June 16, 2023 @ 8:00 AM - 4:30 pm

Williamson County JP3 Annex

100 Wilco Way, Georgetown, TX 78626

Conference provided at no cost thanks to the generosity of our sponsors!

Speakers

Jennifer Toon

Jennifer Toon is a criminal justice and mental health advocate. She was originally adjudicated under Texas determinate sentencing laws as a teenager and has 27 years of criminal justice involvement as both a juvenile and an adult. Jennifer works to create policies that lead to better mental health support for kids, and eliminates all practices that punish students for behaviors that are manifestations of disability or trauma. Jennifer believes that narrative lies at the heart of effective advocacy work and aspires to use her lived experience to bring attention to the often-forgotten voices of other system-impacted women, youth, and people with disabilities. Jennifer has been published in The Texas Observer, The Marshall Project and The Guardian. She lives in Austin with her cat Taylor, who embodies the mischievous energy of Taylor Swift.

Dr. Scott LePor, D.O.

Scott E. LePor, D.O. Board certified family physician with training in complex developmental trauma as well as the evidence-based practice of Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI®) which heals the brains of children with a history of complex developmental trauma. Medical Director of the Texas Juvenile Justice Department implementing rehabilitative "Texas Model" founded in the current neuroscience field of interpersonal neurobiology through trust-based relationships. Neuroscience advisor developing organizations with the purpose to minister to those who come from difficult backgrounds and giving them the tools to heal as well as give them the ability to nurture others.

Marissa B. Nowitz, MSW, LCSW-S I

Marisa is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker-Supervisor with twenty years of clinical experience, as well as expertise in program planning, training, and education for mental health clinicians, health care providers, educators, caregivers, and other professionals. As Senior Director of School and Community Engagement at the Trauma and Grief (TAG) Center, Marisa oversees and provides school and community-based trainings for TAG in the areas of children’s trauma and bereavement, trauma- and bereavement-informed organizations and schools, evidence-based assessment and intervention, as well as secondary traumatic stress, self-care, and a variety of other mental health topics. Marisa is a certified problem-based learning facilitator for the National Child Traumatic Stress Network’s Core Curriculum on Childhood Trauma, as well as a certified Master Trainer for Trauma and Grief Component Therapy for Adolescents (TGCTA).

In her previous role with the TAG Center, Marisa helped to oversee evidence-based, trauma- and bereavement-focused services within the community of Santa Fe, Texas as part of the coordinated response efforts following the tragic school shooting in 2018. Marisa has extensive experience utilizing evidence-based assessments and interventions, both individual and group-based, with children and families who have experienced a variety of traumas and/or losses.

Prior to joining the TAG team, Marisa spent much of her career working as a clinical social worker and supervisor at MD Anderson Cancer Center, creating and overseeing programming for children whose parents had cancer. Marisa served as a national co-trainer for The Children’s Treehouse Foundation, a Denver-based, nonprofit organization dedicated to training mental health and health care professionals in a psychosocial intervention to support families facing parental cancer. Marisa’s experience also includes providing clinical services and support to both pediatric and adult patients experiencing a variety of illnesses and injuries in the medical setting.

Marisa completed her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Texas A&M University and a Master of Social Work from the University of Houston.

Dr. Lorna Hermosura

Dr. Lorna Hermosura is the Project Director of STEP UP Texas: Improving Juvenile Justice Outcomes with Trauma-Informed and Restorative Practices Training and is an Assistant Professor of Instruction in the College of Education at The University of Texas at Austin where she teaches “Restorative Practices” to future teachers and those wanting to work with youth. Lorna holds a PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy, a master’s degree in counseling, and a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Prior to earning her PhD, Lorna administered federal grant-funded educational programs to support college access, college success, and dropout prevention among low-income and first-generation students. Lorna was influenced by her early work with foster children and youth, which informed her perspective that schools and those working with children and youth can serve as protective factors to offset difficult life circumstances. Lorna’s research interests are restorative practices, trauma-informed practices, and implementation. Her dissertation research was on the school-to-prison pipeline. When not working, Lorna enjoys exploring, baking, and spending quality time with her husband, family, friends, and pets.

Our Sponsors

Meet the amazing sponsors of this year's event.

Through their generosity we are able to provide this conference at no cost to you!