Staff and Faculty Affiliates

Staff

Dr. Alison Hooper 
Director
​Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education 
The University of Alabama
alhooper2@ua.edu

Dr. Alison Hooper is an Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education at The University of Alabama. She received her Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of Delaware. Alison is a former kindergarten and preschool teacher. Her research focuses on child care and early education access and quality and educator well-being.

​Whitney Wahl
​Education Researcher II
The University of Alabama
​weeddy@ua.edu ​

Whitney Wahl is an Education Researcher at the University of Alabama. She received her master’s in special education from the University of West Alabama and is a former middle school special education teacher. Her work focuses on facilitating research projects in early childhood care and education. 

Kristin Johnson
​Graduate Research Assistant 
The University of Alabama
keschmidt1@crimson.ua.edu

Kristin Johnson is a former elementary teacher and literacy coach currently pursuing a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction from The University of Alabama. Her research centers on teacher preparation and literacy development, with a focus on bridging theory and practice to support effective, evidence-based literacy instruction.

Zehra Shoukat
​Doctoral Candidate, Curriculum & Instruction 
The University of Alabama
zshoukatali@crimson.ua.edu

Zehra Shoukat is a doctoral student in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Alabama. As a former early childhood educator and research associate, her academic and professional interests focus on supporting children in need, fostering nurturing practices in early childhood, and advancing professional development for early years professionals in outreach communities. 


Faculty Affiliates

JoonHo Lee
​Assistant Professor 
The University of Alabama
jlee296@ua.edu

JoonHo Lee is an Assistant Professor of Education Research at The University of Alabama. He earned his Ph.D. in Quantitative Methods and Evaluation from the University of California, Berkeley. As a Bayesian statistician, he translates methodological innovation into actionable insights on early childhood policy and school finance reform. His scholarship is supported by prestigious organizations, including the National Academy of Education and the Institute of Education Sciences.

Courtney O’Grady
​Assistant Professor 
The University of Alabama
ceogrady3@ua.edu

Dr. Courtney O’Grady is an assistant professor of early childhood special education. She holds a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education, a master’s degree in early childhood special education, an additional graduate certificate in English as New Language through the Alliance for Catholic Education at the University of Notre Dame, and a Ph.D. in special education from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She taught preschool in inclusive, diverse settings for 10 years. She was recognized for her preschool teaching with the Joliet Area Great Teacher’s Award in 2017. Her research seeks to disrupt deficit narratives about children and families, and advance inclusion for young children with disabilities through perceptions, practices, and preparation that center affirming education experiences. She currently serves as a co-chair of the Inclusion, Equity, and Social Justice (IESJ) Committee of the Division of Early Childhood (DEC) of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), and in July 2025 will transition to chairing the Research Committee.