The Louisiana School Psychological
Association Conference
2013
Biographies of Speakers
Table of Contents
Sally Baas, Ed.D., NASP President ........................................................................................ 3
Jim Comstock-Galaghan .......................................................................................................... 4
W. Alan Coulter, Ph.D., Director of Education Initiatives, Human Development
Center, LSUHSC – New Orleans ............................................................................................. 5
Michael Cunningham, Ph.D. ................................................................................................... 6
Brad Dufrene, Ph.D................................................................................................................... 7
Tom Fagan, Ph.D........................................................................................................................ 8
Trey Folse .................................................................................................................................... 9
Frank M. Gresham, Ph.D. ..................................................................................................... 10
Vicki Guilbeau, MS, NCC, LPC .............................................................................................. 11
Kristin Johnson, Ph.D., NCSP .............................................................................................. 12
Kevin Jones, Ph.D. .................................................................................................................. 13
Randy W. Kamphaus, Ph.D. ................................................................................................ 14
Gloria Maccow, Ph.D. ............................................................................................................ 15
Jennifer L. Maynard, Ph.D. .................................................................................................. 16
John Murphy, Ph.D. ................................................................................................................ 17
Bonnie K. Nastasi, PhD, Professor, School Psychology Program, Department of
Psychology Tulane University ........................................................................................... 18
Dmitiy Niyazov, MD, Ph.D.................................................................................................... 19
D. Joe Olmi, Ph.D. .................................................................................................................... 20
Stacy Overstreet, Ph.D. ......................................................................................................... 21
Conni Patterson, Ph.D. ......................................................................................................... 22
Charles Shinaver, Ph.D. ........................................................................................................ 23
John C. Simoneaux, Ph.D. ..................................................................................................... 24
Wayne T. Stewart, J.D., Ph.D. .............................................................................................. 25
John White ................................................................................................................................ 26
2
Sally Baas, Ed.D., NASP President
Dr. Baas completed her Master of Science in Education degree from the
University of WI-River Falls, and she went on to earn her Educational Specialist
degree from the program. She earned her Doctor of Education degree from St.
Mary’s University in Minneapolis, at which time she was recognized with the St.
Mary’s University Outstanding Dissertation Award. Recently, her dissertation was
published as a book and it has been distributed worldwide. Dr. Baas has over 40
years of experience in teaching students of all ages, administration, and project
management. She has been particularly successful in increasing the number of
teachers of color entering and persisting in teaching in the Twin Cities metropolitan
area.
Dr. Baas is an associate professor at Concordia University-St. Paul where she
also directs four programs: Southeast Asian Teacher Licensure, Hmong Culture and
Language, English as a Second Language, and Special Education. The Hmong
Language and Culture program is one that other universities across the United
States are replicating. It is designed to help K-12 students who are Hmong preserve
their language and culture.
Currently, Dr. Bass is the President of the National Association of School
Psychologists (NASP). Prior to being voted the NASP President, Dr. Baas served on,
or chaired, a number of committees and task forces. In Minnesota, she also served as
the first state-wide coordinator for Teacher Performance Assessment. Minnesota
was one of the five "accelerated" states nationally to begin implementing the edTPA
developed at Stanford University. Dr. Baas continues to be active in this state-wide
effort.
Other leadership roles include the Emma B. Howe YMCA, Bethany Christian
Services Adoption Agency, and her church council. Indeed, Dr. Baas even serves on
the College of Education and Professional Studies Advisory Council and Faculty
Senate. Her dedication to work in the areas of diversity and social justice promotes
the preparation of creative, reflective and ethical practitioners who value diversity,
promote social justice, and utilize empirical evidence to inform their practice.
3
Jim Comstock-Galaghan
Jim Comstock-Galagan is the Executive Director and Senior Attorney for the
Southern Disability Law Center. His entire 32 year legal career has been devoted to
advocating for the rights of people with disabilities.
He is a graduate of Tulane School of Law. His seasoned legal career includes past
positions as executive director of Advocacy, Inc. (Texas’ protection and advocacy
agency), legal director of Advocacy Center (Louisiana’s protection and advocacy
center), and staff attorney for the Louisiana Center for the Public Interest. He has
won the President’s Award from the State Bar of Texas and the Disability Rights
Activist Award from ADAPT of Texas. He now directs the Southern Disability Law
Center where he pursues systemic litigation and advocacy under the Individual with
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
For the past 9 years Jim and his organization, along with assistance from the
State Bar of Texas and in collaboration with the Southern Poverty Law Center, have
engaged in large-scale litigation against school districts. He has also made use of a
new tool, systemic IDEA administrative complaints filed with state education
agencies, most of these cases have resulted in successful settlement agreements.
4
W. Alan Coulter, Ph.D., Director of Education Initiatives, Human
Development Center, LSUHSC – New Orleans
W. Alan Coulter, Ph.D., was the Director of the National Center for Special
Education Accountability Monitoring (NCSEAM), a project funded by the U. S. Office
of Special Education Programs and operated by the Human Development Center in
New Orleans, from 2002 to 2008. Dr. Coulter is currently the Co-Director of the Data
Accountability Center, the Principal Lead for the TIERS Group, and Senior Manager
at the Human Development Center (HDC). Dr. Coulter has served on the President’s
Commission on Excellence in Special Education and is a member of the National
Monitoring Stakeholders Group. Alan has worked directly on accountability efforts
in more than six states.
Prior to the founding of the National Monitoring Center, Alan was (and
remains) the Program Director for School-Age and Interdisciplinary Training at the
Human Development Center. He is the recipient of Child Advocacy Award from the
National Association of School Psychologists, a past president of the National
Association of School Psychologists, and past director of the school psychology
division of the Texas Psychological Association. Alan has provided continuing
professional development in more than 45 states and is currently licensed as a
psychologist in Louisiana.
Alan Coulter is the proud grandfather of six and takes great pride that his
oldest grandchild obtained her diploma this year in Franklin, Louisiana. As an
educator, a grandparent needs all the help he can get to support grandchildren
through college. Alan’s grandson, Travis, traveled with him this summer and
remarked, “I want a job like you where all you do is go to meetings, drink coffee, and
write on wall charts.” Alan Coulter is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin
Educational Psychology Program.
5
Michael Cunningham, Ph.D.
Michael Cunningham, Ph.D. has been on the faculty at Tulane University since 1996
where he has held several roles. Beginning his tenure as an Assistant Professor, he was
promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2002 and Full Professor in 2012. Mike
has served as the Director of a summer academic bridge program for public high school
students (Summer Transition Program) and the founding Executive Director of the Center
for Engaged Learning and Teaching (CELT). He also serves in an administrative capacity
in the Office of Academic Affairs where he is an Associate Provost for Engaged Learning
and Teaching. Mike holds a joint faculty appointment in the Department of Psychology
and the undergraduate program in African & African Diaspora Studies at Tulane
(ADST). He completed his doctoral work at Emory University after completing an
undergraduate degree at Morehouse College. Mike also completed a post‐doctoral
fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. As a Developmental Psychologist, Mike
has a program of research that focuses on racial, ethnic, psychosocial, and socioeconomic
processes that affect psychological well‐being, adjustment to chronic stressful events, and
academic achievement among African American adolescents and their families. He uses
mixed methods in his current research projects that include the study of gender‐specific
patterns of resilience and vulnerability in urban and rural participants. His work on
achievement patterns in African American males examines predictors and consequences
of hypermasculine attitudes within school and community contexts. Mike’s research has
been recognized by the National Research Council. He has received external funding
from several sources including the National Science Foundation, The Mellon Foundation,
and The Department of Education. He has received Tulane’s highest teaching award and
been designated as a Suzanne and Stephen Weiss Presidential Fellow. In 2013, he was
recognized by the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) for Distinguished
Contributions to the Society. Mike is also an Associate Editor of Child Development and
serves on the editorial boards of Developmental Psychology, Journal of Negro Education,
and Research in Human Development.
6
Brad Dufrene, Ph.D.
Brad A. Dufrene is an associate professor in the Department of Psychology at
the University of Southern Mississippi. He received the B.S. and M.A. degrees in
psychology at Louisiana State University. He received his Ph.D. in school psychology
at Mississippi State University after completing an internship in pediatric
psychology at the Munroe-Meyer Institute for Genetics and Rehabilitation at the
University of Nebraska Medical Center. Dr. Dufrene’s research interests include
system-wide practices that reduce young children’s risk for emotional and
behavioral disturbance. He regularly provides professional development
workshops to school districts and Head Start agencies in the area of Positive
Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS).
7
Tom Fagan, Ph.D.
Tom Fagan, age 70, received his Ph.D. (1969) in school psychology from Kent
State University (KSU). He has been employed as Director of the School Psychology
Program at Western Illinois University (1969-1976), and Coordinator of School
Psychology Programs at The University of Memphis (1976-present). Tom has been
active in the NASP since 1970 holding several elected and appointed positions
including its Presidency (1980-1981, 1987-1988). He served on the editorial board
to the School Psychology Review (1972-2005), and edited the NASP Communique
(1981-1987).
Tom serves as historian to the NASP and the APA Division of School
Psychology. He has authored publications on the historical development and
delivery of school psychological services in the United States, including (with Paula
Wise) School Psychology: Past, Present, and Future, 3rd edition published by NASP in
2007. With the late Paul Warden he co-edited Historical Encyclopedia of School
Psychology (Greenwood Publishers, 1996). His research has established a
comprehensive history of school psychology and provided an historical identity for
its organizations and practitioners. He has published memorial articles on more
than 50 contributors to the field school psychology. In recognition of his
contributions, Tom holds Honorary Life Membership in NASP and the state
associations for Illinois, Louisiana, Ohio, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. He received the
Distinguished Service Award from the Division of School Psychology (APA, 1991),
the School Psychology Trainer of the Year by The Trainers of School Psychologists
(2006) and NASP’s Lifetime Achievement Award (2007). In 2011 he received the
University of Memphis’ Willard R. Sparks Eminent Faculty Award, and a
Distinguished Alumni Award from the College of Education, Health, and Human
Services at KSU. He is also a recipient of LSPA’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Tom
has spoken to school psychology groups in more than 40 states, Canada, and
Switzerland. The Fagan family consists of Tom, his wife Susan, and three children,
Shannon, Lance, and Colleen.
8
Trey Folse
9
Frank M. Gresham, Ph.D.
Dr. Frank Gresham is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at
Louisiana State University. He has published over 250 journal articles, books, book
chapters, and tests on various topics ranging from social skills assessment and
training, emotional and behavioral disorders, learning disabilities, mental
retardation, and issues involved in determination of mental retardation in Atkins
cases. He has served as an expert witness in Atkins cases in Virginia, Alabama,
Louisiana, and Florida. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association,
Division 16 of APA (School Psychology), Division 5 of APA (Evaluation,
Measurement, and Statistics), and Division 53 (Society for Clinical Child and
Adolescent Psychology). He is also a member of the National Association of School
Psychologists and the Association for Behavior Analysis.
Dr. Gresham is one of the few psychologists to be awarded Fellow status
within the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the only school
psychologist to be awarded that honor. Dr. Gresham is the recipient of the Lightner
Witmer Award and the Senior Scientist Award from Division 16 of APA for
outstanding career research contributions. He is an active licensed psychologist in
Louisiana and has been a licensed psychologist in California and Iowa. He is the
recipient of over 12 million dollars in federal grants from the Office of Special
Education Programs, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the Institute of
Educational Sciences.
10
Vicki Guilbeau, MS, NCC, LPC
Born in southern Louisiana, Mrs. Guilbeau graduated Summa Cum Laude as the
College of Education Outstanding Graduating Senior in 1989 from the University of
Southwestern Louisiana (currently University of Louisiana at Lafayette). Earning a
Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education, she began her career as a teacher at
Edgar Martin Middle School in Lafayette, Louisiana. While employed as a teacher,
Mrs. Guilbeau found time during 1993-1994 to work as a mental health technician at
Acadian Oaks Hospital. She assisted clients in a supportive role at this in-patient
facility, working in the child, adolescent, and adult units.
Mrs. Guilbeau continued her studies during her 14 years as a reading and
history teacher and earned a Master of Science in Psychology, with a specialty in
school psychology, from the University of Southwestern Louisiana in 1999. She then
furthered her education as she pursued and obtained Louisiana certification as a
Guidance Counselor and licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor with the
privilege of appraisal. Internship training included experience as a counselor at the
University Counseling and Testing Center and Junior Division Academic Support
Center. Mrs. Guilbeau served as school counselor during the 2003-2008 school years
at Comeaux High School and Lafayette High School, achieving certification as a
National Certified Counselor and a National Certified School Counselor during that
time. She is currently serving as a school psychologist in the Lafayette Parish School
System, consulting with peer professionals and performing evaluations to assist
with appropriate educational placement of students.
11
Kristin Johnson, Ph.D., NCSP
Dr. Kristin N. Johnson graduated from Nicholls State University with her
specialists degree and the University of Southern Mississippi with her doctoral
degree in school psychology. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at MunroeMeyer Institute in Omaha, NE. She was a assistant professor at Mississippi State
University and Eastern Illinois. She is now the principal owner of The Institute for
Evidence-based Reform (TIER) as a national consultant and school psychologist. As
a consulting school psychologist, she works primarily in two areas: reorganizing
secondary schools to meet all children’s needs and she works with individual
students who have social, emotional, and behavior needs. She was the lead writer
for the Mississippi Department of Education on Response to Intervention:
Procedures and Technical Manual. She has presented at the national, regional, and
state levels on Response to Intervention, Behavior and Academic Interventions. In
addition, she has peer referred publications in areas of academic and behavioral
interventions as well as other publications.
12
Kevin Jones, Ph.D.
Kevin Jones, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor and director of the School
Psychology Program at LSU Shreveport. Dr. Jones received his Ph.D. (School
Psychology) from Louisiana State University in December 1996. His teaching
responsibilities include psychological assessment, applied behavior analysis, child
exceptionality, and several practicum courses. Dr. Jones’ research interests
primarily involve innovative strategies for assessing children with ADHD and
learning disabilities, including response-to-intervention (RTI) service delivery
models.
13
Randy W. Kamphaus, Ph.D.
Dr. Randy W. Kamphaus is a Distinguished Research Professor in the Counseling and
Psychological Services Department of the College of Education at Georgia State
University. Previously, Dr. Kamphaus served as distinguished research professor
and head of the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Georgia.
He received teaching, mentoring, and research awards while a member of the
faculty at the University of Georgia from 1986 to 2007. He has mentored, among
other early career professionals, 35 Ph.D. alumni.
Dr. Kamphaus’ research focuses on clinical test development, child screening
and intervention for behavioral and emotional problems of childhood, and crosscultural studies of child adjustment in school. His research has been supported by
grants from the Institute of Education Sciences of the U.S. Department of Education.
He has authored or co-authored 80 scientific journal articles, 12 books, 10
psychological tests, and 45 book chapters (in both English and Spanish), among
other publications. He is best known for his creation of the Behavior Assessment
System for Children (with Dr. Cecil Reynolds), a set of measures for assessing the
behavioral and emotional adjustment of children that is used by most major school
districts in the United States and worldwide in South Korea, Spain, Romania, Mexico,
Canada, Australia, South Africa, and elsewhere.
Dr. Kamphaus holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in educational psychology
from the University of Georgia, a master’s in general psychology from the University
of Illinois at Springfield, and a bachelor’s in psychology from Quincy University. He
has contributed extensively to his profession, serving as past-president and Fellow
of the Division of School Psychology of the American Psychological Association. He
recently completed a five-year term as editor of the journal School Psychology
Quarterly in 2012.
14
Gloria Maccow, Ph.D.
Dr. Gloria Maccow is an Assessment Training Consultant with Pearson. She
was trained as a school psychologist at Texas A&M University and at the University
of Florida. She worked for two years as Supervisor of Psychological Services and for
several years as a school psychologist with Guilford County Schools in North
Carolina. She provided training for graduate students in school psychology at
Indiana State University and at Illinois State University, and she worked as a
psychologist in private practice in Greensboro, NC. Dr. Maccow has conducted
research on assessment methods and instruments, early intervention, and Response
to Intervention. Her publications include a chapter on Prematurity in Children's
Needs, an article on Full-Service Schools published in School Psychology Review, and
several test reviews for the Buros Mental Measurement Yearbook. She is a member of
the National Association of School Psychologists and has presented on different
topics at national and state conferences.
15
Jennifer L. Maynard, Ph.D.
Jennifer Maynard, Ph.D. is a Louisiana native who grew up in north Louisiana
and received her undergraduate and master’s degrees from Louisiana universities.
She completed her Ph.D. in School Psychology at the University of Memphis after a
pre-doctoral internship with Jefferson Parish Public Schools. She has been with the
TIERS group, housed within the Human Development Center at LSUHSC in New
Orleans, since August 2012 and provides professional learning, consultation, and
support services focusing on academic and behavioral interventions and supports
and data-based decision making to New Orleans charter schools. Dr. Maynard also
works with other members of the TIERS group to design academic and behavior
intervention tools and resources for educators and other professionals who work
with students.
16
John Murphy, Ph.D.
Dr. John Murphy is a professor of psychology at the University of Central
Arkansas and an internationally recognized trainer and practitioner of brief therapy
approaches with young people and school problems. He is a former finalist for NASP
School Psychologist of the Year and author of several books that have been
translated into several languages including Brief Intervention for School Problems
(with Barry Duncan), the award-winning Solution-Focused Counseling in Schools, and
the most recent book, Conducting Student-Driven Interviews. Dr. Murphy is a sought
after workshop presenter who has trained thousands of school psychologists,
counselors, teachers, parents, and school administrators throughout the United
States and overseas. He continues to work regularly in schools and his work has
been featured in several contemporary venues including the NY Times bestseller
Switch and the DVD training series, Child Therapy with the Experts. Dr. Murphy’s
passion for helping people change in dignified ways is central to his writings and
workshops.
17
Bonnie K. Nastasi, PhD, Professor, School Psychology Program,
Department of Psychology Tulane University
Bonnie Kaul Nastasi, Ph.D. (Kent State University, 1986, School Psychology &
Early Childhood Education) is a Professor in the Department of Psychology, School
of Science and Engineering, at Tulane University. Dr. Nastasi’s research focuses on
the use of mixed methods designs to develop and evaluate culturally appropriate
assessment and intervention approaches for promoting mental health and reducing
health risks such as sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV, both within the
US and internationally. She has worked in Sri Lanka since 1995 on development of
school-based programs to promote psychological well-being and is currently
directing a multi-country study of psychological well-being of children and
adolescents with research partners in 12 countries. She has worked in India since
2001 as one of the principal investigators of an interdisciplinary public health
research program to prevent STIs among married men and women living in the
slums of Mumbai. She is active in promotion of child rights and social justice within
the profession of school psychology and has directed the development of a
curriculum for training school psychologists internationally on child rights, a joint
effort of International School Psychology Association, International Institute of Child
Rights & Development, APA’s Division 16, and Tulane University’s School
Psychology Program. Dr. Nastasi is a past-president of Division 16 and current CoChair of APA’s Committee on International Relations in Psychology.
18
Dmitiy Niyazov, MD, Ph.D.
Dr. Dmitriy Niyazov completed medical school at the University of Rochester
School of Medicine and graduated with distinction in research. He did his residency
and fellowship in medical genetics at Emory University School of Medicine. He
published in several peer-reviewed journals and presented at many international
meetings. He joined Ochsner Health System in 2008, where he practices medical
genetics and is a member of the Ochsner Craniofacial Clinic. He also has an outreach
clinic in Raceland at Ochsner St. Anne General Hospital. Since early 2008, he has
been evaluating and treating children with autism and autistic spectrum. He also
sees a significant number of pediatric and adult patients with mitochondrial disease.
He has given several lectures to both parents and providers on genetics of autism
and mitochondrial disease throughout Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and
Florida. One of his main goals is to bring more awareness to the community about
the role of genetic abnormalities in autism and mitochondrial disease and what
benefit genetic knowledge can add to diagnosis and treatment.
19
D. Joe Olmi, Ph.D.
Dr. Joe Olmi is the chair and a professor of psychology in the Department of
Psychology at the University of Southern Mississippi. He received his doctoral
degree in school psychology from Mississippi State University. He completed a predoctoral internship in behavioral pediatrics at the Munroe-Meyer Institute for
Genetics and Rehabilitation on the campus of the University of Nebraska Medical
Center. Prior to obtaining a doctorate in school psychology, Dr. Olmi worked for
several years as a school psychologist in Louisiana and as a secondary social studies
teacher in Mississippi and in Iran. Dr. Olmi’s current research interests are
functional assessment and analysis for social and academic behaviors, Positive
Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), school psychology service delivery,
and childhood compliance training. He has published articles on these topics in
Education and Treatment of Children, Behavior Modification, Child and Family
Behavior Therapy, Proven Practice, School Psychology Quarterly, and Psychology in
the Schools. Dr. Olmi has a long and extensive history of securing and managing
external funds. During his career, externally funded projects have related to
pediatric sleep and providing early identification and intervention services for
students experiencing behavioral and academic concerns. Additionally, he serves as
a consultant to the Mississippi Department of Education providing technical
assistance to school districts on issues related to PBIS and RtI. He serves in a similar
capacity with the Louisiana Department of Education and is responsible for
directing a corrective action project currently in its 5th year with Jefferson Parish
Schools aimed at improving service delivery to students with emotional
disturbance.
20
Stacy Overstreet, Ph.D.
Stacy Overstreet is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology at
Tulane University. Dr. Overstreet received her undergraduate degree from the
University of New Orleans in Psychology and her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Tulane
University in School Psychology. As part of her doctoral training, she completed a
pediatric psychology internship within the University of Maryland Medical System.
Dr. Overstreet’s primary research interests have focused broadly on children
at risk for maladjustment due to the presence of chronic stressors in their lives.
Since arriving at Tulane in 1995, Dr. Overstreet has published numerous research
articles and book chapters related to her work on trauma exposure among youth.
Her recent work focuses on the implementation and evaluation of trauma-informed
school-based mental health services. She is the Co-Principal Investigator of a
Leadership Personnel Preparation grant through the U.S. Department of Education
designed to train future faculty in a doctoral specialization in Trauma-Focused
School Psychology. Dr. Overstreet also serves as a consultant on a three-year project
funded by the Institute of Mental Hygiene, in collaboration Children’s Bureau of New
Orleans and McDonogh City Park Academy Charter School, to create and evaluate a
comprehensive model of school-based mental health service delivery. The project
involves a continuum of universal to targeted evidence-based curricula and
treatment protocols with the goal of fostering socio-emotional health, reducing
mental health problems in youth exposed to trauma, and increasing academic
performance.
21
Conni Patterson, Ph.D.
22
Charles Shinaver, Ph.D.
Dr. Charles Shinaver is a clinical child psychologist with 22 years of
experience with 15 years specifically focused upon the diagnosis and treatment of
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD/ADD). His specialty areas are
ADHD, Depression, Anxiety and trauma. ADHD became an area of interest for both
professional and personal reasons. ADHD was frequently encountered in private
practice settings, and Dr. Shinaver’s oldest son has ADHD.
Previous to his work with Pearson, Dr. Shinaver taught as an adjunct faculty
member and held a variety of clinical leadership roles including serving at the
director level. Dr. Shinaver has served as a clinical supervisor to numerous students
in a variety of settings and at many levels of training from the doctoral level to high
school interns. Dr. Shinaver attended the University of Notre Dame for a BA in
psychology, Harvard Graduate School of Education for a Masters in Counseling and
Consulting Psychology and DePaul University for both a master’s and doctorate
degree in Clinical Child Psychology.
Dr. Shinaver is happily married to “Mrs. Dr. Shinaver” and they have three
sons who are all very smart guys, but are uniquely talented with technology, music,
singing, football, basketball, soccer and track covered. Dr. Shinaver is a graduate of
the University of Notre Dame and is a huge Fighting Irish fan. He also graduated
from Harvard for his Master of Education in Counseling and Consulting Psychology.
He earned his Master of science and his doctorate in Child Clinical Psychology from
DePaul University.
23
John C. Simoneaux, Ph.D.
John C. Simoneaux, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist who practices in Central
Louisiana. He attended Nicholls State University where he received his B.A. and M.A.
degrees in Psychology, and Texas Tech where he earned his Ph.D. For the past 15
years he has been involved in the assessment and treatment of children,
adolescents, and adults for the courts, the Office of Community Services, the Social
Security Administration, and others. Dr. Simoneaux consults with various facilities
including Central Louisiana State Hospital (Forensic Services), Huey P. Long
Memorial Hospital, etc., providing diagnostic and program development
direction. Over the past 15 years, Dr. Simoneaux’s direct clinical work has focused
on diagnostic assessments for various agencies, facilities, and the courts, He
testifies frequently in various jurisdictions regarding these evaluations. He
has been presenting seminars for Mental Health Professionals for the past twelve
years.
24
Wayne T. Stewart, J.D., Ph.D.
Mr. Stewart is a 1988 graduate of Duke University, receiving a B.S. degree. He
received his M.A. in Psychology from Louisiana State University in 1991 and his
Ph.D. in Psychology from LSU in 1994. He received his J.D. in 2006 from Loyola
University in New Orleans. Prior to joining Hammonds & Sills in August of 2008, he
was an associate with Hardy, Carey, Chautin & Balkin, L.L.P. in Mandeville,
Louisiana. Mr. Stewart specializes in Special Education Law. He is a member of the
Louisiana State Bar Association, the Baton Rouge Bar Association, the America Bar
Association, and the National Council of School Attorneys. Prior to his employment
as an attorney, he was a school psychologist for the Jefferson Parish Public School
System from 1993 to 1996, a lecturer at Our Lady of Holy Cross College in New
Orleans from 1997 to 2001, Coordinator of Pupil Appraisal Services/Behavior
Management for the Jefferson Parish Public School System from 1996 to 2004, and a
Special Education Liaison for the Jefferson Parish Public School System from 2005 to
2006. Mr. Stewart is located in the Baton Rouge office.
25
John White
John White began his career in education as an English teacher in Jersey City,
New Jersey. He later worked as Executive Director for Teach For America Chicago
and Teach For America New Jersey, where he also served on the organization’s
national Strategy Committee.
In 2006, White was recruited by New York City Chancellor Joel Klein to join
the city’s senior management team. In his last role in NYC, White served as Deputy
Chancellor for Talent, Labor. During his tenure with NYC, the country’s largest
school district, he also served as Chief Executive Officer for portfolio, where he was
responsible for developing new schools, closing failing schools, and adjusting grade
levels, enrollments, and locations of existing schools.
In May 2011, White was appointed Superintendent of the Recovery School
District, the state-run school district charged with transforming failing schools in
Louisiana. During his tenure with the RSD, he led the development of a three-year
strategic plan; crafted a plan to overhaul the remaining failing schools in the RSD in
New Orleans; revamped instructional supports to RSD direct-run schools; developed
a comprehensive program to monitor Type 5 Charter Schools statewide; established
a city-wide enrollment process; and reorganized the RSD to improve support for
schools and reduced the central office count by more than one-third.
In January 2012, White was appointed State Superintendent of Education for the
State of Louisiana.
White received a B.A. in English with distinction from the University of
Virginia, and earned a
Master’s Degree in
Public Administration
from New York
University.
26