Hand in Hand: A Manual for Creating Trauma-Informed Leadership Committees

Kimberly F. Arnold, M.A.Ed., has worked in various roles in the education field over the past 28 years. Kimberly has worked as a para-professional, pre-kindergarten teacher, and a special education teacher. Currently, she works as a behavior specialist for the Fort Zumwalt School District in O Fallon, Missouri. She supports school staffs through collaboration in writing trauma-informed Individualized Education Programs. She also consults with problem-solving teams to implement trauma-informed interventions for students with social, emotional, and behavioral concerns. Training administrators, teachers, and paraprofessionals on trauma-informed best teaching practices across the school district has led to her involvement with developing the Trauma-Informed Leadership Committee (TLC) model.

Theresa Kummer is a Behavior Specialist and former Special Education teacher for the Fort Zumwalt School District in O Fallon, MO. She spent 14 years in the classroom and currently supports students impacted by trauma, as well as their teachers. Theresa collaborates with school staff and IEP teams to develop and implement trauma-informed strategies, interventions, BIPs, and IEPs. She trainscertified staff and support staff on trauma-informed classroom practices. She helped develop the Trauma-Informed Leadership Committee, helped create a manual for the model, and has trained and supported TLC teams.

Deanne McCullough, Ed.D., is an Executive Director of Behavior Support Services in the Fort Zumwalt School District. She currently serves as the building administrator of a separate public school for students in grades K-8 with social, emotional, and behavioral concerns. In addition to being a building administrator, Deanne supports district-level programs for students with similar needs. Previous educational positions have included elementary principal, assistant principal, regular education teacher in grades 3-5, and special education teacher for students with behavioral needs in elementary, middle, and high school. Deanne works with other administrators, teachers, and support staff members throughout the district to help implement trauma-sensitive strategies and collaborates about staff training needs. She meets regularly with building administrators to support the development and sustainability of effective Trauma-Informed Leadership Committees (TLC s).

Amanda E. Settle, M.A.Ed., is a behavior specialist with the Fort Zumwalt School District in Missouri and has seven years of experience working as a special education teacher with a focus on challenging behavior. Amanda collaborates with and supports district programs that focus on trauma-informed approaches at the secondary level. She works closely with teams to help develop and implement trauma-informed interventions and strategies, Individualized Education Programs, and behavior intervention plans.