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KEYNOTE SPEAKER:Daren Jones

Daren Jones, LMSW: Associate Director of Training and Consultation Services, Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development

Daren Jones is the Associate Director of Training and Consultation Services with the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development (KP ICD) at TCU. Daren’s main focus is instructing professionals working with children who have experienced trauma, in Trust-Based Relational Intervention® (TBRI®). Since Daren joined the Purvis Institute in 2014, he has been an integral part of teaching and spreading TBRI® across the U.S. and throughout the world. Daren earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. He began his career as a behavior instructor of a therapeutic day treatment program serving children and youth who could no longer function in a regular academic school setting.

After serving as a behavior instructor, Daren decided to obtain his Master’s in Social Work from Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky. Daren spent 12 years serving youth and families within residential and foster care settings as a direct-care worker, residential group home supervisor and trainer, before beginning his work with the KP ICD.

Daren is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Counseling & Counselor Education at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, TX, where he resides with his wife Katie Jones, daughter Ruby, and son Finn.

Contact Daren: (817) 257-7415


Distinguished Guest Presenters

Randy Kaiser

Randy Kaiser: Special Agent | Criminal Investigators Division, Texas Department of Public Safety

Randy Kaiser started his instruction career in 2002 as a graduate assistant at Texas State University-San Marcos. He finished his Master of Education degree in 2004 and continued teaching continuing education across the nation until 2009. Mr. Kaiser began his Law Enforcement career in 2012 with the Texas Department of Public Safety and became a certified Basic Instructor for the Texas Department of Public Safety. He began his career as a Crisis Negotiator in 2014 and joined the Texas Association of Hostage Negotiators Board of Directors in 2015. In 2016, Mr. Kaiser was promoted to Special Agent within the Criminal Investigations Division of the Texas Department of Public Safety. His primary focus was on Human Trafficking and the exploitation of children. He has instructed on numerous topics including Human Performance, Nutrition, Hostage Negotiations, Human trafficking, and the Sexual Exploitation of Children.

Contact Randy: Randy.Kaiser@dps.texas.gov

Scott LePor DOScott LePor, D.O.: Medical Director, Texas Juvenile Justice Department

Scott LePor is a family physician who resides in Austin, Texas. He is a husband, father, foster, and adoptive parent. Through his experiences as a foster parent, Scott sought further training through the Texas Christian University Institute of Child Development to help heal the life traumas of children from hard places with the evidence-based neuroscience of Trust Based Relational Intervention. The principles have proved to be so life-changing that Scott now shares this training through lectures and workshops to foster/adoptive parents as well as other health care professionals and various organizations and states. These principles also became the foundation for becoming the Medical Director of Patient Experience and Physician Engagement at the hospital where he worked through building a culture centered around meeting the needs of others through trust-based relationships. Scott is currently the Medical Director of the Texas Juvenile Justice Department and is using the evidence-based neuroscience of interpersonal neurobiology to implement the “Texas Model” for their youth in need. He is also a member of the Texas HHSC Cross Systems Trauma-Informed Workgroup and a co-chairman for the subcommittee on Screening, Assessment, and Treatment for Trauma-Informed Care. Having a strong spiritual worldview has also been a driving force for his purpose and passion for helping those in need. Scott has also enjoyed sharing knowledge on various aspects of health in publications, podcasts, and social media.

In his spare time, Scott enjoys spending time with his wife and three precious girls in daily routines as well as sharing life experiences together. Scott also enjoys promoting health through regular exercise and a whole-food plant-based diet which he also encourages with his patients.

Contact Dr. LePor: Scott.LePor@tjjd.texas.gov

Troy McPeakTroy McPeak: Associate Director of Texas Model, Texas Juvenile Justice Department

In the last few years, one of the most exciting developments in the non-profit and juvenile justice worlds has been the integration of trauma-informed, healing-centered approaches to care. One of the men helping lead this charge in the Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD) is Troy McPeak. Troy’s story explains how a hard-nosed former football player from Riverside County (outside of LA) is helping pioneer attachment-rich, connection-centered, resilience-building systems of care in the TJJD. Troy has some amazing stories of transformation happening in a place so often overlooked or forgotten.

Contact Troy: Troy.McPeak@tjjd.texas.gov


Practical Implementation of TBRI® Presenters

Ginny Bowles: 4th Grade ELA Teacher, Wilkinson Elementary, Conroe Independent School District

Ginny is a teacher with 21 years of experience in Texas schools, with the majority of her career spent serving in Title 1 schools. Currently, she teaches 4th grade in Conroe ISD at a school with a high number of foster youth/children in placements other than the family home. Ginny is also honored to volunteer as an Advocate for CASA Child Advocates of Montgomery County.

Contact Ginny: GBowles@conroeisd.net

Shanna RedwineShanna Redwine: Assistant District Attorney, Chief-Special Victims Division, Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office

As Chief of the Special Victims Division, Shanna supervises the Prosecutors, Investigators, and Support Staff assigned to the Special Victims Team, the Internet Crimes Against Children & Human Trafficking Task Force, and the Domestic Violence Unit. Shanna started joined the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office out of law school in 2011. She was promoted to her current position as Division Chief in 2019. Shanna was previously assigned as the Chief of the 9th and 435th District Courts, as the Child Physical Abuse Prosecutor, and as a member of the Vehicular Crimes Callout Team which handles criminal auto-related fatalities.  She has served as the Misdemeanor Division Chief and in several felony courts. Shanna serves as the presiding member of the Montgomery County Child Fatality Review Team and as a board member for Children’s Safe Harbor and for the Montgomery County Coalition Against Human Trafficking.

Ann Marie RonsmanAnn Marie Ronsman, MSN, RN: President & CEO, CASA Child Advocates of Montgomery County

Ann Marie became the President & CEO of CASA Child Advocates of Montgomery County in February 2021. She first joined CASA as a volunteer Advocate in 2014. Ann Marie took on the role of CASA Training Director in early 2018. A Trust-Based Relational Intervention® Practitioner, she has grown CASA’s partnership with the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development at Texas Christian University and is a leader in the implementation of TBRI® within the child welfare system. She has spearheaded many CASA initiatives, including Trust-Based Relational Intervention® (TBRI®) education for CPS, the Montgomery County District Attorney’s office, and numerous other community organizations. Ann Marie is the co-chair of the Trauma-Informed Montgomery County Task Force, which promotes a county where the community recognizes and understands how to best respond to children who have experienced trauma.

Ann Marie earned a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Marquette University, Milwaukee; a Master’s in Nursing from Cardinal Stritch University, Milwaukee; and a certificate of Non-Profit Leadership from the University of Texas. Ann Marie and her husband, Matt, live with their five children (three of whom are adopted) in Montgomery. She is a native Wisconsinite and a huge Green Bay Packers fan. They keep very busy with sports practices, homework, and laundry. Ann Marie and Matt have led adoption and foster care ministries for many years. In her spare time (what is that?) she enjoys reading, gardening, and traveling. Her family also fosters Basset Hounds for Basset Buddies Rescue of Texas as well as dogs for Who Rescued Who. They’ve fostered over fifty dogs so far.

Contact Ann Marie: AnnMarie@CASASpeaks4Kids.com

Judge Amy TuckerJudge Amy Tucker: Presiding Judge, County Court at Law No. 3, Montgomery County, Texas

Judge Amy Tucker served as the Associate Judge for County Court At Law No. Three for over 8 years before she was appointed as the Presiding Judge on July 1, 2021. Judge Tucker graduated from the University of Tennessee with a degree in English Literature and then received her law degree from the University of Texas. She began her legal career as a law clerk for United States District Judge Hayden W. Head and then served as an Assistant County Attorney for Montgomery County from 2001-2012 where she specialized in child abuse cases. Judge Tucker is Board Certified in Family Law and Child Welfare Law.


For more information about the Montgomery County Trauma-Informed Task Force, please email Info@CASASpeaks4Kids.com.