Thom Stecher is a nationally-recognized motivational speaker and educational consultant. He specializes in self-esteem, wellness, and student assistance programs. Raised in a family of educators, Thom believes that education is a life-long process and that we all teach best what we most need to learn. It is therefore imperative that we teach each other.

Thom is one of the original developers of the nationally-recognized and acclaimed Masonic Model Student Assistance Program and has expanded the model to developmentally appropriate programs at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. Thom's work in student assistance finds him in training and development of school based prevention and intervention services for at-risk youth in over 30 states, and in Canada.

e-mail: thom@thomstecher.com

Tracey A. Holland is an educational consultant with Thom Stecher & Associates with a Bachelors Degree in English / Journalism and Elementary Education from Moravian College and a Masters Degree in Special Education from Lehigh University. With an extensive public school teaching background in both regular and special education, Tracey comes to us with a passion and enthusiasm for social / emotional learning and the development of life-long learners in the area of emotional intelligence and healthy communication skills. Tracey brings a wealth of classroom experience of how to put research into practice when engaging the whole-child in the ever-changing, fast paced, 21st century learning environment. Her 15 years of teaching include educating children with Autism, Aspergers, emotional disturbance, learning disabilities, mental retardation, and English as a second language, and special talents all within a regular education setting.

Among the initiatives that stand out in Tracey’s professional portfolio is the partnered development and sustainment of an Advocacy program within a middle school setting. Tracey has conducted staff development workshops and presented nationally on how to take an Advocacy program from merely surviving to thriving. Other staff development workshops included topics such as diversity, differentiation, authentic leadership opportunities for students, functional behavioral analysis and support plans, understanding behavior, and other various social and emotional learning topics.

e-mail: okee17@yahoo.com

Andy Danilchick is a teacher educator and educational consultant who has conducted workshops and professional developments for K-12 educators across the nation. He specializes in differentiated instruction, diversity, learning environment, emotional and social intelligence, character education, and curriculum and assessment. Andy has extensive experience coaching both new and veteran teachers. He is a Penn Mentor at the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania.

Andy has taught for over 15 years in private, public, and charter schools as a certified English and Social Studies Teacher. He was published in a chapter of The Emancipatory Promise of Charter Schools: Towards a Progressive Politics of School Choice. He holds a BA from Swarthmore College and a Masters in Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania. Andy is also a Rockefeller Brothers Fund Fellow for Minorities in Education and was chosen for Rockefeller’s leadership program.

D. Craig Erb has been in the field of public/private school education, behavior management, special education, and coaching for over 30 years. Craig is a national lead trainer for the Masonic Model Student Assistance Program, training teachers to observe, document and intervene with youth at risk. Since 1989, he has been an Experiential Adventure-Based Facilitator receiving training from Project Adventure in Massachusetts, The Outward Bound School of North Carolina and medical training from S.O.L.O. in New Hampshire. Since1997, he has been the President and owner of Experiential Dynamics, Inc., specializing in Experiential Adventure-Based Education with private / public schools, universities, camps, and corporations.

Craig teaches graduate level courses through Saint Joseph’s University and the Chester County Intermediate Unit, and under graduate level course at Ursinus College. Experiential Dynamics, Inc. provides adventure programming, training, and facilitators to many summer camps and in conjunction with Stecher & Assoc. establishes and runs “life skills” adventure camps in several states. Craig works with youth and adults experientially in initiative programs, low/high ropes challenge courses, and outdoor adventure experiences. Another aspect of Experiential Dynamics, Inc. is assisting schools to incorporate experiential and adventure-based activities into their curriculums and in-service programming. Craig provides construction of low / high ropes challenge courses, climbing / traverse walls, and training in safety, class management, facilitation, and use of all equipment.

Perk Musacchio has a M.Ed. in special education and a B.S. in elementary education. In her 30+ years in education, she has served in many roles. Perk has been a classroom teacher for 16 years, a special education teacher for 3 years and an instructional support teacher for 12 years. In her school, she is known as the "Queen of Strategies". If a student is having difficulty learning a skill, she will pull from her bag of tricks. If she doesn't have a trick, she will create one! All children can learn, and learning can be fun are at the heart of what she does each day with students, staff and parents. Her enthusiasm for learning and teaching is contagious.

Having acquired an enormous bank of knowledge and interventions over the years, Perk is a frequent presenter to teachers and parents on a variety of topics including: executive function, organization, behavior management, ADHD, autistic spectrum disorders, visualization and verbalization, reading fluency, teaching phonetic patterns through visualization, homework strategies, learning styles, study skills, Framing Your Thoughts, and action based learning. Her recent passion is helping parents and teachers understand the impact of our high-stress digital lives on children's brain development.

Adele H. Corbett is a Professional Organizational Development Consultant whose focus is enabling people to maximize their current work effectiveness and agilely adapt to future challenges, especially in times of high accountability and low budgets.

Adele has served students, educators and school communities at the classroom, building and district levels. As an alternative school Spanish teacher, an elementary and middle school counselor, a high school teacher, disciplinarian and principal, she spent years listening, observing and assisting educators in putting theory into practice. As a Director of Program Evaluation and Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, Community Relations and Professional Development, she grappled continuously with global district issues ranging from school board challenges and community needs to implementation of state and federal mandates. With these varied experience sets and respective focus on people and processes, she honed her skills and interests in adult learning. Adele is known by school personnel and the non-profit sector for the workshops and seminars she has facilitated on a wide variety of topics including inter-generational, work and personal style differences, mediation and conflict resolution, collaboration skills, teambuilding, corrective performance plans, dealing with resistance to change, resiliency in the workplace, systemic needs assessment and strategic problem solving.

Sustainability of qualified personnel has long been a facet of Adele’s work. She developed an induction and mentoring program for new teachers and administrators that resulted in excellent retention rates. In addition, as an adjunct professor, she has trained hundreds of aspiring administrators in doctoral classes and served on a variety of dissertation committees.

Adele’s Master’s degree and PhD are both from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has recently retired from the Assistant Superintendency of Great Valley School District in Malvern, PA.

Dr. Meg Givnish is nationally known as a clinician, teacher, trainer and motivational speaker. She has been an honored faculty member in the Graduate School of Health Education at St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia since 1986. Currently, she is a member of the faculty in the Communications Program at Delaware County Community College.

Meg was among the first professionals in the US to be Certified as a Trainer, Educator, Practitioner by The American Board of Examiners in Group Psychotherapy and Psychodrama. She created “The Problem Solving Theatre” troupe in 1980. This synthesis of therapeutic drama, therapy, humor and spontaneity educated and entertained thousands of people in performances all over the United States.

Dr. Givnish was awarded an Emmy in 1987 for her writing, directing and narrating the one time special “What Will We Do About Momma?” She was also featured in an award winning documentary on Teen Suicide “When Hope Becomes Despair”. During the 1980’s The Problem Solving Theatre was a key component in the training program for the establishment of Student Assistance Programs Pennsylvania.

Meg has been a presenter at National Conferences on topics ranging from Stress Management, Societal Stress Syndrome, Addictions, Relationship Skills and Personal Empowerment.

She is known for her humorous and energizing seminars and training sessions.