Tawni’s career path (better described as a career adventure) has been an evolution of public service from corrections environment to education as she searched for the most impactful ways she could serve her community and leave a positive impact on those around her. Currently, she works in the Medical Lake School District and loves the people she works with and the community. As the Student Services Director she oversees health services (to include mental and behavioral health), 504, social emotional learning (SEL), MTSS, special education, threat assessments and guides the school counselors for the district. Prior to working in the education field, she worked in behavioral science, corrections and social work for close to 20 years, specializing in family engagement, crisis response, counseling and behavior management. Currently, she is an adjunct professor for University of Washington, Gonzaga University, and Whitworth University. She teaches the helping profession to include: mental health therapists, social workers, school counselors and school psychologists in their graduate programs. She also provides clinical supervision for mental health interns for the above universities providing services within her school district. Tawni’s research and focus is on the role of emotions in learning, decision making, creativity, relationship quality, well-being, performance and organizational climate, measurement of emotional intelligence and the impact of the emotional intelligence development on key life outcomes. Tawni has served communities at the local, state, and national level as a presenter and trainer. She continues to support professionals in our schools, communities and at the state level. She hopes to work together to combine our efforts and use the whole child and whole family education as a tool, to intervene with families and youth to interrupt the prison pipeline.

Dr. Tania May is the Assistant Superintendent of Special Education for the Washington state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). Her work is focused on collaborating with schools, community partners, families, and students in support of improved outcomes for students with disabilities. Tania has over thirty years of special education experience in classrooms, districts, and with the state. Her previous positions have included elementary inclusive practices, high school co-teaching, multilingual supports for students with disabilities, and behavioral supports in non-public agencies. Tania has a doctorate in educational leadership from University of Washington Tacoma, a master’s degree in special education from San Francisco State University, and a bachelor’s degree in political economy from the University of California Berkeley. She also has a deep, personal connection to the field of special education: she is the parent of an autistic, transgender teenager.

RJ Monton is the Director of MTSS for the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) in Washington State. He began his educational career as an Outdoor Educator in New Hampshire. Several years later, his focus shifted to Special Education and he earned his M.Ed. from Plymouth State University. He moved to the Pacific Northwest and began teaching, later shifting into a Program Specialist role, leading the districtwide implementation of PBIS. He later earned his administrative credential from Seattle Pacific University and began work at the district office running the Behavioral Health department (leading further implementation of PBIS and MTSS). RJ now leads a statewide implementation team focused on the scale up efforts of MTSS throughout Washington State.