Amanda Nickerson is a professor of school psychology and the inaugural director of the Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention at the University at Buffalo, the State University of New York. Her research focuses broadly on school safety and building social-emotional strengths of youth, with a particular emphasis on bullying and other forms of violence and victimization. She has published more than 100 journal articles and book chapters, written 5 books, and conducted over 300 professional presentations. She is an author of the PREPaRE School Crisis and Intervention Training Curriculum and is Coordinator of Research for the National Association of School Psychologists School Safety and Crisis Prevention Committee. She has served on multiple editorial boards and committees, including associate editor of the Journal of School Violence. Dr. Nickerson’s work has been funded by federal, state, and private funders, including the Institute of Education Sciences and the National Institutes of Health. She is a licensed psychologist, nationally certified school psychologist, and fellow of the American Psychological Association.
Stephanie Fredrick is the associate director of the Alberti Center and assistant professor in the Department of Counseling, School and Educational Psychology. She is a licensed psychologist and a nationally certified school psychologist. She has previous experience working as a school psychologist and consulting with schools on bullying prevention and social emotional learning. Broadly, her research investigates how schools, families, and communities can prevent peer victimization and increase resiliency and protective factors among children experiencing victimization. She is particularly interested in universal school-based preventative and protective factors, including social support, school climate, and social emotional learning.
Brie Kishel is the program and operations manager at the Alberti Center. Brie obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in child and
youth services from Medaille College, and spent over 18 years working for a local non-profit organization. In her previous position
as education coordinator at the Museum of disABILITY History, she developed and presented a bullying prevention program for elementary school students in several Western New York districts.
Some of Brie's responsibilities for the Alberti Center include marketing and communications; financial and operations management;
and event planning, including coordinating the Alberti Center's colloquium series, annual conference, and monthly sessions for the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) workshop requirement for New
York State teacher certification.
Kathleen P. Allen, PhD (Katy) is a graduate of the Warner Graduate School at the University of Rochester. Prior to completing her graduate degree in education and human development, Katy was involved in promoting the well-being and safety of children both in and out of school through her company, Impact Training, Inc. In addition to introducing school staff to programs on personal safety and social-emotional learning for students, Katy has assisted a number of schools in developing their own materials and procedures for dealing with bullying. A former high school English teacher and trainer for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Katy has focused her recent efforts on providing professional development on bullying prevention and intervention to schools throughout the state. As well
as conducting and publishing research on bullying in schools, Katy’s most recent interest is in adolescent social drama and its connections to bullying.
Dr. Toni Torchia graduated in 2017 with her doctoral degree in combined counseling and school psychology from the University at Buffalo. She has an extensive amount of experience working in research at the University at Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions in a variety of roles, including project coordinator, on multiple grants from the National Institutes of Health as well as a National Institute of Justice grant. Her responsibilities at the Alberti Center have included program evaluation for the PREPaRE School Crisis Prevention and Intervention Training Curriculum developed by the National Association of School Psychologist's (NASP). Dr. Torchia is currently leading the center's efforts to develop and deliver student-centered programming for schools and community agencies related to bullying and peer relationships. Her interests include community outreach, program evaluation, research on peer bullying and victimization, dating violence and substance abuse.
Swapna Balkundi has her bachelor's degree in psychology from the University at Buffalo and her master's degree in psychology from the University at Buffalo. She is currently a doctoral student in the combined counseling and school psychology program at UB. Swapna's research interests include interventions for youth with social emotional learning challenges leading to their academic decline.
Read more about Swapna's Schomburg Fellowship.
Amanda Breese has her bachelor's degree in psychology from The College at Brockport SUNY and is currently a doctoral student in the combined counseling and psychology program at the University at Buffalo. Amanda's research interests focus on skin tone based bullying within Black communities. Read more about Amanda's Schomburg Fellowship (p. 31)
Julianna Casella has her bachelor’s in biology and psychology from Stony Brook University, and is currently a doctoral student in the combined counseling and school psychology program at the University of Buffalo. Julianna’s research interests focus on crisis prevention and interventions in schools. Read more about Julianna's Presidential Fellowship
Jamie Cooper has her bachelor’s degree from SUNY Brockport. She is currently a master’s student in the School Psychology MA/AC program at the University at Buffalo.
Erin Dougherty has her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University at Buffalo. She is currently a master’s student in the School Psychology MA/AC program at the University at Buffalo.
Hannah Grossman is currently a doctoral student in the combined counseling and school psychology program, with a concentration in school psychology at the University at Buffalo. Her current responsibilities at the Alberti Center include working on a project called Developmental Pathways of Violence and Substance Use in a High Risk Sample. Hannah’s research interests include development of bullying behaviors, early childhood aggression, and intervention.
Dylan Harrison has her bachelor's degree from Buffalo State College. She is currently a master's student in the School Psychology MA/AC program at the University at Buffalo. Dylan is a research assistant at the Alberti Center in a project titled Creating Upstanders: The Development of Norms and Bystander Intervention Training (NAB IT!) to Reduce Bullying and Sexual Harassment.
Kay Huang has her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Iowa State University and is currently a doctoral student in the combined counseling and school psychology program at the University at Buffalo. Kay’s research interests focus on bullying, crisis, and risk behaviors prevention and interventions in schools. Her projects at the Alberti Center include Pathways for School Violence Prevention: Multi-tiered Systems of Support for Safer School Communities, and Creating Upstanders: The Development of Norms and Bystander Intervention Training (NAB IT!) to Reduce Bullying and Sexual Harassment.
Jay’ana King has her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Temple University, and is currently a doctoral student in the combined counseling and school psychology program at the University at Buffalo. Jay’ana’s research interests focus on bullying, interventions, socio-emotional and adjustment outcomes, and mental health in Black and racial minority youth.
Jessica Quintero is a visiting Fulbright Scholar from the University CES in Colombia. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology, master’s degree in Mental Health of Childhood and Adolescence, and is currently a doctoral candidate in public health from the University CES. Her thesis dissertation is titled: Effects and mediation mechanisms of individual, family, school and neighborhood factors that explain the role of bystanders in cyberbullying situations in the city of Medellín, Antioquia.
Katherine (Kat) Margiotta has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Le Moyne College. She is currently a doctoral student in the combined counseling and school psychology program at the University at Buffalo. Her research interests include trauma-informed educational strategies, school safety, and interventions to support student social and emotional wellness.
Abbey McClemont has her bachelor's in psychology from Binghamton University and is currently a doctoral student in the combined counseling and school psychology program at the University at Buffalo. Abbey'sresearch interests focus on bullying prevention within schools, cyberbullying, ADHD and disruptive behavior disorders.
Kennedy McGriff is currently in the School Psychology program here at the University at Buffalo. She has earned her bachelor's degree in psychology from Medaille College.
Shelby Ostolski has her bachelor's degree from University at Buffalo. She is currently a master's student in the School Psychology MA/AC program at the University at Buffalo. Shelby is a research assistant at the Alberti Center in a project titled Creating Upstanders: The Development of Norms and Bystander Intervention Training (NAB IT!) to Reduce Bullying and Sexual Harassment.
Lucia Sun has her bachelors in psychology and is currently a doctoral student in the combined counseling and school psychology program at the University at Buffalo. Her research interest focuses on providing social and emotional learning to immigrant children, specifically with trauma focused interventions.
Leilah Bates
Research Assistant
Gina Bellavia, PhD
Project Director
Sebastian BengCheong Cheong
Research Assistant
Erin Cook
Graduate Assistant
Heather Cosgrove
Graduate Assistant
Michele Crandall
Research Assistant
Melissa Dudley
Graduate Assistant & Project Director
Danielle Guttman-Lapin
Research Associate (Adjunct)
Tiara Handy
Research Assistant
Lauren Hearn
Research Assistant
Samantha Kesselring
Research Assistant
Shauna Mauch
Research Assistant
Margaret Manges
Graduate Assistant
Mary-Lynn McHugh
Research Assistant
Rebecca Mohr
Research Assistant
Catherine Moore
Research Assistant
Joseph Prior
Research Assistant
Timothy Parks
Graduate Assistant
Jessica Rosenburg
Research Assistant
Allison Sealy
Research Assistant
Michelle Serwacki
Graduate Assistant
Samantha Stanford, NASP PREPaRE
Research Assistant
Alaina Tripp
Research Assistant
Jenine Tulledge
Research Assistant
Samantha VanHout
Graduate Assistant
Jilynn Werth
Graduate Assistant
Ariel Aloe, PhD
Professor, Psychological and Quantitative Foundations
University of Iowa
Julie Bowker, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Psychology
University at Buffalo
Catherine P. Cook-Cottone, PhD
Director, Advanced Certificate in Mindful Counseling
Professor, Counseling, School and Educational Psychology
University at Buffalo
Melissa J. Dudley, PhD
Assistant Professor, School Psychology
Alfred University
Rina D. Eiden, PhD
Professor of Psychology
Pennsylvania State University
Kamontá Heidelburg, PhD, NCSP
Assistant Professor, School Psychology
The Ohio State University
Thomas Feeley, PhD
Professor, Department of Communication
College of Arts and Sciences
University at Buffalo
Lyndsay Jenkins, PhD
Associate Professor
Florida State University
Sunha Kim, PhD
Associate Professor, Counseling, School and Educational Psychology
Learning and Instruction
University at Buffalo
Melinda Lemke, PhD
Associate Professor, Educational Leadership and Policy
University at Buffalo
Jennifer Livingston, PhD
Associate Professor, School of Nursing
University at Buffalo
Jamie M. Ostrov, PhD
Professor, Clinical Area Head, Director of Clinical Training
Department of Psychology
University at Buffalo
Amy L. Reynolds, PhD
Professor, Counseling, School and Educational Psychology
University at Buffalo
Darren C. Treadway, PhD
Associate Professor, Sport Management
Niagara University
Annahita Ball, PhD
Assistant Professor, School of Social Work
University at Buffalo
Wendy Craig, PhD
Scientific Director of PREVNet, Professor of Psychology
Queen's University
Lyndsay Jenkins, PhD
Associate Professor
Florida State University
Jennifer Livingston, PhD
Associate Professor, School of Nursing
University at Buffalo
Jamie Pernick
Assistant Principal
Lancaster High School
Rene Petties-Jones
President
National Federation for Just Communities of WNY Inc.
Daniela Wolfe, LMSW
School Social Worker
Amherst Central School District
Helen Aronoff, PhD - membership term 2012-2015
Associate Professor of Psychiatry
School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo
Lana Benatovich - membership term 2012-2018
President
National Federation for Just Communities of WNY
Vito Borrello - membership term 2012-2017
Executive Director
National Association for Family, School, and Community Engagement (NAFSCE)
Anna Cieri, PhD - membership term 2012-2019
Assistant Superintendent
Williamsville Central School District
Dewey Cornell, PhD - membership term 2012-2018
Professor of Education and Endowed Chair
University of Virginia
Janice DeLucia, PhD - membership term 2012-2019
Associate Professor
Dept. of Counseling, School and Educational Psychology, University at Buffalo
Dorothy Espelage, PhD - membership term 2012-2017
William C. Friday Distinguished Professor of Education
University of North Carolina
Bruce Goldstein, Esq. - membership term 2012-2018
Special Counsel
Kenney, Shelton, Liptak, Nowak, LLP
Mary Gresham, PhD - membership term 2012-2017
Vice Provost for Educational Collaboration
University at Buffalo
Brenda McDuffie - membership term 2012-2013
President & CEO
Buffalo Urban League
Bruce Mitchell - membership term 2018-2019
Adjunct Professor, Counseling, School, and Educational Psychology
University at Buffalo
Jane Ogilvie - membership term 2012-2015
Division Director, Community Youth Development
Erie 1 BOCES
Jamie Ostrov, PhD - membership 2012-2017
Professor, Department of Psychology
University at Buffalo
Kevin Penberthy - membership term 2014-2020
Retired Deputy Director
NYS Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD)
Adjunct instructor, School of Social Work
University at Buffalo
Debra Pepler, PhD - membership term 2012-2017
Distinguished Research Professor
York University
Paul Poteat, PhD - membership term 2019-2022
Associate Professor
Lynch School of Education and Human Development
Boston College
Amy Reynolds, PhD - membership term 2012-2019
Associate Professor
Department of Counseling, School, and Educational Psychology
University at Buffalo
Reed Stewart - membership term 2012-2018
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Family Counseling Associates
Susan Swearer, PhD - membership term 2012-2019
Professor of School Psychology, Dept. of Educational Psychology
University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Bradford Watts - membership term 2018-2021
Community Relations Coordinator
People Inc.