ADVISORY BOARD

CATHERINE BRADSHAW, Ph.D., M.Ed., is a Professor and the Senior Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development at the Curry School of Education and Human Development at the University of Virginia. Prior to her current appointment at U.Va., she was an Associate Professor and the Associate Chair of the Department of Mental Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she maintains a faculty position and codirects two prevention-focused research centers. She holds a doctorate in developmental psychology from Cornell University and a master’s of education in counseling and guidance from the University of Georgia.

Her primary research interests focus on the development of aggressive behavior and school-based prevention. She collaborates on research projects examining bullying and school climate; the development of aggressive and problem behaviors; effects of exposure to violence, peer victimization, and environmental stress on children; children with emotional and behavioral disorders and autism; and the design, evaluation, and implementation of evidence-based prevention programs in schools. She has led a number of federally funded randomized trials of school-based prevention programs, including Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), Multi-tiered Systems of Support for Behavior (MTSS-B), and social-emotional learning curricula. She also has expertise in implementation science and coaching models. Dr. Bradshaw works with the Maryland State Department of Education and several school districts to support the development and implementation of programs and policies to prevent bullying and school violence, and to foster safe and supportive learning environments. She collaborates on federally-funded research grants supported by the NIMH, NIMHD, NICHD, NIDA, CDC, NIJ, U.S. Department of Education, and the Institute of Education Sciences. She has partnered with several national and international organizations, such as the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), the National Academies of Science, the United Nations, and the World Bank.

Dr. Bradshaw has published over 250 peer-reviewed articles and chapters in edited volumes. She was previously the Associate Editor for the Journal of Research on Adolescence and is currently the editor of the journal Prevention Science. She is a coeditor of the Handbook of School Mental Health (2014), the editor of Handbook on Bullying: A Life Course Perspective(2017), and coauthor of Preventing Bullying in Schools: A Social and Emotional Learning Approach to Early Intervention (2020). She is currently working on two other books – one focused on culturally-responsive behavior management practices, and the other on school mental health.

LUANN PURCELL is currently the Executive Director of the Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE), a division of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). As Chief Executive Officer of an international professional organization of school administrators whose primary responsibility is in leadership of special education programs for children, her major job responsibilities include consulting and advising administrators on best practices for leadership and development of quality programs for students with disabilities; assisting members in developing networking systems through state, provincial, and country units in order to provide better services to members; advocating at the governmental level to assure appropriate legislation to facilitate the development and maintenance of quality programs for students with disabilities; and providing Keynote/breakout sessions/etc at state/provincial and regional conferences on leadership, legislative/policy updates, attitude adjustment, the passion in compassion, and other current education issues. In the last 14 years, Dr. Purcell has keynoted and led sessions in over 46 states and 4 foreign countries on various educational issues and the development of proactive leadership skills in times of change.

Dr. Purcell has had a variety of experiences throughout her 43 years in public education including experience as a general education teacher at both high school and middle school level, teacher of students with emotional and behavioral disorders, coordinator at a regional educational service center, and assistant superintendent for pupil services for 18 years in a local district with 27,000 students. She earned her Ed.D. in Administration from the University of Georgia in 1992.

Debbie McAdams is the Executive Director of Exceptional Education for the Metropolitan Nashville Public School District. She has a Masters in Special Education from Lehigh University (PA), a Cooperative Education Certification from Temple University (PA); a Bachelors in Special Education from Mansfield University (PA); and an Administration Certification from David Lipscomp University (TN). Mrs. McAdams has been in the education field for the past 24 years. Her experiences include Transition Coordinator, Master Teacher, Principal of a high school serving students with severe behavior disorders, and Director of Special Education. She has restructured the service delivery model of a large urban district.  Mrs. McAdams has a publication in the Journal of College Science Teaching.

DEBRA JENNINGS is the Executive Co-director of the Statewide Parent Advocacy Network (SPAN), a non-profit organization committed to working with parents and professionals to attain the educational rights of all children, thereby enabling them to become fully participating and contributing members of our communities and society.

Ms. Jennings has more than 15 years experience working with schools, parents, and communities in school improvement and other initiatives benefiting children and families. Ms. Jennings chaired Governor’s Family Involvement Committee in New Jersey and participates on the NJ Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect, NJ Teacher Quality Enhancement Consortium Advisory Board, the National Center on Special Education Monitoring & Accountability Advisory Board, the NJ Association of Partners in Education Board, the NJ State Improvement Grant Management Team, the Child Behavioral Health/Children’s System of Care Implementation Advisory Committee, the Board of the NJ Parents’ Caucus, and the Improving Minority Achievement Network Initiative.  She is the founder of Concerned African-American Parents and has served as a School Board member. Jennings directs SPAN’s START (Statewide Technical Assistance Resources Team), funded by the NJ Department of Education in part through NJ’s State Improvement which provides technical assistance and support to parents in local communities to develop and/or strengthen parent support groups.

In addition to organizing people and projects, her professional background also includes economic development, real estate finance and construction. A graduate of Northwestern University, Ms. Jennings is completing further graduate study as the Kellogg Foundation NonProfit Management Opportunity Fellow of the Seton Hall University Center for Public Service Masters in Public Administration program.

LUCILLE EBER, Ed.D. is the Technical Assistant Director National PBIS TA Center and a Senior Advisor for the Midwest PBIS Network. PBIS provides support to states and school districts nationwide, including integration of mental health into school-wide systems of positive behavior support, implementation of wraparound, and interagency initiatives for students with complex emotional and behavioral challenges. She served as the Director of the Illinois Emotional and Behavioral Disabilities (1993-1999) which transitioned to the Illinois Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Network (1999-2014), facilitating PBIS implementation for over 1,800 Illinois schools.

Dr. Eber is a former board member of the Illinois Federation of Families (IFF), and she is a current board member of the national Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health (FFCCMH). She provides training and consultation to school districts and mental health agencies across the United States, Canada, and Australia and has numerous publications on school-based wraparound and positive behavior interventions and supports.

TAMMY DAY, M.Ed. is responsible for the development and direction of the Next Steps at Vanderbilt program for 18- to 26-year-olds with intellectual disabilities on the Vanderbilt campus. The first group of 8 students began their studies on campus in January 2010. Day works to research best practices for postsecondary education programs across the country, to create eligibility and application criteria for Next Steps at Vanderbilt students, to develop and identify the curricula used for life skills classes, and to explore potential opportunities on the Vanderbilt campus with student organizations, faculty members, and future employers. She is also responsible for working with the Tennessee Board of Regents and the Tennessee Technology Centers to assist in the creation of vocational training opportunities for the students, and for working to develop internship opportunities both on and off the Vanderbilt campus.

Education and Previous Experience:

• Special Education High School Liaison/Compliance Specialist, Rutherford County Schools
• Statewide Work-Based Learning Trainer for Tennessee State Department of Education
• Special Education Teacher, grades 7-12, Rutherford County Schools
• B.S. Education, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, endorsed in the area of special education
• M.Ed., Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, emphasis in secondary severe disabilities and transition