Ms. Graham is a graduate of Appalachian State University with a specialty in the area of learning disabilities. She brings to the faculty nearly 30 years of experience in the field of special education. She was a classroom teacher and owner of Triad Educational Services in the Winston-Salem area before moving to western North Carolina.

At that time, Ms. Graham worked as an educational diagnostician and early interventionist in the area’s Children’s Developmental Services Agencies. She has presented at numerous conferences and workshops on topics that include adapting classroom activities and environments for special needs children.

Honoring differences and diversity in children and their families is a particular interest in Ms. Graham’s work. Her classes offer many opportunities to explore different cultural aspects of families as well as one’s own culture through a variety of reading topics and discussion.

Ms. Katherine Laveck
M.S. in Child Development and Family Relations
B.S. in Early Childhood Education

Ms. Laveck is a graduate of The University of Tennessee in Knoxville, TN. Her professional experience spans 32 years in the early childhood field. Prior to teaching at WCU, Ms. Laveck served as a teacher of young children, a director of early care and education programs, an instructor at a community college, a coordinator of an early intervention program, a consultant on early childhood inclusion, and president of a non-profit organization advocating for the professional development of teachers.

Ms. Laveck has presented at numerous state and national conferences on a variety of topics. Her particular interests include the impact of environments on young children, early childhood inclusion, supporting families of young children, and supporting young children who exhibit challenging behaviors.

Ms. Laveck’s teaching style is one of “hands-on” learning in settings with children and families.  She supports students as they connect textbook learning with practical application.  Her extensive experience with children, families, and professional colleagues provide vignettes and anecdotes that highlight points of learning.

Cathy L. Grist, Ph.D.
Dr. Cathy Grist has been a full-time faculty member at Western Carolina University for the past 6 years. Previously, she has taught as an adjunct professor for 5 years for WCU while working as a psychologist at the Developmental Evaluation Center (DEC), now the Children’s Developmental Services Agency (CDSA), in Cullowhee. She also served as the supervisor of the home-based Early Intervention Program.

She has been in the field of Birth-Kindergarten for about 16 years. Her background has been in clinical psychology. In addition to teaching at WCU, she also has a private practice working with children birth to 5. She works on a grant providing assessment, intervention, and consultation to children who are suspected of autism or who have autism as well as providing psychological services to a local school system for preschoolers.

Research interests include personality in preschoolers, assessment in young children, intervention and adaptations and modifications for young children with disabilities as well as children who transition from preschool to kindergarten.