About
POWER ambassadors serve in an advisory role and work with our committees.
Kate Cain, D.Phil, is a Professor and Head of Department in Psychology at Lancaster University, UK. Her research focuses on the cognitive and language knowledge and skills that underpin the development of reading and listening comprehension, both in atypical and typical populations. She was the 2014 recipient of the Samuel Torrey Orton award from the International Dyslexia Association in recognition of her contributions to the field. She is currently investigator on several grants including collaborations with colleagues in the US studying the longitudinal development and structure of reading comprehension (National Institute for Child Health and Human Development), in the UK examining preschoolers transitions into literacy (Economic and Social Research Council), and in Europe studying early language development in the digital age (e-LADDA) (MCSA ITN). She is keen to ensure that research findings inform practice and regularly engages with education and healthcare professionals through workshops and publications including Understanding and Teaching Reading Comprehension: A Handbook (with Jane Oakhill and Carsten Elbro). In her role as a senior academic and Head of Department, she provides mentoring and career progression support for academics in general, with a particular interest in implementing initiatives to support career progression for female academics. See our interview with Dr. Cain here.
Patricia Edwards, Ph.D. is a Professor of teacher education at Michigan State University. She is the first African American president of the Literacy Research Association and the 2010-2011 President of the International Literacy Association (formally the International Reading Association). Her research focuses on literacy education and family engagement, particularly in urban areas with diverse families. Dr. Edwards has developed two nationally acclaimed family literacy programs: Parents as Partners in Reading and Talking Your Way to Literacy. Dr. Edwards is a highly regarded mentor of junior female faculty who uses her voice to strongly advocate for opportunities for female scholars. Our interview with Dr. Edwards is posted here.
Shelley Gray, Ph.D, is a professor of Speech and Hearing science in the College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University and a certified speech-language pathologist. She is also an affiliate faculty member in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College and a Barrett Honors Faculty member. She leads the Child Language and Literacy Lab (CHILLL) that focuses on the development of early literacy, reading, and working memory in children and adolescents and the development and testing of assessments and curricula to improve children’s learning and academic success. Dr. Gray is a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), past Editor-in-Chief of Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in School, and participates in many ASHA and local mentoring programs, one of the things she enjoys most. See our interview with Dr. Gray here.
Stephanie Al Otaiba, Ph.D. is a as Professor of Teaching and Learning in the Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education & Human Development at Southern Methodist University and holds the Patsy and Ray Caldwell Centennial Chair in Teaching and Learning. She received her Ph.D. in 2000 from Peabody College of Vanderbilt University, and prior to that, she was a special educator for over a decade in the United Arab Emirates. She enjoys teaching graduate courses in literacy, special education, assessment, response to intervention and mentoring doctoral students. Her research interests include school-based literacy interventions, response to intervention, learning disabilities, diverse learners, and teacher training. She has published over 120 journal articles and book chapters related to these interests. She has also developed reading curricular materials. Her line of research has been supported by several federally funded grants from the U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences, the Office of Special Education Programs, and from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Dr. Al Otaiba is the current President of the Division for Learning Disabilities of the Council for Exceptional Children. She is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Learning Disabilities. Dr. Al Otaiba is an advocate for women in education research and mentors several junior faculty both within her institution and externally. She enjoys supporting her mentees in developing their research and teaching skills as well as career advancement. Our interview with Dr. Al Otaiba is documented in this linked blog post.
Barbara A. Wasik, Ph.D. is a Professor and PNC Endowed Chair in Early Childhood Education in the Psychological Studies in Education (PSE) Department in the College of Education at Temple University. Her research focuses on early language and literacy interventions for children who are at-risk for school failure, specifically with children in poverty. Dr. Wasik has extensive experience in program and curricula development and has developed and evaluated several research-based language and literacy professional development program for early childhood teachers, including Story Talk and the Exceptional Coaching for Early Language and Literacy (ExCELL). Story Talk is a book reading language intervention for preschoolers, which was funded through an Institute of Education Sciences grant. ExCELL is a language and literacy professional development intervention designed for prek, kindergarten, and first grade teachers that was funded by an Investing in Innovation (i3) grant. Dr. Wasik has co-authored two early childhood books: Early Education: Three-, Four-, and Five-Year-Olds Go to School (with Dr. Carol Seefeldt) and Language and Literacy Development: What Educators Need to Know (with Dr. James Byrnes). She is on the Editorial Board of Early Childhood Education Journal and serves on several Advisory Boards, including, PNC Grow Up Great. Her research has been funded by the US Department of Education, NIH, the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the William Penn Foundation. She has had the privilege of working with Baltimore City Head Start for the past 20 years and most recently with the School District of Philadelphia. Dr. Wasik is committed to mentoring Assistant and Associate professors. She is specifically interested in supporting women faculty in navigating each level of the promotion process. Click here to read our interview with Dr. Wasik.
Sharon Vaughn, Ph.D. , Manuel J. Justiz Endowed Chair in Education, is the Executive Director of The Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk, an organized research unit at The University of Texas at Austin. She is the recipient of numerous awards including the CEC research award, the AERA SIG distinguished researcher award, The University of Texas Distinguished faculty award and outstanding Researcher Award, and the Jeannette E. Fleischner Award for Outstanding Contributions in the Field of LD from CEC. She is the author of more than 35 books and 250 research articles. Several of these research articles have won awards: one the A.J. Harris IRA award for best article published and another the School Psychology award for best article. She is currently Principal Investigator on several Institute for Education Sciences, National Institute for Child Health and Human Development, and U.S. Department of Education research grants. She works as a senior adviser to the National Center on Intensive Interventions and has more than six articles that have met the What Works Clearing House Criteria for their intervention reports. She currently has 20 of her previous doctoral students who are faculty at universities across the United States including University of Colorado, Florida State University, University of Maryland, and University of Virginia. Dr. Vaughn spoke to us in an interview, which is posted here.
Patricia Edwards, Ph.D. is a Professor of teacher education at Michigan State University. She is the first African American president of the Literacy Research Association and the 2010-2011 President of the International Literacy Association (formally the International Reading Association). Her research focuses on literacy education and family engagement, particularly in urban areas with diverse families. Dr. Edwards has developed two nationally acclaimed family literacy programs: Parents as Partners in Reading and Talking Your Way to Literacy. Dr. Edwards is a highly regarded mentor of junior female faculty who uses her voice to strongly advocate for opportunities for female scholars. Our interview with Dr. Edwards is posted here.
Shelley Gray, Ph.D, is a professor of Speech and Hearing science in the College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University and a certified speech-language pathologist. She is also an affiliate faculty member in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College and a Barrett Honors Faculty member. She leads the Child Language and Literacy Lab (CHILLL) that focuses on the development of early literacy, reading, and working memory in children and adolescents and the development and testing of assessments and curricula to improve children’s learning and academic success. Dr. Gray is a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), past Editor-in-Chief of Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in School, and participates in many ASHA and local mentoring programs, one of the things she enjoys most. See our interview with Dr. Gray here.
Stephanie Al Otaiba, Ph.D. is a as Professor of Teaching and Learning in the Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education & Human Development at Southern Methodist University and holds the Patsy and Ray Caldwell Centennial Chair in Teaching and Learning. She received her Ph.D. in 2000 from Peabody College of Vanderbilt University, and prior to that, she was a special educator for over a decade in the United Arab Emirates. She enjoys teaching graduate courses in literacy, special education, assessment, response to intervention and mentoring doctoral students. Her research interests include school-based literacy interventions, response to intervention, learning disabilities, diverse learners, and teacher training. She has published over 120 journal articles and book chapters related to these interests. She has also developed reading curricular materials. Her line of research has been supported by several federally funded grants from the U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences, the Office of Special Education Programs, and from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Dr. Al Otaiba is the current President of the Division for Learning Disabilities of the Council for Exceptional Children. She is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Learning Disabilities. Dr. Al Otaiba is an advocate for women in education research and mentors several junior faculty both within her institution and externally. She enjoys supporting her mentees in developing their research and teaching skills as well as career advancement. Our interview with Dr. Al Otaiba is documented in this linked blog post.
Barbara A. Wasik, Ph.D. is a Professor and PNC Endowed Chair in Early Childhood Education in the Psychological Studies in Education (PSE) Department in the College of Education at Temple University. Her research focuses on early language and literacy interventions for children who are at-risk for school failure, specifically with children in poverty. Dr. Wasik has extensive experience in program and curricula development and has developed and evaluated several research-based language and literacy professional development program for early childhood teachers, including Story Talk and the Exceptional Coaching for Early Language and Literacy (ExCELL). Story Talk is a book reading language intervention for preschoolers, which was funded through an Institute of Education Sciences grant. ExCELL is a language and literacy professional development intervention designed for prek, kindergarten, and first grade teachers that was funded by an Investing in Innovation (i3) grant. Dr. Wasik has co-authored two early childhood books: Early Education: Three-, Four-, and Five-Year-Olds Go to School (with Dr. Carol Seefeldt) and Language and Literacy Development: What Educators Need to Know (with Dr. James Byrnes). She is on the Editorial Board of Early Childhood Education Journal and serves on several Advisory Boards, including, PNC Grow Up Great. Her research has been funded by the US Department of Education, NIH, the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the William Penn Foundation. She has had the privilege of working with Baltimore City Head Start for the past 20 years and most recently with the School District of Philadelphia. Dr. Wasik is committed to mentoring Assistant and Associate professors. She is specifically interested in supporting women faculty in navigating each level of the promotion process. Click here to read our interview with Dr. Wasik.
Sharon Vaughn, Ph.D. , Manuel J. Justiz Endowed Chair in Education, is the Executive Director of The Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk, an organized research unit at The University of Texas at Austin. She is the recipient of numerous awards including the CEC research award, the AERA SIG distinguished researcher award, The University of Texas Distinguished faculty award and outstanding Researcher Award, and the Jeannette E. Fleischner Award for Outstanding Contributions in the Field of LD from CEC. She is the author of more than 35 books and 250 research articles. Several of these research articles have won awards: one the A.J. Harris IRA award for best article published and another the School Psychology award for best article. She is currently Principal Investigator on several Institute for Education Sciences, National Institute for Child Health and Human Development, and U.S. Department of Education research grants. She works as a senior adviser to the National Center on Intensive Interventions and has more than six articles that have met the What Works Clearing House Criteria for their intervention reports. She currently has 20 of her previous doctoral students who are faculty at universities across the United States including University of Colorado, Florida State University, University of Maryland, and University of Virginia. Dr. Vaughn spoke to us in an interview, which is posted here.
