PBISApps Trainers

Kimberly Yanek, PhD, is the Co-Director of the Center for Social Behavior Support at Old Dominion University. Through her work with the Center for Social Behavior Support, she develops curriculum and instructional materials to provide a continuum of support around multi-tiered frameworks, systems change, capacity building and sustainability, coaching, and classroom behavior support systems to state departments, school divisions, and schools. Before joining the Center for Social Behavior Support, she worked in a similar capacity for the Virginia Department of Education Training and Technical Assistance Centers and served on the VDOE VTSS/PBIS Leadership Team. Her research interests include positive behavioral interventions and supports, positive classroom behavioral supports, function-based thinking, and equity. Her teaching career currently focuses on adult learning and it began in the classroom as a special education teacher.

Luke Anderson Ed.S., BCBA is the Senior Director of Prevention Supports and Services for the Placer County Office of Education. Within this role, Luke oversees the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and Multi Tied System of Support (MTSS) regional initiatives. Luke’s role also includes supporting the Differentiated Assistance process. Luke is a statewide SWIS and I-SWIS Facilitator Trainer and a member of the California PBIS Coalition Leadership Team. Prior to joining the PCOE team, Luke worked as a special education teacher, behavior analyst, school psychologist, and PBIS Trainer for one of the largest school districts in California.  He has worked as a lecturer in the School Psychology and Special Education programs at CSU, Sacramento where he taught courses on academic and cognitive assessment. In addition to presenting at numerous state and national conferences, Luke has been an invited speaker at the UC Davis Mind Institute's Summer Institute, the Northern California LD Association Conference, the California MTSS Professional Learning Institute, and the PBIS National Leadership Forum.

Lynne DeSousa is a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) Specialist and the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Statewide Coordinator for the Colorado Department of Education. In more than 25 years in education, she has served as a CDE Regional Implementation Consultant, a district PBIS/Mental Health coordinator, school-based PBIS Facilitator, a school psychologist and a counselor. Paramount to these experiences have been the ability to provide guidance on how to align and integrate various behavioral and mental health efforts into a layered continuum of evidence based practices that matches supports to student need.  Specific areas of professional interest include improving the implementation of multi-tiered behavioral frameworks, social emotional learning, trauma responsive approaches, classroom management, school-wide bullying prevention and intervention, individual/small group counseling, and functional behavioral assessment and individualized behavior support planning.  Lynne has an M.S. in School Psychology at California State University, Fresno.

Dr. Melissa Nantais oversees the professional learning and the MTSS universal and technical assistance provided by the MiMTSS TA Center. Before joining the TA Center, Melissa worked as a school psychologist, educational consultant, and university professor.

Nadia K. Sampson earned her Master of Arts and Severely Handicapped Teaching Certification in 1995 at the University of Oregon. She has worked for the Educational & Community Supports at the University of Oregon as a Senior Research Assistant since 1997. Ms. Sampson currently works on two federally funded grants, eCICO Secondary and Instructional Suspension Learning Alternatives (ISLA). She was formerly the PBIS Applications Training Team Lead and Coordinator. She continues to be a certified SWIS Facilitator Trainer and is also a contributing author on articles and research summaries related to PBIS implementation and PBIS Application use.

Shelley Garza-Clark is an Education Specialist at Region 4 Education Service Center in Houston, TX. She works in the area of behavior, providing support, consulting, training, and coaching in multi-tiered systems of supports for students and staff. Her focus includes: Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) at all 3 tiers, Special Education supports, and School Safety. Prior to working at Region 4, Shelley taught in several Texas school districts as a special educator. She received her Bachelor of Science from Brigham Young University and her Master of Education from Sam Houston State University. Shelley is also the mom of 4 boys and wife to a Houston Police Department Sergeant.

Tina M. Lawson, Ed.D., is an educational consultant with PaTTAN and a board certified behavior analyst. Her areas of interest and expertise are behavior support, autism, systems change, and effective instruction. She holds special education and school guidance and counseling certification, a Doctor of Education in educational leadership from Immaculata University, a Master of Education in school counseling from Johns Hopkins University, and a bachelor of science in special education from Penn State. Dr. Lawson is the state Co-Lead for the PaTTAN Learning Environment and Engagement Initiative and the lead of the PaPBS Network.