Meet the Dynamic Breakout Presenters
Julia Bantimba, MS
Faculty Mentor at
UC Davis-Napa Infant Parent Mental Health Fellowship
Breakout Focus: Early Relationships & Impact on our Development
Julia earned her MS in occupational therapy at Boston University’s Sargent College and has been practicing as a licensed occupational therapist since 2013. She has extensive experience doing both direct care and administration in community-based, non-profit mental health and early childhood education agencies. Her passion is supporting providers of all disciplines to integrate principles of infant-parent mental health and occupational therapy into their work with children in historically marginalized groups. Julia currently works in private practice in the Portland, Maine area serving children and families directly as well as providing reflective practice and training.
Julia is a certified Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics trainer, faculty mentor and presenter and graduate of the UC Davis-Napa Infant Parent Mental Health Fellowship and is trained in multiple therapeutic models. She is endorsed in California as an Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist and Reflective Facilitator II. In 2020, Julia was awarded the Bruce Perry Spirit of the Child Award for her outstanding work on behalf of young children by the Parent-Infant Child Institute in Napa, CA.
Robyn Gobbel, LMSW-Clinical
Speaker, Writer, Trainer and Consultant
Robyn Gobbel, LMSW-Clinical, loves coffee, P!NK, and everything about the brain. Once (recently!) her teenager went ballistic on her for getting ANOTHER (glitter!) coffee mug in the mail. Robyn loves cultivating deep, resonant connections with anyone who is up for it, as well as teaching anyone who will listen to harness the power of neuroscience so they can cultivate deep, resonant connections. What would change in the world if we could all do that? To see, be with, feel, and deeply know each other…and ourselves. Robyn thinks everything could change.
Breakout Focus: Addressing those Baffling Behaviors
Ana Gomez, LPC
Psychotherapist, Author and Lecturer
Breakout Focus: Transgenerational Trauma
Ana M Gomez, MC, LPC born in Colombia (South America) is a psychotherapist in private practice, author of several books, chapters and articles, and a lecturer internationally known for her innovative work with children and adolescents.
Ana Gomez is an EMDRIA approved consultant; an EMDRIA advanced training provider, an EMDR Institute and EMDR-IBA trainer and a trainer of trainers.
Furthermore, Ana has received training in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Play Therapy, Sandtray Therapy, Theraplay, Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB), and the use of the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). She has worked with children, adolescents, adults and families affected by trauma and adversity for overt 25 years. Ana has presented in more than 40 cities in the USA. She has also presented in close to 30 cities in four continents: Canada (Calgary, Vancouver, Kelowna, Penticton, Toronto), Australia (Sydney, Melbourne), New Zealand (Auckland), Japan (Tokyo), Denmark (Copenhagen) ,Spain (Madrid, Barcelona), Italy (Milan), UK (Edinburg, London), Argentina (Buenos Aires), Chile (Santiago de Chile), Brazil (Brasilia, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba) , Ecuador (Quito), Colombia (Bogota, Medellin & Manizales), Guatemala and Costa Rica.
In addition to helping children and adolescents, Ana also specializes in working with adults dealing with issues of depression, anxiety, trauma, abuse, complex PTSD, dissociation and grief issues.
On a personal level, Ana enjoys nature and loves to dance to all kinds of music, especially salsa. She also loves to spend time with her husband, her family and friends, and her beloved pets. Ana treasures moments of silence, play, and laughter as well as the connection with others.
Temple Grandin, PhD
Professor at Colorado State University
Breakout Focus: Creating A Community of Belonging for the Neurodivergent
Temple Grandin is a Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University. Facilities she has designed for handling livestock are used by many companies around the world. She has also been instrumental in implementing animal welfare auditing programs that are used by McDonalds, Wendy’s, Whole Foods, and other corporations. Temple has appeared on numerous TV shows such as 20/20 and Prime Time. Her books include: Thinking in Pictures, Livestock Handling and Transport and The Autistic Brain. Her books Animals in Translation and
Visual Thinking have been on the New York Times Bestseller List. Temple was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in September 2017 and in 2022 was named a Colorado State University Distinguished Professor.
Ann Leinfelder Grove, MSM
President & CEO Wellpoint Care Network, Milwaukee WI
Breakout Focus: Developing a Trauma Responsive System of Care
Ann Leinfelder Grove has served Wellpoint Care Network (formerly SaintA) for close to 30 years in a number of senior leadership roles, including Executive Vice President and COO with oversight of all agency programs. She championed the program implementation of Wellpoint Care Network trauma informed care model, Seven Essential Ingredients (7ei) including in child welfare, where translational research has demonstrated improved outcomes through the use of 7ei-based, trauma informed program practice.
Ann is involved in Milwaukee community initiatives such as Scaling Wellness in Milwaukee (SWIM) and in Wisconsin Department of Children and Families discussions to create innovative solutions to support families. As CEO, Ann’s strategic vision has enhanced Wellpoint Care Network's partnerships in the community and advanced a culture of equity and inclusion at Wellpoint Care Network.
Tim Grove, MSM
Senior Consultant Wellpoint Care Network, Milwaukee WI
Breakout Focus: Developing a Trauma Responsive System of Care
Tim Grove, MSSW, is the chief clinical officer at Wellpoint Care Network (formerly SaintA), a human services agency whose mission it is to facilitate equity, learning, healing and wellness for all. He has more than 20 years of professional experience in a variety of direct care and administrative positions including, in-home services, foster care, treatment foster care, residential treatment, child welfare, community based services, quality improvement and staff development.
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Grove is the senior leader of trauma informed care (TIC) initiatives across all agency programs and as such was responsible for implementing Wellpoint Care Network's TIC philosophy and practices, including Dr. Bruce Perry’s Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT). He created a TIC training curriculum centered around the Seven Essential Ingredients, or 7ei, of understanding and practicing TIC. Grove and his training team at Wellpoint Care Network have used the 7ei framework to train more than 50,000 people from diverse disciplines over the past 10 years.
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He is a Mentor with the ChildTrauma Academy and a Master Trainer in Dr. Rob Anda and Laura Porter’s ACE Interface curriculum. Grove and the Wellpoint Care Network team’s work has been highlighted and published in a number of magazines, journals and newspapers. He was the lead project manager of a three-year research study on the effectiveness of 7ei in child welfare outcomes which demonstrated positive effect on creating placement stability and permanency for kids.
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Grove is recognized nationally as a trauma informed care expert and was recently interviewed by Oprah Winfrey for a 60 Minutes segment on trauma and resilience.
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Amy Lewis, MS, OTR/L
Pediatric Occupational Therapist & Author of Powerfully You
Breakout Focus: Empowering Self Regulation with Compassion and Connection: Interventions That Work
Hi! I'm Amy Lewis is a mom, wife, and pediatric occupational therapist in Charleston, SC, USA. I am the author of Powerfully You, a social emotional learning curriculum that focuses on self-regulation from a lens of compassion and connection.
I have a particular interest in psychology, sensory integration, auditory interventions, relational neuroscience, and light touch body work. I’ve completed a 2-year mentorship in Tensegrity Medicine, an approach that treats the whole person from an integrated mind and body perspective, focused on the fascial system.
My OT career began in the birth to three population, affording me the opportunity to hone my focus on foundational skills. When transitioning to work with older children and adults I maintained a focus on foundational skills and how they support regulatory capacity, while also bringing in my studies of mindfulness, and the practice of self-compassion.
My certifications include SIPT, Therapeutic Listening, Rhythmic Entrainment Intervention, iLs, and Safe and Sound Protocol and DIR Level One Certification.
I currently work at Powerfully You, teaching, writing, and supporting therapists, and lecture as Affiliate Faculty at The Medical University of South Carolina in their pediatrics curriculum. I love empowering self-regulation from a lens of compassion and connection.
Michelle Maikoetter
MA, NCC, LPC-S
Breakout Focus: Trauma Responsive Leadership Development
Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the state of Texas, as well as a National Certified Counselor and a LPC-Supervisor.
For over 30 years, she has worked in a variety of settings with youth and families including domestic violence/sexual assault, juvenile justice, after school programming, and wilderness programming. The majority of her roles have been administrative positions and she feels the strongest connection serving in residential education settings and is passionate about ensuring leadership and programmatic systems are aligned.
Since 2007, Michelle has been a leader at Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch in Texas, one of the largest nonprofit residential childcare facilities in the United States. Housed in the middle of the campus is a “special purpose” school - Boys Ranch Independent School District, educating K-12 students. She currently serves as their Chief Program Officer and has led the organization’s transformation from a behavioral modification program into a healing, trauma-informed community.
As a long-time member of the Neurosequential Network, Michelle was named their Director of Special Projects (aka “the Sheriff) and plays a leadership role in organizing, managing and facilitating collaboration in the Neurosequential Model (NM) across programs, particularly when there is a high concentration of programs in a geographical area or a high-volume, complex collaboration in a single location. Currently, her two major areas of focus are in Arizona and Texas. Michelle’s leadership in coordinating and communicating will be essential in optimizing the implementation and effectiveness of the NM as it expands in these settings.
Katie Mesko, DrOT, OTRL
Occupational Therapist and Founder of CAYA Therapies in Grand Rapids, MI
Breakout Focus: The role of the OT in a trauma responsive network
Katie is passionate about providing sensory-informed, trauma-responsive occupational therapy services to vulnerable, disadvantaged populations. Her experiences on interdisciplinary trauma assessment teams, treatment in outpatient clinical settings, and teaching in higher-level academia led to the creation of her private practice, CAYA Therapies. Katie aspires to build environments and communities for people to “Come As You Are” (the basis for the CAYA acronym). Katie’s teachings and trainings impart knowledge and perspectives that propel foundational, systemic changes outside of her clinic’s walls.
Mathew Portell
Educator, Founder of Trauma Informed Educators Network and Paradigm Shift Education, Podcaster, International
Breakout Focus: Proven Strategies in the school setting
Mathew Portell has dedicated over a decade to education in his role as a teacher, instructional coach, teacher mentor, and school administrator. He currently serves as executive principal of Fall-Hamilton Elementary, an innovative trauma-informed pilot school in Nashville, Tennessee, which was recently featured on Edutopia.
In 2008, he combined his passion for literacy and cycling and founded the double award-winning nonprofit Ride for Reading. The organization promotes literacy and healthy living through the distribution of books via bicycle to underserved children. Ride for Reading has donated nearly 500,000 books to children nationally.
Gabby Remole, LCSW
NLC-C, EP
Director of Equine Professionals at Gateway Family Services
Breakout Focus: The Power of Relationships to Heal
Gabby earned her MSSW from The University of Texas at Austin. She is certified as both a clinician and equine professional in the trauma-focused equine assisted psychotherapy model, Natural Lifemanship. She is also a trainer for the model. She is trained, and pursuing certification, in EMDR. She has been practicing TF-EAP since 2013 and has had extensive experience in play, art and nature therapy. She has over a decade of experience working as an adoption caseworker.
Gabby employs a systems-based perspective to help children, teens & families who have experienced trauma. She prefers experiential therapy - including work with horses, art, music and nature - to traditional talk therapy, believing that movement and “doing” can often be more effective, particularly for children and adolescents.
She enjoys using humor, when appropriate, hoping that clients know that, while therapy can sometimes be really hard, it can also be fun.
Gabby was blessed to have been raised around horses. She loves that she is able to incorporate her connection with, and deep respect for, horses in her work.
Michael Remole
MA, LCPC, NCC, NLC-C, EP
CEO & Founder Gateway Family Services of Illinois & Rising Tide
Breakout Focus: The Power of Relationships to Heal
Michael has over two decades of working with children and families in a variety of settings, including as a Multi-Systemic Therapist, Clinical Director, Children’s Pastor, Camp Counselor and speaker. After serving as a Children’s pastor, he went on to obtain his Master or Arts in Clinical Counseling from Ashland Theological Seminary. Following seminary, Michael worked at The Buckeye Ranch in Columbus Ohio as a Multi-Systemic Therapist, working with individuals 12-18 and their families. Michael left The Buckeye Ranch and founded Gateway Family Services of Illinois. Gateway Family Services provides trauma focused-equine assisted psychotherapy, EMDR, Equine Connected-EMDR, play, art, sand and nature based therapies. In addition to Gateway Family Services, Michael is currently the Executive Director of Hooves of Hope, a faith based mentoring program.
Michael is passionate about neuroscience and understanding the impact of trauma on the brain. Michael is enrolled in the Mentor/Phase III with the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics course taught by the leading trauma expert Bruce D. Perry MD, PhD, is currently a fellow with the U.C. Davis CPE Infant-Parent Mental Health Fellowship, has earned the EMDR Child Specialist through the AGATE Institute with Ana Gomez and is also pursuing EMDRIA certification. Michael has experience as a trainer for Natural Lifemanship, the model of therapy that incorporates the Neurosequential Model to understand human and horse brain development.
In Michael’s spare time he enjoys spending time with his wife, Gabby & their twin boys, Jonah & Levi, riding horses, photography, playing the piano & building projects.
Jessica Richards, MS, MSW, LCSW
Infant Family Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist and Reflective Practice Facilitator
Breakout Focus: Helping Kids Thrive through Neuroscience: Using Neurodevelopmental Strategies in Treatment
Infant Family Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist and Reflective Practice Facilitator, Jessica Richards completed a unique dual masters degree program in Child Development and Clinical Social Work from the Erikson Institute and Loyola University in Chicago. At Children’s Memorial Hospital (now Lurie) in Chicago, IL she worked with severely emotionally distressed children on the Inpatient Psychiatric Unit. Jessica has provided dyadic therapy services to children 0-5 in South Central Los Angeles and supervised Early Intervention therapists. She faculty for the Neurorelational Framework (Lillas and Turnbull) and is proficient applying the latest neuroscience in practical ways to support complex children and challenges. Jessica was the lead therapist on the Fostering Family Partnerships court team pilot program at the Los Angeles Children’s Court. She in trained in the trauma-informed modality Child Parent Psychotherapy. In her private practice she treats families using integrated, trans-disciplinary approaches to support toddlers, children and teens with developmental differences, anxiety, mood disorders, relationship challenges and trauma. She has additional expertise in the treatment of Selective Mutism using a unique neurodevelopmentally informed approach. Jessica’s energy and passion are evident as a trainer, therapist and advocate for children and families.
Erica Schuppe OTR/L,
Occupational Therapist & founder of Wild Roots Therapy, INC
Breakout Focus: Creating a Comprehensive Approach to Care
Erica is the founder of Wild Roots Therapy, INC in Billings, MT. Erica has been a pediatric occupational therapist for 20 years, most of that in private practice. As a foster and adoptive parent, Erica was led to the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics a decade ago. Since completion of the NMT Level one she has built a multidisciplinary practice providing OT, Speech Therapy, Physical Therapy, counseling, parent education, tutoring, and more with all professionals using a trauma responsive lens. Erica presents locally and across the US on occupational therapy as clinical lead, team building, and trauma responsive occupational therapy in community settings.
Marti Smith OTR/L,
Author, Speaker & TBRI Practitioner
Breakout Focus: The KALMAR way to choose trauma responsive therapeutic activities with an emphasis on school aged children
Marti is an Occupational Therapist who specializes in personalized care for individuals who have experienced adversity. She works closely with and provides trainings with the developers of TBRI and the NMT. She was a fellow with ChildTrauma Academy for several years before the Neurosequential Model was founded. She authored “The Connected Therapist: Relating Through the Senses” in 2021 to help bring awareness and treatment ideas for working with people who have experienced trauma. She is the co-founder of Simple Sparrow Care Farm near Austin, Texas where they help people of all backgrounds, ages, and abilities to “Learn, Grow, Heal”. Her favorite co-worker is a rabbit named Popcorn. She developed the KALMAR app to assist with activity selection based on the NMT model and is currently authoring another book about that process. She enjoys spending time with her family, photography, and exploring the great outdoors all around the world, especially near water. In completing a life goal, she has presented her work in all 50 states and several countries. Her passion is for seeing the individuals behind the diagnosis and helping caregivers find activities of daily living that help her clients meet their rehab goals. She is delighted if she can use fantastically proprioceptive Lycra fabric in that process.
Jim Sporleder
Retired Principal, Speaker & Consultant
Breakout Focus: Moving Your School from informed to transformed
Jim Sporleder retired in 2014 as Principal of Lincoln High School in Walla Walla, WA. Under Jim’s leadership, Lincoln High School became a “Trauma Informed” school, gaining national attention due to a dramatic drop in out of school suspensions, increased graduation rates and the number of students going on to post-secondary education. These dramatic changes at Lincoln caught the attention of Jamie Redford, who spent a year filming the documentary, Paper Tigers, which tells the Lincoln story. The documentary was released at the May 2015 Seattle International Film Festival and received positive reviews.
Jim is currently working as a trauma-informed coach / consultant as well as a trainer with the Children’s Resilience Initiative, based in Walla Walla. His travels as a consultant, keynote speaker, presenter and trainer have taken him all over the United States.
Jim is married, has three daughters and six granddaughters. In his spare time, Jim enjoys fishing, hunting, but most of all spending time with family.
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Tracy Stackhouse MA, OTR
Co-founder and executive director of Developmental FX (DFX)
Breakout Focus: Bridging the Gap Between Practical Scope & Clinical Expertise
Tracy Murnan Stackhouse, MA, OTR is the co-founder and executive director of Developmental FX (DFX) in Denver, Colorado, a non-profit organization providing clinical and training services to engage and elevate pediatric therapeutic practice. She is a leading pediatric occupational
therapist (OT) dedicated to her work with persons with neurodiversity, especially Fragile X Syndrome and autism as well as those impacted by trauma. Prior to founding DFX, Tracy worked with Dr. Randi Hagerman in the field of FXS first at The Children’s Hospital in Denver
and later at the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute. Tracy has written several book chapters on sensory integration and neurodevelopmental disorders, and teaches nationally and internationally on sensory integration, autism, fragile X and related topics. She is the lead author for the SpIRiT &
S.T.E.P.S.I. Clinical Reasoning Tools, most recently used in research at Camp Jabiru in Australia. The tools are shared through the Spirited Conversations Podcast as well as through DFX’s training platform, Learning Journeys. Tracy has ongoing courses offered through Medbridge and iLS/Untyte (remote training use of the Safe and Sound Protocol). Tracy is a member of the National Fragile X Foundation Clinical Research Consortium, the Scientific And Clinical Advisory Committee, and the NFXF Advisory Council and an expert advisor to the CDC and RTI Fragile X Priorities Panel. Tracy obtained her occupational therapy degree at Colorado State University (1985) and her Master’s Degree in Developmental Psychology/Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience from the University of Denver (2003). Tracy is SIPT Certified, NDT Certified as well as having certification in DIR Floortime through ICDL. Tracy also has completed training in Interpersonal Neurobiology through the Mindsight Institute.
Chelle Taylor BA (Hons) MPsych
Neurosequential Model Mentor, Director & Clinical Psychologist at Blossomtree Psychology
Breakout Focus: Can I Hold Your Paw? The role of dogs in healing trauma and attachment disruption
Chelle is Director and Clinical Psychologist at Blossomtree Psychology and a current mentor with the Neurosequential Network, a RSA with the UC Davis Infant Parent-Child Institute and was recently awarded the Spirit of Bruce D. Perry Award. Chelle and her Canine Co-Therapists Denver and Cally offer specialised trauma and attachment based interventions. Chelle has worked clinically with children and families who have experienced trauma and attachment disruption for over 23 years. Until November 2014 Chelle led Berry Street's Take Two program in its implementation and certification of NMT, including internal training and consultation. Together with Dr Perry, Chelle co-facilitated the Australasian NMT Case Based Training Series in 2012 and 2013. Chelle was awarded a Creswick Foundation Fellowship and in 2014 travelled to North America and Canada exploring neurodevelopmentally informed interventions for infants, children and adolescents. Chelle was the founding Clinical Team Leader of the Grampians Take Two team where she held roles of program leadership, staff supervision, and direct clinical consultation and client work with children and families experiencing trauma and attachment disruption for seven years. Chelle commenced her career in a remote rural community in Western Australia, as a Psychologist for Child Protection. In this role, Chelle worked with children and families from remote Central Western Australian Aboriginal Communities.
Phillip Tedeschi, LCSW MSSW
Clinical Professor, Graduate School of Social Work, University of Denver
Founder and Director Emeritus, Institute for Human-Animal Connection, University of Denver Co-Director, Institute for Animal Sentience and Protection
Breakout Focus: Toward A More Humane Community: Resiliency and Healing Through Our Connection With Non-Human Animals
Philip Tedeschi is the Co- Director – Institute for Animal Sentience and Protection and DirectorEmeritus and Founder of the Institute for Human-Animal Connection, a licensed clinical social worker, a clinical professor at the Graduate School of Social Work and an affiliated faculty with the University of Denver’s Animal Law Program. He teaches in the Human- Animal-Environmental Interaction Certificate for Master of Social Work students, examining the intricate relationship between people, domestic and wild animals, and the natural world. Tedeschi’s research, scholarship, teaching, and community practice work have focused on issues of social and interspecies justice, global perspectives of human-animal interactions, conservation social work and human ecology. He specializes in the bio-affiliative connection between people and animals, causes of maltreatment to people/non-human animals and the health promoting potential of human-animal and nature interaction.
Emily Wang PhD., R. Psych.
Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics Mentor
Senior Director, Clinical Advancement &
Trauma Informed Services
Breakout Focus: Can we create a world free from developmental trauma?
Dr. Wang is the Senior Director of Clinical Advancement and Trauma Informed Practice and NMT Site Supervisor at Hull Services, a Flagship Site with the Neurosequential Model Network. Dr. Wang is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT) across all 27 programs at Hull. Her responsibilities include training, program development, clinical consultation and mentoring both within Hull and externally as requested. Dr. Wang is a Fellow of the Neurosequential Model Network, and is a specialist in Infant Parent Mental Health. She is an Adjunct Lecturer at Cumming School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry at University of Calgary and a Reflective Practitioner. Dr. Wang holds a Master’s of Science in Educational Psychology, a Master’s of Art and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology. She was responsible for the provincial training of the Neurosequential Model concepts and implementation in Alberta from April 2017-October 2018, and has been providing training extensively both in Canada and the United States. Her training in the NMT and the Infant Parent Mental Health Fellowship has had a significant impact on both her professional life as well as her personal life as a mother of two.