Ken Baumgartner completed his Master’s degree in Special Education at Northern Arizona University in 2011. He holds a Graduate Certificate in Positive Behavior Support, is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and an Arizona Licensed Behavior Analyst. Ken has been working in educational and clinical settings to promote positive behavior change for 18 years. He currently works as a behavioral health consultant with Pinal Gila Community Child Services. He finds joy in helping both children and teachers to find new ways to be empowered, to connect with their values, and to thrive. 

Contact: ken.baumgartner@pgccs.org

Jesse (Jess) Bernal is an Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who holds a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology, a certification of specialization in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation, and a certification of specialization in Applied Behavior Analysis.  They have spent over 15 years working with the birth to five population, specifically focusing on infant and early childhood mental health, neural and social/emotional development, inclusion of children with diverse learning needs, staff and caregiver wellness, and mitigating the long-term effects of early childhood trauma. In addition, Jess is an adjunct professor at Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena, CA for both the School of Cultural and Family Psychology and the School of Education, and has served as a research associate to authors in the field such as Dr. Daniel Seigel and Dr. Barbara Stroud. Jess provides consultation and training to multiple Head Start, Early Head Start, and Early Childhood Education programs across the country and is a nationwide speaker and presenter. Jess strives to increase the general understanding of social/emotional development and behavior through a trauma-informed lens, while always staying true to the core values of inclusion, diversity, equity, and social justice.

Contact: jbernal.mft@gmail.com

Phone: 323-326-8291

Web: https://jbernalmft.com/

With more than 20 years of experience, Sandra “Sandy” Ampudia has dedicated her work to the Early Intervention field as a Speech Pathologist and Early Childhood Educator. With her extensive experience and knowledge in supporting classroom teachers and families, she has collaborated with various organizations in the early childhood community at the local, state, and national levels to ensure that every child, teacher, and family has the opportunity to succeed and develop their Social-Emotional skills to the fullest. 

She assists teachers, coaches, and families and supports nationwide universities and children’s education organizations in implementing best practices for children’s learning and social-emotional development. 

She believes in the importance of early childhood educators’ impact on the lives of all children and wants to ensure that other community members acknowledge their stories and voices. 

Lisa is the Program Support Manager for SETA Head Start. Lisa has worked for both SETA and Los Rios Community College for 26 years.  Lisa manages the Home-based program, Family Engagement and the ERSEA unit.  At Los Rios she teaches child development courses, specializing in both Leadership and Positive Social Guidance. 

Contact:  lisa.carr@seta.net

Raelene Ostberg is the Founder of Thriving Together, an organization dedicated to bringing transformative professional development to early childhood educators and the trainers, leaders, and coaches who support them.  She brings boundless energy, 17 years of experience in early childhood classrooms, 25+ years working with families, extensive expertise in reducing stress, and 12 years as a professional Keynote speaker. Since 2012, she has completed training and education on stress and resiliency with Dr. Amit Sood through Mayo Clinic’s Stress-Free Living Program and was trained as a trainer of “The Resilient Option”, a framework to improve resilience, reduce stress, and build a positive work culture. Raelene obtained her B.A. in Theater and M.Ed. in Family Education from the University of Minnesota.  Raelene currently works as a National Keynote Speaker, Achieve Expert Trainer, New York State Training and Technical Assistant Professional, Published Author, Trainer Mentor, and Curriculum Designer.

In addition to meaningful topics on reducing caregiver burnout, Raelene specializes in forming strong partnerships and methods that help transform and redirect toddler behavior that she collected during fifteen years in infant and toddler classrooms. She brings a toolbox full of toddler guidance strategies that work wonders with these little humans (and the entertaining real-life stories to help teach others.) Her Taming Those Terrific Toddler series has received rave reviews from participants and helped transform challenging toddler classrooms and homes into fun and rewarding caregiving settings. Participants love Raelene’s enthusiasm, entertaining presentation style, and theatrical storytelling that bring evidence-based strategies to life.  To date, Raelene educates and inspired thousands of early childhood professionals nationally each year to support them in their critical work shaping young minds.

In her spare time, Raelene can also be found playing volleyball at the local YMCA, teaching Zumba and other fitness classes, and enjoying life on a hobby farm with her husband, dogs, goats, and chickens.

Raelene inspires thousands of early childhood educators nationally each year and is passionate to continue the adventure.  She is grateful every day for the opportunity to support the amazing humans who choose to educate and care for our youngest.  After all, these wonderful people are shaping our future, one child at a time.

Website: https://www.thriving-together.com/