specialist
Lacy is responsible for integrating multiple information systems and recommending policies and procedures to effectively administer all related systems at FIE. He is responsible for creating, managing, and analyzing all research related information and creating output data for reporting. He currently manages FIE’s Microsoft SQL Server 2000 DBMS with 10 years of DBA experience as well as all hardware and software technologies utilized by FIE with 15 years experience in the IT field overall. Lacy is pursuing his M.S. degree in Computer and Information Sciences at the University of North Florida.

Dr. Bronwyn McLemore, Curriculum Specialist
McLemore has a varied history of experiences working with young children and their teachers. She taught for eleven years in Kindergarten and first grade, and has been a literacy coach for nine years in a variety of settings: Coaching in preschool through first grade classrooms, working as a school-based instructional coach in one urban elementary school, and acting as the Senior Coach for the Early Literacy and Learning Model (ELLM). She is a co-developer of the instructional materials used in ELLM and ELLM/Plus. She works collaboratively with partners of FIE to discuss and improve early education.  McLemore has extensive experiences implementing intensive and sustained professional development to literacy coaches and teachers working with children from low-income families by regularly presenting at conferences at the state and national levels. She holds a doctorate from the University of North Florida.

Heather Monroe-Ossi, Director, Pre-Collegiate Connections: UNF/FIE College Reach-Out Program
Monroe-Ossi brings a combination of urban classroom experience, applied research skills, and program planning for adult learners. Current projects include the development, field-testing, and implementation of promising instructional strategies for child care directors and the development of curriculum for an after school program designed for middle school students. As a Duval County Public School elementary teacher and instructional coach, she provided training, coaching, and mentoring to teachers throughout the district. She provided principals and district staff with technical assistance for Just Read, Florida!’s Reading First Grant implementation. She has given presentations at the state and local levels regarding grant implementation policies and improving instructional practices in urban school settings. She has written numerous policy and procedure guidelines for district initiatives including elementary student progression portfolios and summer reading school. Monroe-Ossi has broad experience with early childhood assessments, holds a train-the-trainer status for the PPVT-III, ECHOS, and is a state-certified DIBELS master trainer.

Dr. Stephanie Wehry, Assistant Director for Research and Evaluation
Wehry adds a valuable combination of research methodology, psychometrics, and teaching experience in the
K-16 public school system to the FIE team. In designing projects and conducting analyses, she draws upon traditional research methods such as regression, multivariate, and analysis of variance; quasi-experimental methods such as propensity score matching, time series, and regression discontinuity; and more contemporary methods such as hierarchical linear modeling, structural equation modeling, and data mining. She was selected by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) for training on National Household Education Survey (NHES) data; by NCES and the American Education Research Association for training using propensity score matching and structural equation model in conjunction with Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort (ECLS-B), by the Spencer Foundation-funded Workshop on Quasi-Experimental Design and Analysis in Education hosted at Northwestern University and conducted by Drs. Tom Cook and Will Shadish; and by the SAS Institute to participate in workshops over two consecutive summers on the use of SAS Enterprise Miner to conduct predictive modeling. Wehry holds a Master of Science degree in Mathematical Sciences, a Master of Education degree in Curriculum and Instruction, and a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology.

Dr. William Caldwell, Senior Fellow
Caldwell is a professor in the department of mathematics and statistics at UNF. Caldwell has more than 40 years of experience in education, in addition to serving as chairman of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. He has served as director for the SUS Partners for Excellence in Education AP/Honors Mathematics Pilot, Steering Committee chair for the Sunshine State Scholars Program, and program chair for the Florida Council of Teachers of Mathematics annual convention.

Dr. Afesa Adams, Senior Research Associate, Professor Emeritus of Psychology
Adams holds a degree in Psychology from the University of Utah, she has held faculty and academic leadership positions at the University of Florida, the University of Utah and the University of North Florida. Over the course of her career she taught courses in Psychology and Ethnic Studies, fostered the development of programs to enhance the development and inclusion of women and minority group members in academic and community settings, and worked with families at the local and national levels. Her expertise includes program design, implementation and evaluation, diversity management and minority group families. She has published referred research and book chapters, given numerous presentations at professional meetings and conference and served on the governing boards of many community organizations and philanthropic organizations. Adams coordinates the work of the FIE Family Engagement Initiatives and is actively involved in literacy-related family programs.

Dr. Katherine Kasten, Senior Research Associate, Professor of Educational Leadership
Kasten, Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of North Florida, brings a strong interest in educational policy to her work with the Florida Institute of Education. Employed at UNF since 1988, she served as dean of  the College of Education and Human Services at UNF from 1995 to August 2004. She has served as principal investigator or consultant on several urban initiatives, including the college’s urban professional development schools, a multi-year project to support under-prepared beginning teachers in urban schools; and the Jacksonville Urban Systemic Initiative, a six-year project funded through a grant to Duval County Public Schools from the National Science Foundation. She has authored/coauthored several  articles and book chapters in the areas of educational leadership and teacher preparation and two books of case studies in educational leadership. She holds a doctorate in educational administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Dr. Janice Wood, Crawford Early Literacy Faculty Fellow
Wood has more than 25 years of experience preparing students to become pre-kindergarten/primary teachers. She has worked collaboratively with in-service teachers for the past 20 years at the local, regional, and national levels. She has been involved with four major collaborative initiatives: AT&T Alliance of Tomorrow’s Teachers, the ELLM / Preschool Curriculum Evaluation Research, the Jacksonville Urban Educational Partnership, and the Early Literacy and Learning Model. She has designed the ELLM literacy curriculum and training materials for teachers and developed strategies to increase achievement in urban childcare and primary classrooms.

Catherine Johnson Anumege serves as the Administrative Assistant to the Executive Director and facilitates activities carried out by FIE. She facilitates communication among FIE partners and researchers to ensure the smooth implementation of collaborative initiatives. Anumege staffs the Jacksonville PreCollegiate Connections: College Reach-Out Program serving over 130 middle school students living in low-income neighborhoods.

Justin Bergstrom , Graphic Designer/Communications Coordinator, began working at FIE in August, 2005. He has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and graduated with honors in 2002 from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan. Bergstrom has a strong illustration background and has become very beneficial to FIE, lending his artistic talents and creativity to many FIE publications and printed media, including the FIE Annual Report, the Jacksonville Early Literacy Partnership Report (JELP), and the Collier Annual Report.

Terri Cook, Coordinator, Grants Accounting, reports to and supports the Associate Director, Business Program Manager. She has a bachelor's degree in Accounting and brings to FIE over 17 years of accounting experience. Cook coordinates the processes required for financial aspects of FIE including review and oversight of the reconciliation of all active FIE accounts and completes accounting duties that are required in the FIE/UNF accounting systems.

Alice DeLeon, Graphic Designer/Communications Coordinator, began working at FIE in July, 2006. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a major in Computer Art and Design and a minor in Photography from Jacksonville University. DeLeon creates and designs many publication layouts for FIE including the Head Start Booklet, the Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK) Parent Guide Booklet, and the Hubs Report. She is bilingual in English and Spanish, enhancing projects that are conducted in areas of Florida with a high Spanish speaking population, helping to facilitate and translate FIE products into Spanish. DeLeon also maintains the FIE, State Head Start Collaboration Office, and Sunshine State Scholars websites.

Penny Mayer serves as a senior Research Assistant. Mayer’s work as a K-5 school psychologist brings to FIE familiarity with assessments, ascertaining parameters for children, and conducting child development research. Her work at FIE includes: reviewing and selecting child assessment tools, assisting with the design and implementation of assessor training, supervising the organization and administration of child assessments, conducting assessments, reviewing educational literature, and assisting with report writing as needed. Mayer has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a M.Ed. in School Psychology.

Howaida Mousa, Senior Grants Specialist, serves as the initial contact for the Early Literacy and Learning Model/Plus including sales, inventory, and training coordination. Mousa also assists with Institutional Review Board (IRB) activities maintaining IRB files and ensuring records are kept current and project deadlines are met. She supports FIE staff, coordinating travel and reimbursements, ordering and inventorying books and materials, scheduling meetings and managing logistics, and assisting FIE in the smooth operations of daily activities. Mousa also provides support to FIE project directors assisting with project coordination and implementation.

Kelly Mulholland, Accountant, supports the Associate Director, Business Program Manager. Mulholland brings 5 years of experience including working with payroll and accounting procedures. Her assistance in reconciling accounts and working with the Accounting Staff at FIE has been instrumental to the department’s ability to manage FIE grants and contracts.

Lynn Pinner, Research Assistant, comes to FIE with 11 years experience in the field of education serving as special education preschool teacher, Dropout Prevention Coordinator, and Lead Assessor for a K-5 longitudinal study investigating instructional improvement. Her work at FIE focuses on the coordination and implementation of assessor training, scheduling and administering child assessments, conducting educational related web searches, reviewing and editing materials and reports as requested, and assisting with data entry.

Angela Shoe, Doctoral Student Research Assistant (DSRA), began working at FIE in October, 2005. Shoe earned her bachelor's degree from The Ohio State University, master's degree from Cleveland State University, and anticipates earning her doctorate next spring from the University of North Florida. She brings to FIE over 10 years of teaching experience from the middle school, high school, and community college levels. She has served as a trainer in both the public and private sectors. Using her teaching, research, and writing expertise, Shoe has collaborated and supported a number of FIE reports and projects. Her area of interest lies in improving the economic condition of women and young children through education. Her dissertation, A Review of TAP Programs in Florida: Do Program Components Match Student Outcomes?, seeks to examine the outcomes for teenage parent program students and their children .