Team Group: Faculty

Deidre has over 35 years of experience in the ECE field, including work as a classroom teacher, instructional coach, director of training, and preschool director. She serves as an International Consultant and Faculty for the Pyramid Model Consortium, helping programs increase children’s social-emotional development while reducing their challenging behaviors. Additionally, Deidre is a National Leadership…

Charis Lauren Wahman is an Associate Professor of Special Education at Michigan State University and a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral (BCBA-D). She is also affiliated faculty in School Psychology. Her research aims to understand the contextual factors that hinder or enhance children’s social and emotional development and the impact on families, including the successful adoption of evidence-based social emotional…

Myrna Veguilla Figueroa, MSMS, MPH is a Senior Social & Behavioral Researcher in the Department of Child and Family Studies in the College of Behavioral and Community Sciences of the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida. Her work includes evaluation activities for the National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations (NCPMI) and the Early Childhood…

Janice K. Lee, Ph.D., is a member of the research faculty at the University of Nevada, Reno, in the Nevada Center for Excellence in Disabilities. She leads Nevada’s Pyramid Model Partnership, promoting high fidelity Pyramid Model implementation and training for early care and education settings to support social and emotional competence. Her experience and interests…

Dr. Rosemarie Allen’s life’s work is centered on ensuring ALL children have access to high quality early childhood programs that are developmentally and culturally appropriate.  She is currently an Associate Professor in the School of Education at Metropolitan State University of Denver.  Her classes are focused on ensuring teachers are aware of how issues of…

Kathy Bigelow, Ph.D. is an Associate Research Professor at the Juniper Gardens Children’s Project (JGCP) in the Life Span Institute, and Courtesy Assistant Professor in the Department of Applied Behavioral Science at the University of Kansas. Dr. Bigelow received her Ph.D. in Developmental and Child Psychology at the University of Kansas and was a Post-Doctoral…

Barbara’s areas of interest include policies and systems in early intervention, early childhood special education and early care and education, particularly related to the Pyramid Model and high-quality inclusion. Barbara has worked with NAEYC and other early childhood leadership organizations to help shape quality inclusive early childhood environments and the policies and guidelines that support…

Neal Horen, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist who has focused on early childhood mental health for the last twenty years. He is the Director of the Early Childhood Division and Co-director of the Head Start National Center on Health, Behavioral Health and Safety, the national Center of Excellence for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health…

Dr. Mary Louise Hemmeter is a professor of Early Childhood Special Education at Vanderbilt University and holds the Nicholas Hobbs Chair in Special Education and Human Development. Her research focuses on effective instruction, supporting social emotional development and addressing challenging behavior, and coaching teachers. Dr. Hemmeter conducts presentations and workshops throughout the US and abroad.…

Michaelene M. Ostrosky, PhD, is the Grayce Wicall Gauthier Professor Emerita and Professor Emerita of Special Education at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She worked in academia for 33 years before moving into “semi-retirement” in 2024. Prior to earning a PhD she taught individuals with disabilities, including young deafblind children. Throughout her career, Dr. Ostrosky has enjoyed mentoring graduate students and…

Lise Fox, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Child and Family Studies in the College of Behavioral and Community Sciences of the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida. She is the Principal Investigator (PI) of the National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations, the PI and Co-Director of Florida Center for Inclusive Communities…

Ted has been working with young children, young children with developmental disabilities and their families for over 25 years. Ted was an original contributor to the development of the Pyramid Model preschool modules and continues that work through the Pyramid Model Consortium. He has extensive experience working with community early childhood providers and providing training…