Thad Shunkwiler is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Science at Minnesota State University, Mankato. In addition to his academic work, he is a licensed behavioral health provider with over a decade of experience in treating people with mental health and substance use disorders in Minnesota communities. In 2021, he founded the Center for Rural Behavioral Health, whose mission is to improve access to mental healthcare for agricultural and rural communities in Minnesota. He recently formed Midwest Mental Health Solutions, a training and consulting firm that is committed to providing services for behavioral health professionals and organizations across the Midwestern states. As an author, TED speaker, and a national and international conference keynote presenter, Professor Shunkwiler is a recognized leader in transforming behavioral healthcare.
Heather Kohls is a Senior Child Welfare Specialist and the Prevention Program Coordinator for Action for Child Protection, a non-profit organization that provides training and technical assistance to child welfare agencies around the country. In this role, she supports implementation planning and ongoing technical assistance for new and existing replications of the evidence-informed Family Connections program. Heather also provides ongoing training, supervisory coaching, case consultation, and fidelity review support to hotline/Intake, CPS assessment, in-home services, and ongoing/permanency programs implementing Action’s SAFE model.
With more than 20 years of experience in child welfare across non-profit and state government systems, Heather began her career with the State of Wisconsin, serving as an Initial Assessment Social Worker, Supervisor, Manager, and Trainer. She also partnered with the Wisconsin Child Welfare Professional Development System to support the development of a structured training program for new child welfare staff and was responsible for hiring, training, and supervising incoming staff while managing Initial Assessment/CPS teams.
Dr. Jason Kilmer is a Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington (UW) School of Medicine and an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at UW. Throughout his career, Jason has worked in both the student affairs world and the research world. In each professional position he has held, his responsibilities include research related to reducing harms associated with substance use by college students and directly serving and supporting students and colleagues in divisions of Students Affairs or Student Life.
At UW’s Center for the Study of Health & Risk Behaviors (CSHRB), Jason serves as an investigator on several studies evaluating prevention and intervention efforts for alcohol, cannabis, and other drug use by college students. In addition to research and teaching, Jason has worked extensively with college students and campus professionals around alcohol and other drug prevention programming both at UW and on over 150 campuses nationwide.
Jason has been project faculty for several international learning collaboratives, including Dartmouth’s National College Health Improvement Program and the International Town and Gown Association’s (ITGA’s) partnership with UW’s BASICS Innovations Group to support campuses in their implementation of Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (BASICS).
Jason was the 2014 recipient of the National Prevention Network’s Award of Excellence for outstanding contributions to the prevention field, was the 2024 recipient of The Montana Institute’s Science of the Positive National Leadership Award, and was the 2025 recipient of NASPA’s George D. Kuh Award for Outstanding Contribution to Literature and/or Research.
Robin Pendleton: Director of Training for Pursuit of Discovery has developed curriculum and trainings for numerous State Units on Aging, local governments, and not for profits focusing on communication, professional development, and supervisory skills. He has also been employed with the State of Missouri for over 20 years, working with the Departments of Mental Health and currently with Department of Health and Senior Services. He has served as the training unit supervisor for Adult Protective Services as well as trainer for Human Resources. He has over a decade of experience training employees in many topics focused on providing trauma informed, person centered care. Robin is also currently the Chair of the Curriculum Development Committee for the National Adult Protective Services Association.
Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas is a clinical psychologist and internationally recognized leader in suicide prevention. After losing her brother Carson to suicide, she has dedicated her career to advancing lived-experience-informed, systems-level solutions. She has held leadership roles with the American Association of Suicidology, Suicide Prevention Resource Center, National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, the International Association for Suicide Prevention, and the 988 Lifeline, and is Co-Founder of United Suicide Survivors International. She is also the lead author of the National Guidelines for Workplace Suicide Prevention and founder of H.O.P.E. Certification. A sought-after keynote speaker, TEDx presenter, and consultant, Sally has partnered with organizations including Google, Amazon, Southwest Airlines, and the FBI, and was invited to the White House in 2016 to advance workplace suicide prevention, equipping leaders with practical strategies to strengthen psychological safety, reduce risk, and build resilient workforces.
Dr. Blake Gilbert is a licensed clinical psychologist at Southeast Behavioral Health Clinic and is a clinical supervisor for the APA Accredited Internship Program. He earned a PhD in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in Forensic Psychology at Fielding Graduate University and completed an APA-accredited internship at Southeast Human Service Center. He completed his psychology residency at Southeast Human Service Center and became a licensed psychologist for the state of North Dakota in 2020. Dr. Gilbert also teaches a variety of psychology courses at North Dakota State University, including Clinical Psychology, Forensic Psychology, and both Adult and Child Psychopathology courses. Since becoming licensed, Dr. Gilbert developed an expertise in evaluating youth for a variety of difficulties and complexities, including neurodivergence. He regularly evaluates youth and consults with various youth and family treatment teams, not only at Southeast but also at multiple psychiatric residential treatment centers.
Natalie Reiter is an LPCC/LPC in North Dakota and LPC in Minnesota. Natalie is also certified in perinatal mental health through Postpartum Support International and serves on the PSI-ND board. Natalie has been practicing for over 15 years and has experience in academic and private practice settings. In 2019 Natalie was awarded the North Dakota Outstanding Mental Health Counselor of the year award for her work in Reproductive mental health and telehealth. Natalie founded Prairieland Counseling Services in 2018, which serves North Dakota and Minnesota. Prairieland Counseling is proud to be a blue dot safe spot and has 3 PMH-C counselors on staff.
Timothy McMahan King is a writer, Senior Fellow for Clergy for a New Drug Policy, and author of Addiction Nation (2019). His second book, What Are Drugs For?, is forthcoming in September 2026. He has lectured across the country on the unique intersection of faith, science, and drug policy reform. His writing has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, CNN, and The Washington Post, and he has spoken and lectured at institutions across the country, including Georgetown and Harvard Law Schools and the Chautauqua Institution.
Josh Seezs is a Certified Social Worker-Private Independent Practice (CSW-PIP), Clinician, Master Trainer Consultant at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation and serves as an adjunct faculty member at the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School in Center City, MN. Josh also serves on the Board of Directors at Central Minnesota Mental Health Center (CMMHC). He is certified in Motivational Interviewing and is experienced in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and suicide prevention. He treated co-occurring disorders and served Veterans and their families for fourteen years at the St. Cloud Veterans Affairs Health Care System. With a passion for helping others achieve their goals, Josh employs evidence-based techniques to guide individuals towards positive change. He is a graduate of George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.
Dr. John “Push” Gaines is a former at-risk kid turned CEO/Founder of nonprofit PUSH for Dreams, a Best-selling author, renowned speaker, leadership consultant, and mentorship advocate. His message of pushing through adversity and defying the odds has transformed classrooms, school districts, and businesses across the nation.
Dr. Gaines has heartfelt enthusiasm for his audience and embraces crucial subject matters with a highly organic, kind-hearted approach fueled by positivity and the intrinsic desire to unite community. Dr. Gaines is celebrated for nurturing youth & professionals through his own trauma, life experience, and unique challenges that ultimately became the driving force behind his mission and genuine desire to elevate and motivate students, teachers, administrators, professionals, and communities. Dr. Gaines was named one of the “Top 10 Most Influential People of 2020” by YAHOO News 2020. Dr. Gaines’ ability to relate to his audiences and help them imagine greater possibilities makes him so unique.
Dr. Gaines earned his nickname “PUSH” because he believes in the power of perseverance and teaches others to “keep pushing” through life’s obstacles to become the best version of themselves.
He has devoted himself to the world community. He has proudly appeared as a guest speaker at universities, corporations, national conferences, nonprofit events, NBA skill camps, school assemblies, and youth camps nationwide. As a graduate of East Central University, where he was named Outstanding Student in Business and won a football championship as captain of the football team, he is the picture of success. With a Master’s degree in Business Leadership and a Doctorate in Business Administration, he demonstrates outstanding dedication and personal achievement.
His greatest joy is being a husband to Emily and a father to Anorah, Benny, and Jonah.
Erin Walsh is co-founder of Spark & Stitch Institute and author of It’s Their World: Teens, Screens, and the Science of Adolescence. She has worked with communities across the country who want to better understand child and adolescent development and cut through conflicting information about kids and technology. Her work has been featured in the Washington Post, Edutopia, Parents.com, Psychology Today, and Minnesota Public Radio. She co-authored the Tenth Anniversary Edition of the national bestseller Why Do They Act That Way? A Survival Guide to the Adolescent Brain for You and Your Teen and has worked with schools, school districts, parent groups and other youth serving organizations throughout the United States and Canada on issues related to digital media, parenting, and child and adolescent development. You can follow her work at sparkandstitchinstitute.com.
Dr. Tully is a Harvard-trained clinical psychologist and expert in early psychosis, with nearly two decades of experience designing, implementing, and scaling evidence-based care for young people with serious mental illness. They have led major statewide initiatives to expand coordinated specialty care and training infrastructure, including work with California’s Early Psychosis Technical Assistance Center. Currently, as VP of Partnerships & Clinical Integrations at Kooth, they focus on extending early intervention principles into population-level digital mental health systems.
Patti Heffernan is a dedicated servant leader, community networker, and experienced professional with a strong commitment to social justice and education. With over 20 years of leadership experience, Patti sparked change in the recovery movement in the state of Wisconsin as well as nationally. Her passion for creating meaningful and positive change through innovative solutions to complex community needs led her to become a Co-Owner, trainer and Consultant at Helios Recovery Services LLC in Appleton, WI, in 2015. In 2021 She founded Helios Heuristic INC a 501 C3 direct service program for families at the intersection of SUD and Child welfare
Patti's extensive experience in foster care, juvenile justice, and homelessness has given her a unique perspective on how to support individuals and families struggling with similar issues. She leverages her lived experience to help others achieve stability through unconditional support, unrelenting empathy and compassion.
Patti has been the keynote at the WI District 8 Congressional Trauma Symposium in 2018 and 2019, and has been a presenter and organizer for the National Mobilize Recovery Conference in 2019 and 2020. She is also a speaker and volunteer recruiter for Fox Cities CASA ( Court Appointed Special Advocate), and a member of Outagamie County Citizen Review Panel for Child Protection Oversight. Most recently Patti has been a consultant for a number of federal panels for best practice, recovery/peer friendly work places, building recovery capital in communities, and maintaining recovery ecosystems. These panels include The Power of Peers Summit in DC and Region 5 Recovery Summit: Great Lakes Unity in Cleveland, OH. Patti was a leader in the movement to pass legislation to make recovery coaching Medicaid reimbursable in the state of Wisconsin. Her evidenced based practice for recovery peer support had a 94% success rate for families enrolled in her program services in 2023 and 2024.
Kate Price, Internationally Recognized Child Sex Trafficking Expert, Lecturer, Author
Kate Price is an associate research scientist at the Wellesley Centers for Women, a research institute where she studies family-controlled commercial sexual exploitation of children and state-level child sex trafficking policy. She is also the author of This Happened to Me: A Reckoning, a harrowing, powerful memoir of survival and resilience.
In This Happened to Me, Price describes how she broke free from familial cycles of poverty, violence, addiction, mental illness, and abuse, leaving her small, central Pennsylvania hometown behind and creating a purpose-driven life and family, on her own terms. But despite escaping this dark world, it kept a firm grip on her. Overcome with unexplainable grief and sadness as a young adult living in Boston, Price sought out trauma specialist Dr Bessel van der Kolk, to help unpack her past through EDMR therapy. Together, they discovered that Price’s father had abused and trafficked her as a child and Price’s story was featured in van der Kolk’s bestselling book, The Body Keeps the Score.
Over the course of 10 years, Price returned to the Appalachian community she grew up in searching for confirmation and proof that her memories and flashbacks had happened. With the help of a trusted journalist and many trips to the hometown Price thought she had left forever, the two found the evidence they had fought hard for. From victim to advocate, from fearful child to empowered adult, and from despair to triumph, This Happened to Me is a story of astonishing resilience and breathtaking determination.
Price is an advisor for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s Global Platform for Child Exploitation Policy and Child Sex Trafficking Expert Working Group, and an alumni scholar at the Brandeis University Women’s Studies Research Center. She is the recipient of a My Life, My Choice Beacon of Light Award, a Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize medal, a Mariam K. Chamberlain Dissertation Award from the International Centers for Research on Women, and an American Association of University Women Dissertation Fellowship.
As an internationally recognized child sex trafficking expert and lecturer, Price has influenced the passage of state-level children’s human rights legislation and United Nations policy. In her keynote talks, Price draws on her own experiences and studies to speak about the reality of child sex trafficking, intergenerational trauma, and cyclical poverty, while also addressing the resources and services needed to ensure that communities can adequately protect children.
Price received her MA in gender/cultural studies from Simmons College and earned her PhD in sociology from the University of Massachusetts Boston. She lives in Massachusetts with her family.
Katie Krukenberg, LMSW, is an Associate Professor and the Program Director of the Social Work Program at the University of Mary. She obtained a Master’s degree from Florida State University and Bachelor’s degrees in social work and criminal justice from the University of North Dakota. Prior to teaching at University of Mary, Katie worked primarily with at-risk youth and families as a social worker for Bismarck Public Schools, Charles Hall Youth Services, and Home on the Range, and she and her husband were licensed foster parents for 10 years. Katie currently serves on the executive board for the Abused Adult Resource Center, on the Community Advisory Committee for South Central Alternative High School, and is the coordinator for the Survivor Mentorship Program for survivors of human trafficking through the 31:8 Project. Katie and her family live in Bismarck, ND.
Andrea Boxill is a Master Trainer and Consultant for Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. Most recently, Andrea served as the Administrator for the Department of Addiction Services at Columbus Public Health in Ohio. During this period, Andrea was also the administrator for the Columbus and Franklin County Addiction Plan coalition. Andrea has also served as the Deputy Director for the Ohio Governor’s Cabinet Opiate Action Team and assisted in developing the policy to make Naloxone and developing the Overdose Surge Response Notification Process for the State of Ohio. Andrea holds a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies and a Master of Arts in Counseling. Andrea has worked in the mental health and addiction system for over 30 years.