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Staff Bios

Steffen Saifer, Team Lead
Steffen Saifer, Ed.D. is the director of the Child and Family Program at the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL) since May, 2000. He conducts research in the area of children's mental health with the Regional Research Institute at Portland State University, where he has been a member of the faculty for over 13 years. Dr. Saifer has done extensive training and technical assistance for Head Start programs and conducted program evaluation research for the Oregon Department of Education's Pre-kindergarten Program. He also has expertise in the area of numeracy development in young children and child assessment - having developed a widely used assessment tool, The Oregon Assessment. Dr. Saifer is the author of Practical Solutions to Practically Every Problem: The Early Childhood Teacher's Manual, published by Redleaf Press, which has sold over 30,000 copies.

Diane Dorfman, Research Associate
Since January 1997 Diane Dorfman has worked at NWREL as a Research Specialist and Associate, most recently in the Child and Family Program. She has an M.A. and Ph.D. in cultural anthropology. Dr. Dorfman has done research on the construction of cultural identities, the cultural construction of knowledge, social inequality, gender, China, and the rural US. She is developing resources on school-community development and working with communities to organize diverse members of the population around issues of mutual concern. Currently she works with northwestern sites to involve schools and young people in locally initiated community development strategies. Areas of focus include bilingual/bicultural education, family literacy, Native American/Alaska Native education, and school, family, community partnerships. In addition, she has worked with Enterprise Communities and is developing community-based programs for at-risk youth.

Rändi Douglas, Training and Technical Assistant Associate
Rändi Douglas is a Training and Technical Assistant Associate for the Education, Career and Community Program of NWREL. She has an educational background in English (BA/ MA), the humanities, and theatre arts (MFA). During the last decade, she has been professionally focused entirely on education, specializing in curriculum design, integrated learning, multiple intelligences, arts-in-education, active literacy and learning organization theory and practice. She has designed award- winning multicultural educational programs, addressing learning through the creative process and multiple intelligences. In her early career, she worked professionally as an actress, playwright, director and producer, and also as a writer in education, primarily for the Oregon State Department of Education. She came to NWREL in 1999 to work in support of building strong partnerships between community organizations and schools.

Lena Ko, Associate
Lena Ko has been an Associate trainer/researcher at NWREL's Child and Family Program since 1997. Her primary areas of research include cultural aspects of family and community engagement in education and early childhood through school age education readiness and transitions. She has over six years experience training educators and community members as well as providing workshops at local, regional and national conferences. Her work experience includes teaching, consulting and technical writing for various education agencies, interagency groups and early childhood programs. She has worked to help develop a state-wide family resource center project, as well as several federal grant initiatives to help communities improve outcomes for children and families. Ms. Ko received her masters of science degree in human development and family studies with an emphasis on early childhood development, from Colorado State University. She has experience working with culturally diverse populations, in unique settings including children with special needs.

Keisha Edwards, Research & Evaluation Specialist
Ms. Edwards has been a training specialist and writer at NWREL since 1996. Prior to joining NWREL, she held a variety of positions, including youth counselor, mental health worker and small business owner, all of which bring invaluable insight and knowledge about business partnerships and community-based organizations. Ms. Edwards major responsibilities include curriculum development and designing/delivering workshops around critical issues related to effective learning for students with diverse needs, including youth leadership and development, project-based learning, service learning, school reform and linking work and learning. She holds a B.S. in Social Science from Portland State University with a focus on education, Black Studies, and Women's History. Ms. Edwards is co-author of Advanced Workplace Readiness Curriculum produced for the Oregon Department of Education (1999). She is also co-author of Teens Working: Turning Earning into Learning (publication Summer 2000) and the author of Everyone's Guide to Successful Project Planning: Tools and Activities for Youth (publication Fall 2000).

Debbie Ellis, Research & Development Specialist
Debbie Ellis has been a Research and Development Specialist in NWREL's Child and Family Program since 1997. Currently, her research area covers family and community involvement, early childhood education, and technology in education. She is a trainer for interagency groups on family support issues, tutor training especially in regards to early literacy, and technology use in the classroom. Debbie received her bachelor's of science degree in child and family studies with an emphasis on early childhood development, from Portland State University. She has worked as a case aide, teaching assistant in an ESL classroom, early childhood teacher, and family advocate/parent educator. Current projects include the appropriate use of technology in early childhood education settings and a resource guide for family involvement. She works closely with the Region X Partnership for Family Involvement in Education and the Region X Head Start Association Board.

Kendra V. Hughes, Equity Specialist
Kendra Hughes is an Equity Specialist with the Equity Center at NWREL. Kendra has extensive experience working with families from diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds, especially families typically labeled as "hard-to-reach". She has assisted parents and educators to implement strategies to improve student achievement and increase family involvement in school utilizing the resources of the community. She has conducted program evaluations, managed educational programs for children and adults, written school-age credentials for child care providers, and trained early childhood professionals on developmentally appropriate practices in all types of settings.