Speakers
Keynote Presenter
Christian Moore is an internationally renowned speaker, social worker, and author of The Resilience Breakthrough. The WhyTry Program that he authored is used in 18,000 institutions worldwide, and has proven to effectively teach the social and emotional skills needed to thrive in school and life.
Trauma-informed Instruction & Care
Brian Farragher | Executive Director, Hanna Boys Center
Brian has served as the Executive Director at the Hanna Boys
Center in Sonoma County since April, 2014. Brian is a 31-year veteran of managing residential treatment centers. Before that he was Executive
Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at the Andrus Children’s Center where he had oversight of all
agency programs, facility operations and human resources. He has also worked as a consultant for the Cornell University’s
Family Life Development Center and co-authored two books
on trauma-informed systems of care.
Jessica Progulske | Program Coordinator for Student Supports, SCOE
Jessica endeavors to ensure that students have relevant, meaningful learning experiences to engage in at school. In her role at the county office of education, she advocates for all aspects of engagement for all students: behavioral, social-emotional, and cognitive.
Dave Rose | Assistant Supt. of Student Services, Petaluma City Schools
Dave has been an administrator in Petaluma City Schools for the last 19 years, including five years as a junior high school principal and 13 years working with all of the schools in the district addressing school safety and climate, discipline, truancy, placement, support services and liaison with community agencies. He has presented the current Petaluma City Schools climate and safety model twice in Washington D.C.
Violence Prevention Strategies
Tommy Isachsen | Sergeant, Santa Rosa Police Department
Sergeant Tommy Isachsen supervises the Santa Rosa Police Department Gang Crimes Team, which conducts gang-related investigations ranging from attempted homicides to vandalism; proactive street level enforcement; intelligence gathering; and more. The Gang Crimes Team is also part of the FBI North Bay Regional Gang Task Force (Safe Street Task Force). Tommy has been a police officer with the Santa Rosa Police Department since 2002. He is also a member of the Santa Rosa Violence Prevention Partnership where he works in collaboration with numerous community based organizations to educated and prevent gang violence.
Gustavo Mendoza | California Youth Outreach
Gustavo was born and raised in Santa Rosa. He was impacted by social injustice, gang involvement, alcohol, and substance abuse. He now works at California Youth Outreach with at risk youth, reconnecting them to family community and caring adults.
Suicide Prevention Resources for Youth
Amy Faulstich | Sonoma County Behavioral Health
Amy Faulstich, MSW has over 15 years developing and implementing programs to improve
access to mental health and social services to underserved populations in Marin and Sonoma
counties. Currently, she serves as the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) Coordinator for the
Sonoma County Department of Health Services Behavioral Health Division. Previously, she was the North Bay Suicide Prevention Project (NBSPP) Coordinator at Family
Service Agency (FSA) of Marin, a Division of Buckelew Programs. There, she was
responsible for the implementation of the North Bay Suicide Prevention Hotline Program funded
by the California Mental Health Services Authority (CalMHSA).
Rocio Pedroso, MPP | Each Mind Matters
Ms. Pedroso is a Resource Navigator for Each Mind Matters (EMM), California’s mental health movement funded by counties through the Mental Health Services Act and administered by the California Health Services Authority. Ms. Pedroso provides resources and support to counties across California to help end stigma related to mental illness, promote mental health, and prevent suicide. For the past five years, Ms. Pedroso has worked with EMM on the Suicide Prevention campaign-Know the Signs—with a particular focus on Spanish-speaking communities.
Karin Sellite | Sonoma County Behavioral Health
In her position with the county, Karin
has managed programs including Sonoma County’s AB 2034 program Project
Hope, Transition Age Youth, SonomaWORKS, and Access. Karin started the
Crisis Assessment, Prevention & Education Team (CAPE), providing crisis
response and mental health education in local high schools and colleges, as well
as the Mobile Support Team (MST) providing crisis response with law
enforcement.
Keeping Youth Safe in the Cyberbullying & Social Media Era
Esther Lemus
Esther Lemus was appointed to the Windsor School Board was appointed in 2015 and elected to this position in November 2016. As a first generation college and law school graduate, Esther recognizes that a quality education can serve to transform the lives of students and their families. Esther is employed by the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office where she has extensive experience working with Truancy Court and the enforcement of the compulsory education laws. Esther currently serves as coordinator for several community safety initiatives related to youth, including the Gun-Violence Information for Teens (GIFT) program and the Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) program which she teaches to elementary and middle school students.
