2000, BA, University of Oregon 

2002, MS, Syracuse University 

2007, Ph.D., Syracuse University 

Born in Luray, a small town in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley (USA), my childhood was spent in California and Oregon. As an undergraduate student, I studied Russian in Moscow, Russia, for one year, before graduating at the top of my class. After receiving my BA from the University of Oregon,  I received a full academic scholarship to attend Syracuse University (NY), where I earned an MS and Ph.D. and participated in the Future Professoriate Program. This program helps prepare future academics to teach at the undergraduate level. As a graduate student, I worked as a research/teaching assistant and taught undergraduate courses in family development and gerontology. Following this, I taught at the State University of New York--Oswego, for three years in the Department of Psychology. My master's thesis examined young adult attitudes toward aging, while my dissertation focused on the role of grandparents in grandchildren's identity development. 

My ongoing research explores intergenerational relationships, their relationships with aging attitudes, aging anxiety, and the role of intergenerational contact in promoting prosocial behaviors toward older adults. In a second area of research, I examine coping strategies and how different coping strategies relate to psychological well-being, especially during challenging circumstances, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Here is a link to my dissertation research which focused on the role of grandparents in grandchildren's identity development: Dissertation

Here are two links to my more recent research examples that look at intergenerational relationships: Example 1 and  Example 2.

About coping and well-being, here are a couple of links to my recent research: Example 1 and Example 2.