CMJ Mentors
Jade Caines Lee
Jade Caines Lee, PhD, is an assistant research professor and leads the Equity and Assessment area within KU Center for Learner Agency Research and Action (CLARA). She has been a career educator, teaching P-12, undergraduate, and graduate students for over 20 years. She has presented and published in the areas of validity, classroom assessment, evaluation research, and fairness issues in the educational measurement field.
Justin Kern
Dr. Justin Kern is an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). He received his MA in Psychology, MS in Statistics, and Ph.D. in Quantitative Psychology from UIUC, and his BS in Psychology and Mathematics from Central Michigan University. As a measurement scholar, his research seeks to produce and investigate quantitative methods for the modeling of psychological and educational traits, the construction of tests and measurement tools, and the investigation of behavioral data, primarily through the lens of item response theory (IRT). Specifically, he is interested in adaptive testing, the use of response times in times, and the development of models accounting for various nuisance effects. Born and raised in Flint, MI, he is a proud member of both the Mexican American community and the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. Outside of work, Justin enjoys spending time with his family, watching Illini and Detroit sports, and playing music in several ensembles in Central Illinois.
Kyndra Middleton
Kyndra V. Middleton, PhD is a Professor of Educational Psychology and Chair of the Department of Human Development and Psychoeducational Studies at Howard University where she teaches statistics and measurement courses, serves as the primary methodologist for the school, and sits on numerous university-wide committees. She is also serves on the Executive Council of the National Alliance for Doctoral Studies in the Mathematical Sciences. Her research focuses on ensuring validity, equity, and fairness for all students as well as increasing the number of underrepresented minorities in STEM fields. She received her M.A. and Ph.D. in Educational Measurement and Statistics from The University of Iowa and her B.S. in Mathematical Sciences from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. A native of Walterboro, SC and a proud graduate of an HBCU, she also serves as the Higher Education committee chair for the DC Metro HBCU Alumni Alliance. In her spare time, she enjoys playing sports, running, traveling, and baking.
Malena Oliveri
Maria Elena (Malena) Oliveri is a Research Associate Professor at Purdue University, College of Engineering. Her expertise is on assessing workplace-relevant competencies, educational measurement, fairness, validity, and culturally and linguistically responsive assessment. She has served in multiple leadership roles including the International Test Commission (ITC) Council Member, Chair for the ITC Guidelines for the Fair and Valid Assessment of Linguistically Diverse Populations, Steering Committee for the ITC Technology-Based Assessment Guidelines, and ITC Chair of Publications. She also was the President of the Learning Assistance Teachers Association. She has over 100 publications and presentations on these topics with a focus on the design, development, and use of different types of assessment (e.g., assessment for learning, formative assessments). Malena enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, learning, and speaking different languages (e.g., English, Spanish, French, Italian). Malena is passionate about assessment for learning and conducting research on workplace readiness and preparation, upskilling, measurement, and psychometrics. She has been a mentor for several years. She enjoys an active style of mentoring, providing support to her mentees regularly working with them to pursue their dreams in educational measurement and assessment particularly assessment focusing on supporting culturally and linguistically diverse populations.
Joseph Rios
Joseph A. Rios is the Head of Research at the Center for Measurement Justice. He holds a Ph.D. in educational measurement and psychometrics from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Prior to joining CMJ, he was an assistant professor of quantitative methodology at the University of Minnesota and a research scientist at the Educational Testing Service. To date, he has published over 40 peer-reviewed articles in prestigious journals such as Educational Researcher, Educational and Psychological Measurement, Applied Psychological Measurement, and Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice. His work has been cited over 2,400 times in academic journals, popular media outlets (e.g., Fast Company), and reports by the World Bank. He received the Jason Millman Promising Measurement Scholar Award from the National Council on Measurement in Education for recognition of his research contributions. He is also the founder of Grad Student Academy, an organization that helps PhD students and postdocs learn how to write and publish their research.
Fatima Zahra
Dr. Fatima T. Zahra is an Assistant Professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, specializing in the intersection of artificial intelligence, education, and labor markets. Her research focuses on developing innovative solutions to address inequality and poverty, with a particular emphasis on shaping the future of learning and work. Dr. Zahra’s research on program and policy evaluation, culturally responsive evaluation and assessment methods, global health, and forced migration challenges offers a critical perspective on how technology, learning, and work intersect across local and global contexts. Her work brings valuable insights into the potential of AI and the ethical considerations necessary for shaping the future of educational research and practice. With a mission to optimize human potential, Dr. Zahra founded the Artificial Intelligence, Race, and Evaluation (AIRELab) in September 2023. The lab is dedicated to designing and leveraging AI-powered interventions and evaluations that are fair, transparent, and inclusive. Dr. Zahra holds a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies in Human Development from the University of Pennsylvania and completed postdoctoral training at Harvard Business School and the T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Prior to her current role, she served as a research scientist at New York University and as the Research Director at UPenn’s PDRI-DevLab. Dr. Zahra is affiliated with the South Asia Institute at Harvard. She is also on the editorial board of the American Journal of Evaluation and contributes to significant interdisciplinary research initiatives.