Authors

Stephen Bruce, M,Ed,, BCBA, CBIS

He is the Senior Director for Professional Development for the Neurosciences Institute at Bancroft NeuroHealth in Haddonfield, New Jersey. He earned a Master of Education degree in Applied Behavior Analysis from Temple University and is currently completing course work for a doctoral degree in special education from Temple University. Mr. Bruce coordinates staff training and development, teaches courses in applied behavior analysis at Temple University, and directs Bancroft NeuroHealth’s professional conferences and workshops. He also chairs a behavior management committee and oversees school consultation services. Mr. Bruce has worked in the field of developmental disabilities and brain injury for the past 17 years and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst as well as a Certified Brain Injury Specialist.

Bob Cluett

As the survivor of a childhood brain injury, Bob brings a special perspective as President of Lash and Associates Publishing/Training Inc.. The skills that he developed during his corporate career of over 20 years in communication, marketing, direct mail advertising and sales now focus on publishing information about the consequences of brain injury among children, adolescents and young adults. He is the former Chairman of the Board for the Brain Injury Association of North Carolina.

Roberta DePompei, Ph.D.

She is Department Chairman, a Professor and Clinical Supervisor at the Speech and Hearing Center at the University of Akron in Ohio. She is a Vice President at Lash and Associates Publishing/Training Inc. An advocate of the needs of youths with brain injuries and their families, she is on numerous national task forces and committees. Widely published and a national and international presenter, Dr. DePompei specializes in the impact of brain injury upon speech, language and communication. She is especially interested in developing transitional opportunities for youth as they progress through school and prepare for adulthood.

Ann Glang, Ph.D.

An Associate Research Professor at Teaching Research, a division of Western Oregon University, and a research scientist at Oregon Center for Applied Sciences, Inc. (ORCAS), Dr. Glang has worked as a special education teacher and as an educational and behavioral consultant in a rehabilitation unit specializing in treating adolescents and adults with traumatic brain injury.

Marilyn Lash, M.S.W.

She is a Founding Partner at Lash and Associates Publishing/Training, Inc. in Wake Forest, NC. Author of many publications on the psychosocial impact of brain injury, her writing and training emphasize coping strategies for families and practical interventions by professionals and educators in hospitals, rehabilitation, schools and community programs. Ms. Lash is on various national task forces on brain injury and editorial boards of rehabilitation journals. She is the Past Chair of the Brain Injury Association of North Carolina and current Chair of the North Carolina Statewide Advisory Council on Traumatic Brain Injury.

Katherine Kimes, Ed.D.

She has an extensive background, both personally and professionally, in the area of brain injury. She has studied acquired brain injury and has a unique understanding of the mechanisms of injury and how the brain has the capacity to heal after injury. When she was 16, Dr. Kimes was a passenger in a one car accident and sustained a severe traumatic brain injury. After spending weeks in a coma, she regained consciousness; however, her world had drastically changed. Her personal experience of living with brain injury has evolved into a philosophy of recovery and what is possible. She has an M.A. degree in Writing (2000) and an M.A. in Transition Special Education with an emphasis in acquired brain injury (2004). Dr. Kimes completed her doctoral program in the Leaders for Systems Change Program in Special Education at George Washington University in 2009.

McKay Moore Sohlberg, Ph.D.

Dr. Sohlberg is a nationally recognized leader in the field of traumatic brain rehabilitation. For the past 21 years she has worked as a clinician, researcher and administrator in the development of programs to assist individuals with brain injury to reintegrate into the community at maximal levels of independence. The types of intervention programs that she has developed and about which she has conducted research have become model programs adopted by rehabilitation centers throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Dr. Sohlberg received her master’s degree in Speech and Hearing Sciences and her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology at the University of Washington. She is currently professor in the Communication Disorders Program at the University of Oregon. She conducts clinical research aimed at developing and evaluating methods to help adolescents and adults manage cognitive changes after brain injury.

Sue Pearson, M.A.

As the state consultant for students with brain injuries for 12 years, Ms Pearson worked with 15 brain injury resource teams across Iowa, creating communication networks with hospital and rehabilitation personnel, educational professionals and families. Trained as a special educator, Sue Pearson’s major areas of study include orthopedic disabilities and learning disabilities. Building on her work in developmental disabilities for the past 25 years, she has conducted numerous workshop and conference presentations for educators, families and medical staff in Iowa and across the country. She has written extensively on the topic of educating students with brain injury in local schools.

Ron Savage, Ed.D.

He is Vice President of Lash and Associates Publishing/Training Inc. and President of the North American Brain Injury Society (NABIS). Dr. Savage specializes in the impact of brain injury on behavior and learning in children, adolescents and young adults. His international recognition as author and presenter is based on practical experience as a rehabilitation clinician and educator. Dr. Savage is also the Chairman and Co-Founder of the International Pediatric Brain Injury Society (IPBIS).

Lisa Selznick Gurdin, M.S., BCBA, CBIS-CE

Ms. Gurdin is a part-time lecturer at Northeastern University and former Chair of the American Academy for the Certification of Brain Injury Specialists (AACBIS) Board of Directors. Ms Gurdin is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and an AACBIS Certified Brain Injury Trainer.. Ms Gurdin worked at the May Institute, Inc. in Massachusetts for eight years where she managed research and training grants, developed and coordinated a company-wide mentoring program, and taught courses in applied behavior analysis. She also has extensive experience designing and implementing home and school-based behavioral programming for children and adolescents with autism and brain injury.

Bonnie Todis, Ph.D.

An Associate Research Professor at Teaching Research, a division of Western Oregon University, and University of Oregon, Dr. Todis has used qualitative methodology to explore a number of issues in special education, including assistive technology, resilience factors for youth with disabilities in incarcerated settings, and self-determination for adolescents with disabilities. Her current work focuses on studying effective supports for individuals with brain injuries in schools and other service delivery organizations.

Janet Tyler, Ph.D.

She is the Director of the Kansas State Department of Education’s Neurologic Disabilities Support Project, a statewide program that provides inservice training, consultation and technical assistance to educators serving students with traumatic brain injuries. Dr. Tyler also serves as an adjunct member of the Department of Special Education’s graduate faculty at the University of Kansas where she provides preservice training in traumatic brain injury. Since 1987, she has published, presented and consulted widely on educational issues related to traumatic brain injury.

Gary Wolcott, M.Ed.

An experienced counselor, administrator and trainer, Gary Wolcott has long been an advocate for families of children with brain injuries as well as a consultant with school systems. He was instrumental in raising the national awareness of rehabilitation professionals and educators about the long-term cognitive effects of brain injuries in children and their impact on learning. He has been the Director of Education for the National Head Injury Foundation, founded a management and training consulting business, and served as Director of Education, Training and Staff Development at Goodwill Industries of Northern New England. He is now the Director of Brain Injury Services for the state lead agency in Maine.