Dodjivi Amekoudji is originally from Togo, West Africa, where he worked as a Speech-Language Pathologist for seven years before pursuing graduate studies in the United States as a Fulbright Scholar. He began his graduate journey at Portland State University, earning a Master’s degree in Special Education in March 2024. In Fall 2024, he joined the PhD program in Special Education at the Department of Special Education and Clinical Sciences at the University of Oregon. Dodjivi's research interests focus on enhancing equity in education through culturally responsive practices. His areas of specialization include making educational practices within the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) framework more culturally and linguistically responsive for learners from diverse backgrounds, leveraging education policy to promote equity, and improving teacher preparation to support equitable practices in schools.

Kellie-Anne is a Masters level trained School Psychologist from the beautiful island of Jamaica, and is a student in the Doctoral Special Education program, with a focus on Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education. She spent most of her 16-year School Psychology practice working in inclusive early childhood settings. Her research interests are focused on the utilization of co-regulation strategies and effective coaching interventions for caregivers of children with developmental disabilities. She aspires to improve Early Childhood Special Education teacher preparation programs, preparing future educators to utilize social-emotional learning and family-centered practices.

My name is Tony Daza, I am a Latiné student with Colombian roots though I moved to UO from Minnesota. I am a former Minneapolis Public Schools middle school special education teacher, which has shaped my interest area for research. My work focuses on positive behavior interventions and support, K-12 school transition support, and preparing pre-service teachers for working with students. All of my work is through the lens of supporting students with disabilities as well as Latiné youth. In addition to research I enjoy data science and translating research to make best-practices accessible for practitioners.

Yitong Jiang is an international doctoral student from China. She holds both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Special Education from Beijing Normal University and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). With nearly a decade of experience working with families, teachers, and young children with autism, she is now pursuing a doctorate in Special Education to further her research experience. Her academic interests include evidence-based practices for enhancing self-regulation development in young children on the autism spectrum, caregiver co-regulation strategy coaching, self-regulation measure development, and naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions. 

Audra Johnston-Zamora is a doctoral student at the University of Oregon in the Department of Special Education and Clinical Services. Throughout California Audra has previously served as a county office Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) Project Coordinator, a foster youth liaison/Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) district coach and a middle school English teacher. Her research interests include practices in the educational setting that may buffer the long-term effects of trauma for both teachers and students, participatory action research and professional development design, as well as interventions to positively impact foster youth outcomes. Audra hopes to co-create viable interventions and supports to create a healthier educational landscape.

Seulbi Lee is a PhD candidate in Special Education specializing in educational data science and quantitative research methods. Her academic journey includes bachelor's and master's degrees in special education from the University of Maryland and teaching experience in elementary classrooms. Seulbi's primary research is centered around specific reading comprehension difficulties, academic support for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and developmental disabilities, and technology-enhanced learning practices. She is interested in broadening her research scope to encompass international development for inclusive education and raising disability awareness in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in the areas of reading and literacy.

Andre Leon holds a Master of Science in Special Education and brings a wealth of experience as a former adult transition teacher. His professional journey has been dedicated to supporting secondary and transition-age students with low-incidence disabilities, ensuring they develop the skills and confidence needed for post-school success. Andre's research focuses on innovative strategies and evidence-based practices to enhance educational outcomes and promote independence for this underserved population. Passionate about bridging gaps in education and fostering inclusive communities, he is committed to advancing the field through impactful research and practical application, driven by his unwavering belief in every student’s potential.

Yessy Medina is a Mexican-American doctoral student in the department of Special Education. Her research and evaluation efforts focus on culturally and linguistically responsive practices, policies, and teacher preparation for dually identified learners. Yessy earned a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education from Roosevelt University and a Master’s in Bilingual Curriculum and Instruction from Concordia University in Chicago. With more than a decade of experience in PK-8 inclusive bilingual settings, Yessy leverages her background as a neurodivergent and bilingual scholar to affirm the cultural and linguistic capital of multilingual learners with disabilities, and promote equitable practices for all learners

Erick Munene Njue is a doctoral student in Special Education and a former high school teacher in Kenya. He holds a bachelor’s degree in education, linguistics, and literature from the University of Nairobi and a Master of Science in education policy and leadership from the University of Oregon. He is interested in education policy for dually identified students, inclusive education and identification, and the referral and assessment of dually identified students. He is involved in research on the Inclusive Skill-Building Learning Approach (ISLA) to reduce the school-to-prison pipeline and enhancing adolescents' literacy skills in juvenile detention.

Saratessa Palos is a dedicated educator with over a decade of experience in various educational and clinical roles. She holds a Bachelor's in Child Development from California State University, Sacramento, master's degrees in Special Education and Psychology from the University of San Francisco and the University of West Florida, and has advanced training in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) from the Florida Institute of Technology. She is now pursuing doctoral studies, researching the development of social-emotional competence (SEC) in early childhood, adaptive interventions to support SEC, and implementation science for the scalable, replicable impact of evidence-based practices in early childhood education.

An enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and a decedent of the Muckleshoot tribe of Washington, Kevin currently serves in the fields of child welfare, teacher preparation, AIAN youth mental health & trauma, and opioid prevention. He is an advocate for programs, services, and communities that strengthen tribal families through culturally based services and interventions. Kevin is a PhD candidate at the University of Oregon with research interests in culturally based pedagogy, adaptations of evidence-based practices, and the utilization of culture and culturally responsive practices to impact western based outcomes for American Indian/Alaskan Native youth, people, families, and communities. Kevin’s work includes development of systems,  practices, curriculums, and professional development opportunities that center the lived experiences and knowledge of Native people and life ways: Culture as Intervention™ and the Native American Family Engagement Model (NAFAM)™ provide service delivery systems with culturally informed and Indigenous based practices to serve tribal people, families, and communities.