Maurice J. Elias, Ph.D., is a professor and former director of clinical training in the Department of Psychology, Rutgers University. He is also director of the Rutgers Social-Emotional and Character Development Lab (www.secdlab.org), academic director of the Collaborative Center for Community-Based Research and Service (engage.rutgers.edu) and founding member of the Leadership Team for the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). Dr. Elias lectures nationally and internationally and devotes his research and writing to the area of social-emotional and character development in children, schools, and families. He is a licensed psychologist and writes a blog on social- emotional and character development for the George Lucas Educational Foundation at www. edutopia.org. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, Ellen, near their children and grandchildren.

Steven Tobias, Psy.D., is the director of the Center for Child and Family Development in Morristown, New Jersey. He has over thirty years of experience working with children, parents, families, and schools. Dr. Tobias feels a strong commitment to children’s social and emotional development and provides consultation to schools as a way of reaching many children, including those who are under-served in terms of their social and emotional needs. He has coauthored several books with Dr. Maurice Elias, including Emotionally Intelligent Parenting and Raising Emotionally Intelligent Teenagers. He has given lectures throughout the United States on topics related to parenting and children’s emotional development. Dr. Tobias lives in New Jersey. Maurice J. Elias, Ph. D Professor of Psychology at Rutgers., and Steven E. Tobias, Psy.D., Director for Center of Child and Family development are the authors of several books including: Boost Emotional Intelligence in Students and Emotionally Intelligent Parenting.

David is the Senior Director of Strategy at The Urban Assembly and on the board of directors of the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) . He previously served as the Social-Emotional Learning Coordinator for District 75 where he shaped the District’s approach to social-emotional learning for students with severe cognitive and behavioral challenges. He has worked internationally in schools in England, standing up and evaluating programs of positive behavioral supports and Social-Emotional Learning as a research intern at Yale University’s Health, Emotion and Behavior Lab, and published multiple academic papers around the relationship of social-emotional competence, and student academic and behavioral outcomes. He is married with two children and is an Engineering Officer in the Army Reserve. David holds an M.Ed. in Educational Psychology from Fordham University. www.UrbanAssembly.org

Christina Cipriano, Ph.D. Ed. M., is Director of Research at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. Dr. Cipriano is an Applied Developmental and Educational Psychologist, and Jack Kent Cooke Scholar, and her research focuses on serving vulnerable youth through systematic examination of the interactions within their homes, schools, and communities to promote pathways to optimal developmental outcomes. She is currently an Assistant Professor, Service Learning Fellow, and Community Engaged Research Scholar at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. You can learn more about her science at www.drchriscip.com and her practice at www.therelateproject.com.

Dr. Joseph Erardi, presently an executive board member of the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), recently retired after 40 years of service to CT children. Dr. Erardi served as a school superintendent for 20 years and spent the last four years of his career leading the rebuild and recovery of the Newtown, CT school district. Dr. Erardi continues to make a difference in the lives of children by speaking across the country on school safety and consulting on best practice with security, social emotional learning, and positive climate and culture. Dr. Erardi has been named as the CT Supt of the Year (2017), the CT PTA Supt of the Year (2016), and the outstanding CT Administrator of the year by both the University of Hartford and Central CT State University. Dr. Erardi remains active in education as an adjunct professor in the CT State University System and by working with numerous Boards of Education as they look to hire their new superintendent.

Kristen Hopkins is an author, educator, social-entrepreneur, motivational speaker and community impact strategist with over a decade of experience in producing research-based community empowerment programs. Kristen began her work with the award-winning company, Dangers of the Mind (DOM), in 2014 when she published a book of the same title. She later decided to expand DOM into a consultancy and lifestyle brand with a mission to reach, teach and empower future pioneers by helping them recognize and harness their intrinsic power. Since its inception, Kristen has educated over 2500 youth in the United States, Ghana, and Haiti through Dangers of the Mind and she has reached even more participants via DOM’s digital programming including a podcast, virtual coaching, Danger Zone Power Calls, the clothing line, a collective of brand ambassadors and more. Kristen is committed to being the voice advocating for at-promised youth and looks to continue her research, teaching and advocacy work for Social-Emotional responsive resources.

Joshua Hendrickson is a co-founder and Executive Director of Project Presence. He holds a master’s Degree in social work and is a Ph.D. candidate in Mind-Body Medicine. www.projectpresence.org

Chad A. Rose, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Missouri, and the Director of the Mizzou Ed Bully Prevention Lab. He earned his Ph.D. from the Department of Special Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2010. Dr. Rose’s research focuses on the intersection of disability labels and special education services within the bullying dynamic, unique predictive and protective factors associated with bullying involvement among students with disabilities, and bully prevention efforts within a multi-tiered educational framework. Since 2009, Rose has authored or co-authored several articles or book chapters that directly address bullying, challenging behaviors, or assessment. Recently, Dr. Rose was a co-investigator on a NICHD grant exploring the longitudinal influence of online racial discrimination and general victimization on adolescent adjustment, principal investigator on a large-scale, cross-sectional study investigating the predictive nature of social-ecological factors on the involvement of students with disabilities in the bullying dynamic, and principal investigator on a NICHD LRP project that examined the use of a targeted social skills curriculum as a vehicle to reduce bullying involvement among youth with or at-risk for disability identification. Dr. Rose was the recipient of the 2015 Alberti Center Early Career Award for Distinguished Scholarly Contributions to Bully Abuse Prevention.

Tia Navelene Barnes, Ph.D., is a social emotional learning researcher. As a former educator of students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD), Dr. Barnes’ research interests focus on creating environments where students with emotional and behavioral challenges can thrive. Dr. Barnes received her doctorate in August 2013 from the University of Florida where she majored in special education with an emphasis on emotional and/or behavioral disorders and minored in research and evaluation methodology. She then worked at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence where her work focused on classroom environment for students with EBD and examining social emotional learning through a culturally responsive lens. She has published work in several journals including Infant and Child Development, the Journal of School Violence, Aggression and Violent Behavior, and Education and Treatment of Children. She loves engaging with educators and feels that supporting educators is key to supporting student success.

Meredith Nadeau has worked as a paraprofessional, middle school English teacher, special educator, and as a school and district administrator over the last 25 years. She is currently a Superintendent of Schools in New Hampshire. Meredith is a parent of two amazing daughters and is completing her doctorate in Special Education at Boston University. Her research interests include a focus on students with emotional and behavioral challenges.

Amanda Cannarella has a Ph.D. in Applied Developmental and Educational Psychology and is the founder of be.loved. be.loved’s mission is to provide full-spectrum and full-service support to expecting, new, and growing families. As an expert in child development and a DONA-trained birth and postpartum doula, I provide families with the emotional, practical, and informational support they need at each stage of their child’s development. Uniting the head and the heart allows parents to be confident, prepared, effective and awesome in all they do. www.belovedboston.com

Patricia has a passion for education and advocacy and has dedicated her career to ensuring that individuals with disabilities are fully included in society. Her personal mission is to offer the support that makes it possible for people with disabilities to lead meaningful, happy and productive lives. In her former role as Vice President of Professional Services at Rethink, she worked to ensure products are implemented effectively, promoting quality outcomes for individuals living with disabilities. Prior to joining Rethink Ed, Patricia was the National Director of Autism Services for Easter Seals one of the largest social service providers to those living with autism. Patricia began her career as a special educator and has provided consultative services to educators and healthcare providers. Wright’s expertise as an educator and Board-Certified Behavior Analyst inform her individualized approach to creating effective intervention plans. She knows that early diagnosis and intervention offer the best outcomes but is a proponent of treatment at any age. Everyone has the ability to learn. Patricia frequently presents at conferences and is been invited to deliver workshops and presentations nationally and internationally. She is a member of the Organization for Autism Research’s Scientific Council and has served on the Executive Committee for the Friends of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities. Patricia completed her PhD and MPH at the University of Hawaii with a research focus on educator utilization of evidence-based practices and health care access for people with disabilities. Her MA was awarded from San Francisco State University.

Christa M. Tinari, M.A., is a nationally recognized speaker, trainer, and peacebuilder. She provides educational consulting on bullying prevention, social-emotional learning, and school climate improvement, to schools and organizations across the country. Christa is creator of The Feel & Deal Activity Deck, an empathy-building tool for children used on six continents. Co-author Create a Culture of Kindness in Middle School: 48 Character-Building Lessons to Foster Respect and Prevent Bullying. She frequently presents at conferences such as AMLE, ASCD, and the International Bullying Prevention Association. Christa passionately believes in the power of education to inspire hearts and expand minds.

Dr. Christina Whalen, Director of Research, is a psychologist and behavior analyst and lives in La Jolla, CA. At Rethink Ed, she is the primary author of Tier 3 curriculum for Social Emotional Learning and assists with the development of professional development videos for educators. She has over 20 years of experience working with children, teens, and adults with special needs. She is the author of the book Real Life, Real Progress for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Strategies for Successful Generalization in Natural Environments and has presented at numerous education, behavior analysis, and psychology conferences. Dr. Whalen was the initial founder and creator of TeachTown, a computer-assisted behavior analysis is intervention for children with developmental disorders. She also worked for various clinics, schools, and research programs. She received her PhD from University of California, San Diego and did post-doctoral training at UCLA and University of Washington.

Blaise Aguirre, MD, is a child and adolescent psychiatrist. His is the founding medical director of 3East continuum of care, an array of programs for teens which use DBT to target self-endangering behaviors as well as the symptoms of borderline personality disorder (BPD) traits. Dr. Aguirre has been a staff psychiatrist at McLean Hospital since 2000 and is nationally and internationally recognized for his extensive work in the treatment of mood and personality disorders in adolescents. He lectures regularly throughout the world.

Mona Potter, MD, is medical director of McLean’s Child and Adolescent Outpatient Services including the McLean Anxiety Mastery Program, School Consultation Service, and Adolescent DBT Outpatient Service. Dr. Potter has particular interest in the treatment of pediatric anxiety disorders, OCD, mood disorders, and borderline personality disorder, with a focus on collaboration with schools. Prior to her current role, she served as the medical director for the 3East Cambridge Residence and The Landing at McLean Hospital®.

Dr. Joseph (J.J.) Ferrito is a licensed psychologist and certified school psychologist in New Jersey. Dr. Ferrito has experience working with children, adolescents, and adults across a variety of levels of care including schools, outpatient therapy clinics, intensive outpatient treatment programs, partial hospitalization programs, residential treatment centers, and inpatient hospital settings. Presently, he works full time in a program for at-risk high school students through Perth Amboy Public schools and part-time as a private practitioner at the Center for Child and Family Development in Morristown, NJ. Dr. Ferrito earned his Doctorate in Applied Psychology from Rutgers University’s Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology. He completed an APA Accredited Predoctoral Internship at Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital in San Diego California. He then completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Forensic Psychology at Hackensack University Medical Center during which he received advanced training in the recognition, treatment, and assessment of risk associated with child abuse and maltreatment, as well as earned additional certifications through Montclair State University in Civil and Family Forensic Psychology and Criminal Forensic Psychology. Dr. Ferrito’s research has focused on sustainable methods for fostering resilience and assessing Social Emotional Learning and Character Development (SECD) in children and adolescents. He co-authored several articles on SECD and co-authored a book on the topic with Dr. Maurice Elias and Dr. Dominic Mocceri (The Other Side of the Report Card).

Phylicia is a lifelong resident of Prince George’s County. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and a Masters of Arts in Global Affairs & Human Security from the University of Baltimore in 2016. Ms. Henry began her professional career in local and state politics. In 2011, she began her tenure in the Maryland General Assembly with a political internship in the office of Prince George’s County State Delegate Melony Griffith (D-25). Later, she served full time as a community outreach liaison for the Prince George’s County Councilmember Karen R. Toles (D-7). She returned to the Maryland General Assembly in 2014 and served in the office of Speaker to the House, Michael Busch and State Senator Joan Carter Conway, Chair of the Education Health & Environmental Health Committee, as a Legislative Aide and ended her tenure as Chief of Staff to Prince George’s County Delegate Darryl Barnes (D-25) in 2017. Phylicia now serves as the Director of Operations at Courtney’s House, an anti-trafficking service provider for children and youth forced into prostitution. As the only African American and survivor run non – profit in the North Atlantic region, Courtney’s House provides free, long term holistic direct supportive services to the DMV’s most vulnerable children and youth.

Ms. Frundt has been actively raising awareness of the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) since 2000. A high profile national advocate on the issue of domestic sex trafficking and a survivor of CSEC, Ms. Frundt is deeply committed to helping other children and women who are living through experiences similar to her own. She has been featured on numerous national shows and publications, including the OWN Network’s Our America with Lisa Ling: 3AM Girls, which featured an undercover look into sex trafficking in Washington, DC, the CNN Freedom Project, and in 2016 the Whitney Young Unsung Heroes award by the Urban Institute. In 2010, she became the first U.S. citizen to receive the Free the Slaves Freedom Awards-Frederick Douglas Award, which recognizes survivors of sex trafficking who use their life in freedom to help others. She is the founder and executive director of Courtney’s House, which provides direct services for domestic sex trafficked youth, ages 11 – 21 in Prince George’s County and the Washington, DC. metro area. Since its inception, Courtney’s House and Ms. Frundt have helped over 650 survivor’s transition out of their trafficking situation.

Jill Brown is the founder of Generation Text Online, a company that offers programs that teach 21st -Century learners about internet safety; digital citizenship; conflict resolution and provides the tools to eliminate cyberbullying and bullying. The architecture of these programs provides professional development, as well as age specific curricula for K – 12 empowering each individual to navigate the dangers and pitfalls of the internet and social media. By equipping her audience with the tools to understand how emotions drive decisions, presenting real-life examples, and providing experiential learning through interactive curricula, audiences are able to learn a thinking process that guides them in avoiding dangerous situations and solving problems. Jill Brown and Generation Text Online is well known at the university level within student services, providing mental and emotional wellness curricula, designing mentor programs and supporting education candidates with the Generation Text Online approach.

Dr. Cherie Azodi grew interested in the field of psychology out of a desire to better understand the human developmental milestones such as when a child learns speak, read, track, and to grow relatively to their peers, and its effect on family relationships. Equipped with a degree in arts, she made a deep dive into the field, taking specialized graduate courses in applied neuroscience and professional training at Cambridge College. It wasn’t long until she was working in academic settings with children who needed a more hands-on learning approach, such as those with autism, ADD, ADHD, learning disorders, and anxiety. She wrote behavioral interventions and training for students, teachers, and parents alike to help these students learn new skills and take these skills home. Dr. Azodi would then pursue a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in Marriage and Family Therapy from the Chicago School of Psychology and Doctoral in Applied clinical Psychology. Dr. Azodi continued on to complete her APA-accredited pre-doctoral internship at the County of Orange Crisis Stabilization Center (CSU), working with the assistant center director and her multidisciplinary team to provide intervention, linkage, referrals, individual consultations, and after care planning. She continues to work with adolescents and adults as a psychotherapist, and works across various levels of care including schools and outpatient clinics. Dr. Azodi has been certified by County of Orange to commit clients to 5051 if necessary . Dr. Azodi currently manages the County of Orange’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA) center for clients with co-occurring disorders and employs best practices to meet these patients’ complex needs. Dr. Azodi is the founder of ClickTalk Counseling and approaches clients with a holistic view of their problems, offering personal consultation, counseling, resources, and interventions to individuals, groups, and organizations. ClickTalk Counseling provides professional staff training family for those who may need to deepen their understanding of mental health and substance abuse.

Travis Pantiel is a licensed mental health counselor and national board-certified counselor practicing in Tampa, Florida. Travis has experience working with a variety of populations and treatment approaches, with specialized training and expertise in the treatment of substance use disorders as well as complex trauma related disorders. Travis has experience providing professional training and development for large care organizations while working in administrative roles as well as providing community care in direct support roles. Travis has advanced certifications as a Master Level Certified Addiction Professional as well as Certified Clinical Trauma Professional. Travis received his master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Argosy University as well as actively pursuing his doctorate degree in Integrated Behavioral Health at Arizona State University.

Dr. Gwen Bass is an educational consultant and parent coach who researches high-impact approaches that enhance children’s holistic development, school engagement, and lifelong wellbeing. She applies her expertise to train caregivers, social workers, and educators about children’s needs and identities so they can implement strategies that promote resilience. Before becoming an educational consultant and parent coach, Dr. Bass spent over a decade as a school counselor and special education teacher in PreK-12. Dr. Bass is dedicated to ensuring that all students feel like school is a place where they belong and can thrive. One of her passions is enhancing educational opportunities and outcomes for foster and adopted youth. She works with educators to create culturally relevant, accessible, and trauma-sensitive schools that are student-centered. Dr. Bass also provides workshops and consultation for caregivers who are parenting children with learning differences, mental health challenges, and children who have experienced trauma. Dr. Bass frequently presents on the educational needs of foster and adopted youth, inclusive classroom practices, holistic child development, resilience, child welfare, culturally responsive teaching, measurement and evaluation of social emotional skills, and trauma-informed education.

Dr. Cousineau, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and research scientist. Her expertise spans child and adolescent health, women’s health, mind-body medicine, and use of innovative technologies to promote positive coping and wellbeing. She is the founder and CEO of BodiMojo, Inc., a health communications research firm that develops and evaluates wellness interventions and has received numerous grants from the National Institutes of Health’s Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program. She is also the author of The Kindness Cure: Using the Science of Compassion to Heal Your Heart and Your World (New Harbinger Publications, 2018).

Wendy Baron is a teacher, author, researcher, and leader in the field of social, emotional, and academic development. She co-founded the Santa Cruz/Silicon Valley New Teacher Project and New Teacher Center—a national non-profit dedicated to improving student learning by accelerating the effectiveness of teachers and school leaders. Wendy currently co-facilitates the CA statewide, NorCal, Santa Cruz, and Alpine COE Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Communities of Practice and is a consultant with Greater Good Science Center, developing SEL resources for CA educators. Wendy served on the 2017-18 and 2020-21 CA Department of Education SEL State Team, contributing to the development of California’s Transformative SEL resources. Wendy applies research and years of experience to develop innovative strategies for teaching, learning, and overall health and well-being.

Dr. Inger Burnett-Zeigler is a licensed clinical psychologist and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. She is also a mindfulness trainer and certified yoga instructor. Inger has over 15 years of clinical experience providing psychological interventions to help clients with mood and anxiety disorders, stress management, and interpersonal relationships. She has an integrative therapeutic approach that includes supportive psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, behavioral activation and mindfulness based interventions. Her scholarly work focuses on the role that social determinants of health play in disparities in mental illness and treatment, particularly in the Black community. In her research, she examines the factors associated with access and engagement in mental health service utilization and uses this data to develop, test and implement acceptable and accessible evidence based interventions in community based settings. Inger is a fierce advocate for eliminating mental illness stigma and normalizing participation in mental health care. She is actively involved in the community and serves on several non-profit boards including Thresholds, Heartland Alliance Health and the African American Legacy of the Chicago Community Trust. She frequently consults with corporate, government, non-profit, and church groups to help them meet the mental health needs and improve the overall wellness of their constituents.

Dr. Jeff is one of the most widely sought-after experts in the field of mental health. In addition to having a private practice in Manhattan, he is an Associate Professor and Course Director of Behavioral Medicine at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in New York City. Dr. Jeff is also an ordained Interfaith Minister with a Doctorate in Divinity from The New Seminary.
Dr. Jeff Gardere, better known as “America’s Psychologist”, is also a prolific author of four books and a contributing author of a half-dozen books including the brand-new text, “The Causes of Autism”. In addition to being a respected academician, Dr. Jeff has been a contributor to the FOX network, the Today Show, MSNBC, and CNN. Dr. Jeff was the host of VH1’s Dad Camp, and recently was the psychologist on The Housewives of Atlanta. He is also the aftercare coordinator and psychologist for Lauren Lake’s Paternity Court.

Luvelle Brown, Ph.D., is the superintendent of Ithaca City School District and the author of Culture of Love: Cultivating a Positive and Transformational Organizational Culture.Dr. Brown has facilitated conversations in multiple communities that have resulted in transformation shifts in culture and achievement. Using systems thinking in schools, Dr. Brown’s leadership has led to innovative programs, redesigned learning spaces, numerous technology initiatives. Dr. Brown has received various awards and recognitions. TrustED lists the 2017 New York State Superintendent of the Year as one of the nation’s top educators and thought leaders. Dr. Brown has been recognized by the National School Boards Association as a “20-to- Watch” and “Difference Maker”, received the Center for Digital Education Top 30 Award, and received the 2014 eSchool News TechSavvy Superintendent Award. He was selected by the US Department of Education as one of the nation’s top 100 innovative Superintendents. Along with that distinction, Dr. Brown was invited to be a featured speaker at President Barack Obama’s 1st National Superintendent Summit at the White House. Additionally, Dr. Brown has served on the New York State Council of School Superintendents’ (NYSCOSS) Executive Committee, The School Superintendents’ Association (AASA) Digital Consortium, The Center for Digital Education Advisory Council, and CoSN’s Empowered Superintendent Advisory Panel.

Dr. Nancy Lewin is the Executive Director of the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS) and has served in a variety of positions over her 23-year career, including Special Education Director and Chief Academic Officer with Accomack County Public Schools in Virginia, Adjunct Professor with University of St. Thomas in Houston, School Administrator with Alief Independent School District, and Bilingual Teacher with Houston Independent School District. She has vast experience with ESL, bilingual education, dual language, STEM, career technology education, gifted and special education programs. Dr. Lewin has extensive experience in both urban and rural public school settings and has worked to close the achievement gap and prepare students for college and career pathways. Her support for students includes emphasis on implementation of Multi-Tiered Support Strategies and Positive Behavior Intervention Supports (PBIS) has led to changing the academic trajectories of many students. She believes in mitigating the factors that all too often lead to students dropping out of school.