Presentations

Presentation Resources

Learn More About Sarah Clarke

Sarah Clarke, MA, LPCC, is a licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, who has been working with children, adults and families for 15 years. She has a particular focus on helping children who have experienced significant trauma, and the adults who work with them. She has a firm belief that we cannot fully help the children we know and love, until we help the adults who work with them. She has been working in overlapping worlds of mental health and education for the past five years. During that time, she has found how the techniques of mental illness treatment can be applied to the world of education. She has developed a passion for developing the skills of educators to better provide for the wellness of both themselves and their students. She currently is the Social-Emotional Learning Lead for Rochester Public Schools, and provides clinical therapy to a small case load of adults and couples at Flourish Counseling in Rochester, MN. Sarah holds a Master’s Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor in the state of Minnesota.

Presentation Resources

Learn More About Dr. LaWanda Wesley

LaWanda Wesley currently serves as Oakland Unified School District’s Director of Quality Enhancement and Professional Development of Early Education. She supports a cadre of dynamic 200-plus teachers and an early leadership team. Dr. Wesley also co-directs a statewide leadership fellowship titled the California Consortium for Equity in Early Childhood Education Fellowship and is the Co-Founder and Co-Director for the Center for Equity in Early Childhood Education in service of disrupting race inequities at its root cause. Wesley is the co-author of the second book in the trauma series titled Culturally Responsive Self-Care for Early Childhood Educators and contributor to the recently published California Department of Education document, Responsive Early Education for Young Children and Families Experiencing Homelessness. Additionally, Dr. Wesley trains on trauma responsive practices and healing in a highly specialized area for the Center for Optimal Brain Integration. She is audaciously dedicated to changing the lives of all children, especially those from communities of color, poverty, and furthest reach from opportunity.

Presentation Resources

Learn More About Erica Wortherly

Erica N. Wortherly is a licensed clinical social worker who specializes in working with educators and parents to improve their understanding of mental health. She earned her BA in Communications from University of North Florida and Masters in Social Work from Florida State University. Erica travels for speaking engagements in schools, churches, and conferences for professional development, community, and caregiver workshops on topics including: self-care practices, mental health awareness, becoming trauma-sensitive, and more. She is also the author of two children’s books which are intended to be read with children about difficult emotions: “I Scream Because I’m Angry” and “Dear Everybody, Admit There’s Hurt.” Her current projects include two books which specifically address educator mental health.As a former teacher and social worker, she will always be an educator. Through her private practice and Teaching with Mental Health in Mind, Erica advocates for shifting mindsets to create more flexible, empathetic and comfortable environments for children and the adults who care for them to thrive.

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Learn More About Alexis Shepard

Alexis Shepard is a 9^th year educator in Upstate, South Carolina with both middle level and elementary experience. After multiple encounters with burn-out, a desire to take steps towards self-care led to the creation of her brand, The AfroEducator. Originally intended to facilitate connections with like-minded educators, a passion was ignited in Alexis to empower teachers towards wellness. In her work, Alexis seeks to create pervasive perceptions of wellness that will improve teacher outlook and sustainability. As The AfroEducator, Alexis champions teacher self-care through education, reflection, and dialogue. She believes that by sharing her stories, she can inspire and empower teachers to take control of their own narratives.

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Learn More About Birdie Cunningham

Birdie is a social-entrepreneur with twenty years of experience in public health developing and implementing multi-faceted programs, interventions and outreach for health and wellness, with a concentration on sleep research and behavior change. In addition to starting Spndle, she is currently the Associate Director of Health Promotion, at the Center for Well-Being at the University of St. Thomas, and past Director of Operations & Programming for the Center for College Sleep. She is past president of the North Central College Health Association and in 2017 received the Ruth E. Boynton Award for Distinguished Service to the American College Health Association. Birdie has otherwise been helping organizations with population sleep strategies for over a decade.

Presentation Resources

Learn More About Amber Harper

Amber Harper is an author, educator, Teacher Burnout Coach, and Certified Google Trainer whose mission is to Activate Teacher Self-Empowerment to beat burnout and live a happy, fulfilled life. She’s the founder of www.burnedinteacher.com and is obsessed with helping educators go from burned-out to BURNED-IN. She also hosts a weekly podcast dedicated to action, inspiration, and support for teachers dealing with teacher burnout called The Burned-In Teacher Podcast.