Speaker Bios
Presented by Mount Saint Vincent and The Neurosequential Network April 1–2, 2019, at the Denver Marriott Westminster
Invited Presenters
Kyle Bixenmann is Senior Workforce Training Specialist at Mount Saint Vincent. He is a certified Therapeutic Crisis Intervention trainer and an NME trainer. He holds an MBA from the University of Denver and specializes in instructional design and delivery. His focus is on developing multimodal, application-based trainings designed to provide people with the skills necessary to deliver trauma-informed care.
Allison Cooke Douglas is Education and Training Coordinator at Harmony Family Center’s Adoption Support and Preservation Program. She was a teacher for over two decades and the lead foster parent training specialist in Knox County, TN. Allison is certified as a non-clinician in Phase One of NMT and is working toward NME certification. She and her husband have four children adopted through foster care.
Halley Gruber is cofounder and Director of On-Site and Trauma Informed Educational Support for the Educational Access Group. She holds a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction in Urban Education from the University of Denver. A former teacher, Halley plans and facilitates professional development for school staff around brain development, the impacts of trauma, and trauma-informed approaches for use in the classroom.
Katie Lohmiller is a public health professional and cofounder of the nonprofit Educational Access Group, which helps schools integrate trauma-informed approaches. She completed her master’s and doctor of public health degrees from the Colorado School of Public Health. She is an expert in community and behavioral health and epidemiology with a focus on adverse childhood experiences, trauma-informed approaches, and youth development.
Emily McNeil, LPC, BC-DMT, CIMI, EMDR cert., is co-owner of The Mariposa Center for Infant, Child, and Family Enrichment. She is an early childhood and family therapist with specialties in infant and maternal mental health, trauma, adoption/foster care, and developmental delays. She received her MA in Somatic Counseling Psychology from Naropa University. She is a registered Dance/Movement therapist and is certified in EMDR.
Hilary Morris is the Director of Clinical Operations at CereScan. Her clinical experience includes offering clinical counseling services to help clients overcome addictions, emotional trauma, eating disorders, anxiety, and depression. She earned her MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling Psychology at Denver Seminary. She is licensed by the State of Colorado as an LPC and also holds a National Certified Counselor certification.
Jessica Pfeiffer, LCSW, SSW is a doctoral candidate at the University of Denver. Her primary focus is supporting school systems and educators in becoming trauma informed, so all students who have experienced child maltreatment can be successful in school. She completed her undergraduate degree in Social Work at Wartburg College and obtained her Master of Social Work degree from the University of Denver.
Jennifer Platt, LPC, R-DMT, EMDR cert., is co-owner of the Mariposa Center. She is a licensed professional counselor, registered dance/movement therapist, and certified EMDR therapist with more than 10 years of professional experience working with children and families. Utilizing Dr. Perry’s model and research, she has created unique trainings on the therapeutic benefits of the creative arts to support healthy development in children.
Lindsay Quandt is a Senior Medical Imaging Engineer for Cerescan, where she uses imaging and clinical data for diagnostic and research purposes. Lindsay earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Imaging and Photographic Technology with a minor in Imaging Science from the Rochester Institute of Technology. She also holds a master’s degree in Bioengineering and an MBA from the University of Colorado Denver.
Dr. Erica Stetson is a school psychologist in the Cherry Creek School District, providing intensive support to students with significant social-emotional needs. She holds a master’s degree in Human Development and Psychology from Harvard University and a doctorate in School Psychology from the University of Denver. She presents both nationally and internationally and has published numerous research articles.
Philip Tedeschi, LCSW, is the Executive Director of the Institute for Human-Animal Connection and a professor at the University of Denver within the Graduate School of Social Work. He is founder of the Animal Assisted Social Work Program. His expertise is in the clinical methods for animal assisted interventions and he coordinates the school's Animal-Assisted Social Work Certificate program for Master of Social Work students.
Emily Wang, Ph.D., R. Psych., is the Executive Manager of the Advancement and Integration of Trauma Informed Practice at Hull Services. Dr. Wang is a Fellow with The ChildTrauma Academy and a specialist in infant-parent mental health. Dr. Wang holds a master’s of science in Educational Psychology as well as a master’s of art and doctorate of philosophy in Clinical Psychology. She provides NMT training in the U.S. and Canada.
Kirk Ward, LCSW, is the Executive Director of Mount Saint Vincent. He has more than 34 years of experience working with children who have experienced trauma, abuse, mental illness, or neglect. Kirk is a highly sought-after speaker who also conducts in-depth clinical assessments. He holds undergraduate degrees in Psychology and History from the University of Colorado and received his MSW from the University of Denver.
Laura Woodward, LPC, is the Residential Clinical Supervisor at Mount Saint Vincent. She holds a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Colorado, Denver. Laura and her dog, Harper, provide child and family therapy as well as clinical supervision to clients and staff. She focuses on culturally relevant care through creative and experiential interventions. She is working on Phase II of NMT training.
Chris Wojdak is a Music Therapist at Mount Saint Vincent. He is a Board Certified Music Therapist and LPC with training in Neurologic Music Therapy and NMT. He received his master’s in Creative Arts Therapy/Music Therapy from Nazareth College of Rochester and took additional coursework in counseling and psychotherapy from the University of Colorado. He works with children facing mental illness, trauma, neglect, and anxiety.
Pam Wolf, LCSW, is founder and CEO of the Harmony Family Center, a nonprofit agency in Tennessee offering a host of programs to support children in foster care and their adoptive families. After adopting her daughter, she created Harmony with the dream of helping children live their best lives. Pam holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a master of science in Social Work from the University of Tennessee.
Jerry Yager, Psy.D., is Director of Training at the Denver Children’s Advocacy Center. He has 30-plus years of experience in the assessment and treatment of child trauma and abuse. He provides training and consultations on providing appropriate and effective interventions that ameliorate trauma. Dr. Yager received his BA in Psychology from the University of Colorado and his doctorate in Psychology from Nova University.
