Faculty & Center News Edward Alessi Alessi, E. J., Cheung, S., Kahn, S., & Yu, M. (2021). A scoping review of the experiences of violence and abuse among sexual and gender minority migrants across the migration trajectory. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 22(5), 1339-1355. Burgess, A., Potocky, M., & Alessi, E. J. (2021). A preliminary framework for understanding suicide risk in LGBTQ refugees and asylum seekers. Intervention, 19(2), 187-196. Elsa Candelario Candelario, E. & Acosta H. Latino Action Network Foundation. (2021). New Jersey voices call for greater access to mental health services for Latinx communities. Latino Action Network Foundation Report. https://5175bb79-8071-49a8-ba13b2bfe224dc5f.filesusr.com/ugd/f81e50_52aeb6f4809745ccbb77c07969c1c5a8.pdf Candelario, E. (2021, December 10). What we have learned about mental health in 2020 & 2021 [Moderator of panel conference session]. New Jersey YMCA Statewide Alliance 9th Annual Building a Culture of Health in New Jersey Conference, Atlantic City, NJ. Center for Gambling Studies Publications: van der Maas, M., Nower, L., & Saniewski, K. (2021). Responsible gambling strategy information available on public-facing state lottery websites in the US. International Gambling Studies, 1-17. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14459795.2021.1946125 van der Maas, M., Nower, L., & Cho, R. (2021). Problem gambling message board activity and the legalization of sports betting in the US: A mixed methods approach. Computers in Human Behavior, 107133. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563221004568 Legislative Efforts: The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) solicited public input for legislative proposals to include in the Governor’s next legislative package. Ray Cho, a post-doctoral associate at CGS, helped draft the legislation, including the rationale for a study on the economic feasibility of limited casino gaming that addresses the public health concerns of native Hawaiians. Over holiday break, he will be working with State legislators, lobbyists, and the DHHL to advance the idea during the legislative session, which starts in January. Laura Cuesta Publication: Cuesta, L., & Reynolds, S.A. (2022). Testing the economic independence hypothesis: Union formation among single mothers in Chile. Journal of Family Issues, 43(1): 96-123. doi:10.1177/0192513X21993201 Peer-Reviewed Presentations at Professional Meetings in the U.S.: Cuesta, L., & Reynolds, S. The antipoverty effectiveness of child support in Chile and Colombia: A longitudinal analysis. To be presented at the Society for Social Work and Research conference, Washington, D.C., January 12-16, 2022. 1
Guarin, A., Cuesta, L., & Eickmeyer, K.J. Child support issues and access to justice: Evidence from custodial mothers in Colombia. To be presented at the Society for Social Work and Research conference, Washington, D.C., January 12-16, 2022. Vogel, L.K., Pilarz, A.R., Cuesta, L., & Caffrey, G. The COVID-19 pandemic and child support enforcement. To be presented at the Society for Social Work and Research conference, Washington, D.C., January 12-16, 2022. Jacquelynn Duron Jacquelynn Duron (Co-PI) has received a Research to Action Grant from the Child Well-Being Research Network in collaboration with her colleague Jennifer Daer Shields (Co-PI) at the University of Oklahoma. The project, Examination of Key Elements to Successful Implementation of Services for Youth with Problematic Sexual Behavior: A New Jersey Research Partnership, will be completed with Children's Aid and Family Services and the New Jersey Children's Alliance to explore factors that influence youth and family ability to successfully engage in efficacious treatment for PSB. Yafan Chen, PhD student, is a member of the research team. Dr. Duron was also selected to participate in the National Research Mentoring Network and the Utah NRMN GrantWriting Coaching Groups Study funded by the National Institutes of Health. The study aims at refining the proposal writing skills of new investigators to increase investigators' success in receiving NIH grants. The intervention being tested is rooted in an intensive group coaching model. Antoinette Farmer SSWR Presentation: Title: Online Participation, Social Isolation, Biculturalism, and Empowerment: A Virtual Ethnography of Kenyan Diaspora Women Living in North America Presentation with Ruby Orwenyo, Andy Peterson, Allison Zippay, Ousseina Alidou, and George Morara Nyabuga Date: Saturday, January 15, 2022 Time: 8:00 AM-9:30 AM Emily Greenfield SSWR Presentation: Date: Sunday, January 16 Time: 9:45 am - 11:15 am Symposium Title: University-Community Partnerships during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Elevating the Role of Social Work in Community Practice and Knowledge Co-Creation Chair: Natalie E. Pope, MSSW, MBA Paper Title (in above symposium): A University-Community Action Partnership to Generate New Insights on Age-Friendly Communities during the COVID-19 Pandemic Presenters: Natalie E. Pope, MSSW, MBA; Althea Pestine-Stevens, PhD, Clara Scher, MSc; Emily Greenfield, PhD
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Tawanda Hubbard Hubbard, T. L. (2021). Navigating and Managing Implicit Bias and Microaggressions in Working and Serving Other, Webinar. Mental Health Association in New Jersey Hubbard, T. L. (2021). Dealing with Difference and Diversity in Clinical Treatment of Children and Adolescents, Webinar. Rutgers School of Social Work CEU Program Hubbard, T. L. (2021). Courageous Conversations: Equitable Access to Health Care – Racism as a Public Health Crisis, Panelist on Webinar. Mile High United Way, Denver Colorado Dr. Hubbard presented on the event she organized and moderated in New Jersey and the resulting publication “Mental Health in the Black Community Roundtable Report” she wrote. Hubbard, T. L. (2021). Navigating and Managing Implicit Bias and Microaggressions in Victim Advocacy, Webinar. NJ Victim Assistance Academy. Rutgers School of Social Work Institute for Families Rupa Khetarpal Khetarpal. R.M. (2021). Lost in a New Land: Addressing Refugee Mental Health. Sheppard Pratt, Baltimore, Maryland. Khetarpal, R.M. & Trott. D. (2021). Refugee Wellbeing and Mental Health Interventions: Evidence-based alternative interventions for refugees. Continuing Education Department. Rutgers University, School of Social Work. Yoon, S., Khetarpal, R.M., Berg, K., & Barnhart, S. (2022). Resilience & Strengths Based Research Special Interest Group (SIG), SSWR 2022, Washington, D.C. Joy Kim Kim, J. (Accepted). Racial disparities in social workers’ licensing rates. Research in Social Work Practice Kim, J. (2021). Personal care aides as household employees and independent contractors: Examining the size and job characteristics of the workforce. Innovation in Aging. 6(1), 1-10, (Online advance article) https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igab049 Kim, J., Joo, M., & Curran, L. (2021). Social work licensure: Earning premiums and gender disparities. Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research. (Online advance article) https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdf/10.1086/717330 Joy Kim joined the editorial board of the International Journal of Social Welfare (IJSW), as an associate editor. Information on IJSW is found here: (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/14682397) Lenna Nepomnyaschy Lenna Nepomnyaschy participated in a Policy Shark Tank event organized by the Scholars Strategy Network of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Three Rutgers faculty members, including Will B. Payne, Assistant Professor of Geographic Information Science at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, Bruce D. Baker, Professor at the Graduate School of Education, and Dr. Nepomnyaschy presented their research to Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman's legislative staff in order to use research to advocate for various policy reforms. 3
Dr. Nepomnyaschy explained how child support debt is associated with worse outcomes for children. Most child support debt is owed to the state, not directly to the family, and it affects fathers’ employment and ability to invest in their children. She proposed legislation to set reasonable child support orders and stop punishing fathers in ways that impede their ability to work and provide for their children. Emmy Tiderington SSWR Presentations: Saturday, January 15, 2022, from 9:45 AM to 11:15 AM- "Developing an implementation typology of Moving On initiatives," Oral presentation at the Society for Social Work and Research Annual Conference, Washington, DC, January 2022. Co-presenters: Aykanian, A. & Herman, D. Saturday, January 15, 2022, from 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM - "To stay or go?: Understanding ambivalence toward moving on from supportive housing among supportive housing residents in a Moving On initiative." Oral presentation (accepted as an oral presentation but presented as e-poster) at the Society for Social Work and Research Annual Conference, Washington, DC, January 2022. Co-presenter: Livingstone, K. Friday, January 14, 2022, from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM - "What happens after permanent supportive housing?: A scoping review of Moving On initiative individual-level outcomes." Poster presentation at the Society for Social Work and Research Annual Conference - Washington, DC, January 2022. Co-presenters: Goodwin, J. & Noonan, E. Friday, January 14, 2022, from 3:45 PM to 5:15 PM - "In search of normalcy and freedom: Motivating factors for moving on from supportive housing among Moving On initiative recipients." Poster presentation at the Society for Social Work and Research Annual Conference - Washington, DC, January 2022. Co-presenter: Livingstone, K. Invited to participate in SSWR's "Meet the Scientist" session in recognition of her “outstanding contributions to social work research and ability to provide both formal and informal guidance to early career scholars and doctoral students.”
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Doctoral Student News Esther Bennett Esther presented a poster at the seventh annual Brain Health Institute Symposium on December 3rd titled “The Effects of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) on Motor and Cognitive Impulsivity.” Authors: Christine Yoe, Esther R. Bennett, MSS, LSW, Tara P. Cominski, PhD, Mihal Grinberg, and Kevin Beck, PhD. Iris Cardenas SSWR Presentations: Cardenas, I. (2022, January 12-16). Advancing Intersectionality Approaches in Intimate Partner Violence Research: A Social Justice Approach Oral presentation Session Title: Novel Approaches IPV/SV Intervention and Research Friday, January 14, 2022, from 8:00 AM to 9:30 AM Cardenas, I. (2022, January 12-16). Development and Validation of the Scale of Attitudes about Seeking Formal Help Among IPV Survivors ePoster Presentations I Thursday, January 13, 2022, from 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM O’Connor, J., Nikolova, K., Cardenas, I. (2022, January 12-16). Traditional Gender Beliefs, Gender Disparities, and Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration Oral presentation Session Title: IPV Perpetration Thursday, January 13, 2022, from 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM Cardenas, I., Ling, H., & Hoge, G. (2022, January 12-16). Testing the Measurement Equivalence of the Scale of Economic Self-Sufficiency across English and Spanish-speaking Partner Violence Survivors ePoster Presentations X Saturday, January 15, 2022, from 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM Yafan Chen SSWR Presentation: Poster Presentation Title: Adverse Childhood Experiences and Psychological Well-Being in Chinese College Students: Moderated Mediation By Gender and Resilience Date: Saturday, January 15, 2022 Time: 10:45 AM Jordan Goodwin SSWR Presentations: Format: Oral Paper Abstract ID: 45417 5
Abstract Title: School Connectedness and Peer Bullying in the U.S.: Testing Direction of Causality Using a Cross-Lagged Panel Design and Latent Constructs Session ID: 13158 Session Title: Young Adults and Interpersonal Violence Session Schedule: Friday, January 14, 2022, from 3:45 PM to 5:15 PM Presenting solo. Co-author on project – Andrew Peterson Format: Poster Abstract ID: 44964 Abstract Title: What Happens after Permanent Supportive Housing?: A Scoping Review of Moving on Initiative IndividualLevel Outcomes Session ID: 13167 Session Title: ePoster Presentations VII Session Schedule: Friday, January 14, 2022, from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM Co-presenter: Elizabeth Noonan List of authors on project: Jordan Goodwin, Emmy Tiderington, Elizabeth Noonan Brett Greenfield SSWR Presentation: Poster Title: Short-stays in child welfare: Exploring state level factors Authors: Brett Greenfield, Cassandra Simmel, and Liwei Zhang Schedule: Sunday, January 16, 2022 at 9:45 AM Huiying Jin SSWR Presentation: Session Title: ePoster Presentations I Session Schedule: Thursday, January 13, 2022, from 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM Jin, H. & Nepomnyaschy, L. (2022, January). Nonresident Fathers' Involvement with Children and Mothers' Well-Being. EPoster at the 26th Annual Conference of the Society for Social Work and Research. Washington, DC. Lena Obara Winter, S., Obara, L. M., Aguilar, N. J., & Johnson, L. (2021). Breaking the cycle: women’s perceptions of the causes of violence and crime in informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya and their strategies for response and prevention. Winter, S., Aguilar, N. J., Obara, L. M., & Johnson, L. (2021). “Next, It Will Be You”: Women's Fear of Victimization and Precautionary Safety Behaviors in Informal Settlement Communities in Nairobi, Kenya. Addam Reynolds and Clara Scher Research from study in Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders featured in Rutgers Today story “Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias Reduces Social Activity.” https://www.rutgers.edu/news/diagnosis-alzheimers-andrelated-dementias-reduces-social-activity
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Amanda Stroiman SSWR Presentation: Poster Title: Exploration of Child Counselors’ Experiences Providing Services during COVID-19 Date: Friday, January 14, 2022 Time: 3:45 PM to 5:15 PM
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Research Spotlight: Institute for Families (IFF) Research & Evaluation Team IFF Research and Evaluation Team Updates The Institute for Families (IFF) at the Rutgers School of Social Work advances the professional practice and knowledge base of individuals and organizations dedicated to improving the lives of children and families. We invite and enjoy strong partnerships and professional collaborations throughout the human service community, including the New Jersey Department of Human Services (DHS), New Jersey Department of Children and Families (DCF), New Jersey Office of the Attorney General (OAG), and various other community, state, and national organizations, foundations, and professional networks. IFF’s Research and Evaluation team has three focus areas: 1. Training Evaluation: The training evaluation team supports most of IFF’s training and professional development programs by providing levels of service reporting, pre/posttest development and revisions, needs assessments, and other survey development and implementation efforts. The programs supported include: • DHS: Grow NJ Kids Training Services (see recent report here) • DHS: New Jersey Child Support Institute • DCF: New Jersey Child Welfare Training Partnership • OAG: New Jersey Victim Assistance Academy • Adoption Grant (managed by SSW-CE), Supervised Visitation Services provider network, Keeping Families Together provider network 2. Child Welfare Data Hub and Data Projects: Our work informs the public on current indicators impacting the health and well-being of children and families, informs policy, and guides future research and planning efforts in the area of child welfare. The team’s work includes data processing, aggregation, and reporting, and public website release of child welfare and well-being data, custom data profiles of each NJ county, and synthesis of state needs and county trends. Examples can be found at: • DCF Child Protection and Permanency (CP&P) and Children's System of Care (CSOC) Data Portal: https://njchilddata.rutgers.edu/ • Human Services Advisory Council County Needs Assessments: https://www.nj.gov/dcf/about/divisions/opma/hsac_needs_assessment.html • Longitudinal Data Reports: To aggregate longitudinal statewide, county-level, and case data files for child welfare leadership and staff in policy and practice decisions. 3. Research and Evaluation: The work includes program evaluation, applied research, direct service, and capacity-building to the human services community. Current work includes: • DHS: LGBTQ+ Needs Assessment: To identify current effective practices for serving clients from the LGBTQ+ community who present for services, to determine areas for strengthened practices, and to recommend DHS Division of Family Development improvements around practice, policy, or systems improvement.
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DHS: New Jersey Child Support Institute (NJCSI) Needs Assessment: To assist the DHS Division of Family Development with identifying child support workforce needs and the most effective, accessible training and education methods for meeting the state’s child support performance goals. Family Guidance Center of Warren County: Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) Evaluation: To increase access to and improve the quality of community mental health and substance use disorder treatment services. DHS: Office of New Americans (ONA) Needs Assessment and Language Access Plan development: To improve how newly immigrated families, refugees, and individuals with vision and/or hearing impairments receive equitable, accessible services. Evaluation of educators’ experiences implementing Overcoming Obstacles Life Skills Education: To inform improvements to the program and promote best practices for implementation.
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Researcher Bios
Theresa Comprelli McCutcheon, M.S.W. Managing Director (she/hers) As Director of the Institute for Families at Rutgers University’s School of Social Work McCutcheon leads a team of 80+ professionals delivering a program portfolio of $17M annually. Prior to joining Rutgers, McCutcheon led community-based programming and development initiatives in an array of human service sectors. She began her career conducting assessments with pregnant and postnatal parents to identify how caregiver support benefits newborns and grew New Jersey’s first home visitation pilots into a statewide network. She has developed several family support and child abuse prevention models into system networks, served as a national trainer for Prevent Child Abuse America as well as several evidence-based parenting programs, and managed school-based, clinical programming for youth. McCutcheon also directed a county-based volunteer program and served as a consultant for executives and board members of non-profits across the state. McCutcheon holds a master’s degree in Social Work from Rutgers and a bachelor’s degree in Health and Human Services from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She is a registered school social worker and is working toward her MBA. McCutcheon served on several local nonprofit boards and currently serves nationally on the Workforce Council for the Quality Improvement Center on Engaging Youth in Finding Permanency and the editorial board for the Child and Family Journal of Innovative Practice and Research. McCutcheon has been a part-time lecturer at the SSW and is a Rutgers Leadership Academy Fellow. Her most challenging and rewarding role, however, is raising two spirited teenage boys.
Ilona (Lon) Arnold-Berkovits, Ph.D. Director of Research and Evaluation (she/hers) Lon joined IFF in 2018 as Director of Research and Evaluation, and currently coordinates three teams of professionals across the Institute: the research and evaluation team, training evaluation team, and data projects/ NJ Child Welfare Data Portal team. Projects across these teams work to improve child welfare/well-being and family/community support by impacting policy, future research, program implementations, and professional development across New Jersey. Lon brings 20 years of experience in research, evaluation, assessment, and project management with a history of work in the area of equity, particularly in education. She has worked closely with government, corporate, and academic institutions, and has 10
managed research programs at Rutgers University since 2014. Previously, her responsibilities at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology included leading a $40 million School System Improvement project.
Christine Allegra, Ph.D., M.S.W. Associate Research Manager (she/hers) Christine joined IFF in 2009 and is currently Associate Research Manager. In that role, she oversees the training evaluation team, which develops evaluation materials, including surveys and pre/posttests. The training evaluation team also analyzes and reports on data for more than 3,000 training days each year across many of IFF’s programs, including the NJCWTP, GNJKTS, NJCSI, and NJVAA. After Christine earned her MSW and Ph.D. degrees from the Rutgers School of Social Work, she taught classes for the program. Before joining IFF, Christine worked as a mental health clinician, providing crisis, inpatient, and outpatient psychiatric care.
Rebecca Swann-Jackson, Ph.D., Ed.M. Associate Research Manager (she/hers) Rebecca joined IFF in 2021 as an Associate Research Manager and oversees the research and evaluation team. She brings nearly 20 years of experience as an applied researcher and evaluator of human services programs and educational initiatives serving urban children and families. An experienced methodologist, she has applied evaluation principles to research and evaluation projects focused on parenting, homelessness and supportive housing, child welfare, aging in place, community health, substance abuse, teacher preparation, equity and anti-racism, curriculum development, education reform, and school violence. Rebecca earned a PhD in Family Science and Human Development from Montclair State University and a Masters in Education, with a concentration in Statistics, Measurement, and Evaluation, from Rutgers University.
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Jennifer Jenkins, M.S. Application Developer (she/hers) Jennifer joined IFF in 2020 as an Application Developer and leads the data projects team responsible for producing the New Jersey Child Welfare Data Hub, a website developed in collaboration with the New Jersey Department of Children and Families. The Data Hub seeks to improve the lives of children and families by providing New Jersey child welfare and well-being data to the public. Jennifer previously applied her expertise in database applications across a variety of fields, including law, financial services, educational assessments, and sports broadcasting. Jennifer holds a bachelor’s degree in Literature and Languages from Bennington College and a master’s degree in Information Systems from Pace University.
Lorin Tredinnick, Ph.D., M.S.W., L.S.W. Supervisor of Victim Service Initiatives (she/hers) Lorin first joined IFF in 2007 and worked primarily with the NJCWTP until 2015. After graduating with a Ph.D. in Social Work from the University of Connecticut, she returned to IFF in September 2020 to support the NJVAA and the partnership with VAWC. She brings experience in training and development and in research and evaluation. Her main area of focus is violence against women and children in the context of sport. Lorin received both her MSW and BA from Rutgers University. She enjoys giving back to her alma mater as a part-time lecturer for the Online MSW Program.
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Chieh-Wen Liu, Ph.D. Senior Program Coordinator (she/hers) Chieh-Wen holds a Ph.D. in Social Work from Rutgers and is the Senior Program Coordinator for NJCSI. Her responsibilities include coordinating all aspects of ongoing evaluation activities to measure training programs delivered by NJCSI, developing and implementing evaluation procedures and tools, providing direct supervision to her research assistant by monitoring and evaluating job performance, providing innovative ideas to the evaluation process, and ensuring the efficient and effective operation of projects. Chieh-Wen’s research skills include extensive knowledge of SPSS, Mplus, and Comprehensive Meta-Analysis statistical programs.
Shyamala Muthurajah, M.P.H. Senior Program Coordinator (she/hers) Shyamala joined IFF in 2016 and is currently Senior Program Coordinator. She works with the NJCWTP and GNJKTS, focusing on training evaluation. Before joining IFF, Shyamala worked for more than seven years on training projects where she led data collection, statistical analyses, and reporting. The training projects were in the areas of youth suicide prevention, trauma, school and community-based psychosocial interventions, and tobacco surveillance. Shyamala received an MPH from UMDNJ and is a certified SAS base programmer. Shyamala's areas of expertise include designing web-based and paper-and-pencil surveys, tracking and managing data, and project coordination.
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Tina Marie Gajda-Crawford, M.A. Senior Research Project Coordinator (she/hers) Tina joined IFF in June 2017 and is currently Senior Research Project Coordinator. Her current responsibilities focus on the DCF Data Hub Projects including ongoing quality assurance, survey and instrument development and revision, data collection, data management, data analysis, and reporting. Tina previously worked with the training evaluation team on project reporting, instrument development and revision, and ongoing CQI for the NJCWTP, GNJKTS, NJVAA, and NJCSI programs. Before joining IFF, Tina held Project Coordinator positions for 7 years with a focus on project management, data tracking, data analysis, and reporting at the Rutgers School of Social Work, where she coordinated a DMHAS and DHS funded study, and at the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, where she coordinated studies funded by the National Institutes of Health. She also has experience in direct practice working with children and as a therapist in outpatient settings. Tina has a BA in Psychology from Rutgers University and an MA in Counselor Education from Kean University.
Spencer Nitkey, Ed.M. Program Coordinator I (he/him) Spencer Nitkey joined IFF in August 2019. He holds a BA in English and an Ed.M. in Secondary Education from Temple University. He has worked in high school and university settings as a teacher, researcher, and tutor, where he used datadriven decision making to enhance learning and achievement. His responsibilities at IFF include supporting the evaluation team in designing new evaluation tools and pretests/posttests, performing data analysis, report writing, quality assurance, and material and levels of service tracking for GNJKTS and the NJWTP.
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Alexander Diamond Application Developer (they/them) Alexander joined IFF’s data projects team in 2020 and is applying their expertise in software and web development to the NJ Child Welfare Data Hub. Previously they used their expertise as a software engineer to create and update applications for a major cloud server provider.
Samantha Menard, MSW, LSW Program Coordinator II (she/hers) Samantha joined IFF’s research and evaluation team in April 2021 and serves as a Program Coordinator supporting several needs assessments with the research and evaluation team. She is a licensed social worker in NJ and graduated from the Rutgers School of Social Work with her MSW in May 2020. Before joining IFF, she worked as a research assistant at the Center on Violence Against Women and Children, and the Stigma, Health, and Close Relationships Lab at Rutgers University. In September 2018, she interned at the Youth Empowerment Services, where she assisted with implementing skill-based workshops for 20 students in the Community After School Tutoring program and tutoring students at the agency. Her current responsibilities include performing literature reviews, developing reports and presentations, entering and analyzing qualitative and quantitative data, and assisting with interviews, focus groups, and surveys.
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Melissa Garfinkel, M.S.S Evaluation Coordinator (she/hers) Melissa recently joined IFF in September 2021 as an Evaluation Coordinator on the research and evaluation team. Melissa has previously earned her Masters in Social Service from Bryn Mawr College in 2020 and her Bachelor of the Arts in Psychology from the College of New Jersey (TCNJ) in 2017. Melissa has both research and case management experience, interning for ElderNet and Women Against Abuse. Melissa has previously completed a community assessment in solidarity with the Black and Brown Workers Co-op and has worked in multiple clinical research labs at TCNJ.
Nicole Milano, MSW Graduate Assistant (she/hers) Nicole joined IFF in September 2021 as a Graduate Assistant. As a member of the training evaluation team, Nicole assists activities to measure training programs delivered by NJCSI. Nicole holds an MSW from Rutgers and is a current PhD candidate at the Rutgers’ School of Social Work. Her research focuses on health equity for socially disadvantaged populations.
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Kristen Foley Graduate Research Assistant (she/hers) Kristen is a Graduate Research Assistant at IFF. She is currently a second-year doctoral student in the School Psychology PsyD program at the Rutgers Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology. Kristen is passionate about creating school curricula that help to provide equal opportunities for all students.
Johnny Zhong Graduate Research Assistant (he/him) Johnny joined IFF in December 2020 as a Graduate Research Assistant. He has worked on the Human Service Advisory Council (HSAC) Data Workbooks and PowerPoints, and performs Quality Assurance (QA) processes on the NJ Child Welfare Data Portal. Before joining IFF, Johnny worked as a Marketing Analyst, processing data, monitoring customer preference, and developing marketing strategies to reach seasonal sales goals. Johnny is a 2020 graduate of Rutgers University, where he majored in Statistics. He is currently pursuing a Master of Data Science degree at the university.
Isabel Mora Research Assistant (she/hers) Isabel joined IFF as a Research Assistant and has worked closely with the training evaluation team and the data projects team. She is a junior at Rutgers University and is currently working toward her bachelor’s degree in social work, as well as criminal justice at Rutgers University. In the future, she plans to pursue her master’s degree in social work. 17
Bibliography Reddy, L. A., Hua, A. N., Dudek, C. M., Kettler, R. J., Arnold-Berkovits, I., Lekwa, A., Crouse, K., Kurz, A., & Hu, J. (2019). The Relationship between School Administrator and Teacher Ratings of Classroom Practices and Student Achievement in HighPoverty Schools. Assessment for Effective Intervention, xx, xxx-xxx. https://doi.org/10.1177/1534508419862863 Reddy, L. A., Hua, A. N., Dudek, C. M., Lekwa, A., Arnold-Berkovits, I., Kettler, R. J., & Crouse, K. (2019). Use of Observational Measures to Predict Student Achievement. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 62, 197-208. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2019.05.001 Perez, R. M., & Arnold-Berkovits, I. (2019). Perez Ambiguous Loss of Homeland Scale: Measuring Immigrants' Connection to Their Country of Origin. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 41(1), 3-28. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739986318824606 Arnold-Berkovits, I., Kurz, A., & Reddy, L. A. (2018). Teacher Log of Students’ Opportunity to Learn and Classroom Observation: An Initial Investigation of Convergence. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11092-018-9288-2 Kettler, R. J., Arnold-Berkovits, I., Reddy, L. A., Kurz, A., Dudek, C. M., Hua, A. N., & Lekwa, A. (2018). Multi-method Teacher Evaluation for High Poverty Schools: Observations and Self-Ratings of Instructional and Behavioral Management. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 59, 224-234. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2018.08.004 Perez, R. M., & Arnold-Berkovits, I. (2018). A Conceptual Framework for Understanding Latino Immigrants’ Ambiguous Loss of Homeland. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 40(2), 91-114. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739986318761058 Hancock, G. R., Stapleton, L. M., & Arnold-Berkovits, I. (2009). The tenuousness of invariance tests within multisample covariance and mean structure models. In T. Teo & M. S. Khine (Eds.), Structural equation modeling: Concepts and applications in educational research. Rotterdam, Netherlands: Sense Publishers. Adelman, C., Daniel, B., & Berkovits, I., (2003). Postsecondary attainment, attendance, curriculum, and performance: Selected results from the NELS:88/2000 postsecondary education transcript study (PETS), 2000 (NCES Publication No. 2003-394). Project Officer: Jeffrey Owings. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. Berkovits, I. (2002, August). National Education Longitudinal Study: 1988-2000 data files and electronic codebook system-Base year through fourth follow-up ECB/CD-ROM, Public use. Washington DC: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics # 2002-322rev. Retrieve from: https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2002322rev Berkovits, I. (2003, February). National Education Longitudinal Study: 1988-2000 data files and electronic codebook system--Base year through fourth follow-up ECB/CD-ROM, Restricted use. Washington DC: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics # 2003-400. Berkovits, I., Hancock, G. R., & Nevitt, J. (2000). Bootstrap resampling approaches for repeated measure designs: Relative robustness to sphericity and normality violations. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 60, 877-892. https://doi.org/10.1177/00131640021970961 18
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