Leveraging their vast experience in the field, Dr. Nadia Ward and Dr. Aaron Haddock of Clark University created MI PEACE to support comprehensive school mental health systems. Utilizing a state-of-the-art mobile application as the primary interface, MI PEACE drives dramatically improved outcomes for youth by centralizing and coordinating care on one platform. From screening for mental health concerns to connecting with a licensed professional to coordinating all caregivers in one action plan, MI PEACE puts comprehensive mental health care for youth in the palm of your hand.
Nadia L. Ward, M.Ed., Ph.D., came to the Mosakowski Institute from Yale University, where she served as Associate Professor of Psychiatry (Psychology) and the Deputy Director of Clinical Training in Clinical and Community Psychology, Yale School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry; and the Director of Urban Education & Prevention Research and Senior Evaluation Consultant with YaleEVAL at the Consultation Center at Yale.
Her extensive work in the area of academic achievement for racial and ethnic minority students has spanned more than 20 years and has included training and consultation to universities, public school systems, and private organizations; curriculum development; program development; implementation; and community-engaged research and evaluation.
Aaron D. Haddock, M.Ed., Ph.D. has worked in school and community settings as a teacher, school psychologist, program evaluator, and consultant. Dr. Haddock’s areas of expertise include social-emotional learning, child and adolescent behavioral health, and school-based prevention and intervention.
By linking his extensive experience in multi-tiered systems of support, program evaluation, academic achievement, and education policy directly to issues of social justice and education, Dr. Haddock leverages the reciprocal relationship between research and practice to promote positive outcomes for all youth.
Nicholas Mathews, M.S.Ed, M.Phil.Ed, joins the Mosakowski Institute of Public Enterprise team from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania after completing two master’s degrees from the University of Pennsylvania in counseling/mental health services and professional counseling, respectively. Nicholas previously worked as a consultant for the Thomas Scattergood Behavioral Health Foundation, assisting with capacity building for grassroots, non-profit organizations focused on reducing community violence among young men of color.
Nicholas has experience positively impacting college access programs, student development, and being an overall change agent. He also has an extensive history of creating safe, inclusive spaces for young men of color to feel more connected to educational systems. He establishes this connection through culturally relevant student empowerment, mentorship, and connecting young people to positive role models. His background in mental health services and working with disenfranchised communities makes him a great fit for Clark Universities’ Mosakowski Institute of Public Enterprise. In his role, he will help provide behavioral health programs and initiatives for students, educators, and community partners.
Katherine Esparza is a daughter of the Andes, born in Quito, Ecuador, and raised in Worcester, Massachusetts. She is an immigrant, a youth worker, a community weaver, and a storyteller. Kathy is a mujerista – and deeply influenced by mujeristas who have paved the way for us to breathe a bit lighter today.
She believes in a collective liberation centered on rest, joy, love, reparation, and re-imagination of the impossible becoming possible. Kathy is also a mixed medium artist who writes and creates pieces in Spanglish and in the mixness of her essence. Her work discusses intersectional identities as well as the joys and aches of her human experience.
Kathy holds a BA in International Development and Women’s and Gender Studies as well as a Certificate in Youth Work from Clark University and has over ten years of experience in non-profit, government, higher education, and philanthropy.
Shelley Grover, MBA, a graduate of Clark University returned to her alma mater in 2019 to join the Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise. Shelley serves as a Research Associate, where she oversees the project management of research initiatives for the Mosakowski Institute, coordinates research studies, and assists with various special projects.
Shelley holds a BA in Psychology and an MBA with a focus in Marketing from Clark University, which lends itself to the unique work of the Mosakowski Institute, creating a strategic alignment between the Institute’s focus on developing behavioral health interventions for adolescents and young adults and the development of marketing campaigns to highlight and communicate these important goals.
