José Castillo, PhD, NCSP
Directorjmcastil@usf.edu
José Castillo is an Associate Professor in the School Psychology Program at the University of South Florida and is Director of the Institute for School-Community Partnerships, Integrated Services, and Child Mental Health and Educational Policy. Previously, Dr. Castillo served as the Problem Solving/Response to Intervention (PS/RtI) Project Evaluator where he facilitated the development and application of a model for evaluating MTSS implementation. He has also worked as a school psychologist in the Pasco County School District in which he provided training and ongoing coaching to school and district leadership responsible for implementing MTSS.
Stacy-Ann A. January, PhD, NCSP
Associate Directorsajanuary@usf.edu
Stacy-Ann A. January is an Associate Professor in the school psychology program at the University of South Florida. She is also Associate Director of the Institute for School-Community Partnerships, where she leads the Institute’s School-Community Partnerships for Innovation focus area. Dr. January serves as PI or Co-PI on grants totaling over $13 million related to her interest in community-centered approaches to promoting access, opportunities, and outcomes for children, families, and communities.
Kahlila Lawrence, PhD, LSP
Faculty Affiliatekglawrence@usf.edu
Kahlila Lawrence is an Assistant Professor of Instruction in the School Psychology program at the University of South Florida. As an alumna of the program, Dr. Lawrence obtained a Ph.D. in School Psychology in 2008, with an area of emphasis in pediatric health issues. Dr. Lawrence has extensive experience collaborating with educators, families, and community agencies to provide school psychological services to all students. Specifically, she has supported the academic, behavioral, and social-emotional wellness of students through assessment and intervention at the pre-school, elementary, middle, and alternative education settings.
Kelly Justice, MEd
Learning & Development Facilitatorjustice@usf.edu
Kelly Justice joined the Institute for School-Community Partnerships, Integrated Services, and Child Mental Health and Educational Policy in 2007. She supports project planning efforts and supervises project staff who provide training and technical assistance to schools and districts. Kelly has presented at the state and national level on problem solving, multi-tiered systems of support, and related topics.
Stephanie Green, PhD
Project Evaluatorsmgreen3@usf.edu
Stephanie Green serves as the Project Evaluator for the Institute for School-Community Partnerships, Integrated Services, and Child Mental Health and Educational Policy. This role helps to provide internal and external evaluation around professional learning delivery and statewide implementation. Prior to joining this project, Stephanie worked as a Supervisor of Research and Evaluation Services for Pasco County Schools. She earned both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of South Florida, with her PhD in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in Educational Measurement and Evaluation. Stephanie’s areas of interest include data literacy and pre-service teacher education.
Judi Hyde, MA
Communications Coordinatorjudihyde@usf.edu
Judi has worked on numerous projects with the Institute for School-Community Partnerships, Integrated Services, and Child Mental Health and Educational Policy at the University of South Florida since 1996. As the Communications Coordinator, she is the institute's webmaster, social media contact, desktop publisher, and presentations editor.
Rachel Fidler, EdS
School Psychology Doctoral Candidatebrous@usf.edu
Rachel is a doctoral student in the USF School Psychology program. Rachel obtained her B.A. in Psychology (minoring in Spanish and Counseling) from SUNY Buffalo, in 2017 and completed graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she obtained an M.S. in Educational Psychology, and an Ed.S. in School Psychology, graduating in 2020. Rachel is excited about her work in the Institute for School-Community Partnerships, Integrated Services, and Child Mental Health and Educational Policy due and opportunities to collaborate with school districts to implement preventative systems.
Caroline Mierswa
School Psychology Doctoral Candidatecarolinemierzwa@usf.edu
Caroline is a doctoral student in the USF School Psychology program and is from Big Sur, CA. She completed a B.S. in Psychological and Brain Sciences with a double minor in Education and Applied Psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2020. Her current research interests include school climate, school connectedness, behavioral threat assessment, suicide prevention, and consultation to promote systems change.
Gary Schaffer
School Psychology Doctoral Candidategaryschaffer@usf.edu
Gary is a doctoral student in the USF School Psychology program. He completed an undergraduate degree in Special Education and English (Grades 7-12) at Niagara University in 2007. He also completed a graduate degree in School Psychology in 2012, and a graduate degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in 2020, both at Niagara University.
Laura Sorrentino, MA
Institute Fiscal and Business Managersorrentino@usf.edu
Laura is the Fiscal and Business Manager for all initiatives within the Institute for School-Community Partnerships, Integrated Services, and Child Mental Health and Educational Policy.
Laura Marsh
Project Staffllmarsh@usf.edu
Laura is the Human Resources Specialist for the Institute for School-Community Partnerships, Integrated Services, and Child Mental Health and Educational Policy. In this role, she is the contact for HR matters involving the hiring process. She creates position profiles and postings, prepares job offers, collects references, initiates background checks, and requests RightStart packets. She also processes separation paperwork to be sent to HR. In addition, she acts as Department Leave Auditor along with completing leave transfer or leave buyout paperwork for separating employees.
Sydney Moreno, BS
Project Staffsydneymoreno@usf.edu
Sydney Moreno is an Administrative Specialist at the Institute for School-Community Partnerships, Integrated Services, and Child Mental Health and Education. Sydney is an Air Force Veteran, and prior to USF, she was a substitute teacher and worked for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Event and Entertainment Operations Department.
Courtnay Pilchar, MASS
Project Staffcpilcher1@usf.edu
Courtnay Pilcher is an Administrative Specialist for the Institute for School-Community Partnerships, Integrated Services, and Child Mental Health and Education. Courtnay is a native of Tampa. Prior to joining USF, she worked at Florida A&M University and retired as a Coordinator of Administrative Services/Payroll Representative for the College of Agriculture and Food Sciences. She is happy to be back home in the Tampa Bay area.
Tom Plaza, MS
Project Staffplaza1@usf.edu
Thomas Plaza is a Fiscal and Business Assistant and handles travel for the Institute for School-Community Partnerships, Integrated Services, and Child Mental Health and Education Policy. Thomas has been with USF since November 2021 and came over from Purchasing. Prior to USF, Thomas worked as a certified mentor for new employees in the airline industry.
Ginny Thor
Project Staffvthor@usf.edu
Ginny Thor's job encompasses a number of tasks, including processing grant requirements, reconciliation of purchasing card transactions, reconciliation of travel to ensure accuracy of posting, report generation to verify accuracy of all expenses related to multiple federally funded grant, and closure of multiple federally-funded grants.