Our Team

Leadership

Lina Guzman, Ph.D., Director/Principal Investigator

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Maria Ramos-Olazagasti

María A. Ramos-Olazagasti, Ph.D., Deputy Director/Co-Principal Investigator

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Danielle A. Crosby, Ph.D., Co-Principal Investigator

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Natasha Cabrera, Ph.D., Co-Principal Investigator

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Julia Mendez, Ph.D., Co-Principal Investigator

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Lisa A. Gennetian, Ph.D., Co-Principal Investigator

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Diana Cedeño

Diana Cedeño, Ph.D., Senior Researcher

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Lina Guzman, Ph.D., is director and principal investigator (PI) of the Center. As an applied social demographer, Dr. Guzman’s research has examined childbearing, union formation, parenting and program use among racial/ethnic minorities. Her work with the Center has examined the diverse family and economic experiences of Hispanics and their implications for programs and policies as well as strengthening our nation’s data infrastructure to better understand the heterogeneity within the Latino communities. Dr. Guzman is the director of the Child Trends Hispanic Institute and managing director of business development and strategy at Child Trends. Learn more about Dr. Guzman and her research. Contact Dr. Guzman. Twitter: @linapguzman

Maria Ramos-Olazagasti

María A. Ramos-Olazagasti, Ph.D., is the deputy director and co-principal investigator for the Center and leads its Building Capacity activities. Dr. Ramos-Olazagasti is a community and developmental psychologist whose research focuses on the mental health and well-being of Latino youth and families. She has over 10 years of experience studying how social context, exposure to adverse childhood experiences, and culturally relevant risk and protective factors relate to Latino children’s emotional and behavioral health (e.g., internalizing symptoms, alcohol use, sexual risk behaviors). Her research highlights the heterogeneity of experiences and outcomes within Latino subgroups. Dr. Ramos-Olazagasti’s work with the Center focuses on developing tools and resources to strengthen the capacity of the research field and expand the pipeline of scholars focused on Hispanic children and families. Learn more about Dr. Ramos-Olazagasti and her research. Contact Dr. Ramos-Olazagasti. Twitter: @MariaRamosOla

Danielle A. Crosby, Ph.D., is a co-principal investigator of the Center and co-leads the Early Care and Education area. Dr. Crosby’s research seeks to identify the social, economic, and policy factors that promote optimal development for children in low-income, ethnic minority, and immigrant families. She has investigated how welfare, income, employment policies, parents’ work conditions, and ECE supply characteristics shape children’s access to high-quality early care and education experiences. Her research with the Center focuses on the policy, community, and household factors that shape ECE access and utilization for low-income Hispanic families. Dr. Crosby is an Associate Professor in Human Development and Family Studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Learn more about Dr. Crosby and her researchContact Dr. Crosby.

Natasha Cabrera, Ph.D., is a co-principal investigator of the Center and co-leads the Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood area. Dr. Cabrera’s extensively published research focuses on the role of fathers and mothers in Latino families and the links between parenting behaviors and children’s social and cognitive development. She also has conducted research on Latino fathers including the theoretical aspects of fatherhood research, methodology, the nature and frequency of father involvement, and the relationship between fathers’ activities and children’s outcomes. Dr. Cabrera’s research with the Center includes studies of the early environments of Latinx children as they relate to children's development and the types of early mothering and fathering behaviors in low-income families that promote children's wellbeing. Dr. Cabrera is a Professor of Human Development at the University of Maryland, College Park. Learn more about Dr. Cabrera and her researchContact Dr. Cabrera. Twitter: @natashajcabrera

Julia Mendez, Ph.D., is a co-principal investigator of the Center and co-leads the Early Care and Education area. As a community psychologist and a licensed clinical psychologist, she has expertise in understanding the mental health and well-being of young children as well as on parent engagement in preschool and elementary school settings. Her research with the Center focuses on early care and education opportunities for Hispanics in the U.S., including how ECE programs and child care policies support child development and learning opportunities in the family, school and community settings. Dr. Mendez is a Professor in the Department of Psychology and the Chancellor’s Fellow for Campus Climate at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Learn more about Dr. Mendez and her research. Contact Dr. Mendez. Twitter: @DrJMSmith25

Lisa A. Gennetian, Ph.D. is a co-investigator of the Center and leads the Poverty Reduction and Self-Sufficiency area. Her current research focuses on the impact of income instability on the lives of poor families and their children, and implications of these findings for the design of social assistance programs. Dr. Gennetian’s research with the Center encompasses investigations of racial/ethnic differences in the economic behavior of parents and implications on the well-being of their children. She is a Visiting Associate Professor Duke Sanford School of Public Policy. Learn more about Dr. Gennetian and her researchContact Dr. Gennetian. Twitter: @Gen_Pov

Diana Cedeño

Diana Cedeño, Ph.D., serves as a senior researcher at the Center and stands as a prominent figure in the examination of poverty, exclusion, and community engagement within Latinx families. With a transnational and translingual background, she has significantly influenced the discourse on poverty and social exclusion, showcasing exceptional leadership in her investigations. Holding a Ph.D. in Family Science and Human Development, an M.A. in Sociology and Social Justice, and a B.A. in Economics, her work centers understanding poverty and formulating and developing interventions, programs, and policies that will better serve the realities of Latinx families in the United States. Contact Dr. Cedeño at: Twitter: @Dr__Cedeno