People
Faculty and Staff
Anthony Burrow
Dr. Anthony Burrow is the Ferris Family Associate Professor of Life Course Studies in the Department of Psychology, Director of the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research, and the Director of the Program for Research on Youth Development and Engagement, known as PRYDE. He is also the Associate Dean of Outreach and Extension at Cornell Human Ecology and serves as the Provost’s Fellow for Public Engagement. Dr. Burrow directs the Purpose and Identity Processes Laboratory which researches the correlation between a sense of purpose and youth development and resilience, and how racial identification influences one’s lens of viewing and adjusting to life experiences.
Kristen Elmore
Dr. Kristen Elmore is the assistant director of PRYDE. She completed her doctoral training in Social Psychology and Social Work at the University of Michigan. Kristen’s research examines the self, identity processes, and motivation in the domains of health and education. Much of her work studies how social contextual factors shape adolescents’ identity development.
Andrew Turner
Dr. Andrew Turner is the state leader for the 4-H Youth Development Program. Turner began his tenure at Cornell in 2012 as an assistant director for Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE), after a 23-year career with CCE as an educator in 4-H Youth Development, natural resources, and as executive director in Greene and Columbia Counties. As the state 4-H leader, Andy works with a team of specialist and support staff and in close partnership with the director of Cooperative Extension in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Esther Kim
Esther Kim is PRYDE’s program coordinator. She received her BA in psychology with minors in law and society and creative writing from Cornell in 2017. She is currently in the MPH program at Cornell doing a concentration in food systems and health. In the future, Esther hopes to address the health needs of youth within diverse communities through creative ways backed by social science research.
4-H Work Team
Heidi Feltz
Heidi Feltz is the Lead 4-H program educator in Niagara County. She holds a Master’s of Professional Studies from Cornell University and is a permanently certified NYS Agriculture Teacher. Heidi has a broad range of experience with formal and informal youth development programming from being a Future Farmers of America (FFA) advisor to being part of a family operated agri-tourism business. She comes from a multi-generational 4-H family, as her grandparents, parents, and siblings have also been actively involved in 4-H for decades.
melanie Forstrom
With 15 years of experience in youth development, Melanie Forstrom has worked with a varied cross section of youth and adults ranging from homeless teens in DC to overage, under-credited youth in NYC. She has been in her current role of 4-H Program Leader in Ulster County just over 5 years. In this role she has conducted 4-H practitioner inquiry studies about the subjectivity of 4-H Public Presentation Evaluators with the goal of making them more objective; recommended staffing ratios for county 4-H programming; and led initiatives to regionalize programs and work more efficiently across county, regional, and state lines. Melanie feels strongly about the need for academic and practitioner staff to work more closely together to meet community needs and plan and evaluate programs.
June Mead
June Mead is the state project director for New York 4-H Youth CAN (Community Action Network), a federally funded afterschool program serving high need, at-risk youth in Albany and Buffalo; and state program manager for the 4-H National Mentoring Program, operating in New York City, and in Broome, Erie, Franklin, Suffolk, Tompkins, and Ulster Counties. June co-facilitates the Extended Learning Network of Broome and Tioga, a regional chapter of the NYS Network for Youth Success. Her work has been supported by Cornell Cooperative Extension, Ford Foundation, New York State Dept. of Education, National 4-H Council, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture – National Institute for Food and Agriculture, U. S. Dept. of Education, U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Dept. of the Treasury, and the United Way of Broome County.
Melissa C. Schroeder
Melissa C. Shroeder is the Youth and Family Development Program Director at Cornell Cooperative Extension in Schuyler County. Sheis interested in fostering positive youth development and the engaging in the practitioner side of research. In the past Melissa has participated in the Research Navigator Program, helped pilot the New York State PROSPER (PROmoting School-community-university Partnerships to Enhance Resilience) project, and hosted a College of Human Ecology student intern as part of PROSPER. She serves as co-chair, with Jutta Dotterweich (Act for Youth), of the Risk and Thriving in Adolescence Program Work Team (PWT) and is a member of the New York State Cornell Cooperative Extension 4-H Educators Association (NYSACCE4-HE).
Jessica Spence
Jessica Spence is the 4-H Team Coordinator at Wayne County Cornell Cooperative Extension. She is responsible for providing leadership for the coordination, development, and implementation of the 4-H Youth Development program, including training and supervision of educators and volunteers. Jessica is a member of the state-wide 4-H Diversity and Inclusivity Cohort, the State-Wide 4-H Action Group, the Risk and Thriving in Adolescence Program Work Team, and the Healthy Eating, Active Living Program Work Team.
Barb Stevens
Barb Stevens is the 4-H Issue Leader for Cornell Cooperative Extension Albany County. She has been a part of the staff there for more than 30 years and is currently working with the Master Gardener Program as well. Barb enjoys watching youth grow into productive young adults and helping people understand just how important youth are in our world today.
Megan Tifft
Dr. Megan Tifft’s career in the Cooperative Extension 4-H Program began shortly after she graduated from the University of Vermont (UVM). At age 21 she began her 4-H career in two counties in southern Vermont. After receiving her graduate degree from UVM, she moved across the country to accept a position as a 4-H agent in Colorado. She later moved back east to be closer to family. She has been the 4-H Youth, Family, and Community Development issue leader for Cornell Cooperative Extension in Tompkins County for 13 years. In 2016 she received her Doctorate in Education from St. John Fisher College.
Zoe Bernstein
Zoe Bernstein is a junior majoring in Human Development with a minor in Nutritional Sciences. She works with Dr. Charles Izzo on the Residential Childcare Project in pursuit of elevating the quality of care that children receive in residential settings, and bolstering the services for both children and their families. Zoe is interested in studying trauma and post trauma and exploring ways to assist people in overcoming these experiences. After graduation, Zoe plans to pursue a career in clinical psychology.
Mirely Garcia
Mirely Garcia is junior, majoring in Human Development with a minor in Global Health. She is ecstatic to work along Dr. Gonzalez in the Life History Lab, aiding in the study of how developmental context influences neural development. She is passionate about the study of psychopathology and is active advocate for destigmatizing mental illnesses. After college, she aspires to become a clinical psychologist.
Adelaide Graham
Adelaide Graham is a junior majoring in Human Development. Adelaide works with Dr. Jane Mendle in the Adolescent Transitions Lab, focusing on adolescent development and how aspects of puberty affect the future adjustment of adolescents. After graduation, she intends to pursue a career in clinical psychology.
Jasmine Guarin
Jasmine Guarin is a rising Junior majoring in Nutritional Sciences and minoring in Inequality Studies on the Health Equity Track. As a PRYDE scholar, she works alongside Dr. Tashara Leak in the Advanced Cooking Education Program that aims to educate middle school students in the areas of nutrition, cooking, and improving diet quality. She enjoys connecting and serving members of her community by making healthcare/nutrition accessible and relatable while also being sensitive to cultural and ethnic needs. After college, she plans to become a Registered Dietitian and collaborate with food pantries/banks to create nutrition education programs, for underrepresented families, that acknowledge cultural traditions and diet customs.
McKenzie Murray
McKenzie Murray is a rising junior majoring in Human Development with minors in Inequality Studies and Education. As a PRYDE Scholar, she works with Dr. Anthony Burrow in the Purpose and Identity Processes Laboratory investigating the role of purpose among youth to promote positive outcomes. She is especially interested in how passion and purpose identification can be used to mitigate negative extrinsic barriers faced by marginalized youth. After college, McKenzie plans to pursue a Master’s in School Counseling and do youth program development.
Shahad Salman
Shahad Salman (she/her) is a junior majoring in Global and Public Health Sciences and minoring in Education on the pre-med path. She works with Dr. Roger Figueroa to research socio-ecological influences on youth behavioral and health outcomes. After graduation, she hopes to combine her varied passions to work in the intersection of community engagement, public heath, and medicine.
Maggie Shideler
Maggie Shideler is a junior studying Global and Public Health Sciences and minoring in Biometry and Statistics. As a PRYDE scholar, she works with Dr. Jane Powers at ACT for Youth to promote adolescent sexual health and well-being. She is interested in studying the effects of evidenced-base sex education programming on sexual health and decision-making. After college, she plans to pursue a graduate degree in epidemiology while continuing to focus on sexual and reproductive health.
Wendy Yan
Wendy Yan is a junior majoring in Human Biology, Health & Society and minoring in Feminist, Gender, and Sexual Studies. I am working with Dr. Jane Powers and ACT to promote positive adolescent sexual health. After graduation, I hope to pursue a career in medicine, hopefully in pediatric surgery.
Irene Feng
Irene Feng is a junior majoring in Fashion Design & Management and minoring in Business and Fine Arts. She works with Dr. Loebach to research on how components of design and planning can support youth’s interest and foster their growth. Irene hopes to connect and contribute to the community and pursue a career in the fashion industry.
Karen Chen
Karen Chen is a junior majoring in Human Development. As a PRYDE Scholar, she is working with Dr. Marianella Casasola at the PAL Lab to learn more about language development and cognitive spatial awareness in children ranging from 6 months to 7 years old. As an extremely shy child growing up struggling with English who then falls in love with the sport of figure skating that helped her come out of her shell, she finds this lifespan period particularly fascinating. After graduation, she plans to pursue pediatrics in medical school.
Zachary Meyerson
Zachary Meyerson is a junior majoring in Global and Public Health Sciences with minors in Health Policy and Health Equity. As a PRYDE Scholar, he works alongside Dr. Laura Bellows in the Health Behaviors Lab to create modern, community-based interventions targeting the development of healthy eating and physical activity behaviors during early childhood. He is interested in learning how to bridge gaps in childhood health disparities using a multisectoral approach. After college, Zachary hopes to pursue graduate studies that would support his goals of mitigating health inequities through policy implementation and community engagement among underserved populations.
Fiona Tracy
Fiona Tracy is a junior majoring in Human Development and pursuing minors in Education and Inequality Studies. She works with Dr. Jane Mendle in the Adolescent Transitions lab, investigating how different aspects of pubertal transitions affect adolescent adjustment and psychopathology. She is specifically interested in researching neurodiversity and how it is impacted by puberty. After graduation, Fiona plans to attend graduate school and pursue a career focused on developing interventions to help improve the education system.