OUR CORE TEAM
Sally Rae Smith (she/her) – Managing Consultant & Business Manager
Sally joined QTurn in October 2019 as a Principal Consultant, bringing over 7 years of hands-on experience in after-school program quality—as both a data collector and quality coach. With a degree focused in methodology & curriculum, and statistics from Eastern Michigan University, Sally’s expertise lies at the intersection of robust data analysis and effective instructional design. In addition to leading QTurn’s consulting efforts, she also manages the organization’s operations and finances, ensuring our mission is well-supported from both strategic and business standpoints.
Charles Smith, Ph.D. (he/him) – Founder & Senior Advisor
Charles is the visionary behind QTurn. Formerly the founder of the David P. Weikart Center, he developed the field-leading Program Quality Assessments and the Youth Worker Methods training models. With 20 years of experience designing, implementing, and validating quality improvement systems (QIS) focused on social-emotional learning across out-of-school time, early childhood, and two-generation settings, Charles now brings that expertise to QTurn. He continues to consult, blog, and publish alongside QTurn and its clients—grounding our work in deep field practice, rigorous evidence, and a personal mission born from his own experiences of childhood adversity. As of 2025, his work has been cited over 740 times according to Google Scholar.
Stephen (“Steve”) Peck, Ph.D (he/him) – Technical Consultant & Methodologist
Steve is QTurn’s lead methodologist and a renowned historian of psychological science. Prior to joining us, he spent over two decades (1995–2016) as a Research Investigator and Assistant Research Scientist at the University of Michigan’s Achievement Research Lab. From 2005 to 2019, he also consulted for the Weikart Center. Steve specializes in person-centered analytics and multilevel, pattern-centered, person-in-context models of lifespan development. His methodological expertise supports QTurn’s pioneering evaluation approaches that illuminate children’s real-time states and developmental pathways. As of 2025, his research has received over 4,100 citations on Google Scholar.
Lucy Nordberg Smith (she/her)
Lucy Smith is an advisor for QTurn. Lucy was a research consultant for QTurn from March 2019 – August 2022, specializing in data collection system design, coordination and technical assistance, as well as serving as QTurn’s communications lead and graphic designer.
Terri Slaughter
Terri D. Slaughter acts as an advisor for QTurn. She is the Chief Culture Equity Inclusion Officer (CCEIO) at Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and founder of Youth Development, Education, and Retention Strategy Group (YDER). An educator and nonprofit professional with more than twenty-five years of experience, Terri has served in a range of senior leadership roles at colleges and universities and nonprofit organizations including the University of Michigan, Madonna University, the Forum for Youth Investment, and UNCF (United Negro College Fund) in the Bill and Melinda Gates Millennium Scholars Program. A proud graduate of Michigan State University, Terri holds a Master of Arts degree in Higher Education Administration and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English.
Lisa Lindeman, Ph.D.
Lisa is an advisor to QTurn.