ButterCup

Lou Mongello is a former attorney who left the practice to pursue his passion and is now a Disney expert, author, podcaster, speaker, entrepreneur, and host of http://WDWRadio.com, named Best Travel Podcast for 9 consecutive years.

He is the author of books and audio tours about the Disney Parks, and founder of http://DreamTeamProject.org, which has raised more than $250,000 to date to send children with life-threatening illnesses to Walt Disney World through the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America

He provides mentoring, consulting, and workshops to those looking to build their business and brand, and is also a keynote speaker at events, conferences, and schools. Lou shares the magic of Disney and/or the power of new and social media, podcasting, live video, community, entrepreneurship, how to follow one's dreams and passions, and custom topics tailored to the event audience. http://LouMongello.com

Social Links:

LouMongello.com

WDWRadio.com

Twitter.com/LouMongello

Facebook.com/LouMongello

Instagram.com/LouMongello

YouTube.com/WDWRadio

Dr. Jean Feldman's noteworthy educational career has spanned more than 40 years. She has served as a classroom teacher, instructor of adults, author, and consultant. She is a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the National Kindergarten Alliance, Dr. Feldman's list of degrees include a B.A. from the University of Georgia, a D.A.S.T. from Emory University, and both M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Georgia State University. She is currently Early Childhood Educator in Residence at the College of Charleston. Dr. Feldman inspires teachers across the country with her engaging songs and creative activities that help make teaching and learning FUN!

Dr. Jean's blog is drjeanandfriends.blogspot.com and website is drjean.org.

Jane Squires, Ph.D., is a professor in special education, with research interests focused on early intervention and early childhood special education (EI/ECSE)--specifically screening, assessment, and early identification of developmental delays. She also focuses on personnel development and effective EI/ECSE practices. She has served as principal investigator on numerous research studies focused on assessment of social emotional competence, parent-completed developmental screening processes, personnel training, and systems change related to early identification of young children at risk for developmental and social emotional delays. Dr. Squires conducts research and outreach in early intervention/early childhood special education and is Director of the Early Intervention Program Research Area. With Diane Bricker, she is author of the Ages & Stages Questionnaires and An Activity-Based Approach to Developing Young Children's Social Emotional Competence.

http://agesandstages.com/

Matt de la Peña is the New York Times Bestselling, Newbery Medal -winning author of six young adult novels: Ball Don't Lie, Mexican WhiteBoy, We Were Here, I Will Save You, The Living and The Hunted. He's also the author of the critically-acclaimed picture books A Nation's Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis (illustrated by Kadir Nelson) and Last Stop on Market Street (illustrate d by Christian Robinson). Matt received his MFA in creative writing from San Diego State University and his BA from the University of the Pacific where he attended school on a full basketball scholarship. de la Peña currently lives in Brooklyn NY. He teaches creative writing and visits high schools and colleges throughout the country.

Website: http://mattdelapena.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/matt.delapena.5

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mattdelapena

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattdelapena/

Mr. Sam Donaldson is a distinguished reporter who has been a news anchor for ABC News, White House Correspondent, and author of the book titled, "Hold On, Mr. President!" Mr. Donaldson has anchored many television shows in the United States which include: World News Sunday and Primetime Live with Diane Sawyer. Mr. Donaldson has earned several accolades for his work including multiple Emmy and Peabody Awards.

Dr. Frances Glascoe is a Professor Pediatrics at Vanderbilt University where for she directed the developmental-behavioral pediatrics rotation for 15 years and continues to work with pediatric residents, nursing and medical students, and community providers. She is the author of more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, a textbook on developmental-behavioral services in primary care, several screening tests, serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics and is a past editor of the American Academy of Pediatrics' Section on Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics Newsletter. In October, 2000, she received the Academy's Dale Richmond Award in child development.

Craig Ramey is Professor and Distinguished Research Scholar of Human Development at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute; Professor of Psychology, Neuroscience, and Human Development at Virginia Tech; Professor of Pediatrics at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine; and Chief Science Officer for Human Development for the City of Roanoke, Virginia. His program of research centers on the role of experience – across the human lifespan - in the development of competence and robust health. His approach relies largely on experimental interventions in education, psychology, and pediatrics that provide rigorous tests of plausible developmental mechanisms of stability and change within dynamic, multilayered ecologies.

Ramey engages both epidemiological and longitudinal datasets to provide a broad contextual framework for identifying the multiple inter-related conditions that influence biopsychosocial risk, protective, and facilitating factors. His research findings are highly relevant to many national and international policy issues. Accordingly, he has extended his research into topics that address "going-to-scale" and rapid application of scientific findings that can prevent disabilities, promote children's education and health outcomes, and improve family and community wellbeing. This new field of "implementation science" represents a new frontier for the neurosciences and for educating health practitioners and policymakers.

Robert Gallen, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist and Associate Professor of practice at the University of Pittsburgh where he coordinates the Master of Science in Applied Developmental Psychology program. He was founding president of the Pennsylvania Association for Infant Mental Health and is a fellow in the ZERO TO THREE Academy. He teaches courses in infant mental health and evidence-based practices.

Mary Jo is an author, storyteller, recording artist and puppeteer who creates books, CDs and DVDs filled with original stories, songs, and finger plays. She has visited 46 states and presented to thousands of children and adults. Mary Jo is an Early Childhood teaching artist, past director of a center with 115 children, and is an onsite consultant for Early Childhood centers, schools, 4C, Head Start and Family Childcare. Mary Jo has written for the Frog Street's Pre-K Curriculum and Gryphon House, Monday Morning Publishing, SECA and many publications for Early Childhood educators. She works with children in school settings. Her information and experiences are presented in a humorous, enthusiastic style with practical ideas that create new early literacy activities that can be implemented immediately. Mary Jo shares passionately, in an interactive, hands-on, participatory atmosphere. Plan to snap, clap, wiggle and giggle as you learn new ways to connect with children and parents.

Kevin Marks, MD FAAP is a full-time general pediatrician and part-time pediatric hospitalist at PeaceHealth Medical Group in Eugene, Oregon. He received his bachelor of science degree at the University of Notre Dame, attended medical school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and completed his pediatric residency at the University of California School of Medicine San Francisco-Fresno. He enjoys precepting medical students as a clinical assistant professor at Oregon Health & Science University and heavily encourages his students to use evidence-based screening tools, rather than informal milestone checklists.

Dr. Marks has authored numerous journal articles and textbook chapters on the early identification, prevention, treatment and ongoing monitoring of children with developmental and behavioral challenges. He has been a stalwart and enthusiastic "screening champion" in his own medical group, which blazed quality improvement trails by being "early adopters" of multiple screening tools, one of them being the Ages & Stages Questionnaire (ASQ), and then employed these tools in combination with the Read Out and Read (ROR) program, which promotes early literacy and school readiness.

Dr. Marks was a key member behind Oregon's Assuring Better Child Development (ABCD) leadership team that spread the use of evidence-based screening tools statewide to other primary care practices. He participated in Oregon's Help Me Grow (HMG) project to improve care coordination services for children identified with suspected developmental delays and/or mental health problems. He has been involved in Oregon's Screening Tools and Referral Training (START) project and is also a health advisor board member for his county's Head Start program.