Current Board Members
NWCFR President
Silvia Bartolic, PhD ([email protected])
Associate Professor of Teaching, Department of Sociology
University of British Columbia
I earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and French and a Master of Arts degree in Family Studies from the University of British Columbia (UBC). I then worked as a Researcher in Distance Education and Psychiatry as well as a Sessional Instructor in Family Studies at UBC. After several rewarding years in these positions, I decided to go back to graduate school to earn a PhD. I completed my degree in Human Development and Family Sciences from the University of Texas at Austin (partially at a distance) and once again returned to UBC to teach as a Sessional Instructor. I currently hold an Instructor 1 position teaching approximately 750 students per year.
NWCFR President Elect
Vacant – please contact Silvia Bartolic or Jana Meinhold if you are interested in serving on the Board.
NWCFR Past President
Jana L. Meinhold, PhD, CFLE ([email protected])
Associate Professor, Child, Youth, and Family Studies
Portland State University
I am an Associate Professor of Child and Family Studies at Portland State University. I received my BA and MA in Human Development from Washington State University, Pullman and my PhD in Human Development and Family Sciences from Oregon State University. As a graduate student at OSU I was introduced to NCFR and have enjoyed the benefits and collegial supports of NCFR and NWCFR ever since. I am a life course researcher with an interdisciplinary social sustainability lens in the areas of 1) positive youth development; 2) engagement with the environment (built and natural) and its influence on individual development, as well as family and community health and; 3) the linked lives of siblings through their life transitions. I have been an active member of NCFR since 2000.
NWCFR Treasurer
Nancy Deringer ([email protected])
Associate Professor, Extension Youth and Families
Washington State University
Dr. Nancy Deringer is the State Director for the Washington 4-H Youth Development Program, an Associate Professor and Principal Investigator for the USDA-NIFA Federally Recognized Tribes Extension Program (FRTEP) – Kalispel Tribe at Washington State University. Nancy was a national USDA-NIFA CYFAR Coach for five years and also the statewide evaluator for the University of Idaho’s CYFAR 4-H Afterschool program. While at the University of Idaho, Nancy was academic faculty in the School of Family and Consumer Sciences for ten years; and, Associate Director for the Center on Disabilities and Human Development (CDHD) for ten years. The CDHD is a University Center on Excellence for Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD), funded by the US Department of Health and Human Services. Nancy’s focus is reaching and engaging underrepresented youth and families through innovative programming. She has acquired over $14M in grants and contracts for youth and family programming. Nancy’s research area of interest is examining family socialization and financial literacy among youth and young adults especially those who are first generation and/or from underrepresented groups.
NWCFR Membership and Public Relations Chair
Vacant – please contact Silvia Bartolic or Jana Meinhold if you are interested in serving on the Board.
NWCFR Student Representative
Cristina McAllister ([email protected])
Doctoral Student, Prevention Science
Washington State University
I am a doctoral student in the Prevention Science program at Washington State University. Prevention Science is an interdisciplinary degree that utilizes basic research on families, individuals, and communities to design, evaluate, and disseminate evidence-based programs which promote physical, social, and mental health for a variety of populations. I earned my master’s degree in Prevention Science in 2019, completed my doctoral exams in 2021, and am currently working on my dissertation and other publications. My specific research interests within Prevention Science are related to parent-child communication about healthy romantic relationships, the use of media, programming, and program evaluation related to healthy adolescent romantic relationships. I have been a member of NWCFR since 2016 and have participated in many of the conferences and meetings associated with NWCFR.
NWCFR Washington Representative
Elise Murowchick, Ph.D., CFLE ([email protected])
Lecturer, Psychology
Seattle University
Elise trained in Human Development and Family Studies, Biopsychology, and Health Psychology, is a lecturer in the Seattle University Department of Psychology where she pursues research that includes child and adolescent health, risk behaviors, and well-being and as well as research on teaching and learning. I have been a long time member of NCFR.
NWCFR Oregon Representative
Kelly Chandler, PhD
Assistant Professor, Human Development and Family Sciences
Oregon State University
Kelly Chandler, PhD, is an assistant professor of human development and family sciences at Oregon State University. Kelly applies a work-family justice lens to study how working conditions, workplace culture, and work-family policies affect the health and daily lives of employees and their families. She also examines the implications of work for family processes, including emotional transmission, family routines, and parental socialization.
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NWCFR Alberta, Canada Representative
Nicole Letourneau, PhD, ([email protected])
Professor, Faculty of Nursing; Norlien/ACHF Chair in Parent-Infant Mental Health
University of Calgary
NWCFR British Columbia, Canada Representative
Todd F. Martin, PhD, CFLE ([email protected])
Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology
Trinity Western University
Todd Martin is Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and an Associate Professor of Sociology at Trinity Western University. Dr. Martin holds a Bachelor of Arts degrees in theology and sociology as well as Masters of Arts in family studies. His Doctorate of Philosophy in sociology of family was conducted at the University of British Columbia. In addition to his interests in religion and family, he also has research interests in family theory, family structure, the interaction of the institutions of work and family as well as union formation patterns over the lifecourse. He is co-author of Families Across the Life Course (Pearson 2012) and Family Theories – An Introduction (Sage 2019). His research has been published in the Journal of Adolescent Research, Journal of Family Theory, Marriage and Family Review as well as International Migration Review. He is managing editor of the Journal of Comparative Family Studies. Todd Martin is a member of the National Council on Family Relations, and is a Certified Family Life Educator.
NWCFR Idaho State Representative
Vacant – please contact Silvia Bartolic or Jana Meinhold if you are interested in serving on the Board.
NWCFR Montana State Representative
Vacant – please contact Silvia Bartolic or Jana Meinhold if you are interested in serving on the Board.
NWCFR Ex-Officio Member
Kathleen Rodgers, PhD ([email protected])
Associate Professor, Human Development
Washington State University
Kathleen Boyce Rodgers earned her Ph.D. in Child and Family Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is an associate professor in the Department of Human Development at Washington State University. explores multiple contexts that contribute to healthy and risky romantic and sexual relationships among adolescents. She examines media as a cultural context that influences adolescent and emerging adults’ sense of self, understanding of romantic relationships, and understanding of media messages that inform sexual identity, sexual scripts, and the negotiation of wanted and unwanted sexual behaviors.