Dr. Tim Lewis has been involved in special education for 30 years. Dr. Lewis has taught students with emotional and behavioral disorders in high school, elementary, and self-contained psychiatric settings. At present, Dr. Lewis is Professor of Special Education at the University of Missouri. Dr. Lewis is past Co-Editor of the journal Behavioral Disorders, Associate Editor of the Journal of Positive Behavioral Interventions, and a member of 13 editorial boards. During his 28-year career in higher education Dr. Lewis has served multiple terms as department chair and associate dean for research. Dr. Lewis has been involved with developing school-wide systems of behavioral support for over 20 years. He has worked directly with school teams around the world, secured over $78 million in grants to support his research and demonstration efforts, and is a frequent contributor to the professional literature examining various aspects of Positive Behavior Support. Dr. Lewis directs the University of Missouri Center for School-wide Positive Behavior Support, is Co-Director of the national OSEP Center for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports and former Co-Director of the Center for Adolescent Research in Schools. His specialty areas include social skill instruction, functional assessment, and proactive school-wide discipline systems.

Brittany Patterson, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor with the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), and is a faculty member with the National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH) at UMSOM. She received her Ph.D. from a dual School/Counseling Psychology program at the University of Buffalo, State University of New York in 2015 and completed her predoctoral psychology internship and postdoctoral fellowship with the NCSMH at UMSOM. Dr. Patterson’s current clinical and research interests involve trauma-responsive schools and culturally responsive mental health services in underserved schools and their surrounding communities.

In her current role, Dr. Patterson is co-investigator of the Partnering for Student Wellness (PSW) project funded by Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) with aims to enhance family engagement and positive outcomes through provision of high-quality school-based mental health services. Dr. Patterson also serves as a primary point person for developing and delivering training both within the school mental health clinical programs as well as for diverse school stakeholders on topics related to trauma-informed care, trauma-responsive schools, and cultural responsiveness and equity. As an NCSMH faculty, Dr. Patterson supervises doctoral and masters level clinicians providing mental health care and provides technical assistance to local, state, and national leadership, including the U.S. Department of Education’s Promoting Student Resilience (PSR) and School Mental Health grantees.

Beyond her professional dedication to schools and youth mental health, Dr. Patterson is a proud daughter, sister, wife, and mom! Her hobbies include spending time with her family over arts and crafts, food, outdoor sports, and reading. Ultimately, Dr. Patterson has one hope for all students, including her own children —

You deserve safe spaces to learn and grow,
full of opportunities to share what you know,
and elevation of your talents for obstacles foreseen,
ensuring accomplishment of every goal and unseen dream.
—Dr. Brittany Patterson (2020)