Alex Beaujean, Ph.D.

Alex Beaujean is an Associate Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience at Baylor University. He is licensed to practice psychology in the state of Texas and has a diplomate in Assessment Psychology.  In addition, he is an elected member of the Society for the Study of School Psychology.  He earned his Ph.D.s from the University of Missouri in both educational psychology and school psychology, and has published over 100 peer-reviewed pieces including two statistics textbooks. His interests are in individual differences and psychological assessment, particularly the measurement of psychological attributes.

Felisha Branford

Thomas Brown, Ph.D.

Dr. Brown is a clinical psychologist trained at Yale who taught on the clinical faculty of the Yale Medical School for more than 20 years. He moved to Los Angeles in 2017 and is now Director of the Brown Clinic for Attention and Related Disorders in Manhattan Beach. He also serves as Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Keck Medical School of the University of Southern California. He developed the new Brown Executive Function/Attention Scales recently released by Pearson. His most recent books are Smart but Stuck: Emotions in Teens and Adults with ADHD (2014) and Outside the Box: Rethinking ADD/ADHD in Children and Adults: A Practical Guide (2017).

Deanna Clemens

Deanna Clemens serves as a manager of the Technical Assistance Team within the division of special education at the Texas Education Agency. She is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist, A Licensed Specialist in School Psychology, and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Deanna received her Education Specialist Degree in School Psychology from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. She practiced for several years as K-12 School Psychologist in Pennsylvania. Since relocating to Texas in 2009, Deanna has held public school positions as Adaptive Behavior and Autism Program Specialist, Coordinator of Special Services, and Special Education Coordinator for Behavior Services.  She joined TEA in August of 2017 and served as a technical assistance program specialist for child find and evaluation and low incidence disabilities prior to being named a team manager.

Adrian Garza

Adrian Garza is the Program Manager for the Family Treatment Program at McAllen Independent School District.  He received his M.Ed. from the University of Texas—Pan American with a certification in Special Education (EC-12).  After teaching in the field of Special Education at La Joya ISD, Mr. Garza transitioned into a more intense role in mental health, where he worked with the local mental health authority for Hidalgo County—Tropical Texas Behavioral Health (TTBH).  During his tenure with TTBH, Mr. Garza worked with the Assertive Community Treatment Team, which is a branch that focuses on the most intense clients that have a diagnosis of: Major Depression, Schizophrenia, and Bipolar Disorder.  With the experience of working in the education field, along with the experience of working in the field of mental health, Mr. Garza, in collaboration with the McAllen ISD Police Department, developed a model to increase access to mental health services for students and families through community partnerships.  Currently, Mr. Garza oversees a team of Prevention Intervention Specialists that work directly with students that have a mental health diagnosis.

Shawna Rader Kelly, EdS, NCSP

Shawna Rader Kelly is a full-time school psychologist for the Bozeman Public Schools in Bozeman, Montana, where she serves as the school psychologist at Bozeman High School. In 2017, Shawna was named the NASP School Psychologist of the Year and is currently the NASP Strategic Liaison for Professional Advocacy.  Shawna also works as an educational consultant for the Montana Office of Public Instruction, providing training and support to schools implementing multitiered systems of support. Shawna is a credentialing specialist in her state and works with faculty at the University of Montana in the school psychology program to coordinate an annual Supervision Institute, training fellow school psychologists to provide supervision to interns and practicum students.

Laurie Klose, Ph.D.

Laurie McGarry Klose is the owner and CEO of RespectED, a consulting firm that provides services to schools and families. She has served as a faculty member at Trinity University and Texas State University, including serving as the Director of Assessment for the Clinic for Autism Research, Evaluation and Support and University Assessment and Counseling Clinic, and as a school psychologist for 12 years in California, Massachusetts, and Texas. Leadership positions include President of Texas ASP, Delegate, SE Delegate Representative, numerous state and national committees and the Chair of the NASP Ethics and Professional Practices Board.

Misty Lay, Ed.S.

Misty Lay is in her 23rd year as a school psychologist in Kentucky. She graduated from Eastern Kentucky University, with her Specialist degree.  She is currently the NASP treasurer and co-chair of the Assistance to States Committee.  Misty was honored as the 2010 National School Psychologist of the Year.

Kelly Martin, M.Ed., LPC-S, RPT-S

Kelly Martin is the founder of The Playroom Lubbock, a collaborative therapy practice for children and adolescents where she provides parent consultations and play, activity, and sand tray therapies. She obtained her undergraduate degree in Psychology from Lubbock Christian University and her Master’s in Education in Counseling from University of North Texas. Before starting her private practice, Kelly had previous experience as an elementary school counselor. Kelly specializes in childhood emotional and behavioral challenges as well as trauma informed and sensory informed approaches. Kelly is the board President of the High Plains Chapter for the Texas Association for Play Therapy and a recent graduate of the Association for Play Therapy Leadership Academy.

R. Keeth Matheny

R. Keeth Matheny is a national award-winning teacher, author and speaker. He was a 2015 winner of the Crystal Star Award for Excellence in supporting student success from the National Dropout Prevention Center. He is a current classroom teacher in his 28th year as an educator. He teaches an innovative course, MAPS (Methods for Academic and Personal Success), which has helped reduce freshman failures by 41% and discipline referrals by 71% at Austin High School over a four-year period. His class has had over 400 educators visit in the past 6 years. One of his former students, who went from “at risk” to ivy league, recently did a ted talk and referenced the class he teaches. Keeth is a co-author of School-Connect a research and evidence based social and emotional learning curriculum now in over one thousand secondary schools. He is a frequent public speaker and keynote on SEL, student engagement and character education. He is the keynote for four educational conferences this year. His work and the schools he worked with have been frequently featured in national webinars, magazine articles and journals of best practices. In the recent past he has presented at two congressional briefings in Washington DC and over twelve national education conferences. He has helped launch over 200 secondary school SEL programs in past 4yrs.

Jennifer Morrison, Ph.D.

Dr. Jennifer Morrison is a Licensed Psychologist and LSSP specializing in pediatric neuropsychology. She is a graduate of Texas Woman’s University. Her background in school psychology, pediatric neuropsychology, and rehabilitation offer a unique perspective for practice. She currently serves as the owner a lead provider at Kids BRAIN, LLC, at her private practice, which functions in collaboration with Pediatric Associates of Dallas.

Samuel Ortiz, Ph.D

Dr. Ortiz is Professor of Psychology at St. John's University, New York. He holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Southern California and a credential in school psychology with postdoctoral training in bilingual school psychology from San Diego State University. He has served as Visiting Professor and Research Fellow at Nagoya University, Japan, as Vice President for Professional Affairs of APA Division 16 (School Psychology), as member and Chair of APA’s, Committee on Psychological Tests and Assessment, as member of the Coalition for Psychology in Schools and Education, as representative on the New York State Committee of Practitioners on ELL and LEP Students, and as member of APA Presidential Task Force on Educational Disparities.
Dr. Ortiz has served on various editorial boards including Journal of School Psychology, School Psychology Quarterly, and Journal of Applied School Psychology. He is an internationally recognized expert on a variety of topics including nondiscriminatory assessment, evaluation of English learners, cross-battery assessment (XBA), and learning disabilities. His is author of the Ortiz PVAT, primary author of X-BASS and his books include “Assessment of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students: A practical guide,” and “Essentials of Cross-Battery Assessment, 3rd Edition.” Dr. Ortiz is bilingual (Spanish) and bicultural (Puerto Rican).

 

Cyndi O’Toole

Cyndi O'Toole is the Director of Clinical Operations at First Leap Pediatric Therapy in Austin, TX. Cyndi's background includes over 13 years working with kids who have autism or other developmental disabilities in public schools.  She worked as a teacher of the Deaf for five years supporting students with hearing impairments and other disabilities.  She was also an Educational Diagnostician for two years working primarily with Child Find and the Autism Diagnostic Team.  Most recently, she managed the Texas Statewide Leadership for Autism Training through the Education Service Center Region 13 focusing on training educators, parents, and community members the importance of, and how to implement evidence-based practices. Outside of First Leap, Cyndi enjoys spending time with her family and being outside.

Leslie Z. Paige, Ed.S.

Leslie Z. Paige, Ed.S. is the 2019-20 President of the National Association of School Psychologists. She has worked as a practitioner, graduate educator, project director and university administrator. Her current focus is on developing leadership and advocacy skills for school psychologists and addressing workforce shortages. She was the NASP School Psychologist of the Year in 1996.

Wendy Price, Ph.D.

Dr. Price completed her doctorate in School Psychology at William James College in August of 2015, following a year-long clinical internship at Walden Behavioral Care (a residential eating disorders clinic).
In her role as a school psychologist at Whitman-Hanson Regional High School, Dr. Price is involved in a number of activities, including: assessment, counseling, consultation, supervision of school psychology interns, and mentoring of staff.  She is also a Crisis Team and Student/Teacher Assistance Team member. She travels around the country, presenting to associations and school districts on eating disorders and self-injurious behaviors.
Dr. Price has been involved in leadership at both the state and national level, and is currently the NASP President Elect (and will be NASP President in 2020-2021).

 

Nancy Razo, Ph.D.

Dr. Nancy Peña Razo received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Notre Dame and her doctorate in School Psychology from Texas A&M University. She completed her APA Accredited Pre-Doctoral internship in Lewisville ISD and an APA Accredited Post-Doctoral Residency with Deer Oaks Mental Health Associates in the Rio Grande Valley.  Dr. Razo was then the Director of Clinical Services for the Texas Youth Commission’s (TYC) Evins Regional Juvenile Center (ERJC) in Edinburg.  Dr. Razo returned to public schools and worked as an LSSP under the Safe Schools Healthy Students grant at McAllen ISD and then moved to work in their Special Education Department.  For the last 7 years, Dr. Razo has been teaching at the University of Texas Pan American, now the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School Psychology Program.  She has been the School Psychology Program Coordinator for the last 5 years.  The UTRGV School Psychology Program is the only graduate program in school psychology south of San Antonio, and 99% of graduates are bilingual.  Dr. Razo has been an LSSP for over 14 years.     

Paula Maddox Roalson, J.D.

Paula Maddox Roalson has represented the legal interests of Texas public school districts for more than 20 years.  For many years, she led the Walsh Gallegos San Antonio special education practice group.  In 2011, she moved to Houston to open the firm’s Houston office.  Paula’s current practice focuses on special education litigation and related matters.  Before joining Walsh Gallegos in 1996, Paula served as the Staff Attorney for Special Education for the Texas Association of School Boards. 

Paula is a member of numerous professional organizations and is a frequently requested speaker at national, state, and local conferences.  She has written and presented many articles concerning education law for various school organizations.  Paula is a proud product of Texas public schools and a family of educators and public servants. Her father served as a school board member for 17 years and her mother is a former Superintendent of Schools in the San Antonio area.  Her sister is an elementary school principal in San Antonio.

Connie Rodriguez

Connie Rodriguez, LSSP/LMFT, Dallas ISD Director of Psychological/Social Services, coordinates school mental health services for 157,000 students. Her 30 year career includes developing/coordinating DISD Crisis Response Teams and managing a School-Based Health Clinic and working as a family therapist in a therapeutic day school. An adjunct faculty member at Texas A&M-Commerce from 2009-2017, Ms. Rodriguez has taught a variety of courses such as: physiological psychology, psychology of personality, organizational psychology, health psychology.

Traci Schluter, Ph.D.

Traci D. Schluter, Ph.D., LSSP, serves as the Cypress-Fairbanks ISD’s Director of Psychological Services. A University of Texas at Austin graduate (BA, MA, PhD), Dr. Schluter interned in CFISD in 1997, has been a member of the psychological services staff since 1999, and has served in the role of director since 2013. Dr. Schluter worked collaboratively with her colleagues in CFISD to help establish a Mental Health Intervention Team in the fall of 2018 which is comprised of 2 Licensed Psychologists, 4 Licensed Professional Counselors and 2 Mental Health Officers. She is also a Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG) Trainer and has recently assisted in the development of protocols and trainings in the area of threat assessment for CFISD. Dr. Schluter’s additional professional interests include crisis prevention, intervention & response, parent training, and culturally competent practice in the schools.

Rick Short, Ph.D.

Dr. Rick Short is the Dean and Professor of Psychology in the School of Human Sciences and Humanities at the University of Houston- Clear Lake.  Dr. Short received his Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, his M.Ed. in Special Education/School Psychology from Texas State University, and his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin.  Dr. Short worked as a school psychologist and as a trainer for almost 30 years before entering administration and has more than 25 years of university-level education, research, and clinical experience.  A fellow of the American Psychological Association, Dr. Short also had the distinction of serving as the assistant executive director of Education at the American Psychological Association in Washington, D.C. 

David Shriberg, Ph.D.

Dr. David Shriberg is chair of the school psychology graduate programs at Indiana University. The founder of NASP’s Social Justice Interest Group and a member of NASP’s Social Justice Task Force, his research and advocacy efforts center on the application of social justice principles to school psychology practice.

Julie Wayman

Julie Wayman serves as Interagency Liaison and Manager for Mental and Behavioral Health in the Office of Special Populations at the Texas Education Agency where she facilitates cross-systems collaboration, resource development, training and technical assistance for school mental health.  Since 1981, Julie has worked in in residential and outpatient youth treatment, in urban and rural school districts, an urban juvenile court and family resource center, non-profit organizations, state agencies and in diverse roles supporting at-risk students, dropout prevention and mental health at TEA since 2008.  Julie collaborates to promote policies, practices and programs that support statutory responsibilities for school mental health and professional development for school personnel. She authored and is currently launching Advancing Wellness and Resilience in Education (Project AWARE Texas) which is a five-year collaborative school mental health grant that was competitively awarded to TEA by SAMHSA in 2018. Julie represents TEA on statewide committees such as the Texas Behavioral Health Coordinating Council and facilitates the United Services for All Children (USAC) interagency workgroup in alignment with the Texas Statewide Behavioral Health Strategic Plan.