Marcus Stallworth, LMSW, operates with a strength based, hands on approach. Spending close to 15 years providing Child Protective Services, he is recognized by the State of Connecticut as an expert witness for providing testimony. He has spearheaded several initiatives to promote the engagement of Fathers, the prevention of abuse and neglect, and the dangers of Social Media. He has direct experience educating and supporting Human Trafficking and Sexually Exploited victims, including those in Foster Care. He played a leadership role in Connecticut’s Disaster Behavioral Health Response Network, and oversaw recovery efforts in Newtown CT after the events on December 14, 2012.

Marcus is a national Training and Development Specialist for the Child Welfare League of America. He is also co-owner of Welcome 2 Reality, LLC which focuses on providing media literacy and education for students and parents regarding social media and technology.

Mary has led the Association for Training on Trauma and Attachment in Children (ATTACh) in Minneapolis, Minnesota since 2011. During her tenure, Ms. McGowan has implemented multiple comprehensive training for parents and professionals which have been shared to thousands in North America.

She continues to raise awareness on a national level of how early abuse and neglect impact our youth and families. Ms. McGowan served as a post-adoption specialist for North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC) doing successful grass roots recruitment for foster and adoptive families for 10 years. She has earned accolades as the National Education Manager for the Professional Association of Treatment Homes (PATH) and is an experienced trainer who teaches and consults locally and nationally. Mary holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with minors in Community Violence Prevention and Child Development from Metropolitan State University, and a master’s candidate in Counseling and Psychological Services from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota. Mary earned several certifications including Therapeutic Crisis Intervention for Family Based Placements (TCIF) from Cornell University, and is a Nationally Certified Family Group Decision Making Facilitator (FGDM).

Ms. McGowan has fostered many children over 26 years and is a single adoptive parent of 5 youth ranging from 13-22 years old. She was a Guardian ad Litem (CASA) for 5 years and has experience with advocacy and success in obtaining services necessary for children in crisis. Mary shares her vast experience in an engaging and practical manner. Her real-life stories of parenting and working with children have been presented to parents and professionals from over 50 countries and across the United States.

Rhonda Sciortino, author of Succeed Because of What You’ve Been Through, was in the child welfare system until she emancipated at 16 years of age. She credits a brief stay with a wonderful foster family for teaching her that there was a better way to live. Rhonda Sciortino used the coping skills from her childhood survival to start her own business of protecting and defending the good people and organizations that care for abused children. Over the decades of that work, Rhonda and her team analyzed the ways that foster children and caregivers get injured or killed. The Preventing Tragedy in Foster Care training includes the insights that Rhonda learned over 30 years.

Through her speaking, writing, EMPOWERING RESILIENCE podcast, and videos, Rhonda shares how others can use the obstacles in their lives as stepping stones to a great future.

www.rhonda.org