People
Team Director
Desiree W. Murray, PhD | CV
Desiree W. Murray, PhD is a Senior Research Scientist at UNC’s Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention and a Research Associate Professor in the School of Education and Department of Psychiatry. She has over two decades of experience in school mental health research, primarily developing, implementing, and evaluating evidence-based programs to prevent social-emotional and behavioral difficulties in children and youth. Her work has been supported by over 12 million dollars in federal funding from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), the National Institute of Health (NIH). As part of her work with the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) at ACF, she led development of a co-regulation model by which caring adults can support youth in developing self-regulation and other competencies, a framework that is informing national programs and practices for youth-serving agencies. Dr. Murray’s more recent work has integrated ecological momentary assessment to further understand youth’s emotional wellbeing and coping strategies in the context of stress.
Dr. Murray is also a licensed clinical psychologist who regularly provides trainings in social-emotional programs for educators who serve children and youth. With UNC colleagues, she developed Be CALM, a universal program for secondary students that teaches mindfulness-based social-emotional skills and has shown promising effects in two studies. Prior to joining UNC in 2014, she served as the Associate Director of the Duke ADHD Program. In her free time, Dr. Murray enjoys reading and doing yoga and is an avid swimmer.
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Keadija Wiley, PhD – Be CALM Early College High Schools Project Manager
Keadija is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at UNC’s Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, working primarily on the Be CALM Counselors project. She received her PhD in 2023 in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she also received her MS in 2020. She received her B.A. in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2016. Keadija’s work has focused on contexts that support African American youth’s development, specifically through the function of parent-child interactions by exploring issues of race and racism among African American families. She hopes to use her research to improve the lives of marginalized youth and families. In her free time, Keadija enjoys traveling and spending time with her family and dog.
Implementation Staff
Beverly K. Rudolph, Ed.D
Beverly was a teacher, assistant principal, and principal in North Carolina’s Public Schools for 25 years. She comes to UNC to focus on one of her passions, teaching mindfulness to school staff and their students. She has a BA in Literature from UNC Asheville, her master’s in educational leadership from UNC Chapel Hill, and her doctorate in educational supervision and administration from UVA. In her free time, she loves hanging out with her family and two dogs, going to the theatre, reading a good book, and watching the Tar Heels play basically any sport. She is a proud first-generation college student and native North Carolinian.
Rachel Mills-Brantley, LCSW – Be CALM Program Manager
Rachel is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 20 years of experience working in school-based social work and clinical services, educational programming, and intervention-based research to strengthen the social-emotional wellbeing and educational outcomes for children. She is a co-developer of Be CALM, a mindfulness-based social-emotional learning program for middle and high schools. Rachel is a trained Mindful Self-Compassion teacher, and she has completed the 200-hour Lead with Compassion yoga teacher training. Rachel loves spending time with her family, including two elementary school-aged children who crack her up and keep her on her toes.
Wendy Kadens, MSW, LCSW
Wendy is a BE CALM Counselor trainer. Prior to joining the UPSIDE team, Wendy worked as a mental health counselor for UNC Chapel Hill Students. She has incorporated various forms of meditation and mindfulness into her personal and professional life since the 1990s and is passionate about the ways mindfulness can enhance wellbeing in children and adults. Outside of work, Wendy can often be found hiking with her dog Laila. Wendy has a BA in Theater from Vassar College, an MBA From Columbia University, and an MSW from UNC Chapel Hill.
Research Staff
Hannah Netschytailo – Be CALM Counselors Project Manager
Hannah is a project manager on the UPSIDE Team. She graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies and Psychology with highest honors. Hannah is interested in how childhood adversity impacts future behavior and how various factors can promote resilience. She plans to apply to clinical psychology Ph.D. programs in hopes of furthering her studies and helping those who have experienced adversity and trauma. In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with friends and trying new foods.
John Pagen – Research Assistant
John is a research assistant with the UPSIDE Team. He graduated from Kansas State University in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a business minor. From a research perspective, John is broadly interested in digital communication (social media, text messages, etc.), self-regulation, school-based interventions, and public policy informed by psychological research. He plans on applying to clinical psychology Ph.D. programs to explore how these topics can be utilized to both prevent negative mental health outcomes and promote positive mental health outcomes among adolescents. In his free time, John enjoys making music, watching Dario Argento movies, and reading about psychology.
Laura-Lee Crifasi – Research Assistant
Laura-Lee is a Research Assistant with the UPSIDE Team. They graduated with Distinction from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in December 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Women and Gender Studies minor. After completing work as an undergraduate research assistant and a research capstone through the Women and Gender Studies department, they decided to pursue post-baccalaureate training in research in preparation for doctoral studies in Clinical Psychology. Laura-Lee is broadly interested in psychopathology, adolescence, and gender development. In their free time, Laura-Lee enjoys outdoor recreation, figure skating, reading fiction, and finding community.
Merete Oakes – Research Assistant
Merete Oakes is a Research Assistant with the UPSIDE Team. She graduated from American University in 2024 with a Bachelor of Science in public health and a minor in biology. Her health honors research project focused on the impact of competitive swimming on adolescent mental health, leading to interest in research for local populations. Merete will begin the MPH in Applied Epidemiology program in Fall 2025 at UNC where she hopes to focus on local community and infectious disease public health. In her free time, Merete enjoys climbing, swimming, reading, and cooking.
Undergraduate Research Assistants
Neha Srinivasa
Past Team Members
McKenna Roudebush, Monique Villamor, Elis Matos, Daniel Soki, Priya Patel, Amy Webster, Hannah Kim, Aveena Khanderia