Steve McMahon has worked diligently throughout his thirty-year career in education to shift the culture and climate of schools toward a culture of prevention. Steve was certified as a PMAB instructor in 1998 by the late Marshall Siler and has been committed to training staff to reduce physical restraint in schools ever since. In 2007, while working as a district-wide behavior intervention teacher in Henry County Schools, he began to work alongside Marshall Siler to provide MindSet Instructor Certification training to school district personnel throughout Georgia. He is presently the CEO of Intervention Support Service and the director of MindSet Instructor Training. He and his beautiful wife, Tammy have raised six children and have six grandchildren. They are fortunate to live just outside of Clayton, Georgia in Rabun county. 
With a background in special education and degrees from the University of Georgia, David delivers the MindSet Safety Management Curriculum in order to certify trainers in districts across the nation. In addition, he provides district and organizational level consulting and training in various content including: Behavior Management, Collaborative Teaching, Data Analysis, Restorative Practices, PBIS, Trauma-Informed Care, and Tier I Teacher Coaching.
David’s most recent role as Coordinator of Behavior Supports for a diverse Title I school district adds to experience in leadership and teaching roles across various settings and specialized programs within public schools. He’s also worked in emergency shelters, therapeutic residential settings, and a school which is part of the Georgia Network for Educational and Therapeutic Support (GNETS).
David is married to Kathryn, an inspirational educator in her own right. They have four children and reside in Athens, GA. 
Raised in Johannesburg, South Africa and holding a Masters Degree in Special Education, Jackie Holland brings a wealth of versatile experience in special education to her clients. She brings a unique perspective with an ability to connect resources to individuals and families in need of behavioral support. Jackie’s passion for this work was inspired by someone very close to her as she lived the struggle that so many families face when it comes to seeking and finding guidance. Jackie has worked as a paraprofessional, teacher, special education administrator, and behavior specialist for a diverse Title I district.
Jackie provides district level training in the MindSet Safety Management Curriculum, Circle of Security (Parent Coaching), PBIS, Trauma Informed Practices and Care, Tier 1 Classroom Supports, Coaching Cycles with an emphasis on collaborative teaching best practices, Restorative Practices, Data Collection, and Behavior Intervention Plan development based on the needs of the individual. She currently resides in Watkinsville, GA with her husband and son.
My name is Aaron Kastanek and I live in Marshall, NC. I’ve always been sort of a “techie” guy, computers and technology have always fascinated me. I attended culinary school but ultimately chose to work in the IT field. I taught myself to be a web developer and graphic artist while running a small on-site IT company called Asheville Onsite. I would repair computers, design and create networks, anything from small e-mail issues to big corporate networks with multiple servers.
I met Steve in 2004 and we became friends. I helped him out on the side with websites and such. I appreciated the MindSet mission and still feel that it’s very needed in our culture. It’s such important work and he has so much passion for it. In 2018 I started working for MindSet officially. I truly feel that this is a wonderful company and we are doing really good work. It’s more than just a curriculum it’s really a way of life.
I ‘m very grateful for my team members and look forward to the future.
If you find yourself needing some MindSet tech support, I’m your guy.
I have worked with children and adolescents identified as having severe emotional and behavior disorders since beginning my career in 1995 at Hillside Hospital. It was here, as a Behavior Specialist, that I met and worked alongside Marshall Siler, the creator of the Mindset Curriculum. In 2001, I moved into the public-school setting as a special education teacher in a program serving only students with severe emotional/behavior disorders and autism in Henry County, Georgia. During my 21 years with this program, I have served as Instructional Lead Teacher, Crisis Interventionist, Behavior Specialist but always as a Mindset Trainer. The more I got to know my students and their vast array of behaviors, the more interested I became in childhood trauma and the impact it has on learning and the brain. Drawing from personal, professional, and educational experiences with childhood trauma, I developed a training to help our program better understand and serve our students. As my passion for this subject grew, I realized the knowledge I had gained about childhood trauma and resilience had too many implications for the way we teach, serve and parent our children not to share with as many people as possible.
In 2016, I became a Certified Trauma Practitioner and Trainer for the National Institute of Trauma and Loss in Children (TLC) and founded K. Hodges Consulting, LLC with the hopes of spreading the word on childhood trauma and resilience to all who would listen. My dog Skillet and I also passed our exam with Therapy Dogs International, and I introduced him to the students as our first Program Therapy Dog. Today, Skillet and I continue to work part-time as a Behavior Specialist team for the program in Henry County while also educating others throughout the state and country on childhood trauma and resilience and serving as a Mindset Master Trainer. I am constantly seeking to further my knowledge in trauma and resilience practices and most recently have become a trainer of Dr. Bruce Perry’s Neurosequential Model in Education. The more tools you have in your toolbox, the more individualized supports you can provide. I love that Mindset was one of the first tools I honed when I began my journey and only serves to enhance all the other tools I’ve acquired along the way.
Ria Canton-Archibald, Ed.D., BCBA, is a knowledgeable and respected Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and Educator, who has been serving individuals with behavior, intellectual, and mental health disabilities for over 20 years. Her passion and dedication for working with this often-overlooked population is so infectious and inspiring; that she is often sought after to bring a new perspective to many common challenges serving this population.
Dr. Archibald received her Bachelor of Arts in Independent Studies/Public Health and a minor in History at Spelman College. While at Spelman College, she served as a National Institute of Mental Health Scholar, beginning her journey into understanding how to address challenging behaviors. She later obtained a Master of Education in Curriculum & Instruction and Special Education at Central Michigan University, and then pursued and completed a certification as a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). She continued to refine her skills and achieved a Doctoral Degree in Educational Leadership in 2021.
Dr. Archibald began her career as a special education teacher, serving students with severe behavior and mental health disorders, and through her work, she developed a unique knack for intervening and reducing challenging behaviors. Within her 20 years as a special educator, Ria served as a Special Education Case Manager/Teacher, A Special Education Lead Teacher, a Career Technology Intervention Specialist, and a Behavior Specialist for both at-risk and special education populations, within three of Atlanta’s largest school districts. In these various roles, she would train, assist, and provide technical assistance to teachers, administrators, parents, and community organizations, serving and caring for children with developmental or intellectual, and/or mental health disabilities.
With a clear path in mind, Dr. Ria Archibald saw it only fitting to join the Mindset team with Intervention Services as a Master Trainer and Educational/ Behavioral Consultant. In this role, she now utilizes her expertise and acumen to empower educators and school districts to develop systems that are realistic and effective for addressing challenging student behavior. In addition, she provides training and support to teachers, staff, and service providers, that empowers them to implement and monitor interventions for students with a variety of behavioral, intellectual, and social-emotional needs.
Jimmy began working in the field of mental health and substance use over 20 years ago. He has always had a passion for working with people in reaching their goals and potential. His career has consisted of being involved in serving individuals in community mental health and staff development. Earning a degree in Criminal Justice from East Carolina University, he began his career as a counselor working for the Division of Youth Service (DYS). In this role he worked as a counselor for adolescents in the NC juvenile detention centers. While there, he became certified as a NC criminal justice instructor. Jimmy provided training for the detention center and training school staff. His training areas were suicide wareness/prevention, documentation and crisis management. Making a decision to transition into working in the NC community mental health and substance system, Jimmy returned to East Carolina to earn a degree in Social Work. Jimmy has held both clinical and administrative positions in outpatient treatment, community based services, school settings and 24-hour residential programs. Since 2014, Jimmy has served as the Director of Training and Staff Development for PORT Health Services. In 2022, he began a new role as Director of Behavioral Health Care Management while continuing to be involved in staff training. Jimmy has been involved with Mindset Safety Management for over 5 years as an instructor. For the past 3 years, he has brought his experience with training, staff development, program development and behavioral health to his role as an instructor trainer for Mindset Safety Management.
A graduate of the University of West Georgia holding a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, Master’s Degree in Special Education: Behavior Disorders, and Ed.S in Educational Leadership Derrick Gilchrist brings a wealth of diversified experience in Educational Leadership, Special Education – Emotional & Behavioral Disorders, Wraparound, and Community Mental Health. He has worked in both the hospital and educational settings building staff capacities and supporting children exhibiting the most challenging behaviors.
Derrick’s passion for supporting challenging behavior began as a cottage counselor at Murphy-Harpst-Vashti in Cedartown, Georgia. Since that time he has served as a behavior health assessor, community support individual, paraprofessional, teacher, and educational administrator. Years ago, he was inspired to become a Mindset trainer. Derrick’s work with Mindset in the beginning stages of his career established a foundation of trauma responsiveness in an organic way; this influence provided a framework for his educational and leadership philosophies.
As an administrator of an intensive special needs program Derrick was introduced to the High Fidelity Wraparound Model and the Neurosequential Model in Education (NME). These models helped shape service provision in the programs he oversaw. The neurosequential model provided a framework of trauma responsiveness which assisted staff with truly understanding how brain organization and functioning impacts behavior and how past traumatic events impact executive functioning. The unique model of wraparound services, prescribed by the High Fidelity version, provided a vehicle for case management to emphasize family voice and choice.
Derrick is honored to join with the MindSet Safety Management Team to “expand the movement” of trauma informed responsiveness. He has worked diligently to bring about the Mindset Trauma Responsive Model Classroom, which incorporates the most relevant research based strategies to support the creation and operations of effective behavior support classrooms. He continues to guide leaders to expand beyond soloed work and build bridges of support to best facilitate services for our clients.
Kyle Hostetler has worked with youth in Residential Treatment Programming in Indiana since 2006. Kyle began his career as a direct care staff and has worked in many areas including conduct disorder, substance abuse recovery, and mental health. During his 16 years at this facility, he learned that intentional connection is crucial while providing youth with an opportunity for change. In 2011, the organization introduced Mindset as the primary training for crisis intervention and physical restraint. After learning, implementing, and mastering the techniques of the program, Kyle was selected as a primary instructor for the organization under the guidance and instruction of Marshall Siler. The culture shift and impact Mindset had within the organization was both dramatic and beneficial.
Heysha Rodriguez is a Behavior Interventionist, originally from Puerto Rico, and has been in Georgia for 12 years. With a Bachelor’s in Psychology from the University of Puerto Rico and a Master’s in Educational Psychology from the University of Alabama, Heysha has gained vast amounts of experience working with diverse populations inside and outside the academic setting. More importantly, Heysha has had over eight years of hands-on experience in educational settings working in multiple Georgia school districts. Within this role, she helped create a positive school environment for students and staff through the management of PBIS programs that earned a distinguished rating for several consecutive years, successfully implemented positive behavioral interventions, and effectively trained personnel to implement these. Additionally, Heysha has created successful programs for behavior management and social skills that use research-based interventions and supports. Her knowledge of Functional Behavior Assessments and Behavior Intervention Plans has assisted in increasing school-wide appropriate behaviors.
Heysha is passionate about working with cultural minorities. Being a cultural and racial minority has allowed her to understand and help culturally diverse students in the academic environment, school administration, and their parents. Outside of work, Heysha loves experiencing nature. She is an avid trail runner and hiker and enjoys rock climbing and camping. Her husband and Dobermann, named Jäger, often accompany her on these adventures.
Dr. Matthias Wicks, Chief of Police-Greetings leaders of systems, teams, and concepts. With over three decades in law enforcement, education, coaching, and leadership, I have seen strong leaders and phenomenal employees lose the drive and determination in their work. While leading teams through significant changes, it is essential for leaders to realize systems changes impact the mindset of individuals and teams. Shifts impacted the individual and the end user. Managing people through a system’s change takes strategic “human-work.” Everyone’s mindset matters. As leaders, it is essential to be cognizant of and responsive to those who carry out the work you lead. My leadership and management often turn into Life Coaching, depending on the individual and the situation at hand.
Matthias Wicks is a transformational systems-thinking leader and an advocate for exceptional and responsible safety (educational, organizational, community, and personal). As a chief of police with a doctorate in educational leadership, he has learned to advance the concept and work of educational and community safety. Additionally, he helps leaders define definitive strategies to deliver organizational products. Matthias is a Transformational Leader and Servant Leader who aligns leadership and teams with the needs of organizations. His position is that transformation must take place in the heart of leaders as they serve.
The presenters propose to enlighten their audience on the rationale of empowering special education teachers in their districts. According to research complied by the CEEDAR Center, “A recent survey found that one in four teachers planned on leaving their job at the end on the 2020-2021 school year” (Steiner & Woo, 2021). Moreover, shortages in specific fields, such as special education are pervasive.
This presentation provides an introduction to social-emotional development during the preschool years. The goal is to help professionals understand how children develop social-emotional skills, learn about social-emotional milestones, and what to do if there are concerns about a child’s development. How can professionals develop a preschool classroom environment that creates meaningful opportunities for children’s social-emotional growth and create developmentally appropriate experiences that engage children in meaningful interactions in order for professionals to facilitate a social-emotional competence in the workplace when engaging with children, families and colleagues through self-reflection, collaboration, and supportive relationships.
This workshop will provide an overview of how exposure to trauma affects children’s mental health, activities, as well as student learning and behavior. Academic performance, school attendance, and overall intelligence are affected by exposure to trauma. Suggestions for supporting students with trauma exposure range from everyday interactions to intensive intervention programs, which include traditional and non-traditional practices as well as group and individual programs. Throughout my teaching career, I have observed children entering school with a variety of traumatic experiences that teachers and counselors cannot imagine facing themselves. In order to help students affected by trauma, we need to acquire strategies to connect with them, understand their home and community life, and provide guidance for coping with their experiences.
What do most world-class athletes have in common? They create highly positive and consistent environments for teams to thrive in. There is no shortcut to success, but when you apply an MVP mindset to your everyday work, everyone can be a part of a winning team. MVP Spaces will help you build and sustain research-based Simple Techniques to Achieve a Positive Learning Environment (STAPLEs) for success.
Our presentation will explore the intersection of Restorative Practices and Educational Equity, as essential components in a school community’s efforts at addressing racial disparities in discipline and the school to prison pipeline.
Come work together to create visual social contracts, visual choice boards, and de-escalation plans to help support your students/clients with limited communication skills. These visuals will support your students through the 4 step counseling model and increase their independence in advocating for what they need during crisis situations.
Building and sustaining a culture of prevention and empowerment in a school district begins with data analysis, strategic implementation, and a foundation for sustainability. This session walks through one district’s journey implementing MindSet curriculum to better support all students, staff, and parents.
Superpowers for Good teaches the neurology behind the meltdowns, how to build trust and increase the student’s capacity to make good internal choices, We discuss how to evaluate or diagnose what the root of the problem is, and how to build a prescriptive plan to help the student develop along their natural neurological hierarchies. It is about learning enhancement rather than learning disabilities.
AIM is a research based social emotional wellness curriculum. It combines Mindfulness, Applied Behavior Analysis, and ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) Framework to teach Psychological Flexibility. The curriculum teaches children to manage their behaviors and the daily struggles they must navigate in life while teaching social emotional skills.
In order for students to exhibit positive behaviors, they must have the tools and supports to access curriculum, assessments, and materials. If students are experiencing academic deficiencies or have disabilities that marginalize them from a learning environment, they will engage in escape and avoidance behavior. In other words, educators must distinguish between students who “can’t” from students who “won’t.” This presentation will include a simulation that allows its participants to experience what it is like to not be able to perform simple, everyday tasks such as writing, speaking, and reading. Direct connections to behaviors will be made and corresponding, potential positive supports will be provided.
Executive Functioning Skills are the mental processes that enable us to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks successfully and they are the bedrock for academic success. When students gain proficiency with these particular skills they are more likely to engage in their learning with both agency and dexterity. As students progress through their K-12 experience schoolwork gets harder and more complex while students are asked to be more independent learners. Young people with weak or lacking executive functions tend to struggle with self-regulation, exhibit off-task behavior, while falling further and further behind. Interrupted schooling, resulting from the pandemic, has only exacerbated the issue and widened existing achievement gaps. Now more than ever students need exposure to and practice with these skills!
With a vision, people thrive! Now more than ever, individuals need strategies to help them practice resilience in the face of complex challenges. Vision inspires the heart to hope and empowers the mind to break free from lids and labels that serve as limitations. Through The Vision Challenge, participants will use The 8 Dimensions of Wellness to reimagine possibilities of a new reality where love and resilience are personalized and amplified.
When behaviors escalate, we reach the point of ignition: do we feed the fire? Our choices in a crisis turn sparks into an inferno. By adopting a ‘plot twist’ approach and the application of practical strategies, we can reduce or eliminate challenging behaviors while also strengthening our relationship with students.
Let’s talk about empowering every learner along the way by connecting them to the “Why” of learning via CTE (Career & Technical Education). We focus on connecting schools and students to options outside of and after school! Lets examine how to create student engagement by reconnecting their purpose. How do you include all students by having programs for all learners? Maybe the answers rest in creating connections between your school and your community.
This training describes educators’ role in “managing” challenging behaviors. What is “junk behavior” and why do kids do it? Information goes beyond basic classroom management strategies (e.g., structure, rules /routine, environment, etc.). We provide specific ways to address students’ chronic and “annoying” behaviors that result in frequent office discipline referrals. Intended audience: administrators, academic coaches, lead teachers, and classroom teachers (general ed and special ed).
Have you ever wondered how MindSet techniques can be used with adults? Annandale Village is a residential community in Suwanee, GA serving adults with developmental disabilities and acquired brain injuries. The presenters will lead an interactive session on ways MindSet training can be adapted and how those techniques are utilized on a day-to-day basis in this unique setting.
Schools, now more than ever, shoulder the burden of being one-stop-shopping for everything when it comes to our youth. From private therapy providers to travel supports and funding agencies, Sara will share how she empowers families to go beyond the walls of school to meet their child’s needs.
You are recording data all the time. How can you make this easier? We will teach you how to use Google Forms to collect data in a quick and efficient way. Then we will teach you how to analyze the data to make informed decisions about student behavior.
Discover ways the Durham Community Safety Department (DCSD) works to enhance public safety via community-centered approaches to prevention and intervention as alternatives to policing and the criminal legal system. Find out about our three primary functions: piloting new response models for 911 calls for service, collaborating with community members to identify additional approaches to public safety, and managing and evaluating existing contracts and external partnerships intended to advance public safety.
We are pleased to present a glimpse of Dr. Bruce Perry’s Neurosequential Model and the ways we incorporate it into programming at South Metro GNETS. This model has significant positive implications for teaching, counseling, parenting and coexisting. It provides essential guidance for interactions with all individuals regardless of trauma history.
Throughout my career in education, I have worked as both a building level and district level administrator. Within these roles, many years of my work focused on classroom management and behavior interventions. I earned my Educational Specialist degree through Georgia Southern University. Currently I provide district and organizational level consulting and training in various content including: Mindset, Restorative Practices, PBIS, Trauma-Informed Care and Behavior Management.
Having always been drawn to helping individuals, I decided to gain my Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Purdue University and my Master of Education degree, specializing in behavior and learning disabilities, from Georgia State University. I have had the opportunity to work in residential facilities, trauma intervention programs, special needs classrooms, schools which are part of the Georgia Network for Educational and Therapeutic Support (GNETS) and work my way to the district level in Henry County, Georgia as an Intervention Support Teacher where I became a MindSet Master Trainer. Through conversations with individuals who work in the behavioral field and hearing about the need for extra assistance in school districts and agencies, I developed Southeast Behavior Supports, LLC. which provides such assistance to those in need. Most recently, I have taken on the role of Consulting Operations Manger for MindSet where I run the consulting branch. 
I hereby acknowledge that the materials owned by Intervention Support Services, LLC, a Georgia limited liability company doing business as Mindset Safety Management and MindSet Instructor Training, are the property of Intervention Support Service, LLC, and are proprietary in nature. These materials are to be used solely and exclusively by MindSet Trainers and those they train within their own organization. In addition, materials are only to be used in accordance with the MindSet Tenets and Guiding Principles in creating a culture of prevention. Using MindSet to support, market, or advertise other products and services is only allowed with expressed written consent. Furthermore, As certified instructors of the MindSet Curriculum, I acknowledge I am authorized to train individuals only within the organization with which I was employed upon time of training.
I hereby acknowledge my awareness that my participation in one or more Mindset Safety Management training sessions may expose me to risk of personal injury. I acknowledge that Mindset Safety Management training involves physical activity and therefore there is risk that I may be injured as a result of my participation in such training.
For the sole consideration of Intervention Support Services, LLC, a Georgia limited liability company doing business as Mindset Safety Management providing such training, I hereby release, forever discharge AND COVENANT NOT TO SUE Intervention Support Services, LLC and its members, directors, officers, consultants, agents and employees (COLLECTIVELY HEREIN REFERRED TO AS “RELEASEES”) from any and all LIABILITY, CLAIMS, DEMANDS, ACTIONS AND CAUSES OF ACTION OF WHATEVER KIND ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO ANY LOSS, DAMAGE, COST (INCLUDING MEDICAL COSTS) OR EXPENSE OF ANY PERSONAL INJURY (INCLUDING DEATH) SUSTAINED BY ME, OR TO ANY PROPERTY BELONGING TO ME, WHETHER CAUSED BY THE NEGLIGENCE OF THE RELEASEES OR OTHERWISE, RESULTING FROM OR IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH MY PARTICIPATION IN THE TRAINING.
I certify that I am at least eighteen years of age, THAT I INTEND FOR THIS RELEASE, WAIVER OF LIABILITY AND COVENANT NOT TO SUE TO BIND THE MEMBERS OF MY FAMILY AND SPOUSE (IF ANY), IF I AM ALIVE, AND MY HEIRS, ASSIGNS AND PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE, IF I AM NOT ALIVE, and that I have read and understand the above. I further agree that this Release, Waiver of Liability and Assumption of Risk shall be governed by the laws of the State of Georgia.
With a background in special education and degrees from the University of Georgia, David delivers the MindSet Safety Management Curriculum in order to certify trainers in districts across the nation. In addition, he provides district and organizational level consulting and training in various content including: Behavior Management, Collaborative Teaching, Data Analysis, Restorative Practices, PBIS, Trauma-Informed Care, and Tier I Teacher Coaching.
David’s most recent role as Coordinator of Behavior Supports for a diverse Title I school district adds to experience in leadership and teaching roles across various settings and specialized programs within public schools. He’s also worked in emergency shelters, therapeutic residential settings, and a school which is part of the Georgia Network for Educational and Therapeutic Support (GNETS).
David is married to Kathryn, an inspirational educator in her own right. They have four children and reside in Athens, GA.
