CDFS Faculty & Staff
James E. Deal (Ph.D., University of Georgia)- Head
Associate Professor and Chair
Office Phone: - 701-231-7568
Email: jim.deal@ndsu.edu
Core Area: Child Development
Research Interests: Personality development in children; Relationship between individual development and family relationships
Kristen Benson
Assistant Professor
Office Phone: 701-231-5879
Email:kristen.benson@ndsu.eduCore Area: Couple and Family Therapy
Research Interests: gender identity and family/partner relationships, diversity issues in family therapy, collaborative approaches to family therapy education and training, and qualitative methodology.
Kris Bjelde (Ph.D., North Dakota State University
Assistant Professor
Office Phone: 701-231-8488
Email: Kristine.Bjelde@ndsu.eduCore Area: Family Science, Gerontology
Research Interests: Gerontology and retirement issues; Snowbirds & seasonal migration; Intergenerational family issues
Elizabeth Blodgett Salafia (Ph.D., University of Notre Dame)
Assistant Professor
Office Phone: 701- 231-7099
Email: Elizabeth.salafia@ndsu.eduCore Area: Adolescent Development
Research Interests: Family and peer influences on adolescentsb disordered eating attitudes and behaviors
Marlys Bratteli (Ph.D., University of North Dakota)
Assistant Professor
Office Phone: 701-231-8270
Email: Marlys.Bratteli@ndsu.edu
Core Area: Gerontology
Research Interests: General Aging and Gerontology; Transfer trauma; Demographic trends; Family caregiving; Elder protection; Geriatric leadership/community development
Sean Brotherson (Ph.D., Oregon State University)
Extension Family Science Specialist
Office Phone: 701-231-6143
Email: sean.brotherson@ndsu.edu
Core Area: Family Science
Research Interests: Parenting and fatherhood; Health marriages; Family stress; Rural families; Grief and bereavement; Family life education; Family policy
Margaret Fitzgerald (Ph.D., Iowa State University)
Associate Professor
Office Phone: 701-231-8280
Email:margaret.fitzgerald@ndsu.edu
Core Area: Family Economics and Policy
Research Interests: Financial counseling and planning; Husbands and wives who own and operate family businesses together; Family business and economically vulnerable/viable communities; Gender and management issues in family business
Joel Hektner (Ph.D., University of Chicago)
Associate Professor
Office Phone: 701-231-8269
Email: joel.hektner@ndsu.edu
Core Area: Child, Adolescent Development
Research Interests: Aggressive children; Research methods; Prevention programs for high-risk aggressive children; Peer affiliation patterns and peer influences on children's behaviors; Family and school conditions that facilitate optimal experiences (flow) and optimal development; The Experience Sampling Method
Nancy Kaler (M.S., University of North Dakota)
Senior Lecturer
Office Phone: 701-231-7843
Email: Nancy.Kaler@ndsu.edu
Core Area: Consumer education, internships in CDFS
Christi McGeorge (Ph.D., University of Minnesota)
Assistant Professor
Office Phone: 701-231-7335
Email: Christine.McGeorge@ndsu.edu
Core Area: Couple and Family Therapy and Family Science
Research Interests: Heterosexism and homophobia; Single parenting; Women's history; Gender socialization from a feminist perspective
Debra Pankow (Ph.D., South Dakota State University)
Extension Family Economics Specialist
Office Phone: 701-231-8593
Email: debra.pankow@ndsu.edu
Core Area: Family Economics
Research Interests: Family economics; Rural and women's economic issues; Retirement preparation; Youth spending; Locus of control; Quality of life
Candace Philbrick (Ph.D., North Dakota State University)
Assistant Professor
Office Phone: 701-231-8268
Email: Candace.philbrick@ndsu.eduCore Area: Gerontology
Brandy A. Randall (Ph.D., University of Nebraska-Lincoln)
Assistant Professor
Office Phone: 701-231-8742
Email: Brandy.Randall@ndsu.eduCore Area: Child, Adolescent Development
Research Interests: Prosocial and moral development; Positive and problem behaviors; Well-being and Competence; Relationship quality; Measurement - scale development; equivalence across ethnic/cultural groups (culturally appropriate measurement)
Lauren Shapiro
Adjunct Professor
Graduate Center 104
Email: Lauren.Shapiro@ndsu.edu
Tom Stone Carlson (Ph.D., Iowa State University)
Assistant Professor, CFT Program Coordinator
Office Phone: 701-231-8279
Email: tom.carlson@ndsu.edu
Core Area: Couple and Family Therapy and Family Science
Research Interests: Narrative therapy and community work; Feminist theories and methodologies; Men and gender accountability; Anti-racism and social justice issues; Spirituality
Cynthia Torges
Assistant Professor
Office Phone: 701-231-9792
Email: Cynthia.torges@ndsu.edu
Wendy Troop-Gordon (Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
Adjunct Assistant Professor
Office Phone: 701-231-8738
Email: Wendy.Troop@ndsu.edu
Core Area: Child, Adolescent Development; Research Methods and
Statistics
Research Interests: Peer victimization; social cognition; contextual factors that influence social interactions among children; forms of aggression and their relation to psychological and school adjustment; the impact of self- and peer-perceptions on well-being
Ann Werlinger
Lecturer
Office: EML 277E
Phone is 231-9790
Email: Ann.Werlinger@ndsu.edu
Rebecca Woods
Assistant Professor
Office Phone: 701-231-9791
Email: Rebecca.woods@ndsu.edu
Core Area: Infant & toddler development
Research Interests: Perception and cognition in infancy; object processing; multimodal processing; early gender differences
CDFS Office Staff
Theresa Anderson : Academic Assistant - Theresa.Anderson@ndsu.edu
Extension Office Staff
Renee Galster - Administrative Secretary Renee.Galster@ndsu.edu
Center For Child Development Staff
Debra Habedank, M.S.: Director - Debra.Habedank@ndsu.edu
Mary Duggan, B.S.: Head Teacher - Mary.Duggan@ndsu.edu
Stacy Birrenkott, B.S.: Head Teacher - Stacey.Birrenkott@ndsu.edu
Michele Zwack, B.S.: Teacher Aide- Michele.Zwack@ndsu.edu
Courtney Holden, B.S.: Teacher Aide- Courtney.Holden@ndsu.edu
Monica Nicklay, B.S.: Head Teacher - Monica.Nicklay@ndsu.edu
Mary Mastel, B.S.: Teacher Technician - Mary.Mastel@ndsu.edu
Heather Oye, Teacher Technician - Heather.Wilder@ndsu.edu
Jody Gryskiewicz,B.S.: Teacher Technician- Jody.Gryskiewicz@ndsu.edu<//span>
Family Therapy Center
https://workspaces.ndsu.edu/?id=
https://workspaces.ndsu.edu/?id=Christina Masich, Family Therapy Coordiantor
Email: Christina.Masich@ndsu.edu
National Family Caregiver Support Program for North Dakota
Marlys Bratteli, (Ph.D., University of North Dakota, Assistant Professor) Education Coordinator, Email: Marlys.Bratteli@ndsu.edu
North Dakota Caregivers website: http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/ndsu/caregiver/