Speaker
Bio
Role Strands
Presentation Description
Presentation Day
Speaker:Lou Burnett
Bio:Lou Burnett is a Youth Programs instructor, coach and mentor at Journey House on Milwaukee South Side. He is also a certified yoga teacher and SKY Schools certified breath-work instructor. Lou is a Milwaukee native, and works to make our community stronger in a variety of ways.
Role Strands:Teachers (K-12)
Presentation Description:Breath-work to improve teacher wellness: This presentation introduces breath-work techniques to improve health and wellness for adults. Participants will learn practical tools to manage stress and emotions. This includes gentle movement--light yoga, chair yoga, or other movement and restorative conversations about burnout and stress to prepare teachers for a way to manage their own well being.
Presentation Day:Day 1
Speaker:Sara Daniel
Bio:Sara has been facilitating transformational change through coaching and collaboration with school leadership teams, staff professional development and student specific consultation. She specializes in supporting schools to create successful outcomes for all students including those impacted by trauma and mental health challenges. Sara is the Executive Director and founder of Daniel Educational Services.
Role Strands:Keynote - All Audiences
Presentation Description:Supporting Well-Being for All in the Wake of a Global Pandemic: The past three years we have seen an increase in the stress level and mental health needs of both students and educators. For all students to thrive, educators must be able to engage in co-regulation to provide healthy and healing school environments that are equitable and inclusive for all. To achieve this, we must recognize the toll that the emotional labor of being an educator can take and take steps to promote the well-being of adults within our educational systems. Join this interactive discussion of how to advocate for school environments where all adults and students can regulate, heal, learn, and grow.
Presentation Day:Day 1
Speaker:Sara Daniel
Bio:See Above.
Role Strands:Strategies - Students
Presentation Description:Well-being for Students: In this session, we will discuss a multi-dimension framework for student well-being strategies that takes the whole child into account. We will share tools and resources to implement these strategies for mental health promotion, prevention, and intervention.
Presentation Day:Day 1
Speaker:Leanne Delsert
Bio:Leanne Delsart, MS, is the Integrated Services Manager of Strategic Initiatives for Wraparound Milwaukee and Owner of LND Consulting, LLC. For the last 19 years, Leanne has worked with children and families affected by trauma, adversity, mental health and behavioral health challenges. Leanne has been certified in the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics through the Child Trauma Academy, is a Master ACE trainer for the state of WI, and a certified ASIST Suicide Intervention trainer.
Role Strands:Teachers (K-12)
Presentation Description:Listening to action and seeing behavior as a byproduct of unmet needs:Have you ever asked yourself “WTF”? Participants will learn to answer the question “What’s the Function” of this behavior and connect the function to unmet emotional needs as a way to more accurately define problems and target solution finding from a social-emotional perspective.
Presentation Day:Day 1
Speaker:Patricia Heindel
Bio:Patricia Heindel, Ph.D., is a professor of Psychology and Dean of the College of Professional Studies at Saint Elizabeth University (SEU) in Morristown, NJ. She is the Founding Director of the SEU Center for Human and Social Development and the Center’s School Culture and Climate Assessment Lab. Dr. Heindel co-directs the School Culture and Climate Initiative.
Role Strands:Educators
Presentation Description: Building Within: Developing the Resilience and Well-being of Educators and Students: While sound pedagogy in SEL is the eventual goal, building the social-emotional skills of the adults in the school community is a crucial first step. Fostering a positive school climate requires that the adults model social and emotional competence, collaborate with others effectively and manage stress to maintain their overall health and well-being. Attendees engage in self-reflection and discover strengths and opportunities for personal and professional growth. The goal for this workshop is to encourage educators to embark on a transformation journey that will eventually benefit the entire school community.
Presentation Day:Day 1
Speaker:Vanessa Rodriguez
Bio:Vanessa Rodriguez is a Milwaukee native focused on what can be rather than what is. She has an innate ability to recognize and repurpose challenging behaviors. For the past nine years Vanessa has served as a SKY Schools Instructor.
Role Strands:Teachers (K-12)
Presentation Description:Breath-work to improve teacher wellness: This presentation introduces breath-work techniques to improve health and wellness for adults. Participants will learn practical tools to manage stress and emotions. This includes gentle movement--light yoga, chair yoga, or other movement and restorative conversations about burnout and stress to prepare teachers for a way to manage their own well being.
Presentation Day:Day 1
Speaker:Dan Schiller
Bio:Dan Schiller’s driving force is ensuring that all students have the opportunities, supports, and encouragement they need to realize their incredible potential. Dan’s career has centered on Social and Emotional Learning, mentoring, and leadership, and since 2003 Dan has served and led local, regional, and national non-profit organizations partnered with school communities to deliver programs, services, and supports that create the conditions in which students and school staff thrive. Dan currently is the Regional Expansion Director for the School Culture and Climate Initiative in Wisconsin and runs his own consulting firm Future Found LLC, focused on strategic planning, leadership coaching, and team and talent development for schools and organizations of impact.
Role Strands:Educators
Presentation Description: Building Within: Developing the Resilience and Well-being of Educators and Students: While sound pedagogy in SEL is the eventual goal, building the social-emotional skills of the adults in the school community is a crucial first step. Fostering a positive school climate requires that the adults model social and emotional competence, collaborate with others effectively and manage stress to maintain their overall health and well-being. Attendees engage in self-reflection and discover strengths and opportunities for personal and professional growth. The goal for this workshop is to encourage educators to embark on a transformation journey that will eventually benefit the entire school community.
Presentation Day:Day 1
Speaker:Jennifer Smith
Bio:Jennifer Smith has been working with children and adolescents for over 25 years. She believes all youth deserve fully present adults in their lives who are genuinely interested in their success and well-being. In her current role with the Marshfield Clinic Health System, she supports youth based initiatives in communities throughout the clinic service area and provides training and technical assistance to youth serving organizations statewide through the Wisconsin Afterschool Network.
Role Strands:Educators
Presentation Description: The Impact on OST on Youth Wellness: Out of School Time and Community Based Youth Organizations are in unique position to impact and support youth wellness in our communities. Positive Youth Development is a foundational concept in many programs and aligns with health promotion and prevention strategies by focusing on youth strengths, building positive relationships, engaging communities, taking a holistic approach and emphasizing prevention and early intervention.
Presentation Day:Day 1
Speaker:Melissa Temke
Bio:Melissa Temke has been a teacher in the Milwaukee Public Schools since 2002 and is a veteran member of the district’s Violence Prevention Program. She is a seasoned developer and facilitator of professional development in a variety of programmatic areas including SEL, classroom management, and bullying prevention. Melissa is a certified trainer for the Classroom Organization and Management Program (COMP) and Youth Mental Health First Aid (YNHFA). Melissa was instrumental in the district wide rollout of SEL in 2017 and serves as the Second Step program coordinator for the district.
Role Strands:Administration
Presentation Description: Battling Burnout: Using the Compassion Resilience Toolkit for Adult SEL and Workplace Well-being. A 2022 Gallup poll revealed that 44% of educators experience job-related stress. How do we battle the burnout? Participants will examine three components of adult SEL and how compassion resilience can help create a school environment where staff develop and model SEL. Participants will engage in activities from the Compassion Resilience Toolkit to learn how they can help “battle the burnout!”
Presentation Day:Day 1
Speaker:Liz Warner
Bio:Liz Warner has spent the last ten years in New Jersey building coalitions, connecting schools and developing resources and supports that help schools and students thrive in the 21st century. Her approach has been founded in the belief that social-emotional skills are the foundation for academic, work and life success and the understanding that we all accomplish more together than alone (also a lot more fun!). Recently the work has been consolidated at the Center for Human and Social Development at Saint Elizabeth University where Liz co-directs the School Culture and Climate Initiative.
Role Strands:Educators
Presentation Description: Building Within: Developing the Resilience and Well-being of Educators and Students: While sound pedagogy in SEL is the eventual goal, building the social-emotional skills of the adults in the school community is a crucial first step. Fostering a positive school climate requires that the adults model social and emotional competence, collaborate with others effectively and manage stress to maintain their overall health and well-being. Attendees engage in self-reflection and discover strengths and opportunities for personal and professional growth. The goal for this workshop is to encourage educators to embark on a transformation journey that will eventually benefit the entire school community.
Presentation Day:Day 1
Speaker:Sara Daniel
Bio:See Above.
Role Strands:Strategies - Educators
Presentation Description:Well-being for Educators: In this session, participants will take a deeper dive into strategies to promote educator well- being. We will discuss how to engage in self-awareness and prevention of compassion fatigue and burnout as well as contribute to a culture of well-being within your school.
Presentation Day:Day 2
Speaker:Leanne Delsert
Bio:See above.
Role Strands:Strategies/Educators
Presentation Description:Motivational Interviewing as a tool to help students name, frame and tame their big feelings: Participants will learn basic Motivational Interviewing (MI) skills including: deep listening, opened ended questions, affirmations, reflections, and summaries to engage students in helpful and meaningful interactions that result in increased understanding of emotions and internal motivation to change behavioral responses to big feelings.
Presentation Day:Day 2
Speaker:Stacy Eslick
Bio:Stacy Eslick is the Executive Director of the Wisconsin School Counselor Association who had extensive experience working with children, youth, and families in schools and the community for over 20 years before moving into her current role. Stacy has presented on all topics relevant to school counseling at the local, state, and national levels. Her passion includes looking to impact systems through ASCA model implementation, Trauma Responsive Schools, Racial Equity, Leadership Development, and Family Partnerships.
Role Strands:Students/Special Services Staff
Presentation Description:The Power of Proactive and Preventive Emotional Well-being Skill Development for Students: There tends to be an emphasis on supporting students needing the most intense services in our schools. Attend this session to learn how schools can use data and needs assessments to determine what levels of support and services students need. Data from the Wisconsin Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) shows over 50% of students are reporting anxiety; there are not enough school-employed mental health staff or community mental health providers to meet these needs on an individual basis. Learn how school counselors deliver proactive and preventive school counseling programs and an integrated student services model using a school-based Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) to address these needs.
Presentation Day:Day 2
Speaker:Dr. Tanya Fredrich
Bio:Dr. Fredrich is an Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning in Wisconsin. She is a graduate of UW Madison School of Education and holds a Master's degree in Special Education and Administrative Leadership and a Ph.D. in Leadership for the Advancement of Learning and Service. Dr. Fredrich has worked as a special educator with expertise in Emotional/Behavioral Disorders and Educational Autism as well as a building principal and special education director prior to her current senior leadership role. She is the creator of iSummitWisco, an annual conference of over 600 educators, that features national experts in inclusive practices and belonging to create systems change in communities across the nation.
Role Strands:Keynote - All Audiences
Presentation Description:Moving the Needle or Spinning our Wheels? Rethinking Belonging and Engagement through the Lens of the Pandemic: The pandemic created a unique opportunity to rethink why we do what we do in schools. Instead of spinning our wheels to “get back to normal” how can we use what we learning to move forward? Ideas, strategies, and change management tools will be shared to assist in this journey to a new way of being for staff, students, and families.
Presentation Day:Day 2
Speaker:Melanie Heindl
Bio:Melanie Heindl, DAT, ATR-BC, LPC, is a doctor of art therapy and licensed professional counselor providing clinical supervision within the outpatient clinic at Wellpoint Care Network. Melanie has over a decade of experience working in mental health services with individuals from infants to elders in community, outpatient, and in-home settings. Melanie believes that the creative process can be inherently therapeutic, providing alternative ways of communication while also being regulatory in nature.
Role Strands:Community
Presentation Description:Strategies to build relationships through early intervention: The relationship between educators and students is critical to students’ academic success. It can also be essential to students’ understanding of relationships, building of emotional intelligence, and overall resiliency. This presentation will cover key aspects of the educators’ role and impact in student mental health as well as provide key takeaways that can be directly applied to classroom and other interactions with youth.
Presentation Day:Day 2
Speaker:Matt Nink
Bio:Matt Nink is the founding Director of Nink Group Consulting. He has devoted his career to leadership and identity work for K-12 students, community leaders and non-profit professionals. Matt has directed non-profit organizations, leadership centers within schools, and multi-organization collaborative projects.
Role Strands:Strategies/Administrators
Presentation Description:Making SEL activities work in your school: With time and resources being stretched with all we must do during the school day, it can be difficult to imagine how to include SEL Activities in your schedule. In this presentation, strategies and ideas for how to make them work during the school day are discussed and demonstrated. This includes activities for classrooms and groups as well as using breath-work effectively during the school day. Including using Story exchange strategies to build relationships. The goals of Story Exchange include learning about yourself and others, building trust among groups, and exploring how our stories overlap and connect.
Presentation Day:Day 2
Speaker:Teri Bromberek
Bio:Teri Bromberek is the System of Care Trainer for Wraparound Milwaukee. She holds a BA in Psychology from Arizona State University and an MA in Education from Concordia University Wisconsin. She has spent 15 years in the field of service, working in homes with families of newborns, in the disabilities field, as a school counselor, and in school operations.
Role Strands:Student/Social Services Staff
Presentation Description:Build a life-saving community and culture by becoming an emotional lifeguard: Suicide and thoughts of suicide are steadily rising locally and nationally. Members of the school community have a unique opportunity to both recognize and respond to the distress students experience as a way to prevent suicide. Participants will enhance their capacity to become emotional lifeguards by increasing suicide awareness, reducing stigma, and becoming a resource for students.
Presentation Day:Day 3
Speaker:Chauna Perry Finch
Bio:As an educator with over 24 years of experience, Chauna Perry Finch is the founder of Restorative TCS, LLC where Chauna provides restorative practices training, coaching, and consulting services for schools and other organizations across the nation. Prior to starting Restorative TCS, LLC, Chauna coordinated the implementation of restorative practices for Milwaukee Public Schools where she supported a variety of district initiatives including the creation of the district’s restorative practices high school elective course, educator guide, equity plan, and trauma-sensitive schools professional development modules. Most importantly, Chauna is a social justice advocate who is passionate about creating cultures where everyone is valued, supported, and accountable for creating the culture needed for everyone to thrive.
Role Strands:Administrators
Presentation Description:Do you need to have a difficult conversation with a colleague or student? Is there a situation with a friend or family member that you need to address? Has suppressing negative feelings, reactions or experiences become too much? If so, come learn about how restorative practices can help us through difficult conversations. Participants will have opportunities to practice and will receive resources for further study.
Presentation Day:Day 3
Speaker:Patricia Heindel, Dan Schiller and Liz Warner
Bio:See bio information above.
Role Strands:Administrators
Presentation Description:Addressing School Climate - Best Practices to Create Environments Where All Can Thrive: Learn about the steps and tools necessary for improvement, better understand the continuum of change and how to implement sustainable strategies, as well as explore activities and best practices for maximum impact. Social-emotional and character development is an integral part of a healthy school climate, learn how elements of SECD can be be woven into your overall approach. Data-driven decision making is incredibly important in the change process. Learn what drivers of climate have been identified from past research, what tools and strategies are available for data collection, and how to use that data to guide school climate improvement efforts.
Presentation Day:Day 3
Speaker:Amy Karsten
Bio:Amy Karsten is a high school counselor in Columbus, Wisconsin. She has taught English, creative writing, journalism, computer science, and graphic design at the middle and high school levels. Additionally, she was an adjunct instructor at Alverno College and spent several years traveling across Wisconsin visiting schools and coaching educators on character education and social/emotional learning. Her passions are restorative practices and building positive school cultures.
Role Strands:Students
Presentation Description:Using a relational approach, goal setting, and self-reflection to help students shift negative thoughts, overcome challenges, and build resilience.
Presentation Day:Day 3
Speaker:Dr. Lia Knox
Bio:Dr. Lia A. Knox is the Founder & CEO of Knox Behavioral Health Solutions (KBHS) and Co-Founder of the non-profit Black Space Inc. Dr. Knox is a Mental Wellness Expert specializing in Cultural Competency and Organizational Health. She provides culturally relevant consultation, trainings, workshops, forums, and coaching for community, corporate, local, state, and government organizations. Dr. Knox is a highly skilled licensed professional counselor with more than 25 years of experience providing quality mental health care to underserved and under-resourced populations throughout the United States and abroad.
Role Strands:Keynote - All Audiences
Presentation Description:Building Relationships that Heal: Developing a Positive Classroom Environment. Striving for a harmonious classroom is a very attainable goal! Building and modeling rapport with ALL students is the key to developing a positive classroom environment. By building and maintaining a strong rapport with your students, the classroom can become a place in which motivation, learning and camaraderie are mutual among instructors and students alike. This is where the real healing begins.
Presentation Day:Day 3
Speaker:Dr. Lia Knox
Bio:See Above.
Role Strands:Students
Presentation Description:The "How" of Building Deeper Relationships with Students": Building strong relationships with students and having a meaningful impact on their lives matters. The benefits of building strong relationships with students have proven to boost student achievement academically and socially. These benefits are even more powerful for students experiencing behavioral or emotional difficulties. Building strong and secure relationships with children can make them more resilient against trauma. Doing so, however, takes time, attention effort and some skills.
Presentation Day:Day 3
Speaker:Jen Townsend
Bio:Jen Townsend, M.Ed., Educational Consultant and owner of Universal Access Consulting, LLC. She works in collaboration with schools, families and professionals to appreciate what works using appreciative inquiry techniques, social neuroscience and universal design for learning. She authored Think Differently: An Educator's Approach to Appreciate What Works and is co-author of SEE-KS a framework for engagement and peer to peer mentorship.
Role Strands:Educators
Presentation Description:Do you want to feel appreciated in education? Let's make it happen by connecting inquiry with mentorship. Appreciation is one of the most compelling and powerful feelings we possess, so why don't we use it more often? This past year, plus some, has been different and this session will support participants to learn the structures of appreciative inquiry mentorship to support self-awareness and responsible decision making skills. Together we will enrich, grow and nurture ourselves in this learning through the recognition that we all have our areas of expertise using the 4Ds of appreciative inquiry. Either as the parent, the individual with a social emotional learning difference, an educator, a community support provider or a friend we all desire to do our part, to plant that seed by being kind and nurturing ourselves and one another. Together, we will explore how to do this within a peer to peer mentorship to discover what is working, dream about what might be, design what could be and deliver what will be all while valuing ourselves.
Presentation Day:Day 3