Prudence Carter

Dean
Graduate School of Education

Frank C. Worrell is a Professor in the Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Berkeley, where he serves as Director of the School Psychology program, Faculty Director of the Academic Talent Development Program, and Faculty Director of the California College Preparatory Academy. He also holds an affiliate appointment in the Social and Personality Area in the Department of Psychology. His areas of expertise include academic talent development/gifted education, at-risk youth, scale development and validation, teacher effectiveness, and the translation of psychological research findings into school-based practice. A member of the editorial boards of several journals, Dr. Worrell also serves on committees of several professional associations, including the American Psychological Association (APA), the American Educational research Association, and the National Association for Gifted Children. Dr. Worrell is a Fellow in five divisions of the American Psychological Association, a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science, a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association, and an elected member in the Society for the Study of School Psychology. In 2011, Dr. Worrell received a Presidential citation from the American Psychological Association as well as the Chancellor’s Award for Advancing Institutional Excellence from UC Berkeley, and was one of two recipients of the 2013 Distinguished Scholar Award from the National Association for Gifted Children. In 2015, he was a co-winner of the Distinguished Contributions to Research Award from the Division 45 of APA, the Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity, and Race. Dr. Worrell has research collaborations in China, Ethiopia, Germany, Iran, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Nigeria, Peru, Sweden, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.

Christine Gerchow, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist with nearly fifteen years of experience serving in roles including high school counselor, credentialed teacher, community organizer, entrepreneur, and nonprofit board member. Most recently, Dr. Gerchow was a clinician and Behavioral Health Team Lead at John A. Davis Juvenile Hall, a maximum security juvenile detention facility in the San Francisco Bay Area. Dr. Gerchow earned her Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, where she worked under the mentorship of Professor Frank Worrell. While at Berkeley, Dr. Gerchow served as ATDP's Graduate Student Researcher (GSR) for four years and as a Secondary Division counselor for five summers. She was also appointed to the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee for Student Mental Health. Dr. Gerchow earned a Master's degree from the University of Southern California where she received the Order of Areté, the highest award for a USC graduate student, and a Bachelor's degree from Villanova University where she was elected student body president. Dr. Gerchow grew up in northern New Jersey and maintains strong ties to the Northeast. She enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters, playing golf, practicing yoga, and watching college basketball.

Carrie has worked at ATDP for over twenty-five years, most of her working life since she graduated from Baylor University with an English degree. As someone with a long history with the program, she enjoys being in touch with others who have also made ATDP an important part of their lives. There are students who come to ATDP for up to twelve years as well as their parents and siblings. Some of these former students have returned to ATDP as adults to teach, and others are parents of their own ATDP students. She thinks it’s great that ATDP has become a family tradition! While she wishes that she could have also experienced ATDP as a student herself, including studying Human Anatomy as a third grader and learning about Cognitive Neuroscience as a high school student, she finds satisfaction in knowing that so many students, parents and teachers treasure ATDP as a very valuable academic community.

Stevie has been involved with ATDP since she was in sixth grade. After taking courses in the Elementary and Secondary Divisions, she went on to serve as a TA, an instructor, and a member of the office staff. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology and American Studies at UC Davis and her master’s degree in Education at UC Berkeley. She recently obtained her PhD in School Psychology. Her research interests include development of student motivation and the role of culture in developing higher-order thinking skills. She adores working with ATDP teachers and students, and she is grateful to be able to benefit from their passion and wisdom!

Since coming on board as a computer science instructor in 2010, Sam has found a permanent spot as ATDP’s web and database designer. He spent several years as a tutor and mentor to underprivileged students in his hometown of Tacoma, WA, where he also attended the University of Puget Sound. His undergraduate studies included behavioral psychology, computer science, and music theory.

Mildred has been working at ATDP for a number of years. Some of her favorite activities include working on the Elementary Division newsletter, taking pictures during the summer, and meeting ATDP families during orientation. She attended the University of California, Berkeley where she obtained a BA in History and the Practice of Art.

Cynthia started as a seventh grade ATDP student before continuing on to become a TA and, eventually, an instructor in the computer science department. After graduating from UCSD, she attained a graduate degree in Interactive Media at the University of Southern California. She's grateful for the opportunity to give back to the program that originally inspired her academic passions.