Faculty and Community Partners
The Executive Committee consists of faculty in both the School of Education’s Early Childhood Education program faculty with expertise in early childhood education and the School of Social Work’s Child & Family Studies program. faculty with expertise in child development. The faculty are actively engaged in both the academic preparation of teacher educators and care providers (birth to age eight) and a robust research program in early childhood education and child development.
| Name | Title | Institution | Department | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cynthia DiCarlo | Executive Director | LSU | Education | cdicar2@lsu.edu |
| Jennifer Baumgartner | Member-at-large | LSU | Education | jbaum@lsu.edu |
| Nick Fears | Member-at-Large | LSU | Kinesiology | nfears@lsu.edu |
| Gene Geist | Member-at-large | LSU | Education | genegeist@lsu.edu |
| Member-at-large | Weber State University | Child & Family Studies | carrieota@weber.edu |
The Louisiana University Members consist of faculty from multiple disciplines across the state who work with young children. These faculty have research and academic focus on the early childhood population.
| Name | Institution | Department | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alica Benton | LSU | Education | abento9@lsu.edu |
| Northwestern State University | Early Childhood Education | faziom@nsula.edu | |
| Katie Cherry | LSU | Psychology | pskatie@lsu.edu |
| Chien-Jen Chiang | LSU | Human Sciences & Education | chiang@lsu.edu |
| LSU | Communication Sciences & Disorders | ehaebig1@lsu.edu | |
| LSU | Kinesiology | rhulteen@lsu.edu | |
| Kamile Geist | LSU | Music | kgeist@lsu.edu |
| Emily C. Marcinowski | LSU | Kinesiology | emilym@lsu.edu |
| LSU Agriculture | Nutrition & Food Sciences | jmyhand@agcenter.lsu.edu | |
| Southern University and A&M | Family and Consumer Sciences | kenyetta_nelson@subr.edu | |
| Laura Piestryznski | LSU | Education | lpiestrzynski@lsu.edu |
| LSU Pennington Biomedical Research Center | Reproductive Endocrinology & Women’s Health | Leanne.Redman@pbrc.edu | |
| LSU Pennington Biomedical Research Center | Pediatric Obesity and Health Behavior | Katie.Spring@pbrc.edu | |
| LSU Pennington Biomedical Research Center | Pediatric Obesity and Health Behavior | amanda.staiano@pbrc.edu | |
| LSU | Kinesiology | wanchunsu@lsu.edu | |
| Margaret-Mary Sulentic Dowell | LSU | Literacy Leadership & Urban Education | sdowell@lsu.edu |
| Tulane University | Early Childhood Policy | lweixler@tulane.edu | |
| Linda Aidong Zhang | LSUS | Education & Human Development | aidong.zhang@lsus.edu |
Community partnership is available to partners in the community from a variety of disciplines whose work focuses on young children. Community Affiliated partners must be nominated by LSU faculty.
| Institution | Name | Department | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agenda for Children | Center for Early Childhood Advancement | dtoups@agendaforchildren.org | |
| Louisiana Board of Regents | Early Childhood | Michelle.Demeulenaere@laregents.edu | |
| Louisiana Policy Institute for Children | Community Non-Profit | lsonnier@policyinstitutela.org | |
| Pointe Coupee Early Childhood Coalition | Community Non-Profit | executivedirector@pcearlystart.org | |
| Ready Start EBR | Division of Early Childhood & Literacy | abarnes1@ebrschools.org |
External membership is available to faculty outside of Louisiana from a variety of disciplines whose work focuses on young children. External Affiliated members must be nominated by LSU faculty.
| Name | Institution | Department | |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Houston-Clear Lake | Education | BeaversEA@UHCL.edu | |
| Minnesota State University | Education | aaron.deris@mnsu.edu | |
| Auburn University | Education | rsd0007@auburn.edu | |
| Rutgers University | National Institute for Early Education Research | eharmeyer@nieer.org | |
| Penn State | Music | dsi5035@psu.edu | |
| Miami University, OH | Teacher Education | leel@miamioh.edu | |
| Purdue University | Human Development & Family Studies | meganpurcell@purdue.edu | |
| Julie Schneider | University of California Los Angeles | Neuroscience, Diversity & Learning | julieschneider@g.ucla.edu |
| Penn State | Music | AMStanley@psu.edu | |
| University of Bologna | Life Quality Studies | marcellaterrusi@hotmail.com | |
| Brittany Wittenberg | Phoenix Children's Hospital | Adaptive Care Team Program | bmwitt@gmail.com |
Are you an early childhood researcher looking for community and collaboration?
Thank you for your interest in becoming an affiliated member of the Early Childhood Education Institute at 51Âþ». The ECE Institute is an umbrella organization created to promote research and dissemination of recommended practices in early childhood care and education.
We hope you will consider joining us. If you are a researcher who is interested in being involved in the ECE Institute, please send your CV to eceinstitute@lsu.edu.
Are you a doctoral student looking for a research mentor?
We strive to offer collaborative opportunities for doctoral students by connecting them with highly-regarded researchers in their field. If you are a student who is interested, please reach out to eceinstitute@lsu.edu.