Alan served as the director of the Patricia A. Tomson Center for Violence Prevention and the MVP Leadership Institute at UNI from 2011-2022. Prior to assisting the launch of CVP, Alan served as a consultant with the Waitt Institute for Violence Prevention from 2007-2011 and as the principal investigator on a four-year case study, The Sioux City Project. He was the education consultant on the award-winning film documentary, BULLY. He also co-facilitated research on the Coaching Boys Into Men program in 2007 and continues to instruct school and community leaders in gender violence prevention and the bystander approach using the Mentors in Violence Prevention Model (MVP). Alan served as a public school administrator, school counselor, teacher and athletic coach for 23 years.

Aimee Schuppe, Ed. S, NCSP has served as a School Psychologist entering her 10th year in a variety of capacities.  She worked in Des Moines Public Schools for 3 years serving as a primary contact for students with IEPs and behavioral needs.  She also filled that role with Heartland AEA for 6 years. She currently serves as a Social Emotional Behavioral Mental Health Regional Lead.  As an SEBMH Regional Lead she develops and provides professional development for staff in 11 school districts.  

Her passion is to help reduce the stigma around mental health through assisting districts and schools to develop a Multi- Tiered System of Support that focuses on building positive student- student and adult- student relationships, teaching ALL students social emotional skills and providing the needed support throughout all of the tiers of MTSS.

Amy Anderson is the PK-12 At-Risk Coordinator for the Southeast Polk Community School District. She holds a Master’s degree in School Counseling from the University of Northern Iowa and has previously served as an elementary and middle school counselor for the Southeast Polk and Linn-Mar school districts. In her current role, Amy supports the work of school counselors through coordinating school-based mental health services, providing professional development for teachers in social emotional learning, and collaborating with SEBMH/MTSS teams. Amy has previously facilitated an online course for elementary educators through the Iowa College and Career Readiness Academy and served on a teacher advisory group for the Second Step K-5 curriculum. 

Bobby Dennis is a graduate student at Lamar University earning a M.Ed. degree in clinical mental health counseling and works as a therapist at Youth and Shelter Services in Ames, Iowa. Formerly, Bobby served as a sexual abuse advocate, violence prevention coordinator, and male-engagement specialist at ACCESS in Ames, Iowa. Bobby worked at ACCESS for 5 years, with 8+ year’s total experience in male-engagement work and aspires to serve individuals who are experiencing vicarious trauma and burnout. Bobby first got involved in advocacy and prevention as a sophomore at Simpson College with SARA (a campus-based sexual assault response and awareness program). Bobby’s past work includes; serving as the interim chair at the Iowa Men’s Action Network, working with Futures Without Violence in adapting their program CBIM to a fraternity-specific violence prevention program called Building Up Brothers, and hosting a weekly podcast on healthy masculinity called Men in Progress.

Emily Fakler, MA, tLMHC, is a licensed mental health counselor practicing in the Cedar Falls community. Prior to her graduation and licensure in the spring of 2022, Emily worked for two years at the Patricia A. Tomson Center for Violence Prevention as a graduate assistant. During this time, she worked to support the efforts of the CVP by gathering literature and creating new resources for schools and providers to use in their fight against violence. Emily served as a content editor, visual designer, and site developer for the MVP 2.0 Lessons in Social and Emotional Learning curriculum and website. She believes that healthy individuals and strong communities each foster the other; as such, she is passionate about supporting the growth and wellness of individuals and communities alike. 

Saja Abd El Hai worked at the Patricia A. Tomson Center for Violence Prevention as a graduate assistant. During this time, she worked to support the efforts of the PATCVP by gathering literature and creating new resources for schools and providers. Saja served as a content editor, visual designer, and site developer for the MVP 2.0 Lessons in Social and Emotional Learning curriculum and website. 

After graduating from Iowa State University with a degree in Mathematics and Secondary Education, Hanna began her teaching career at a High School in New Zealand. After spending a little more than a year teaching in New Zealand, Hanna moved back to the United States and taught at Southeast Polk High School in Pleasant Hill, Iowa. Hanna taught Geometry, coaches volleyball, and was an MVP advisor at Southeast Polk. Hanna has her Master’s in Instructional Design and technology from the American College of Education. She is a Curriculum Consultant for Heartland AEA.

Kimberly Fitten is a minister of education. She is also a published author, blogger, motivational speaker, entrepreneur and is a high school administrator.  Kimberly is dedicated to helping people become the absolute best versions of themselves. She loves working with teens and young adults as they navigate life's endless challenges and rewards. 

After graduating from Mount Mercy, Jenny began working at Kennedy in 2004 as a special education teacher. In 2012, she transitioned to her role as the at-risk interventionist working to support freshmen through our Check and Connect student engagement program. Her leadership with MVP began in 2016, and the school celebrates three years of implementation. To help infuse MVP in other areas within the school culture, she contributes to her building leadership team (High-Reliability Schools), learning supports team, district wellness council, and as the staff sponsor of the Gay-Straight Alliance student club.

Jocelyn has been teaching for several years and continued to develop her craft with an AA (Marshalltown Community College), BS (Buena Vista University), MAEd (Buena Vista University) with multiple endorsements in 5-12 English Language Arts, 5-12 Reading, 5-12 Psychology, 5-12 Instructional Strategist I (Mild/Moderate), K-12 English as Second Language, 5-12 English Language Arts ALL. If that were not enough, she also serves on committees at MHS such as IPI, Tech Integration, MTSS, MVP, 8th hour credit recovery, Saturday Academy, Wellness, Teacher Quality, Equity. She excels at reaching at-risk students, providing interventions and extensions by differentiating her instruction and assessments, integrating technology into her lessons, and collaborating with her peer course-alike teachers. In her spare time, she loves to crochet, tat, spend time with her family, do things at church, travel and go to the movies.

Jolene Hays is a High School Counselor for the Fort Dodge Senior High. She graduated from Buena Vista University with a Bachelor's degree in Entrepreneurship and Business Management. She continued her education and acquired a Master of Science in Education - Professional School Counseling also from Buena Vista University. While a secondary school counselor, Jolene has continued her education and earned the College Access Professional Certificate, College Access Specialist Certificate, and Specialist Certificate and an Equity Badge. Jolene began her school counseling career in 2013 at the Fort Dodge Senior High with the caseload of sophomores, juniors, and seniors, and has been leading MVP mentors since 2019. 

Logann Sappenfield graduated from Indiana University-Purdue University of Indianapolis in August 2020 with a Bachelors of Arts in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and a double minor in Psychology and American Sign Language. Logan has served as a sexual assault campus advocate, partnering with local colleges to provide support services to survivors and education/prevention to students, staff, and faculty. 

Luba Bijelic graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a master's degree in clinical mental health counseling and a bachelor's degree in psychology, and she is now pursuing postgraduate studies in intuitive eating, sleep, mindfulness, and self-compassion. She loves engaging with people of all ages, but particularly children. Bijelic also completed a year of advanced trauma-informed practice course at the University of Northern Iowa Social Work Department. Bijelic also completed the Mentors in Violence Prevention trainers program at the University of Northern Iowa, and she periodically assists with MVP training. Bijelic holds a degree in industrial and organizational psychology from UNI. Bijelic is also multilingual, speaking Serbo-Croatian and Bosnian, and she welcomes patients who speak those languages. As a School-Based Mental Health Counselor, Bijelic began working with elementary-aged students. 

Rick obtained a degree from Cornell College in 1989 with a major in Secondary Education and History and holds a Master's Degree in Special Education (Behavior Disorders) from University of Iowa in 2001 and a Master Degree in Educational Leadership from Drake in 2013. Rick worked at Grant Wood AEA as an Offsite Special Education Teacher from 1991-2003, for Iowa City Community School District as an Offsite Special Education Teacher from 2003-2013, and was the Strategist II Special Education Teacher at Iowa City West High School from 2013-2024. Rick has certifications as a Restorative Practices Circle Keeper since 2017 and served as Iowa City West High School's MVP Advisor from 2019-2022.

Stacey Warren, MSW, LISW has practiced as an LCSW in Hawaii and Texas and currently practices in Iowa as a MSW, LISW for Heartland AEA serving in a School Social Work role as a SEBMH (Social, Emotional, Behavior, Mental Health ) Regional Lead.

She has worked as a Counselor at Simpson College practicing psychotherapy in the primary modality of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.  Stacey has worked as a Lead Clinician at a Local Mental Health Authority on the border of Mexico in Laredo, Texas, as a School Based Behavioral Health Specialist in Kailua, Hawaii and as a counselor or Social Worker in a variety of settings including a state detention center, schools, college campus, residential treatment facilities and hospitals.  Stacey has been involved with MVP programming in Middle Schools and High Schools for 7 years. Stacey earned her Bachelor of Art degree from Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa and her Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Iowa.

Stacia Walker was the Culture and Climate Transformation Specialist with the Cedar Rapids Community School District.  She has her bachelor and masters degree in Social Work and holds a School Social Work License.  A few of Stacia’s certifications include: Certified Olweus Bullying Prevention Program trainer, Youth Mental Health First Aid trainer, Nonviolent Crisis Intervention instructor, and Intercultural Development Inventory Qualified Administrator.  She has been working in public education for the past 20 years.  In her previous role with the Cedar Rapids School District, Stacia supported multiple initiatives in the district including: social emotional learning, SEBH MTSS, bullying and harassment prevention and investigations, and student attendance policy and procedures.  Stacia is a school social worker for Grant Wood AEA.

Stephanie was the Health and Wellness Supervisor for Cedar Rapids Community School District and served in this role for 8 years. She has a long history of education and experience in public health and social services. She has served as Deputy Health Director for Linn County, and was honored with the Governor's Volunteer Award in 2013 for her years of volunteer service with the United Way of East Central Iowa. She is also a Certified Health Education specialist. 

Stephanie is passionate about improving the well-being of individuals, organizations, and communities, and aims to be a leader of collective impact and a catalyst for systemic change. 

Suzanne Freedman, Ph.D., is a Professor of Human Development in the Educational Psychology, Foundations, and Leadership Studies department at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Delaware and both her Masters’ degree and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She was the recipient of the APA Dissertation Award in 1993 for her groundbreaking research on forgiveness and incest survivors, published in 1996 in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 

Suzanne has been studying the topic of forgiveness for over 30 years and her publications focus on the psychology of interpersonal forgiveness and forgiveness education with children, adolescents, and adults. She has presented at numerous national and international conferences on the psychology of interpersonal forgiveness. At the University of Northern Iowa, she teaches a variety of courses including the Psychology of Interpersonal Forgiveness, Child and Adolescent Development, the Development of the Middle School Child and Counseling Interventions with Children and Adolescents. Suzanne Freedman is the recent author of the curriculum, The Courage to Forgive: Educating Elementary School Children About Forgiveness.