About Us

Current Team Members

Marcia L. Montague, Ph.D.

Dr. Marcia Montague is the current Director of Project REDD. She engages in research focusing on disaster preparedness informed transition planning for adolescents with disabilities. Her research and service activities include supporting family engagement and the transition to postsecondary education for and the college retention of students with disabilities and first-generation college students. She has nine years of public school special education teaching experience and over ten years of experience teaching in higher education.

Letitia Omaboe, MsC

Letitia Omaboe is a Graduate Assistant for Aggie ACHIEVE and PhD student in the Department of Educational Psychology at Texas A&M University. She earned a law degree and two master’s degrees in Psychology and Health Psychology in the United Kingdom and has over 5 years of experience in the special education field. Her research interests primarily focus on equity in access and quality of education for individuals with disabilities. This includes transition to higher education and employment, classroom management, teacher preparation, and professional development.

Yi-Fan Li, Ph.D.

Dr. Yi-Fan Li is an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio. She earned her Ph.D. at Texas A&M University with a major in Educational Psychology and emphasis in Special Education. Before she came to the U.S., she was a special education teacher for five years, mainly teaching students with intellectual disabilities, autism, and multiple disabilities in a high school. During her teaching career, she had the experience of being a transition coordinator. This valuable experience led her to keep exploring the transition education for individuals with disabilities. She is also interested in working with teacher candidates to explore inclusive teaching practices, such as universal design for learning, to support students from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Laura M. Stough, Ph.D.

Dr. Laura Stough was the Founding Director of Project REDD. Dr. Stough is a Professor Emerita of Educational Psychology at Texas A&M University. She conducts research on the psychological and social impacts of disaster as well as evaluation studies of organizations that serve people with disabilities and their families. She served as the Assistant Director at the Center on Disability and Development and was Faculty Fellow at the Natural Hazards Reduction and Recovery Center at Texas A&M University.

Donghyun Kang, Ph.D.

Donghyun Kang earned her PhD in Educational Psychology from Texas A&M University in 2019. During her doctoral program, she collaborated with Dr. Laura Stough and other colleagues on the REDD project at the Center on Disability and Development. As part of her research activities, she published journal articles on disability and disaster. Currently, Donghyun Kang serves as an assistant professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning at Tennessee State University. Her research centers around the influence of teacher-student relationships on school engagement, as well as academic resilience, social support, and self-system factors. She has published peer-reviewed journal articles and presented her research findings on these topics at international conferences, including AERA. Recently, she has expanded her research by utilizing a large-scale longitudinal dataset and conducting a pilot study on a program designed to improve teacher-student relationships.

Tanya Baker

Tanya Baker is the Program Manager for the Center on Disability and Development (CDD). She previously served as the Communications Specialist for the CDD at Texas A&M University from 2006 to November 2022. She is also a co-author of the children’s book, “Harvey the Hiccupping Hippopotamus.”

Kayla Sweet, Ph.D.

Dr. Kayla Sweet is an educator in public education. She previously worked as the Project Coordinator for ReDiscovery and was an Assistant Researcher on the development of the REDDy (REsources for Disasters and Disability) Directory for Hurricane Harvey survivors.

Elizabeth Ducy, Ph.D.

Dr. Elizabeth Ducy is an Associate Professor of Special Education at Sonoma State University. She completed her doctorate in Educational Psychology at Texas A&M University and was a trainee with the Center on Disability and Development. Her research addresses disaster, grief, trauma, and individuals with developmental disabilities. Most recently, Dr. Ducy explored the experience of families of children with disabilities impacted by the 2017 Northern California Wildfires.

Tahereh Boroughani, M.A.

Tahereh Boroughani is currently a Ph.D. student in Bilingual/ESL Education with an emphasis on Special Education at Texas A&M University. Tahereh holds a Master’s degree in Teaching English as a Second Language from Iran. She is dedicated to exploring and contributing to the field of special education with a focus on improving educational outcomes for diverse learners, particularly those with dyslexia and bilingual backgrounds.

Former Team Members

Amy Sharp, Ph.D.

Dr. Amy Sharp is the former Director of the Texas Center for Disability Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. She collaborated to develop resource guides used by county extension agents and long-term recovery case managers throughout Texas. Dr. Sharp conducted evaluations and research studies on how hurricanes impact individuals with disabilities.

Patricia Lynch, Ph.D.

Dr. Patricia Lynch is Clinical Professor Emeritus from the Special Education Program at Texas A&M University. She was part of the ReDiscovery team that delivered disaster recovery information for people with disabilities affected by Hurricane Harvey.

Shelby E. Landmark, Ph.D.

Shelby E. Landmark was a Graduate Assistant for Project REDD and completed her PhD studies in the Department of Communication at Texas A&M University. She is a graduate of Ohio University with a Bachelor of Science in Communication and specialization in Media Studies. Her research interests primarily involve the intersections of disability, sexuality, and media representations.