Family Support Symposium

A day of training and solution building to support the families of Adams County

TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2023 IN GETTYSBURG, PA

In partnership with Respective Solutions Group, Healthy Adams County
and Center for Youth & Community Development

Presenter Biographies

Dr. Michael Diller, Director of WellSpan Employee Assistance Program (WSEAP) “Remember, We All Rise When We Lift Others…Keys to Fostering Good Mental Health, Wellbeing and Resilience in Ourselves and Others”

Dr. Diller is a Licensed Psychologist. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Pittsburgh, a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology from Loyola College in Maryland and a Doctor of Psychology Degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Hartford. He spent nineteen years in clinical practice, fifteen of those years at WellSpan Behavioral Health (WBH), now known as WellSpan Philhaven. Dr. Diller served as a clinical supervisor from 2006 to 2016 overseeing clinical operations of WBH-Meadowlands outpatient office. He has been with WSEAP since 2016 and has been passionate about finding better ways to support his fellow coworkers, raising awareness of mental health issues in the workplace and offering ways that Wellspan can provide a culture of caring to support overall wellbeing. Dr. Diller was named one of Central Penn Business Journal's 2021 Health Care honorees in the Mental Health Caregiver Hero Category.

Mark Durgin “Coach Approach”

Mark B. Durgin holds a B.S. in Criminal Justice from York College of Pennsylvania, focusing on Parole and Probation. Mark has over 20 years of professional experience in Pennsylvania’s child-serving systems, working with youth and families at a county level. Mark is a trainer in the Coach Approach to Adaptive Leadership and Adaptive Leadership for System Change. Additionally, Mark is a certified Trauma Workshop trainer through Lakeside Global Institute. Coaching and leadership development has been a focal point for Mark. This has resulted in a collaborative effort of system partners and family members trained in leadership and trauma.

Dr. Howard Rosen "Social-Emotional Learning for a Better World"

Howard is a licensed psychologist and adjunct professor of psychology at Dickinson College. Howard is an expert in evidence-based approaches that effectively work to support children, youth, and families. He is a prolific speaker, outstanding mentor, and is an expert in psychology, evaluation, and prevention. As the Founding President of Hempfield Behavioral Health, Howard has a track record of community, school, and family supportive services that effectively reduce risks to the social and emotional wellbeing of children and youth.

Joe Markiewicz, Senior Consultant for Building Stronger Communities “Supporting Teens in 2023” – Youth Panel Moderator

Joe has over 25 years of experience and has been a presenter at National conferences on the subject of risk and protective factors, evidenced-based prevention strategies, youth data, community planning and positive social norming. Some of these conferences included; National RX Summit (Atlanta, GA), CADCA Conference (Bay Harbor, VA), Healthy Communities Health Youth
(Minnesota), and Blueprints for Violence Prevention (San Antonio, TX). In 2012, Joe received the Erie County Award for Youth Violence Reduction and as chair of the Erie County Collaborative Board he received the statewide community coalition of the year award in Pennsylvania. In his previous employment, Joe was a statewide Planner and Trainer with Center for Juvenile Justice Training &
Research (CJJTR), Pennsylvania Commission on Crime & Delinquency (PCCD), Juvenile Court Judge’s Commission (JCJC) as well as many other youth-serving organizations. He is also a National Technical Assistant for the Office of Juvenile Justice Training & Research (OJJTR).

Yeimi K. Bautista, Wellspan Health Latino Health Educator “Latinx/ Hispanic Journey Maps: a Tool for Empathy, Understanding, and Growth”

Yiemi serves as chairperson for the Latino Services Task Force and the Tobacco Prevention Task Force of Healthy Adams County where she leads and collaborates, with other community-based organizations to reach underrepresented communities. Yeimi has a degree in Finance and Foreign Trade and holds a Master’s degree in Spanish and Latin American Studies from American University in Washington DC, Yeimi is a certified English to-Spanish translator and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Clinical Counseling at Messiah University. For more than 20 years Yeimi has worked with Latino communities in the United States, and she serves on boards for local and regional organizations including the Hispanic American Center-Manos Unidas, the Adams County Head Start, the Family Health Council of Central PA, and the Gettysburg Soup Kitchen.

Heather Powell “Strengthening Families Framework”

Heather Powell has devoted her career to the early childhood field for over 18 years. She has extensive experience in the classroom, as well as in her roles as a teacher, education coordinator, center director, and currently a family support consultant for the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) in Pennsylvania. Heather is responsible for providing programmatic support and monitoring for home visiting and family support programs throughout the state. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary and Early Childhood Education, and is currently living in Lemoyne, PA with her two children and partner. In her free time, Heather loves to spend quality time with her friends and family at the beach. As a professional in the field, she is dedicated to her work and to providing the best support and resources to those in the early childhood field.

Dr. Smitha Nair “Nutrition and Mental Health”

Dr. Nair is a board-certified Family Medicine physician, working part-time at Homewood Plum Creek in Hanover. She is also specialized in Integrative Medicine and is a certified Life Coach, Nutrition and Culinary coach. She is also in the process of launching her virtual Women’s Wellness coaching business. Dr. Nair serves on the board of the YWCA of Gettysburg and Adams County, Gettysburg Hospital Foundation and Gettysburg Community Theatre. She is a foodie, loves to dance and paint. Her mission is to educate women on how to tap into their intuition and get to the seat of their souls, by removing barriers like limiting beliefs and negative self-talk that come in the way of their purpose, and to guide them to live a more authentic and joyful life.

Dr. Dana Winters, Executive Director, Fred Rogers “The Power of Simple Interactions”

Dana Winters, Ph.D., is the Rita McGinley Executive Director of the Fred Rogers Institute and faculty in the School of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at Saint Vincent College. Her extensive field research from interviewing prisoners to shadowing crossing guards, from observing Head Start teachers and developing coaches in early childhood systems has informed the co-development of the Simple Interactions approach to support children, families, and their helpers. Dr. Winters describes and affirms the essential and relational practices of professionals across early education and intervention, out of school time learning, healthcare, family engagement, and more. She is an experienced applied researcher who has served as co-principal investigator and program evaluator for consecutive NSF-funded early childhood research and intervention projects in the areas of early literacy, social emotional development, and early mathematical learning. She leads numerous foundation and government project grants to improve early childhood systems and family engagement practices. Dr. Winters serves as a UNESCO Faculty Fellow in Children and Youth Studies, collaborating with faculty around the world in the advancement of empathy development and adult-child relationships across developmental settings. She received her Ph.D. in administrative and policy studies from the University of Pittsburgh.

John Lewis “Suicide Prevention Panel” - Moderator

John started his career as a Juvenile Probation Officer in Northumberland County. He moved on to public education where he served for 35 years working with the Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit, the Berwick Area School District and the Gettysburg Area School District. He currently serves as a board member and president of Healthy Adams County, Inc. He most recently worked on a Youth Violence Prevention Initiative with the Respective Solutions Group. He has served on numerous committees within the county working to develop partnerships that could benefit the community at large.

Pat Felix, Adams County Coroner “Suicide Prevention Panel”

Pat was first elected Coroner in 2004, after serving the citizens of Adams County for 20 years and will be retiring at the end of this year. Pat acquired her Pennsylvania State Certification in 2002 when she was serving as a deputy under then-Coroner Pat Leinbach. Following Pat's election, she acquired a board certification and continued to attend continuing education. Her office was accredited for the first time in 2013 with the International Association of Medical Examiners and Coroners and is presently working on that renewal for the 3rd time. Pat has served on multiple committees in the county and within the Pennsylvania State Coroner’s Association. She has also served as regional Vice-President for region 7 of the State Association which encompasses eight counties.

John Lucas, Suicide Prevention Coordinator, Lebanon VA Medical Center “Suicide Prevention Panel”

John holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from California University of Pennsylvania and a Master’s degree in Social Work from Kutztown University. John has worked with Veterans in various capacities and locations throughout the VA system over the past 10 years. John began as an Outreach Social Worker at the Lebanon VA Medical Center. John then provided direct Social Work care to Veterans enrolled in the Integrated Dual Diagnosis Treatment (IDDT) program, and Mental Health Intensive Case Management (MHICM) program at the Chalmers P. Wylie Ambulatory Care Center. John later returned to the Lebanon VA Medical Center where he worked as the Suicide Prevention Coordinator and REACH VET Coordinator. John currently participates in several committees both at the VA and within the community. In addition to providing direct care to high-risk Veterans, John assisted with the initiative to roll out the new National Suicide Prevention Screening policies.

John Noullet, MS Mental Health Care Educator, Wellspan Philhaven “Suicide Prevention Panel”

John Noullet has worked for Wellspan Philhaven since 2003. He worked as a Master's level Clinician in the Admissions Department prior to becoming the Director of Lebanon County Crisis Intervention in South Central Pennsylvania. Since 2016, he has worked as a Mental Health Educator and is a Certified Instructor for Mental Health First Aid, Question Persuade Refer (QPR-suicide prevention), Trauma Informed Care, Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) and Safe Crisis Management (SCM). John believes that through education we can help reduce stigma and encourage healing and appropriate treatment. John has both his Bachelor of Art and Master of Science degrees from West Virginia University.

Cindy Richard, Founder and Director, Suicide Prevention of York “Suicide Prevention Panel”

Cindy is a retired social worker and holds a BSW degree and a Masters in Community Counseling. She holds many suicide prevention certifications, including certified Online Counselor, Suicide Intervention and Assessment Specialist, and Group, Individual, and Peer Support Crisis Interventionist. Cindy is a QPR Gatekeeper instructor and Master trainer for Hope Squad. Currently, she is teaching a youth suicide prevention online class that she designed for McDaniel College to provide training for Maryland school counselors as part of their certification requirements. She facilitates 2 suicide survivor support groups in York County and counsels many with suicide ideation or survivors of suicide. Cindy has taught classes at York College of PA and has spoken to audiences of all ages about suicide prevention locally, statewide, and nationally.

Jennifer Weigle, Social Worker, Gettysburg Area School District “Suicide Prevention Panel”

Jennifer Weigle received her Bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of Pittsburgh and her Master’s degree in social work from Temple University. She received her LSW in 2004. Jennifer has 19 years of experience working with children, adolescents, and families in a variety of settings, 13 being in school districts.