Past Graduate Students

Kristina Baggett grew up in Cedar Park, TX and received her B.A. in Psychology and Mathematics from Ouachita Baptist University in 2018. She completed her M.A. in Developmental Science at UA in 2022. Her thesis was on numerical skills in children with Down syndrome. Kristina is now working as an Analyst at Simmons Bank in Little Rock, AR. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her husband and baby, swimming, hammocking, and watching Netflix.
Jenna Reardanz was born in San Diego, CA, but grew up in Washington State. She received her B.A. in Psychology from Whitworth University in 2016. She completed her Ph.D. in Developmental Science in 2021. Her research interests center around disability and social development and how research can best be used to inform and influence policy. After a stint with Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, Jenna is now a Senior Policy Analyst with the American Medical Association. In her free time Jenna enjoys reading, swimming, spending time with friends, family, and her cats, and of course cheering on the Crimson Tide!
Andrew Tungate was born and raised in Orlando, FL and received is B.S. in Psychology from the University of Central Florida. He completed his Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology in 2018. His dissertation was a meta-analysis of executive function in Down syndrome. After his Ph.D., Andrew worked as a Research Analyst at the Institute for Trauma Recovery at the University of North Carolina Medical School. He is currently a Data Scientist with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services of the US Department of Health and Human Services.
Gayle Graham Faught is from Tuscaloosa and attended the University of Alabama for her B.S., M.A., and Ph.D. in Developmental Science. She spent two years as an Assistant Professor at the University of South Carolina - Aiken before returning to UA in 2020 to do research. She is now an Assistant Professor at UA teaching cognition, statistics, and seminar. Her research background is on Down syndrome, including sustained attention, phonological memory, and parenting. All of her spare time is spent with her husband and her two sweet kids!
Allyson Phillips completed her Ph.D. in Developmental Science in 2014. She is Associate Professor and Chair of Psychology at Ouachita Baptist University. Her teaching interests include statistics, human development, abnormal psychology, and special topics such as intellectual disabilities, parenting, and family policy. Allyson's research interests include individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, Down syndrome, autism spectrum disorders, parenting, and fantasy orientation. Her most recent grant-funded project was a training study to improve emotional facial recognition in children with autism. She also has three children, Jordyn, James, and Calvin who are the light of her life!
Susan Loveall graduated in 2013 with a dual Ph.D. concentration in Developmental and Cognitive psychology. She also completed the statistics minor. Her research interests include finding ways to help individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities learn better, with special emphasis on reading and language. After two years as a postdoctoral fellowship at the Life Span Institute at the University of Kansas, she was an Assistant Professor at the University of Mississippi for three years. She is now an Assistant Professor of Special Education and Communication Disorders at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. In her spare time she enjoys exercising, being outside, and spending time with her niece and nephew.
Marie Moore Channell earned her Ph.D. in Developmental Science at the University of Alabama, where she also earned her Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Psychology. After her Ph.D. she was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Autism Research Training Program (ARTP) at the MIND Institute, University of California, Davis. She is currently an Associate Professor of Speech and Hearing Science at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Her research interests include understanding the trajectories of cognitive and socio-emotional development and their relations to language skills in individuals with Down syndrome and other neurodevelopmental disorders.