The Team
Who We Are
Andii Layton
Project(s): STOP School Violence
2023-
Andii Layton is the past Chair of the Graduate Student Council with the American Educational Research Association and a Ph.D. student in the College of Education at Michigan State University. Prior to joining the College of Education, she earned a Master’s degree from the University of Chicago in Social Work Administration with a specialization in community schools and a Bachelor's degree in Sociology and African American Studies from Rutgers University. Andii began her professional career as a project manager where she managed three signature programs that provided residential college experiences for students who come from marginalized communities. She has over ten years of experience in teaching, programming, diversity, equity, and social justice. She is a Teach for America alumna, where she taught 7th-grade Humanities. Her critical research centers on issues of racism, racial equity, the politicization of school culture, teacher training, and creating equitable and inclusive K-20 school climates.
Natalie Rivera
Project(s): STOP School Violence
2023-
Natalie Rivera is a Master’s student in the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University (MSU). She is also earning a graduate certificate in the Chicano/Latino Studies program at MSU. She received her B.A. in Psychology with two minors in Criminal Justice and U.S. Latino/a Studies from Iowa State University. At MSU, she has been involved in numerous research opportunities and has over two years of research experience. She has been a project manager for the National Science Foundation Study on Communication between Probation and Parole Agents and their Clients: Gender Differences, Client Psychological Responses, and Behavioral Outcomes. She is currently a project manager for the Getting It Right Program, which focuses on having a peer support provider and a case manager who assists system-involved individuals on parole in getting services after release. She also assists with open-source data collection for the National Evaluation of the GREAT (Gang Resistance Education and Training) program.. Overall, Natalie's research interests are within victimization and violence studies as well as Chicano and Latino Studies. A fun fact about Natalie is that she has had 3 mini schnauzers and hopes to continue to add the pack!
Jordan Parker
Project(s): Risk and Needs Assessment Collaborative
2023-
Jordan Parker (He/Him) is a 2nd-year doctoral student in the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University (MSU). Additionally, Jordan is enrolled in the Program Evaluation Certificate Program offered by MSU’s College of Social Sciences. Before attending MSU, he obtained his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Criminal Justice from Bowling Green State University (BGSU). While at BGSU, he served as a Research Assistant for the Police Integrity Research Group focused on improving policing and informing the public on the phenomenon of police crime. Broadly speaking, his research interests include examining social and racial disparities within the criminal and juvenile justice systems, victimization, juvenile justice & delinquency, and policing.
Erin Caldwell
Project(s): STOP School Violence
2023
Erin Caldwell is a third-year student in the School of Social Work at Michigan State University (MSU). She is minoring in both Human Behavior and Social Services and Resource Management from the Individual, Family, and Societal Perspective. She is also a student in MSU’s Honors College. Erin’s goal is to work in a setting with adults who have disabilities. Through the Resource Center for People with Disabilities BOND Peer Mentor program, she mentors MSU students who live with autism. She also peer mentors an East Lansing community member who lives with a disability through the Best Buddies program. Previously, she worked as an Adaptive Program Instructor for a community center, teaching recreational classes to adults with disabilities. Erin works for the Residence Halls Association at MSU as the Executive Secretary. In her free time, she enjoys reading and playing intramural soccer.
Adele Berg-Peterson
Project(s): STOP School Violence
2023
Adele Berg-Peterson is a third-year Honors College student in the School of Social Work at Michigan State University. In addition to majoring in Social Work with a special interest in children, youth, and families, Adele is minoring in Human Behavior & Social Services and Chinese. In the future, Adele plans to receive her Master of Social Work in either school social work or clinical practice working with youth and families. Elementary school was when Adele first became interested in service when she co-founded a volunteer group with her childhood friends. From then on, she has not only participated in a summer advocacy program through the American Civil Liberties Union but has also spent her university’s spring breaks volunteering in different states through Alternative Spartan Breaks helping with environmental justice and refugee work. During the school year, Adele is a Resident Assistant where she helps her freshmen residents transition to college. Furthermore, she helps students as a Peer Research Assistant through the MSU Libraries. Adele’s favorite place she has traveled to is Japan, where she spent three weeks on a study abroad trip and discovered that matcha there is superior. In her free time, Adele likes to befriend her Animal Crossing villagers on her Nintendo Switch.
Kaelyn Sanders
Project(s): Risk and Protective Factors for Substance Misuse
2022-
Kaelyn Sanders is a fourth-year Ph.D. student in the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University. In her research, she explores the experiences of people on probation and parole, their (re)integration, and their digital literacy. Her research has been published in the Journal of Criminal Justice and Feminist Criminology. Kaelyn is also a National Science Foundation GRFP Fellow. She received a B.A. in Sociology and Criminology from The Ohio State University. As a Ph.D. student, Kaelyn has worked on program evaluation projects for reentry and gun violence programs in the state of Michigan. Kaelyn also serves as the graduate assistant for her program’s Prospective Doctoral Student Recruitment and Retention Program Grant. In this role, she works to increase DEI in her graduate program by meeting with students at MSIs and HBCUs and assessing areas where current graduate students can be better supported. She also previously held a summer graduate research associate position at Arnold Ventures working on their pretrial justice team and interned at a local probation program in Lansing, Michigan. She is a member of the American Society of Criminology and the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. Outside of school, Kaelyn enjoys traveling, exercising, reading, listening to podcasts, and spending time with loved ones.
