Presenter Bios
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UDO is continually recruiting and training gifted presenters whom share its message. Through both the internal trainer program it runs with The Children's Guild and the external Certification Program, UDO is constantly adding to its talent pool of experience and expertise. |
"A UDO workshop is always a unique training experience but it's what their trainers have on the inside that makes it extraordinary — solid skills, experience, dedication, empathy, and an amazing ability to relate it to our everyday jobs." — Workshop Participant, 2010 | |
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Master Presenters Frank Kros and Heather Higgins lead the UDO training team and are supported by internal UDO trainer, Marvin Shiflett, who works full-time at The Children's Guild. Certified Presenters are also a highly valued part of the UDO team and include 16 child-serving professionals from across the United States: Ellen Abramson, Betty Caldwell, Linda Chamberlain, Tracy Driscoll, Shelly Eidsness, Deb Ingersoll, Shauna King, Alwynne Lamp, Barbara Lingenfelter, Bonnie Maras, Terri Martin-Yates, Terri McCloskey, Gloria Sherman, Susan Spendido, Jim Taylor, and Wendy Minne. One organization, Casa Pacifica in California, is also certified and has three staff members that deliver UDO seminars: James Freeman, Meredith Hoffmann and Tone Reyes. To learn more about one of our presenters, check out their individual pages where you’ll find a full biography, the workshops they specialize in and – most important – testimonials from UDO customers that will give you first-hand information about the special talents each brings to every seminar they deliver. | ||
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Fr Frank is a career child advocate, who has served as a childcare worker, child abuse investigator, children’s home administrator, consultant, college professor, attorney, writer and speaker. Certified in applied educational neuroscience, Frank currently serves as president of The Upside Down Organization and executive vice president of The Children’s Guild, a multi-service children's organization headquartered in Maryland. |
Heather is the Director of Training and Development for the Upside Down Organization. She has been practicing Social Work for over a decade in Baltimore, Maryland focusing her efforts on working with children and families. | |
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Marvin Shiflett, B.S. Marvin works as a special education teacher at The Children’s Guild and is a trainer for UDO. He has extensive experience working with special needs adolescents one-on-one and in groups. Marvin infuses art, theater, and music to engage his students and maximize their learning and growth. Marvin uses his broad artistic experience to teach, entertain, and inspire his adult audiences. |
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C E R T I F I E D P R E S E N T E R O R G A N I Z A T I O N A certified organization qualifies to have multiple staff trained and licensed to provide UDO seminars. | ||
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James Freeman, James is an expert in serving at-risk youth for and has demonstrated his commitment to improving the lives of those children and youth on the margins of society. From summer camps to group homes to community-based mental health services, James has contributed to delivering children's services at both the direct-care and leadership levels for over 20 years. |
Meredith Hoffmann Meredith is a training specialist at Casa Pacifica Centers for Children and Families in California. Intelligent, insightful and steeped in the intricacies of training, Meredith provides an energy and excitement to presentations that is immediately palpable. | |
Tone Reyes
Tone is a Training Specialist at Casa Pacifica Centers for Children and Families in California and his credibility is evident from the first words he speaks. Tone has done the really hard work in the trenches with children and their families for more than decade. He embodies all the characteristics of a great child-serving professional, including an unrelenting commitment to finding even better ways to meet the needs of those he serves. Tone has "been there and done that," infusing his trainings with authentic stories, warm humor and the knowledge of a professional who has changed the lives of hundreds of kids for the better. |
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| C E R T I F I E D P R E S E N T E R S | ||
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Ellen Abramson,
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Betty Caldwell, M.A. Author, educator, speaker, trainer, therapist, and non-profit executive, Betty is passionately devoted to creating a better world for children. She has contributed professionally to the issues of childhood hunger and poverty at the national level, to international health in West Africa, and to individual therapy for stress and trauma-related issues. Her presentations earn high marks for connecting with participants with warmth and humor. | |
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Linda Chamberlain Scientist, author, professor, dog musher, and founder of the Alaska Family Violence Prevention Project, Dr. Linda Chamberlain is an internationally recognized keynote speaker and champion for health issues related to domestic violence, children exposed to violence and implications for brain development. She is known for her abilities to translate science into practical information with diverse audiences and convey a message of hope and opportunity. Dr. Chamberlain holds faculty appointments at the University of Alaska and Johns Hopkins University. She earned her public health degrees from Yale School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins University. |
Tracy Driscoll, Tracy has been a presenter for The Upside Down Organization for the past three years. She has been practicing in the field of social work for the past eight years working with children and families throughout Maryland. Most recently, Tracy worked as a clinician at The Children's Guild OMHC. | |
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Shelly Eidsness, B.A. Shelly has a deep knowledge of child and youth development honed over two decades of work with individual students, communities and child-serving systems. Shelly has spent the last 11 years as a professional development specialist in Alaska, offering a wide variety of seminars including youth leadership, youth empowerment, diversity, ethics and community organization in support of positive youth development. |
Deb Ingersoll, B.A. Deb Ingersoll brings with her over 23 years of experience as an educator and has a special fondness for adolescents — “Their brains are so INTERESTING!” Upbeat, fun and engaging, Deb generates excitement whenever she presents and always leaves her audience wanting more. [click here to read more about Deb]
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Shauna King, M.Ed. Shauna King, M.Ed., is passionate about working with today’s teachers to help keep their skills sharp and their students at the top of their learning game. She is so committed to this mission that she founded her own professional development organization. Through this organization, Shauna works with schools that are implementing positive and proactive, safe and drug-free initiatives. |
Alwynne Lamp, M.Ed. Alwynne has more than 15 years of school counseling and education experience and in 2010 was named as the Middle School Counselor of the Year by the Florida School Counseling Association — WOW! Alwynne currently works as a school counselor at Christa McAuliffe Middle School in Florida. Other educational roles Alwynne has held include seven years as a Science Teacher and four years as an outdoor/experiential educator with Outward Bound in both Australia and Minnesota. | |
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Barbara Lingenfelter, LCP Barbara has more than 14 years of counseling experience. Her specialty is in mental health and substance abuse treatment of children, adolescents, and adults. Barbara holds professional counseling licenses in two states, Maryland and Texas and is also a National Board Certified Counselor. |
Bonnie Maras, M.S. Bonnie has been educating children in alternative learning settings for the past ten years and is currently a Lecturer at Towson University in Maryland. She is one of the most enthusiastic trainers you will ever experience and her passion and positive attitude are energizing. | |
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Terri Martin-Yates, Terri has a deep passion for helping parents and teachers of young children, particularly those with special needs such as autism and other developmental disorders. In 2009, Terri founded Trainings Made for You, a private training and consulting company that offers cost effective training and educational support for educators in the challenging environment of early childhood education. |
Terri McCloskey Terri is the Program Manager for Healthy Family Partnership and Communities That Care of Wyoming County, PA. For over 15 years, Terri has dedicated her efforts to improving the physical and emotional health, safety and education of children. She has developed programs to encourage positive development of future generations and assist families and community members in protecting and educating children. | |
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Wendy Minne´ Wendy Minne´ has a passion to train adults in a “whole child” approach and to create ways to change the school culture. Wendy was Teacher of the Year in 2010/2011 and was selected to be on the “All-County” Teaching Team. She is currently a 7th grade teacher in Norton, Ohio. |
Jim Taylor Jim has an extensive career in the human service field as a child and youth care advocate and has been with the Cal Farley Boy's Ranch and Girlstown, U.S.A. since 1997 where he is currently Director of Training. His passion for working with young people is derived from his own personal background as a foster-adopt child. Jim's experience in the childcare field includes having served as a direct care worker, houseparent, caseworker, program director, children’s home administrator and homeless shelter administrator. | |
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Gloria Sherman Gloria’s passion is to equip parents, educators and service providers with tools to assist them in their most important job of raising respectful and responsible children. Her interest in brain development and their contributing factors to behavioral patterns in pre-school and adolescent children has led her to focus her skills to address these vital issues. |
Susan Spendido Susan Splendido has been an educator in the Archdiocese of Washington since 1981. She began her career as a junior high language arts teacher. She obtained her Masters in Administration in the spring 1990 and assumed her first principal position at Our Lady of Victory School in Washington, DC the following fall where she remained until 2004. (Click here to learn more about Susan) | |
ank J. Kros, 
Heather Higgins, 
, M.S.Ed.
C
, M.S.
, M.S., LCCA
M.Ed., LPC
