Research Team
Jennifer C. Mann, Ph.D., Principal Investigator
Jennifer C. Mann, Ph.D., is a Research Scientist at Duke University's Center for Child and Family Policy and serves as the Principal Investigator of the Critical In-Depth Reading and Wellbeing (CIDR) Project. Her research focuses on multilingual learner literacy, asset-based perspectives and pedagogies, and equity-centered educational research that improves outcomes for students from immigrant and refugee backgrounds. With 20 years of experience as an educator and teacher educator, Dr. Mann partners with schools, communities, and researchers to co-develop innovative approaches to literacy instruction, teacher professional learning, and student wellbeing. She is committed to translating research into meaningful educational change.
Hazel Vega Quesada, Ph.D., Co-Investigator
Hazel Vega Quesada, Ph.D., is a Research Scientist at the Center for Child and Family Policy in the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University. She is a former teacher of English as a foreign language and has worked on teacher preparation programs and government initiatives in the United States and Costa Rica. Her research explores professional learning for teachers serving multilingual learners, teacher identity construction, and multilingual family engagement. Her work uses participatory, design-based, and qualitative research methodologies. At Duke, she contributes to the projects Critical In-Depth Reading and Wellbeing (CIDR) and Building Bridges through Stories.
Alison M. Turner, Ph.D., Co-Investigator
Alison M. Turner, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) at North Carolina State University. Bilingual in Spanish and English, her teaching and research are informed by extensive experience working alongside multilingual learners and their families in schools and community settings. Her research focuses on fostering meaningful partnerships among schools, community organizations, and multilingual families and is grounded in theories of funds of knowledge and community cultural wealth. She also designs professional development to support educators in creating equitable, asset-based learning environments for multilingual learners.
Leslie M. Babinski, Ph.D., Co-Investigator
Leslie M. Babinski, Ph.D., is a Research Professor at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy. Dr. Babinski’s work focuses on developing, testing, and scaling evidence-based programs that support literacy. She has led randomized controlled trials of the Bridging English Language Learning and Academics (BELLA) Professional Learning Program, demonstrating positive impacts on early literacy outcomes for multilingual learners. She also directs Building Bridges through Stories, a digital storybook project that enables multilingual students and their families to co-create curriculum-connected storybooks in their home languages. She is also pleased to be a member of the CIDR team focusing on adolescent literacy for multilingual learners.
Jennifer Alford, Ph.D., Co-Investigator
Jennifer Alford, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of language, literacy and English education, and Deputy Head of School (Research) in the School of Education and Professional Studies, Griffith University, Australia. She is also Deputy Director of the Griffith Institute for Educational Research (GIER). Jennifer has been a qualitative researcher and teacher educator for 25 years, following 12 years of teaching English in high schools with migrant and refugee-background youth. She was an Australian Research Council Research Fellow 2021-2026 researching critical literacy with immigrant youth. Her publications include a book: Critical Literacy with Adolescent English Language Learners: Exploring Global Policy and Practice in Global Contexts (Routledge, 2021), the co-edited 50-chapter Handbook of Critical Literacies (Routledge, 2021), and over 50 papers and chapters.
Caitlin M. Donovan, Ph.D., Co-Investigator & Implementation Coach
Caitlin M. Donovan, Ph.D., is Assistant Director and Faculty in the Master of Arts in Teaching Program at Duke University, where she prepares future educators and leads initiatives at the intersection of teacher education, literacy, and educational innovation. Her scholarship explores critical digital literacies, AI in education, community-engaged research, and teacher development, with a particular focus on empowering English language arts educators. A former Fulbright Scholar, National Board Certified teacher, and K–12 educator, she has published and presented widely on critical literacy, digital pedagogies, and teacher preparation. Her work bridges research and practice to cultivate equitable, reflective, and future-ready learning environments for teachers and students alike.
Jenneca Graber-Grace, M.A.T., Communications & Multimedia Designer
Jenneca Graber-Grace is a communications and multimedia designer at Duke's Center for Child and Family Policy and the Sanford School of Public Policy. As the Center’s graphic designer and photographer, she creates content for social media, newsletters, and websites. From Virginia, Jenneca moved to Durham after school in 2019. She holds a B.A. in American Studies and a Master’s in Teaching from the University of Virginia. Before joining the Center, she taught English and Creative Writing and worked in nonprofit communications and youth engagement. Jenneca is passionate about equity and improving children’s and families’ well-being. Outside of work, she enjoys reading and writing fiction, hiking with her beagle, playing board games with friends, and seeing as much local theater as she can find.
Sheri Petrequin, Senior Research Data Tech
Sheri Petrequin joined the Center for Child and Family Policy in October 2022 as a senior research data tech for the BELLA Professional Development Program. Since joining the Center, she has contributed to multiple research studies and enjoys supporting research that informs educational policy and practice. Much of her career has been spent as an elementary school teacher in California and North Carolina. She is passionate about educational equity and making educational opportunities accessible for all students. She received a BA in social science with a behavioral concentration from San Jose State University and a Cross-Cultural Language Acquisition Development K-8 Teaching Credential (CLAD) from National University. Beyond her professional pursuits, she is an avid reader who finds joy in spending time outdoors and traveling with her family.
