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Don Kincaid co-directs the FLPBIS Project at the University of South Florida. He also directs USF's participation in the OSEP Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports Center, a partnership of Universities and agencies across the country and the Florida AWARE Project at USF to promote mental health in schools. Don also co-directs the Florida Center for Inclusive Communities, a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities and the School Climate Transformation Project for Florida. His professional interests include the areas of person-centered planning, positive behavior interventions and support, disabilities, and school and systems change.

Heather George is a Research Professor at the University South Florida who co-directs the state-wide FLPBIS Project and the federally-funded OSEP Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS Center), and the OSHS School Climate Transformation - SEA (Florida SCT) grants. She is also the past-President (2014-2017) of the international Association for Positive Behavioral Support (APBS) and has served on the APBS Board of Directors since 2009 where she currently is serving as an Emeritus Ex-Officio. Heather brings extensive experience in providing training and technical assistance in PBIS across the continuum in all settings and in coordinating systems change efforts at the local, state, national and international level to promote an integrated approach to implementing evidence-based practices through a multi-tiered framework. She teaches at USF, serves as a Consulting Editor for Preventing School Failure and since 2011 has directed over $28 million dollars in external funding. Heather received her Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology at Indiana State University in 1992 and her Doctorate degree in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Special Education, School Psychology and Reading at Louisiana State University in 2000. Before joining FLPBIS in 2001, she served as the Technical Assistance Coordinator of Louisiana's state-wide PBIS Project. Prior to that time, she served as Administrator for a community-based respite, rehabilitation, and vocational program in Indiana. Her areas of interest include positive behavior support, school-wide discipline, systems-level change, implementation and function-based behavior support planning, and international applications of PBIS.

Catherine Raulerson joined the FLPBIS Project in 2015 and currently serves as the State Program Coordinator for the FLPBIS Project to provide leadership support to project staff. In addition to her Program Coordinator role within the project, Catherine also continues to provide technical assistance and training to school districts that are implementing a multi-tiered system of behavior aligned with the project mission. Catherine also supports the FLDOE Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education (AWARE) state grant for evaluation with the project management team. She is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist, holds a Specialist of Education degree in School Psychology from the University of Florida, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Florida State University. Prior to joining the FLPBIS Project, Catherine worked as a School Psychologist, District Coordinator for PBIS, a district MTSS Coach, and a Regional Coordinator for the Administrative Multiagency Network for Students with Emotional/Behavioral Disabilities Project. Catherine’s interests are in systems change, MTSS and resiliency in schools.

Nichole Fintel joined the FLPBIS Project in 2018 and currently serves as the project’s Evaluation Coordinator. In this role, Nichole oversees the collection and maintenance of data and the development of reports to guide the project and its participating districts and schools in making data-based decisions regarding implementation of behavior supports. She also supports the evaluation of the FLDOE Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education (AWARE) state grant, and coordinates evaluation efforts for the Florida Connect grant awarded by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). Nichole previously served as a training and technical assistance specialist at the national technical assistance center for SAMHSA’s Healthy Transitions and Project AWARE grantees. She holds a Master’s of Science degree in Public Health and a graduate certificate in translational research from the University of South Florida.

Dama Abshier is a technical assistance specialist with the Florida Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and Florida Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education (AWARE) Projects. Dr. Abshier earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Florida. She earned a Master of Arts (MA), Education Specialist (Ed.S.), and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree all in School Psychology from the University of South Florida. Prior to joining the FLPBIS Project, Dr. Abshier worked for 17 years in Marion County Public Schools as a district administrator in a variety of capacities to include: coordinating a Behavior Support Team and Student Services Evaluation Team; overseeing School Health Services, bullying prevention, education and compliance, Section 504 education and compliance; PBIS District Coordinator (DC); professional development related to problem solving/response to intervention, multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS), early warning systems, classroom management, verbal de-escalation, physical intervention, and PBIS; Code of Student Conduct, alternative placements and expulsions, alternatives to out of school suspension, diversion programs in lieu of placements/expulsions; education of detained and incarcerated youth, home education, virtual school, teen parenting program with childcare, academic fast track for overage middle school unit deficient students, and contract management of four alternative schools. As the PBIS District Coordinator in Marion County for 11 years, Dr. Abshier has expertise in leading a large district (50+ schools serving over 43,000 students) in training all schools in the implementation of school wide PBIS, planning at the district level, and guiding leaders through classroom coaching related to classroom application of PBIS. As principle investigator for the sub-recipient of federally funded research projects, Dr. Abshier continues to work part time in Marion County supporting sustainability of the integrated systems framework (ISF) to integrate PBIS and mental health. Dr. Abshier is excited to utilize her experiences to assist school districts in their efforts to maximize positive student outcomes for all.

Jonathan Blair brings 14 years of diverse experience in Pinellas County Schools, having excelled in roles such as School Counselor, MTSS Coach at both the school and district levels, and District Administrator. As the PCS School Counselor Supervisor, he was honored with the District Advocate of the Year Award by the Florida School Counselor Association in 2019. A nationally certified trainer in Relationship-Based Practices, Youth Mental Health First Aid, and PREPaRE, Jonathan holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of South Florida (2003) and a Master of Arts in School Counseling from Argosy University (2008). Jonathan is eager to leverage his extensive background and passion for supporting all learners in his role as Technical Assistance Specialist with the FLPBIS Project.

Brooke Curtiss currently serves as a Technical Assistance Specialist with the FLPBIS Project and began working with the project and supporting districts in 2018. Brooke holds her Specialist of Education degree in School Psychology from the University of Florida and a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Florida State University. Additionally, Brooke has been a Board Certified Behavior Analyst since 2014 applying those skills both within the public education setting and private work. Prior to joining the FLPBIS Project, Brooke worked as a School Psychologist with Hillsborough County Public Schools for 13 years. While working as a School Psychologist, Brooke helped to facilitate MTSS for both academics and behavior while serving as her school’s PBIS Team Co-Facilitator and Lead Facilitator for behavioral supports at the Tier 2 and Tier 3 level. Brooke’s interests include systems change, early intervention, exceptional student education, disproportionality, and integrated service delivery.

Brian Gaunt is a Technical Assistant Specialist for the FLPBIS Project. Dr. Gaunt assists both projects with coordinating activities to assist districts with implementing and aligning their academic and behavior systems of support. This includes facilitating collaboration to promote an integrated approach to implementing Multi-tiered Systems of Supports (MTSS) as a framework for organizing school organizations and implementing evidence-based practices in schools. Dr. Gaunt received his Master's degree in Behavior Analysis at the University of Nevada, Reno, Education Specialist's degree in School Psychology with an emphasis in Curriculum & Instruction at USF, and his Doctorate degree in School Psychology specializing in Reading Development and Evaluation at USF. Prior to joining the FLPBIS Project, Dr. Gaunt worked as an Early Intervention/Pre-School Consultant, School Psychologist, and most recently as an RtI Coach and Regional Coordinator for the Florida PS/RtI Project. His research and applied interests include educational system's change, program evaluation, literacy development, integrated service delivery systems, early childhood learning, social and emotional development, and parent/child/family advocacy.

Kristi Gomez serves as a Technical Assistance Specialist with Florida’s PBIS Project. Prior to joining the project, she served as the PBIS District Coordinator for 5 years, supporting 43 schools, in Clay County, Florida. In her 16 years in Clay, she also served in many roles including classroom teacher and instructional coach. Kristi also served as a member of her district's Multi-tiered System of Support (MTSS) District Leadership Team, Professional Learning Advisory Council, and the District Accreditation Team. She holds a bachelor's degree in education from the University of North Florida and a master's degree in educational leadership from the University of West Florida.

Lauren Kowalski is a Technical Assistance Specialist with the Florida PBIS Project. With a career in education in Florida dating back to 2005, Lauren brings extensive experience in classroom instruction, leadership, and district-level roles. She has a strong background in both primary and secondary education, where she played a key role in implementing PBIS and MTSS at the school-wide level. Additionally, she served as a mentor teacher, instructional leader, and contributed to various district planning and curriculum teams. Most recently, Lauren was the PBIS District Coordinator for Martin County, where she managed PBIS implementation across 22 schools and provided training and support to 15 district PBIS coaches. In this role, she also oversaw all K-12 prevention initiatives within the district, including training, monitoring, and reporting on these programs. Lauren holds a bachelor’s degree in international business from Penn State University and an Elementary Education certification from East Stroudsburg University.

Betsy Lazega currently serves as a Technical Assistance Specialist with FLPBIS Project and began working with the project in 2017. Betsy holds a Specialist of Education degree in School Psychology from the University of South Florida, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of South Florida. Prior to joining the FLPBIS Project, Betsy worked in Hillsborough County Public Schools for 16 years.  She served as a School Psychologist, district facilitator for MTSS, and a District Resource Teacher for Charter Schools. She also provided consultation and support to new School Psychologists in the district as an Instructional Mentor.  Her research and applied interests include systems change, exceptional student education, social justice, and disproportionality.

Jayson Lobley serves as a Technical Assistance Specialist with Florida’s PBIS Project. Jayson holds a Specialist of Education degree in Educational Leadership, a Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling, and Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Processes Disorders. He also holds professional certifications as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Licensed Mental Health Counselor. His experiences have included work in residential treatment facilities, home and community behavior and mental health services, and K-12 education. Prior to joining Florida’s PBIS Project, Jayson served in several capacities over a 20-year career within Brevard Public Schools as a Behavior Analyst, PBIS District Coordinator, and school and district administrator. During this time, Jayson scaled up PBIS across the district and aligned initiatives within the PBIS framework through leadership and training for school and district staff members. Additional activities included supervision of the district’s behavior support team and intensive work with struggling schools to establish tiered behavior supports for all students. His interests include systems leadership and change, Applied Behavior Analysis, and school-based mental health.

Stephanie Martinez currently serves as a Technical Assistance Specialist with FLPBIS Project and has been working with the project since 2003. She is the PI on the Freshmen Success Grant in collaboration with the University of Oregon. Dr. Martinez provides training and technical assistance to districts around Tier 1, Tier 2, Classroom Coaching, Relationship-Based Practices,  and four-step problem-solving to address disproportionality. Dr. Martinez received her Master’s Degree in Special Education from the University of Florida and her Specialist Degree in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University. She earned her doctorate degree from the University of South Florida in Curriculum and Instruction with a Specialization in Special Education. She is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst. Prior to coming to the project, she worked as a Special Education Teacher and a Placement Specialist. Her current research interests include implementation of student voice in PBIS and secondary schools, relationship-based practices, classroom supports, and disproportionate discipline. She co-leads the High School APBS Network.

Robyn Vanover joined the FLPBIS Project in 2015 and currently provides training and technical assistance to the school districts along the Treasure Coast. Robyn graduated from St. Joseph Hospital School of Nursing in 1980. She began her career in Illinois as a Pediatric Nurse then spent several years working as nurse/counselor on an adolescent inpatient unit for addiction treatment. Robyn also spent several years working with a consortium of school districts training faculty and staff with developing and sustaining substance abuse prevention, intervention and support systems. It was during this time, she successfully completed training as a Certified Prevention Specialist. After moving to Florida in 1999, she has worked for the Martin County School District as the Safe and Drug Free Schools Coordinator, and later the District Coordinator for Positive Behavior Support. During her years with Martin County School District, Robyn supported 21 schools in the development of a multi-tiered system of supports.

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