We’re inviting additional experts to join us, so check back from time to time to meet the latest additions.
Do you you have an expertise our good news community might appreciate, let us know at sueandpam@andnowforthegoodnews.com.
Laura Berk, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Illinois State University
Dr. Laura Berk received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of California, Berkeley, and her master’s and doctoral degrees in early childhood development and education from the University of Chicago. Her work has been in many prominent journals including Psychology Today, Scientific American, Child Development, and Developmental Psychology; her many empirical studies have been funded by the U.S. Office of Education and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
Laura is the author of market-leading college textbooks in child, adolescent, and lifespan development (visit: ablongman) as well as a book for parents and teachers, Awakening Children’s Minds: How Parents and Teachers Can Make a Difference (Oxford University Press).
As if that’s not enough, Laura is also active in work for children’s causes. She’s a member of the national board of directors of Jumpstart, a nonprofit organization that provides early literacy intervention to thousands of preschoolers from low-income families across the U.S.
William R. Holt, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
“Dr. Bill,” as he's been known to generations of college students, has been in the classroom for 36 years. Currently he is the senior professor of developmental psychology at UMassDartmouth teaching courses in human development, child psychology, adulthood and aging, as well as aging and mental health. He holds a BA from Williams, MA and Ph.D. from Brown, and membership in both Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Psi.
As a licensed psychologist, Bill has worked both as a child psychologist and as a gerontologist in clinical settings. He has published and presented numerous papers and talks in the field of developmental psychology.
Brent Marchant, Author and Movie Critic
Brent Marchant earned a BA in journalism from Syracuse University where he was the features editor for The Daily Orange. His love of movies dates back to his childhood (we bet you can’t name a movie he hasn’t seen) and today he is a freelance writer, editor, and photographer.
Brent is the author of Get the Picture: Conscious Creation Goes to the Movies (Moment Point Press, 2007). He lives in Chicago, but you can visit him at his Author’s Bulletin Board at Moment Point Press.
Is there a movie you think our Good News audience will enjoy? Brent would love to hear from you. Email him at BrentMarchant@momentpoint.com.
Shannon McCaffery, Media and Marketing Maven
Shannon McCaffery is on board to help us recognize some of the positive trends in media and marketing. (Yes, people, there really is some good news in media and marketing.) Shannon is a Journalism/Advertising graduate of Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she was awarded The School of Journalism’s highest award—the Margaret Dixon Journalism Award for leadership, scholastic record, and promise of professional achievement.
Shannon has had some practice in spreading good news. She’s the founder and owner of McCaffery Communications, where she coaches business owners and entrepreneurs on how to identify and focus on positive ways to increase their business. And in her previous role as Director of Corporate Communications at Pearson Education (the textbook company), she worked to focus employees toward healthy and productive communications and work habits.
Shannon has also been on the PR Board for the Newark Habitat For Humanity for the past 4 years, which, she says, has really shed some light on the benefits of volunteering. Born and raised in New Orleans, Shannon has spent the past 19 years in The Garden State, New Jersey, with her family.
Patrice C. McMahon, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
There’s not much positive political news being reported these days. Luckily, we have Dr. Patrice McMahon to help us see the forest for the trees. Patrice earned a bachelor’s degree from American University, a master’s degree from George Washington, and a doctoral degree from Columbia. Her areas of expertise are relevent in today’s political climate: she teaches courses in international security, international relations, and comparative politics; and her research interests include the causes and effects of ethnic identity on international relations, democracy promotion, and human rights. Her many written works have appeared in Political Science Quarterly, Democratization, and Problems of Post-Communism. She is also the author of Taming Ethnic Hatred: Ethnic Cooperation and Transnational Networks in Eastern Europe (Syracuse University Press), and she co-edited, with David P. Forsythe and Andrew Wedeman, American Foreign Policy in a Globalized World (Routledge Press).
Patrice is, apparently, excellent in the classroom as well. She received the College Distinguished Teaching Award in 2005, was a finalist in the Outstanding Educator of the Year Award, 2006-07, and in 2007 her students nominated her "The Causes of War" course for the Best Class Award.
Marsha Wallace, Founder and President, Dining for Women
Marsha Wallace has become an expert in founding, organizing, and growing a non-profit organization. A registered nurse and mother of four, she founded Dining for Women, a non-profit organization, in 2003. Today there are 150 Dining for Women chapters across the US, collectively contributing between $10,000 and $12,000 each month to women’s programs around the world. Dining for Women’s mission is simple: “When women become self-sufficient and independent,” says Wallace, “they change the world.”
Marsha lives in Greenville, South Carolina, with her family. Learn more at DiningForWomen. And, read our Newsmaker of the Month feature on Marsha and DFW.
