Board of Advisors
The Institute’s Board of Advisors is made up of accomplished early education leaders from across the country who help inform and support the Institute’s work.
Advisors are appointed by the president of the university upon the recommendation of the executive director of the Institute. The board meets annually with the Institute’s executive director and senior staff to offer their insights and recommendations.
Vivian Gadsden, Ed.D.
William T. Carter Professor of Child Development and Education
Graduate School of Education
University of Pennsylvania
Jessie Rasmussen
President
Buffett Early Childhood Fund
Sharon Lynn Kagan, Ed.D.
Virginia and Leonard Marx Professor of Early Childhood and Family Policy
Teachers College, Columbia University
Adjunct Professor
Child Study Center, Yale University
Ross Thompson, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor of Psychology
University of California, Davis
Tammy Mann, Ph.D.
Former Chief Executive Officer
The Campagna Center
Kathy Thornburg, Ph.D.
Emerita Professor of Education and Director of the Institute for Professional Development
University of Missouri-Columbia
Emeritus Board Members
Hiram Fitzgerald, Ph.D.
University Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Psychology and Associate Provost for University Outreach and Engagement, Emeritus
Michigan State University
Eugene Garcia, Ph.D.
Professor of Education Emeritus
Arizona State University
Beth Graue, Ph.D.
Sorenson Professor of Curriculum and Instruction and Director of the Center for Research on Early Childhood Education
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Arnold Sameroff, Ph.D.
Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Emeritus Research Professor, Center for Human Growth and Development
University of Michigan