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About the Speakers

OPENING KEYNOTE Allen Broyles | Senior Managing Director, MehtaCognition
Allen Broyles is an experienced strategic senior leader and educator with a proven track record of designing and building innovative schools, initiatives and programs that foster competency-based learning, equity and inclusion, and data-driven decision making.
A sought-after speaker, he has presented and consulted at numerous regional, national, and international conferences and schools on the topics of applying neuroscience to teaching and learning; differentiation; executive functions; and belonging and inclusion.
Allen is a faculty member of one of NAIS's leadership institutes, has served on the national board of directors for the Learning Disabilities Association of America, and is a faculty member of the Institute for New Teachers at SAIS. Prior to his role at MehtaCognition, Allen held several senior leadership positions in schools, including Assistant Head of School at The Children's School in Atlanta, Assistant Head of School of The Howard School in Atlanta, and Founding Director of The Howard Institute in Atlanta.
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FAMILY PARTNERS SEMINAR PRESENTER Dr. Alex Bettis
Dr. Bettis is a licensed clinical psychologist, private practice owner, and researcher in Nashville. She completed her PhD in clinical psychology at Vanderbilt University, and a postdoctoral fellowship in child and adolescent mental health at Brown Medical School. Dr. Bettis's research has been funded by NIMH, the American Psychological Foundation, and the Klingenstein Foundation, and she has published over 50 peer-reviewed manuscripts in child and family mental health. Dr. Bettis currently offers therapy to children, teens, and families in Tennessee, where she specializes in treating anxiety, OCD, and depression.

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PRESENTING RESEARCHERS
Dr. Marcia Barnes
Marcia Barnes is a Professor of Special Education and Co-Chair of the Department of Special Education at Vanderbilt University where she also holds the Dunn Family Chair in Psychoeducational Assessment. She conducts research on the cognitive processes associated with difficulties in reading comprehension and mathematics in children with or at risk for learning disabilities. Her research in early mathematics is concerned with designing and testing interventions that address both the mathematical and neurocognitive difficulties of young children at high risk for developing disabilities in mathematics. Her program of research in reading comprehension involves the construction of novel instruments to assess inference and text-integration skills; testing sources of reading comprehension difficulties in adolescent readers; and the creation and testing of interventions to improve reading comprehension, particularly inferential and integrative aspects of comprehension. Her research also focuses on better understanding complex learning disorders involving co-occurring difficulties in math, reading, and attention. Her research has received federal funding from the Institute of Education Sciences, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Science Foundation. She is the author of several peer-reviewed papers and book chapters and co-authored a widely-used book on learning disability identification, assessment, and intervention. Her research papers have appeared in various journals including Scientific Studies of Reading; Psychological Bulletin; Journal of Educational Psychology; Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness; Journal of Learning Disabilities; Journal of the International Neuropsychological Association; and Neuropsychology.
Dr. Sam Gesel
Dr. Samantha (Sam) Gesel is an assistant professor of the practice of special education. She also serves as the assistant director to the Roberts Academy at Vanderbilt University, a school for students with dyslexia that has opened for its inaugural year in August 2024. Gesel’s work focuses on intensive intervention and data-based decision-making in reading for students with or at-risk for dyslexia. Specifically, her work centers impact of professional development on pre-service and in-service teachers’ ability to engage in this work effectively in practice to support students.
Dr. Brian Weiler
Brian Weiler, Ph.D, CCC-SLP, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) and Director of Pediatric Speech-Language Pathology at the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center. He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. at Vanderbilt University and worked clinically as a pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist at the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center. His clinical and research interests include characterizing the linguistic skills of children with typical and impaired language to inform identification and intervention efforts. He has published papers on the topics of grammar, syntax, and language screening. He teaches coursework in childhood language impairment.
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EXHIBITING SPEAKER Dr. Suzanne Quinn, KOMPAN
Suzanne Quinn has a PhD in child and family studies from Syracuse University. She is the manager of the KOMPAN Play Institute, Americas. In this role she is part of the international research team for the company, and the lead for North America. The institute investigates trends and issues in the fields of play, health, and the built environment and consults with children on what is best in play. Suzanne is an editor of the 2018 Routledge Handbook of International Perspectives on Early Childhood Education and a diverse catalog of peer reviewed publications. She has extensive teaching experience as a university lecturer.
NETWORK SESSION PRESENTERS
Ana Belk
Licensed Behavior Analyst, Faculty, Concord Academy
Courtney Gallaher, MS, OTR/L
Courtney Gallaher earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Health and a Master of Science degree in Occupational Therapy, both from Belmont University. Her career in occupational therapy began at the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center in 2001, where she provided direct therapy services to the pediatric population, frequently supporting the school age child. In August 2003, she entered into a partnership with Currey Ingram Academy, fulfilling a grant-funded position that bridged the academy with the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center until 2006. In 2007, she assumed the role of Currey Ingram Academy’s inaugural Lower School Occupational Therapist, serving in that capacity until May 2020. In that role, she was integral in establishing population-based OT services, unifying the handwriting curriculum, training staff, consulting with educational teams, and offering professional development to the community. She currently serves as the Assistant Director of Admission and Director of the Annette Eskind Institute of Learning at Currey Ingram Academy. Courtney has a passion for serving students and families impacted by learning differences, values life-long learning, and seeks to empower others.
Cindy Knaebel
Faculty, Davidson Academy
Melissa Miller
Licensed Behavior Analyst, Faculty, Concord Academy
Courtney Reed
Faculty, Davidson Academy
Alex Whipple
Licensed Behavior Analyst, Faculty, Concord Academy
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