Dr. Chris Clay Smith, Ed.D.
FAST for Success-Reading Program Lead
Email: smi00835@umn.edu
Chris Clay Smith is the program lead for FAST for Success - Reading and serves as the key point of contact for school leaders. She has 18 years of leadership experience as an elementary school principal and also serves as an Illuminate Instructor for FastBridge Learning. Her work has focused on project communication, professional development, and material development to support school leaders with the implementation of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). She earned her EdD in Educational Leadership from St. Louis University.
Dr. Mary Jane White, Ph.D.
FAST for Success-Reading Project Manager
Email: whit0782@umn.edu
Mary Jane White, Ph.D., is a researcher at the University of Minnesota in the Department of Educational Psychology and manages both the FAST for Success-Reading program and Dr. Christ's research lab. Dr. White has worked on multiple federal grants with Dr. Christ over the past 14 years. She has expertise leading research studies in reading assessment, instruction, and educator training and has authored or co-authored over 40 peer-reviewed publications.
Dr. Margaret Smith-Peterson, Ph.D.
FAST for Success-Reading Instructional Designer
Margaret Smith-Peterson, Ph.D. is the instructional designer and professional development lead for FAST for Success-Reading. Prior to earning her doctorate, she served as a teacher in New York City and Saint Paul, as well as a district administrator for Minneapolis Public Schools where she designed and led professional learning for hundreds of educators. As a researcher, Dr. Smith-Peterson’s interests include innovations in systems and structures for professional development and job-embedded learning. She also studies social justice and racial equity issues related to differentiated instruction, tracking, and advanced academics.
Dr. Ted Christ, Ph.D.
FastBridge Founder | FAST for Success-Reading Principle Investigator
Dr. Theodore J. Christ is the principal investigator for the FAST for Success program. He is an Endowed Research Professor of Assessment and Measurement in the Educational Psychology Department at the University of Minnesota and the founder of FastBridge Learning. His research aims are to evaluate and develop procedures, instrumentation, and techniques to help educators and parents improve child achievement.