Keynote: Michael Manos, Ph.D.
Chief of Pediatric Behavioral Medicine, The Cleveland Clinic
Michael J. Manos, PhD is Head of the Center for Pediatric Behavioral Health, Pediatric Institute, Cleveland Clinic. He is the founding Clinical and Program Director of the pediatric and adult ADHD Center for Evaluation and Treatment (ACET) of the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. He is adjunct faculty in Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry.
Dr. Manos has worked for more than 25 years in pediatric psychology, special education, and child and adolescent psychiatry. He has authored or contributed to scientific articles and informative book chapters on the diagnosis and treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. He also has presented numerous papers and symposia on child and adolescent behavior disorders. He is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Psychological Association, the American Psychological Society, and the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies.
William L. P. Brownley, Esq.
Bill Brownley is a successful attorney with extensive experience in all forms of negotiation and trial work. He has served as general counsel to a number of public and private corporations, including Telos Inc., The Financial News Network (now CNBC), United Press International, and The Learning Channel. Mr. Brownley is also the proprietor of The Brownley Law Group, a top practitioner of Special Education law, advocacy and mediation in Northern Virginia.
Catherine Burzio
Transition Coordinator, Parent Educational Advocacy
Training Center
Since 1995, Burzio has had the privilege of serving families in several different capacities. She is a former Regional Trainer and former President of the Board of Directors for PEATC. (Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center) Prior to her current position with PEATC, Burzio served as a Transition Specialist for a local school system and a family advocate for families in Early Intervention through high school.
Her work has brought her into national partnerships through the Chromosome 18 Registry & Research Society (VP for Member Relations), Genetic Alliance and the National Communities of Practice-Transition; state partnerships through the Infant and Toddler Connection of VA, VA Department of Education, VA Department of Rehabilitation; and local partnerships through the Special Education Advisory Committee and Arc-NSV. She is the mother of four children, two of whom received special education services.
Donna Dent, L.P.C.
Service Director for Outpatient Services, Blue Ridge
Behavioral Healthcare
Donna is a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Licensed Substance Abuse Treatment Practitioner who has worked for Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare (BRBH) for the last 13 years. Currently, she is the Service Director for Outpatient Services which includes: Intake and Crisis; Psychiatric; and Outpatient Counseling.
Donna began at Blue Ridge as a Master's level intern in 1995. Her work history with Blue Ridge includes the provision of mental health and substance abuse therapeutic services to adolescents, adults and families. In addition, she has worked with pregnant substance abusers and provided group and individual services through the Roanoke City Drug Court. Donna's first management position was as the Coordinator of Adolescent Substance Abuse Services. She went on to coordinate all Outpatient Counseling Services and then moved to her current position as Service Director.
Eileen Hammar
Community Support Specialist, Virginia Commonwealth
University, The Partnership for People with Disabilities
Eileen Hammar is a Community Support Specialist at the Partnership for People with Disabilities at Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia's university center for excellence in developmental disabilities, Eileen Hammar works on projects that promote self direction and person-centered planning for individuals with disabilities. As the mother of a young man with intellectual disabilities, she has worked for many years as a parent and advocate with students, other parents, and professionals to improve educational, social and life outcomes for people with disabilities.
Debra Holloway
Family Involvement Project Manager, The Arc of Virginia
Debra Holloway is the manager of The Arc of Virginia, Family Involvement Project. The Family Involvement Project currently focuses on four areas of Virginia's early intervention system:
- Strengthening and increasing diverse family involvement with the 39 local interagency coordinating councils;
- Working to collaborate with and represent family interests, issues, perspectives and concerns;
- Ensuring Parent to Parent support is available to all families receiving services from the Infant & Toddler Connection of Virginia; and
- Working with The Infant & Toddler Connection's General Supervision and Monitoring System.
Debra also serves as a Virginia Medicaid Waiver Mentor.
Mark Howard
Operations Manager, Snowden Hospital
Mark L. Howard, MSSW is the Operations Manager at Snowden at Fredericksburg, an acute psychiatric hospital in Fredericksburg, VA. Mark has worked intensively with children, adolescents and families with significant mental health issues for over sixteen years in a variety of settings including schools, community mental health centers, and psychiatric hospitals. He received his Master of Science in Social Work from the University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky in 1998. He also holds a Post Master's Certificate in Educational Leadership from the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA. Mark served as the Site Supervisor and clinician for Courthouse Academy, Public Day Placement in Spotsylvania County Schools during its first five years. Mark specializes in program evaluation, training, crisis management, mental health assessment and cognitive behavioral therapy techniques including functional behavioral assessment and behavior intervention planning.
Colleen Kraft, M.D.
Medical Director, Medical Home Plus
James McCord, C.L.T.C.
Agent, Prudential Insurance Company of America
Jim is a Licensed Financial Professional for Prudential Financial and Pruco Securities, LLC. The focus of Jim's practice includes business succession planning, estate planning for families of children with special needs, and retirement risk management. Prior to his current position, Jim worked in the Consumer Electronics industry for 16 years serving national accounts as a Key Account Manager for both General Electric and RCA.
Raised in Los Angeles, Ca. and Atlanta, Ga., Jim now lives with his wife of 38 years in Chesterfield County, Virginia. They have three adult children and one grand daughter.
Jim's education was completed at Georgia State University with a BBA in marketing after serving 4 years in the U.S.M.C.
Sereina Paynter
Service Director, Child and Adolescent Therapeutic Day
Treatment Program, Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare
Sereina has worked with youth, aged three to eighteen, for over thirty years. The last twenty-one of those years has been in the field of mental health. She is currently the Service Director for the Child and Adolescent Therapeutic Day Treatment Program for Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare, a Community Service Board. This array of services includes programs across three localities in 20+ schools.
Mental Health consultation and referral is also provided to all Head Start Centers. In addition to administrative responsibilities, direct service activities include parenting workshops/ training, inclusive of serving as VISIONS for TOMMORROW trainer for the past nine years and participation in the local Federation of Families effort in the Roanoke Valley.
Gina Wilburn
Child and Family Services Director, Blue Ridge
Behavioral Healthcare
Gina Blevins Wilburn is the Director and Child and Family Services for Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare, the Community Service Board providing services to the Cities of Roanoke and Salem and the Counties of Botetourt, Craig and Roanoke. She has worked in children's services for the past 29 years. She serves on several local and state workgroups, committees and boards to develop services and supports for children and families.
She currently serves as the Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee for BRBH, a member of locality CPMTS, Roanoke County/ Salem Best Practice Court stakeholders for Abused and Neglected Children, Member and past Chair of the VACSB Child and Family Services Council, the Virginia System of Care Advisory Team, CORE participant, Intensive Care Coordination Network, Roanoke Federation of Families Advisory Committee, Wrap-Around Roanoke and various other efforts that promote building the system of care for children and families.
Cheryl Wilkinson, L.C.S.W.
Service Director for Outreach Services, Blue Ridge
Behavioral Healthcare
