iCubed

Dr. Gutierrez’s research is in the areas of Community Mental Health and Positive Psychology. He works to identify the factors and pathways by which historically marginalized, vulnerable, and at-risk individuals thrive in response to chronic stress, systemic injustices and life challenges, He seeks to develop cross-cultural, evidence-based mental health strategies for fostering individual and community wellbeing. One particular area of interest is in the application of contemplative practices (e.g., mindfulness, meditation, centering) and the role of spirituality and spiritually oriented constructs (e.g., hope, meaning in life) as a catalyst for individual and social transformation.

McKenzie Green is a Community Psychologist who examines how racial and family processes, like parent-child communication about race, can be leveraged to promote racial equity and foster the holistic wellbeing of Black and Bi/Multiracial youth in the U.S. In her work, she relies on a variety of research methods and intersectional frameworks to challenge notions of racial homogeneity and consider how the intersection of multiple social identities (e.g., gender, race) differentially shape the experiences and service-needs of racially marginalized youth and families.

Daire’s research examines individual, couple, and family stability and economic mobility with an emphasis on those living in poverty. He has received over $15 million in external funding dollars to support his research, which is primarily community engaged.

Dr. Andrene J. Castro studies the cultural politics of education and policy. She is a former teacher, school district leader, and policy fellow at the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans. Castro’s research is situated at the intersection of policy and practice focusing on two interrelated strands: (1) national, state, and local policies related to teacher recruitment and retention as well as teacher diversification efforts and (2) strengthening research-policy-practice partnerships with  schools and communities.

Dwayne Ray Cormier, Ph.D., is an Educational Researcher and iCubed Scholar at Virginia Commonwealth University in the School of Education. His program of research has to do with developing pedagogical tools aimed to bridge the sociocultural gap between educational practitioners and students within PreK-12 majority-minority teaching and learning contexts. Dr. Cormier, with his current research, has developed the (CPCDP). The CPCDP, a socially mediated structure, was designed to examine and identify individuals or groups' sociocultural competence/consciousness, i.e., cultural competency, via inquiry and dialogue regarding the experiences of students who are minoritized, marginalized, and othered within PreK-12 schools and classrooms. Additionally, Dr. Cormier has research interest and experience in developing equity-minded summer bridge programs aimed to develop and prepare underrepresented minority (URM) Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) students' academic and social skills to persist and transition through their higher education.

Dr. Gómez studies the influence of race and ethnicity in urban education and youth development. Her work investigates the significance of critical pedagogies on the critical consciousness and sociopolitical development of adolescents, with particular focus on identity, race, ethnicity, immigration status, gender and culture on educational experiences. From a practical and theoretical perspective, her research draws from Critical Race Theory and Indigenous ways of knowing, sociopolitical development theory, community cultural wealth and Participatory Action Research (PAR). In addition, she studies Latinx resilience in relation to high ethnic identity, culture and familismo. As the granddaughter of Pueblo of Isleta peoples who migrated throughout present-day New Mexico and Mexico, Gómez centers her scholarship through a Chicana feminista relational lens.

Lozada's research takes into consideration how cultural-related beliefs (i.e., beliefs about emotion, race, and discrimination) and race-related experiences (i.e., racial identity, discrimination, and socialization) impact socioemotional competence among ethnic minority youth.  Much of her work focuses on development within family, school, and technological (i.e., the Internet) contexts. Lozada relies on quantitative analytic methods (i.e., structural equation modeling, negative binomial regressions, multilevel latent class analyses, hierarchical linear modeling) in addition to parent-child observations and qualitative interviews to explore her research questions.

Dr. de Oliveira’s research focuses on issues related to teaching multilingual learners at the K-12 level, including the role of language in learning the content areas and teacher education, advocacy and social justice. Currently, Dr. de Oliveira’s research examines scaffolding in elementary classrooms. She has authored or edited 24 books and has several and has over 200 publications in various outlets. Dr. de Oliveira has over 25 years of teaching experience in the field of TESOL. She served as President (2018-2019) of TESOL International Association and was a member of the Board of Directors (2013-2016). She was the first Latina to ever serve as President of TESOL.

Vilma T. Seymour chartered the Richmond Region League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) to advance the educational attainment of Latinos by engaging the community in advocacy and policy efforts at the local, state, and federal level. LULAC believes that universal and quality public education is the foundation for lifelong success, and strongly opposes any measure that denies education as a fundamental right, including that of immigrant children.

Dr. Wheeler studies the contributions of family and romantic relationship quality for a person's stress and holistic health. Additionally, she examines the role of healthy relationships to disrupt poor health trajectories often associated with childhood adversity. She utilizes community engaged approaches to couple and family prevention/intervention that aim to enhance overall adaptation and resilience, particularly among populations historically marginalized and underrepresented in mental health services. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Co-Founder/Fellow with the Consortium for Family Strengthening Research.