In case you missed it, we are offering the recording of this year’s Symposium for $85!
Applied Educational Neuroscience in Action | Journeying Through the Nervous System
This symposium will be showcasing the work from the Applied Educational Neuroscience framework from educators, behavioral specialists, and mental health professionals who have cultivated their practice using the expertise of the AEN framework in the educational landscape. These practitioners are integrating adult nervous system awareness, co-regulatory practices, touch points, and teaching one another the language of the nervous system. There will be an emphasis on inclusive practices, equitable exploration, relational health, and the adaptable power of the nervous system as it relates to the developing brain and nervous system. Our presenters and panelists are on the ground, integrating this framework as a part of their procedures, routines, and rituals as we explore discipline through the lens of the nervous system!
Register Now!
$85 | Virtual (online) attendee
$25 | Butler University Applied Educational Neuroscience Certificate cohort
Individual registrations must make payment by April 4, 2025.
Group Registration:
- For groups of 6 or more that need an invoice to pay, please contact Alexis Methner, Events Coordinator.
- Deadline for group registration is March 28, 2025. After this date, groups will need to register and pay individually.
- No refunds will be offered, however, we will allow registrations to be transferred.
| 8:30 AM EST | Webinar opens | Program begins at 9AM EST |
| 9-9:30 AM EST | Welcome & Introduction Dr. Lori Desautels & Dr. Brooke Kandel, Dean |
| 9:30-10:45 AM EST | Keynote | Shifting the Lens to a Duty of Care through Body and Brain Brilliance Dr. Lori Desautels, Dr. Dustin Springer, Robert Beltz, Crystal Williams, & Angie Zara |
| 10:45-11:30 AM EST | Reimagining Behavior Interventions: AEN in Action Sara Midura Smith & Angie Nichols |
| 11:30 AM-12:15 PM EST | Dispelling Six Misunderstandings of Discipline from a Brain Aligned Lens Jodi Place |
| 12:15-1:00 PM EST | Building Staff Resilience: Adults Go First Crystal Williams & Kirshawndra Goode |
| 1:00-1:45 PM EST | Tortoise vs. Hare: AEN District-Wide Implementation Mark Dubois |
| 1:45-2:30 PM EST | Intersecting Insights: Utilizing Educational Neuroscience for More Inclusive Practices Michelle Reynolds & Trisha Thompson |
| 2:30-3:00 PM EST | Panel Discussion All Speakers |
| 3:00 PM EST | Closing Dr. Lori Desautels |
Shifting the Lens to a Duty of Care through Body and Brain Brilliance | Keynote Session
This session will provide the awareness and practices needed for educators, students, and other stakeholders to build capacity, elevate culture, and raise awareness of the nervous system’s role in discipline, confidence, anchoring and connection within the school community. Led by the seasoned educators and contributors to Body and Brain Brilliance: A Manual to Cultivate Awareness and Practices for our Nervous Systems , participants will gain expertise and insights into the collective nervous system’s role in discipline, practical strategies for adult nervous system regulation, and innovative approaches to creating equitable, sustainable and supportive learning environments.
Goal: Foster a culture of nervous system awareness in schools and organizations, focusing on the underlying factors that influence ALL behaviors, discipline, and academic performance
Goal: Promote resilient school systems and students through the integration of mind-body approaches that honor our relational connections central to learning
Goal: Build capacity among all stakeholders to enhance relational safety through the science of belonging and emotional literacy
Dr. Lori Desautels, has been an Assistant Professor at Butler University since 2016 where she teaches both undergraduate and graduate programs in the College of Education. She was also an Assistant Professor at Marian University in Indianapolis for 8 years where she founded the Educational Neuroscience Symposium. Currently, the Symposium is in its 10th year, and now sponsored by Butler University College of Education. Through these conferences and symposiums, educators, parents and the community learn deeply about how adversity, trauma and resiliency impact the developing nervous system, helping our students to feel a sense of autonomy and purpose along with social, emotional and cognitive well-being. Because of her work, Dr. Desautels has been able to attract the foremost experts in the fields of developmental, relational and the social neurosciences which significantly grow the conference each year.
Dr. Desautels has created a nine-hour graduate certification at Butler University in Applied Educational Neuroscience / Brain and Trauma. The certification is open to students around the world as it has transformed into a virtual platform and format. The Applied Educational Neuroscience Certificate, created by Dr. Desautels in 2016, is specifically designed to meet the needs of educators, counselors, and administrators who work beside children and adolescents who have, and are, experiencing adversity and trauma.
Dr. Desautels was a co-author of the Social and Emotional competencies for the state of Indiana published in January 2018. She has also authored a series of articles for “Inside the School,” an online publication providing strategies to administrators and educators alike. Her articles are published in Edutopia, Brain Bulletin, and Mind Body Spirit international magazine. She also was published in the Brain Research Journal for her work in the fifth-grade classrooms during a course release partnering with the Washington Township Schools in Indiana. Dr. Desautels continues her work in the Pre-K – 12 classrooms and is currently co-teaching in the 7th grade at Belzer Middle School. She has met with hundreds of school districts across the country, equating to more than 100,000 educators with much more work to be done!
Dr. Desautels taught children who carry in chronic stress behaviors in the upper elementary grades, worked as a school counselor in Indianapolis, was a private practice counselor and was co-owner of the Indianapolis Counseling Center. Dr. Desautels was also a behavioral consultant for Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis on the adolescent psychiatric unit where she learned that emotional and mental illness can be so challenging for youth, but the brain can repair and heal and resilience rests at the core of human nature and our well-being.
Dr. Desautels is the author of several books, including: How May I Serve You, Revelations in Education (2012), Unwritten, The Story of a Living System (2016), co-authored with educator Mr. Michael McKnight, Eyes Are Never Quiet (2018), Rewiring Our Perception of Discipline (2020), Intentional Neuroplasticity: Our Educational Journey Towards Post Traumatic Growth (2023), and Body and Brain Brilliance: A Manual to Cultivate Awareness and Practices for Our Nervous Systems (2024).
Dr. Desautels graduated with a BS in Special Education from Butler University, an MS in counseling education from Indiana University and earned her Ph.D. in philosophy with an emphasis in early adolescence/ thought formation from Indiana University and American Institute of Holistic Theology. Dr. Desautels resides in Indianapolis, Indiana with her husband, Michael. She has three grown children, Andrew, Sarah, and Regan, and four rescue fur babies.
Robert Beltz is a dedicated educator and consultant based in Oakland County, Michigan, and he also teaches the graduate Applied Educational Neuroscience program at Butler University. With an extensive background that spans over 20 years in the field of education, Robert has served in various roles as a teacher, ELD specialist and trauma-responsive coach. He currently serves as a consultant for Robert’s Reach, Revelations in Education, and the Trauma Informed Educators Network. He holds multiple certifications in areas such as Trauma-Responsiveness, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Applied Educational Neuroscience, and English as a Second Language (ESL). His primary focus is on enhancing social-emotional learning and promoting brain development specifically for students who have been impacted by trauma. In addition to his work in the United States, Robert has also spent time in rural Africa, where he worked to address issues related to poverty and educational inequity. He currently resides in Southeast Michigan with his wife and their three children.
Dr. Dustin Springer has been an educator for over 27 years, with experience spanning PreK through 5th grade, instructional coaching, and roles as a community school liaison and now as a principal in Kansas. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education, a Master’s in Elementary Urban Education, a second Master’s in Educational Administration, and a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction. In addition to advanced certifications in Applied Educational Neuroscience (AEN), Community Schools, and Trauma Education, he serves as affiliate staff at Butler University, where he teaches alongside Dr. Lori Desautels in the AEN certification program.
Dr. Springer has contributed to several books, including Regulation and Co-Regulation: Accessible Neuroscience and Connection Strategies that Bring Calm into the Classroom (Healy, 2023), Intentional Neuroplasticity (Desautels, 2024), and Body and Brain Brilliance: A Manual to Cultivate Awareness and Practices for Our Nervous Systems (Desautels, 2024). A passionate advocate for social and emotional learning and mental health awareness, he believes that “heart work is hard work” and is dedicated to advancing the AEN framework to support the well-being of students and educators.
In his free time, Dr. Springer enjoys live music and spending time with his family. He is married with three children and they live in Kansas City, Kansas with a menagerie of animals to help regulate their collective nervous systems.
Crystal Williams is a 7th-grade Social Studies teacher at Belzer Middle School. She began at Belzer in the Alternative to Instruction classroom in 2015 as an Instructional Assistant (IA). While as an IA, she returned to school to obtain her Master’s in Education. She has obtained the Applied Educational Neuroscience Framework Certification program with Dr. Lori Desautels. Crystal has had the pleasure of presenting at the Lawerence Learning Summit, Lawrence Advance Academy, and the Butler Neuroscience Symposium; Crystal is on a mission to help adults and children become aware of themselves through Educational Neuroscience. She aims to teach others how to integrate educational neuroscience in the classroom.
Angie Zara is an innovative trauma-responsive leader rooted in research, equity, and nervous system regulation. Currently in her 10th year in the field in her hometown of Washington, DC, Angie supports DC Public Schools in implementing restorative practices and educational neuroscience through a whole child, anti-racist lens across the district. In addition to her full time work, she presents nationally and currently serves as an affiliate faculty for Butler University’s Applied Educational Neuroscience Certification Program under Dr. Lori Desautels. In 2023, Angie co-founded LiveWellEd, LLC which works to support parents of neurodivergent children through a co-regulatory, inclusive, neuroscience and strengths based approach. Angie’s passion for shifting adult mindsets and supporting staff and student nervous systems guides her purpose and fulfillment in this work.
Lisa Colleen is the founder and principal with LC Coaching LLC, (DBA LC Rhythm Events), a high-energy consultancy that applies rhythm, movement, and neuroscience to the art of reframing perspectives for release, regulation, health and well-being. Lisa is an educator, presenter, drum circle facilitator, ICA certified life coach and personal growth workshop facilitator. She is also the Director of Program Development at Bongo Boy Music School in Indianapolis, IN. For over 13 years, she has focused on bringing rhythm and wellness programs to schools, special needs and senior living communities, and other support communities. Lisa completed the graduate certificate program in Applied Educational Neuroscience from Butler University in 2021. Since then, her work has expanded into consulting in senior community life enrichment programming and presenting professional development workshops for preschool and elementary school educators. She uses rhythm and movement as a framework for enhancing emotional regulation, releasing anxiety and excess energy , and encouraging positive connection to self and others for improving well-being.
Mr. Mark DuBois is the Superintendent at Western School Corporation located in Russiaville, Indiana (Howard County). Serving for over 25 years in the public education profession, with six of those years at the district level, Mark uses his wide variety of experiences as a former teacher, athletic director, assistant principal, principal, and assistant superintendent to strategically lead the district in their mission to educate and inspire today’s students for tomorrow’s opportunities. By focusing on making Western School Corporation the school of choice for excellence in education, Mark has been able to put his efforts towards developing student learning, school safety, staff retention, community culture, fiscal responsibility, and future advancements for the school district. His dedication to the Howard County community and his profession is evident through his service with the Russiaville Lions Club, Greater Kokomo Economic Development Alliance Board of Directors, Kokomo CEO Board of Directors, Drug Free Howard County Board of Directors, and the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents District 3 Legislative Liaison. Mark holds degrees from the University of Indianapolis, Ball State University, and Indiana Wesleyan University. He and his wife, Abby, have five daughters and are active members of College Park Church and live in Noblesville, Indiana.
Kirshawndra Goode, a wife, mother and educator of 25+ years, was born in Chicago, IL. She grew up in Gary, In and has been living in Indianapolis for 25+ years. Mrs. Goode is an experienced advocate for Education Equity, Diversity & Inclusion for all. Kirshawndra Goode is passionate about building our future society by preparing educators to serve.
Angie Nichols has 18 years of experience in education. Her foundation in special education has supported her in serving as a teacher for students with Autism, Resource Program Teacher, Teacher Consultant and Behavior Specialist. She holds a master’s degree in Adult Education and Training and is currently pursuing an EdS in administration. As a member of the Butler AEN program, Cohort 7, she is dedicated to empowering others through learning the language of their nervous system.
Jodi Place is an accomplished educational leader with expertise in trauma-informed education, social-emotional learning, and alternative program design. With over two decades of experience in both traditional and alternative education settings at the secondary level (6-12), she currently serves as a high school administrator and Division CTE Coordinator in Virginia. Previously, Jodi led a transformative redesign of a non-traditional program, focusing on the integration of the pillars of Applied Educational Neuroscience. She published Supporting Emotional Regulation in the Classroom (ASCD, 2021) and presents nationally to connect thought leaders together that are dedicated to building resilient, inclusive school environments and communities.
Michelle Reynolds began her career as a project assistant in Special Education, where she found her calling to teach and eventually returned to school to become an educator. After teaching in Autistic Support and Life Skills classrooms in Philadelphia, she has spent the last decade in the New Hope-Solebury community, focusing on co-teaching, emotional regulation, and, most recently, dyslexia. Having navigated her own challenges with dyscalculia, Michelle is dedicated to fostering supportive learning environments for all students. In February 2024, she began volunteering with the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint, co-facilitating educator book studies and researching grants. Michelle regularly collaborates with her building principal, school social worker, and guidance counselor to share AEN resources and lessons within her building and across her district. She holds a master’s degree in Special Education, a Special Education Supervisor Certificate, and a graduate certificate in Applied Educational Neuroscience from Butler University.
Sara Midura Smith’ 16 MS ’20 is an educator passionate about bridging the gaps between education and mental health through strengthening systems and human connection. A proud Butler University alumna, she graduated from the College of Education in 2016, obtained certification in Applied Educational Neuroscience (Cohort 2, 2018), as well as earned her Master’s in Effective Teaching and Leadership in 2020. Currently, she serves as an Engagement Behavior Specialist for Northwest Education Services in Traverse City, supporting high-needs students exhibiting extreme dysregulation. Previously, she taught middle school in a center-based program for students with Emotional Impairment, and worked as the Educational Liaison for the Riley Hospital for Children School Program on the Child & Adolescent Psychiatric Unit. Sara is passionate about applying Educational Neuroscience concepts and is excited about the work happening in Northern Michigan, a community she loves!
Trisha Thompson is a dedicated Early Childhood Education Consultant with a unique perspective as a multiply disabled and multiply neurodivergent individual and parent. With 10 years of experience in the early childhood education field, Trisha has held various teaching and leadership roles before transitioning to consultancy. She is an Indiana Approved Trainer Level III and a CDA Professional Development Specialist for Preschool Center-Based programs. Trisha holds a Master of Science in General Psychology and a certification in Applied Educational Neuroscience, and she has completed both the Conscious Discipline Institute (CD1) and the Conscious Discipline Advanced Institute (CD2). Trisha is deeply passionate about promoting neurodiversity-affirming practices, emphasizing their vital role in creating truly developmentally appropriate, anti-bias, trauma-informed, and neuroscience-aligned educational environments. Her work is profoundly shaped by her identity as an indigenizing diasporic Filipino and white woman who is cognizant of her identity as a settler on stolen Indigenous lands with a responsibility to decolonize.
As a co-facilitator for NAEYC’s Diversity & Equity Education for Adults Interest Forum and Accessible Education & Inclusive Environments Interest Forum, she actively advocates for genuine inclusivity. Trisha has participated in various conferences, including the 2024 Indiana Early Childhood Conference where she presented on Neurodiversity Affirming Practice and Applied Educational Neuroscience, and she recently offered a live course for the Therapist Neurodiversity Collective titled “Embracing Neurodiversity: Transformative Strategies for Autistic Thriving in the Pre-K – Elementary Classroom.”
If you have any additional questions, please contact Alexis Methner at amethner@butler.edu.