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CFAC Affiliated Faculty

Brian Armenta, PhD

Dr. Armenta

Dr. Armenta is an assistant research professor at the University of Missouri in the Department of Psychological Sciences. His primary research interests focus on the antecedents and consequences of adaptive and maladaptive behaviors among Latino adolescents and emerging adults.

Dr. Armenta received a BA in psychology from California State Polytechnic University in 2002, a MA in social psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2005, and a Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2013.

armentab@missouri.edu


Irma Arteaga, PhD

Dr. Artega

Dr. Arteaga is an associate professor at the University of Missouri in the Harry S Truman School of Public Affairs. Dr. Arteaga’s research interests include early childhood policy and program evaluation.

Dr. Arteaga received a BA in social economics from Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú in 1998, a MPP from the University of Minnesota in 2008, and a PhD in applied economics from the University of Minnesota in 2010.

arteagai@missouri.edu


Lisa Crockett, PhD

Dr. Crockett

Dr. Crockett is a professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in the Department of Psychology. Dr. Crockett’s research interests focus on adolescent development. She conducts research in two primary areas: adolescent risk behavior, with an emphasis on sexuality; and ethnic differences in parenting and adolescent adjustment.

ecrockett1@unl.edu


Alexandra Nicole Davis, PhD

Dr. Davis

Dr. Davis is an assistant professor at the University of New Mexico in the College of Education. Dr. Davis’ research interests include sociocultural values, family and life stressors, prosocial and moral development, and parent-youth relationships.

Dr. Davis received a BA in psychology from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 2010, an MS in lifespan development from the University of Missouri in 2012, and a PhD in human environmental science from the University of Missouri in 2016.

alexdavis@unm.edu


Eunyoung Jang , PhD

Dr. Jang

Dr. Eunyoung Jang was born in Busan, South Korea. She joined Seoul Women’s University, where she received a Bachelor’s degree in Gerontology in 2005 and a Master’s degree in Social Work (MSW) in 2010. While studying in the MSW program, she worked as a research assistant on a project to develop cultural diversity measurement. Moreover, she completed two internships at an assisted living facility and social service center. Through this project and the internships, Eunyoung realized that she has a passion to help people from diverse backgrounds and knew more about social work study to advocate for the underserved population. Therefore, she decided to move to the United States to learn more about social work through diverse cultures and people. In 2010, she was admitted for the second MSW at the University of Missouri and she successfully completed her two practicums with the social service center and refugee and immigration services. The experience that she gained during the two practicums helped her expand her perspective and gain an insight of her research interest. Eunyoung then pursued a Ph.D. in Social Work at the University of Missouri, Columbia, to strengthen her skills in research and teaching.

Eunyoung is an assistant professor of Social Work at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Her research focusses specially on cultural competence, social support, health, access and utilization of services, and promotion of well-being and social justice for refugees and the immigrant populations. Her teaching interests are Introduction to social work, social work research, and community-based learning course.

jange@uww.edu


Sarah Killoren, PhD

Dr. Killoren

Dr. Killoren is an associate professor at the University of Missouri in the Department of Human Development and Family Science. Dr. Killoren’s research interests include family relationships, culture, and Latino adolescent and young adult adjustment; contributions of parents and siblings to adolescents’ sexual health and positive development; and parent-adolescent and sibling relationship dynamics.

Dr. Killoren received a BS in human development and family studies from Pennsylvania State University in 2003, a MS in family and human development from the Arizona State University in 2005, and a PhD in family and human development from the Arizona State University in 2008.

killorens@missouri.edu


George Knight, PhD

Dr. Knight

Dr. Knight is a professor emeritus at the Arizona State University in the department of psychology. Dr. Knight’s research interests include acculturation and enculturation in Mexican American families, the development of ethnic identity among Mexican Americans, cross-cultural development, cooperative and competitive behavioral styles, prosocial behavior. He is also interested in cross-ethnic and cross-race measurement equivalence, and meta-analysis.

Dr. Knight received a BA from Macalester College in 1972, a MA from the University of California-Riverside in 1976, and a PhD from the University of California-Riverside in 1980.

george.knight@asu.edu


Asiye Kumru, PhD

Dr. Kumru

Dr. Kumru is an associate professor at Ozyegin University. Her primary research interests focus on prosocial and moral development in children and adolescents; socioemotional development of preschool children; attachment during early childhood; parental ethnotheories, parenting styles, and child-rearing behavior; gender socialization, and identity development.

Dr. Kumru received a BA in psychology from Hacettepe University in 1991, a MA in developmental psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1998, and a PhD in developmental psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2002.

asiye.kumru@ozyegin.edu.tr


Deborah Laible, PhD

Dr. Laible

Dr. Laible is a professor at the Lehigh University of Missouri in the College of Arts and Sciences. Her research interests include the influence of parent-child discourse on the development of social, emotional, and self-understanding; the role of attachment security in shaping mother-child discourse and socioemotional development; relational influences on the development of socially competent behavior (e.g., prosocial and moral development), the structure of conscience in adolescence.

Dr. Laible received a BA in psychology from Brandeis University in 1995 and a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2000.

del205@lehigh.edu


Antoinette Landor, PhD

Dr. Landor

Dr. Landor is an assistant professor at the University of Missouri in the Department of Human Development and Family Science. Dr. Landor’s research interests focus on Sexual behavior and romantic relationships in adolescence and young adulthood; skin tone and colorism; family and sociocultural influences on sexual behavior and romantic relationships; and race-related experiences (e.g., racial socialization and discrimination).

Dr. Landor received a BA from Grambling State University in 2006, a MS from the University of Georgia in 2009, and a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia in 2012.

landora@missouri.edu


Louis Manfra, PhD

Dr. Manfra

Dr. Manfra is an associate professor at the University of Missouri in the Department of Human Development and Family Science. Dr. Manfra’s research interests include early childhood development; the role of language in cognitive development; metacognitive aspects of inner speech; early education practices and learning; and development of numeracy and early math knowledge.

Dr. Manfra received a BA from George Washington University in 1999, a MA in from George Mason University in 2002, and a Ph.D. from George Mason University in 2006.

manfral@missouri.edu


Miriam Martinez, PhD

Dr. Martinez

Dr. Martinez is an assistant research professor at the University of Missouri in the Department of Human Development and Family Science and director of the Center for Family Policy and Research. Dr. Martinez’s research interests include the development of self-regulation in low-income and ethnic minority populations, parenting and socialization practices, and assessment and measurement evaluation.

Dr. Martinez received a BA in psychology at the University of Texas Permian Basin in 2007, a MA in developmental psychology from the University of Nebraska in 2010, and a PhD in developmental psychology from the University of Nebraska in 2014.

martinezmir@missouri.edu


Francisco Palermo, PhD

Dr. Palermo

Dr. Palermo is an assistant professor at the University of Missouri in the Department of Human Development and Family Science. Dr. Palermo’s research interests include Latino children’s socio-behavioral health, English acquisition, and academic well-being; and
contributions of parent, teacher, and peer experiences.

Dr. Palermo received a BS from Spring Hill College in 2000, a MS from the University of Alabama in 2003, and a PhD in family from Arizona State University in 2009.

palermof@missouri.edu


Cara Streit, PhD

Dr. Streit

Dr. Streit is an assistant professor at the University of New Mexico in the College of Education. Dr. Streit’s research interests include parent-child and sibling relationships, prosocial behaviors, social cognitions and emotions, and cultural values.

Dr. Streit received a BA in psychology from Western Washington University in 2011, a MS in lifespan development from the University of Missouri in 2013, and a PhD in Human Environmental Science in 2017.

cestreit@unm.edu


Katharine H. Zeiders, PhD

Dr. Zeiders

Dr. Zeiders is an assistant professor at the University of Arizona in the Norton School of Family & Consumer Sciences. Dr. Zeiders’ research interests adolescent development, Latino youth sociocultural stressors, sociocultural stressors and HPA axis, and advanced statistical analyses (latent growth modeling, latent categorical/profile analysis, multi-level modeling).

Dr. Zeiders received a BS in family and human development from Arizona State University in 2005, a MS in family and human development from Arizona State University in 2007, and a PhD in family and human development from Arizona State University in 2011.

zeidersk@email.arizona.edu