Current Leadership
Chair
Dr. Melissa Y. Delgado is an Associate Professor of Family Studies and Human Development at the University of Arizona, where she is also the co-chair of the Latino Youth and Families Research Initiative of the Frances McClelland Institute for Children, Youth, and Families. She trained in family and human development and as a W. T. Grant Foundation post-doctoral fellow at Arizona State University. Taking a strengths-based approach, her collaborative program of research focuses on the mechanisms and adaptive cultural responses in youths’ settings (i.e., family, school, peer) that reduce racial/ethnic inequality (e.g., educational) and promote the positive development of US-Latin American adolescents, particularly adolescents of Mexican origin. She has published research in developmental and family journals, including Child Development, Developmental Psychology, and Journal of Family Psychology. She currently serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Research on Adolescence and Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology and, regularly, is a conference abstract reviewer for family and developmental conferences, including SRCD’s Biennial Meetings.
Chair Elect
Dr. Doré R. LaForett is an Advanced Research Scientist at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a Senior Research Scientist at Child Trends. She earned her PhD in clinical psychology from Temple University. Her research focuses on young children’s school readiness and mental health within the context of families and early childhood programs, with a particular emphasis on low-income and ethnic/language minority populations. She currently is the Principal Investigator of a new study funded by the Institute of Education Sciences in the US Department of Education, called “BEE Project: Bilingualism, Education, and Excellence/Proyecto BEE: Bilingüe, educación y éxito.” This study examines the academic experiences and skills of Kindergarten – 3rd grade students attending Spanish/English dual language education settings. Her previous work includes studies examining academic engagement, peer relations, and home language in dual language education; evaluating a summer educational transition program for Spanish-speaking three-year-olds; adapting and testing a Tier 2 language and literacy intervention for Spanish-speaking pre-k students; and working on the Center on Early Care and Education Research – Dual Language Learners (CECER-DLL). Finally, Dr. LaForett has served as a founding member and peer-elected officer for the SRCD Latinx Caucus, and currently is a member of the publications and communications subcommittee.
Secretary
Dr. Fiorella Carlos Chávez
Treasurer
Dr. Diamond Bravo
Social Media Manager
Guadalupe López Hernández
Members at Large
Dr. Margarita Azmitia is a professor of psychology at the University of California at Santa Cruz, immigrated to the U.S. from Guatemala. She received her BA and MA from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro and her PhD in Developmental Psychology from the Institute of Child Development at the University of Minnesota. She has served as an associate editor for Developmental Psychology and is a member of the UC Consortium on Adolescence Science. She researches the role of identity, close relationships, academic self-efficacy, and mental health in ethnic minority youth’s transition to and from college. Currently, she is investigating the educational and career pathways of Latinx and other ethnic minority emerging adults who are the first generation in their families to attend college and how the intersections between their gender, ethnic/race, social class, and sexual identities contour their everyday college experiences and career and life goals.
Dr. Bárbara Rogoff
Dr. Carola Suárez-Orozco is a Professor of Human Development and Psychology at UCLA. Her books include: Children of Immigration, Learning a New Land, as well as the Transitions: The Development of the Children of Immigrants. She has been awarded an American Psychological Association (APA) Presidential Citation for her contributions to the understanding of cultural psychology of immigration, has served as Chair of the APA Presidential Task Force on Immigration, and is a member of the National Academy of Education.
Student Representatives
Jasmín Castillo
Griselda Martínez
