Tate Grant and Innovation Center

Tate Scholars Group Cohort Members

Elizabeth Isidro
Assistant Professor of Literacy Studies
Director of McGinnis Reading Center and Clinic
Dr. Elizabeth I. Isidro received her PhD in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Language & Literacy from the College of Education at Texas Tech University. She also performed post-doctoral research work before accepting a tenure track position in Western Michigan University as Assistant Professor of Literacy Studies and Director of the McGinnis Reading Center and Clinic. Her research interests are in differentiated methods of literacy instruction for special populations, integrated literacy curriculum designs, and exploration of alternative methodologies in research.

Kate LaLonde
Assistant Professor
Special Education and Literacy Studies
Dr. Kate LaLonde is an Assistant Professor in Special Education and Literacy Studies and a doctoral-level Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). She has expertise in developing and evaluating behavioral programs for students with special needs including autism, learning disabilities, and emotional impairments. She has completed research in a variety of areas including staff training, language and skill acquisition programs, collaboration between clinics and schools, and training teachers in evidence-based practices. She continues to build her research portfolio by evaluating evidence-based practices with minority and low-income students and building cultural competence in service providers. She is currently working on two projects. The first is creating a comprehensive transition assessment for students who are transitioning from early intervention into special and general education. The second project is evaluating an afterschool literacy program to teach at-risk students early literacy skills.

Pink Ouyang
Assistant Professor of Dietetics
Family and Consumer Sciences
Dr. Ping Ouyang earned her Master's degree in Genetics and Ph. D. in Human Nutrition from Kansas State University. Her doctoral dissertation is titled: Effect of exercise-induced weight control on phospholipids profile and gene expression. After working as a postdoctoral fellow at NIH for one year, she moved to Stillwater, Oklahoma due to family relocation. She stayed at home for several years to take care of her three young children. Then, she joined the Registered Dietitian program at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and worked in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Oklahoma State University as a visiting scientist. Dr. Ouyang became a Registered Dietitian in 2018 and started her new position as an assistant professor of the Dietetics Program in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences at Western Michigan University. She teaches courses of Nutrient Metabolism, Professional Issues in Dietetics, Understanding Research in Dietetics and Functional Foods and Disease Prevention. Her research interests include school-based interventions to prevent/control overweight/obesity in the young generation as well as nutrient-related bone health.

LaSonja Roberts
Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership
Educational Leadership, Research and Technology
Dr. LaSonja Roberts is an assistant professor of educational leadership, research and technology at Western Michigan University, specializing in educational leadership. She earned her PhD in educational leadership and policy studies at the University of South Florida, her MA in educational administration from UCLA and her BAs in English and Dance from Loyola Marymount University. Her research agenda focuses on leader preparation and retention, specifically a leader’s ability to create environments that foster learning and well-being for educators and students. LaSonja has had the privilege to teach and lead in California, Mississippi, and Florida. She has spent the last four years involved in multi-state work related to the impact of Appreciative Leadership on school renewal for both individuals and the school organization as a whole.

Ya Zhang
Assistant Professor of Evaluation, Measurement and Research
Educational Leadership, Research and Technology
Dr. Ya Zhang is an assistant professor of educational leadership, research, and technology at Western Michigan University, specializing in evaluation, measurement and research. She earned her Ph.D. in Research Methodology from University of Pittsburgh. She has two main lines of research in statistical modeling and psychometrics. Her research topics include latent variable modeling, Bayesian estimation, educational data mining, measurement invariance, equating, and mixture IRT modeling.