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Keynote Speakers
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Robert Brooks
Dr. Robert Brooks has lectured nationally and internationally to audiences of parents, educators, mental health professionals and business people on topics pertaining to motivation, resilience, self-esteem, family relationships, the qualities of effective leaders and executives and balancing our personal and professional lives. He has also written extensively about these topics. He is the author of a book titled The Self-Esteem Teacher and co-author with Dr. Sam Goldstein of the following books: Raising Resilient Children; Nurturing Resilience in Our Children: Answers to the Most Important Parenting Questions; Seven Steps to Help Your Child Worry Less (with Kristy Hagar); Angry Children, Worried Parents: Seven Steps to Help Families Manage Anger (with Sharon Weiss); Seven Steps to Improve Your Child's Social Skills (with Kristy Hagar); Understanding and Managing Children’s Classroom Behavior: Creating Sustainable, Resilient Classrooms; The Power of Resilience: Achieving Balance, Confidence and Personal Strength in Your Life (the latter focuses on resilience in adults); and Raising a Self-Disciplined Child: Help Your Child Become More Responsible, Confident and Resilient. In addition, Dr. Brooks is co-author of a book with Drs. Mel Levine and Jack Shonkoff titled A Pediatric Approach to Learning Disorders and has written a sex education book for the young child called So That's How I Was Born! Drs. Brooks and Goldstein co-edited a textbook titled Handbook of Resilience in Children; they also prepared a parenting video and curriculum about resilience and have produced a documentary Tough Times, Resilient Kids that was a finalist in the 23rd Telly Awards.
Dr. Brooks received his doctorate in clinical psychology from Clark University and did additional training at the University of Colorado Medical School. He is on the faculty of Harvard Medical School and has served as Director of the Department of Psychology at McLean Hospital, a private psychiatric hospital. His first position at McLean Hospital was as principal of the school in the locked door unit of the child and adolescent program. He has a part-time private practice in which he sees children, adolescents, adults and families and has appeared regularly on television shows in the Boston area as well as on national cable television. He completed a videotape and educational guide for PBS titled “Look What You’ve Done! Stories of Hope and Resilience” that focuses on self-esteem and resilience in children with special needs and participated in the production of two videotapes by Sunburst Communications, one about parenting children with learning and attentional problems and the other about developing responsibility in children.
Dr. Brooks received a Gubernatorial Award for Distinguished Public Service for his work with the Governor's Alliance Against Drugs; as part of his contribution to the Alliance, he co-authored a pamphlet for parents about talking with children and adolescents about drugs. Dr. Brooks also received "Hall of Fame" awards from both CH.A.D.D. (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorders) and the Connecticut Association for Children with Learning Disabilities for his work with special needs children and adolescents, a Special Recognition and Media Award from the Massachusetts Psychological Association, the Friends of Family Award from the Family Place, MA and the Mandy Overton Award from St. David's Child Development and Family Services, Minnetonka, MN for his work on behalf of children and families, The Lifetime Achievement Award from the Prentice School in Santa Ana, CA for his efforts on behalf of students with learning differences, the Distinguished Leadership Award from Learning Disabilities Worldwide in recognition of his contributions and commitment to the field of learning disabilities and the Outstanding Educator Award for Mental Health Education from the New England Educational Institute, Pittsfield, MA. In addition, Dr. Brooks has served as a consultant to Sesame Street Parents Magazine.
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Ron Taffel
Dr. Ron Taffel is considered one of the most electric and practical child-rearing experts in the country – and one of the most sought-after public speakers nationwide. Dr. Taffel is the author of five popular and two professional books, one hundred magazine columns and dozens of articles for professional journals. His most recent book Childhood Unbound: Saving Our Kids’ Best Selves has been critically acclaimed for professional and parenting audiences alike as a guide to dealing with the unique issues of 21st century kids in their families, schools and communities.
Dr. Taffel’s books have been translated into a half dozen languages with almost twenty editions of his titles. Virtually every issue Ron covered in Getting Through to Difficult Kids and Parents: Uncommon Wisdom for Child Professionals, Parenting by Heart, When Parents Disagree, Nurturing Good Children Now and The Second Family have since become part of the national discourse on child rearing from pre-school – high school.
Taffel has offered approximately one thousand consultations and workshops in 25 states across the country include multiple appearances on The Today Show, The Early Morning Today Show, The Weekend Today Show, Good Morning America, The CBS Morning Show, Dateline, 20/20, Primetime Live and The Larry King Show.
Ron Taffel earned a doctorate in clinical psychology at New York University, did post-graduate work in family therapy, child development and adult psychology – studying at the Philadelphia Child Guidance Clinic and Family Institute of Westchester among others. He did an internship at Albert Einstein Medical Center and, upon completion in 1976, became the first psychologist to become Director of Treatment at the Child and Adolescent Treatment Division of Downstate Medical Center, where he remained until 1979, when he established a private practice in Manhattan.
Taffel founded the Family Therapy Division at the Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy in New York City, which became one of New York’s largest family training centers and clinics. In 1999, Taffel was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Institute as a whole, an agency that serves over 600 clients a week with a faculty and staff of over three hundred professionals. He has continued as Chair until the present. In 2006, Dr Taffel joined the Advisory committee for the 92nd Street Y’s Wonderplay Early Childhood Initiative.
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Afternoon Presenters
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Ann Schaumberger is a working artist and educator with a M.A. in Art Education from New York University and a B.S. in Art from Skidmore College. She d esigned and coordinated a series of workshops for Impact II Teachers at the Museum of Modern Art in 1983, where she was also the project coordinator and editor for a series of slide sets for teachers based on MOMA’s collection. Ann has been an art teacher for over two decades in New York City and is presently an art teacher at the Little Red School House. She has also been an Instructor of Art Education at the Bank Street College of Education.
As an artist, Ann has had 14 solo exhibitions and her work has been exhibited in many group shows. Between 1979 and 2008, she has been an Artist in Residence at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, France; Virginia Center for the Creative Arts in Sweet Briar, Virginia; Brisons Veor in Penzance, England; Centre d’Art i Natura in Catalunya, Spain; The Ragdale Foundation in Lake Forest, Illinois; The Millay Colony for the Arts in Austerlitz, New York; and Ossabaw Island Project in Savannah, Georgia. In addition, Ann was a finalist in 1999 for the New York City Percent for Art Competition for the Williamsburg Child Center in Williamsburg, New York. |
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| Jean Schreiber is an Early Childhood Educational Consultant. She earned her M.S. in Early Childhood Education from Bank Street College of Education and is experienced as both a teacher and director. Jean designs and presents workshops for parents and teachers and serves as a consultant to a wide variety of early childhood and elementary school programs. Working with clients privately, or in round-table discussion groups, she teaches parenting skills and provides developmental guidance. Jean is an instructor for New Perspective Classes at Bank Street College of Education and a workshop presenter at many annual meetings including the National Association of Education for Young Children, the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools, the Association of Teachers of Independent Schools in New York City and the Board of Jewish Education of Greater New York. |
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| Barbara Schwarz, Ph.D. is an Associate Clinical Professor where she is the Director of the Programs in Early Childhood/Early Childhood Special Education in NYU Department of Teaching and Learning of the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development. She has been engaged in research, teaching and policy implementation on many levels and has presented extensively at conferences. In addition to her years of work with Region II Head Start Disabilities Services Quality Improvement Center she is a member of state and local advisory boards, has been an international consultant on early childhood education and is a Mayoral appointee to the NYC Early Intervention Coordinating Council. |
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Lydia H. Soifer, Ph.D ., a language pathologist, has more than thirty-five years experience in clinical, private and university teaching and is a frequent presenter at professional conferences across the country. She is Assistant Clinical Professor of Pediatrics and faculty member in the Early Intervention Training Institute, both at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Soifer is the Director of the Soifer Center for Learning and Child Development. As a parent educator, teacher trainer and staff developer, she specializes in the needs of children with deficits in learning, behavior and communications.
Lydia H. Soifer founded the Soifer Center for Learning and Child Development in White Plains, NY in 1991 and is currently its Director. The Soifer Center is an interdisciplinary practice of speech and language pathologists, educational therapists and psychologists specializing in identifying individual learning styles so as to help children achieve their maximum emotional, academic and personal potential.
Since 1974, Dr. Soifer has acted as a frequent consultant to private and public schools, advising faculty on the identification and enhancement of learning for children with different learning styles. She has developed, customized and led workshops and in-service training programs. Some of the schools on her client roster include the Solomon Schechter School in White Plains, NY; the Claremont Preparatory School in Manhattan; the Eagle Hill School in Greenwich, CT; and the Princeton Day School in Princeton, NJ. She has been the language consultant to the Windward School since 1997 and to the Gillen Brewer School and Abraham Joshua Heschel School since 2007.
Dr. Soifer received her Ph.D. in speech pathology and Audiology from Columbia University. She also earned master’s degrees from both Columbia University and Pennsylvania State University.
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| Roberta Willenken has been a classroom teacher for 23 years at the 92nd Street Y Nursery School. During the last 14 years, Roberta, along with her co-teachers, has been exploring a “Feelings Theme” with the children in her class. Roberta has presented the “Feelings Theme” at an ATIS Conference and has also presented at the NYAEYC conference in 2008. She is the author of Learn the Alphabet Arts and Crafts , a Scholastic publication. |
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| Elaine Winter is presently the Director of Discovery Programs in New York City, a creative arts and preschool program. For many years, she was the principal of the Lower School of The Little Red School House in Greenwich Village and recently directed The Parent Center at Henry Street Settlement. Ms. Winter writes and frequently presents on topics related to early learning, parenting and child development. |
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Dr. Paul Yellin is the Director of The Yellin Center for Student Success , a New York City-based clinical organization dedicated to h elping struggling students experience genuine success in school and in life. Prior to the establishment of The Yellin Center in 2007, he served as National Director of the Student Success Program at the not-for-profit All Kinds of Minds Institute.
During his five years at All Kinds of Minds, Dr. Yellin worked closely with the Institute’s founder, Dr. Mel Levine and colleagues to deliver their multi-disciplinary model of learning assessments and personalized learning plans to thousands of students from across the world at sites in New York City and Chapel Hill, North Carolina. As Director of the now independent Yellin Center for Student Success, Dr. Yellin and his clinical team continue to provide care based on the model developed at All Kinds of Minds. They remain affiliated with All Kinds of Minds and are also affiliated with the Department of Pediatrics at New York University School of Medicine. Dr. Yellin is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at New York University School of Medicine.
Dr. Yellin is an active member in the local and national leadership of the American Academy of Pediatrics, having served as President of the New York City Chapter. He has served on the National Nominating Committee and the Committee on State Government Affairs and Co-Chairs the New York State Task Force on Mental Health and Childhood Learning Differences. He currently serves on the Boards of Directors of the Center for Applied Special Technology and the New York Institute for Special Education.
Dr. Yellin is a native of New York City, where he attended Stuyvesant High School prior to graduating from Princeton University. He received his Medical Degree at the NYU School of Medicine and completed a pediatric residency at NYU Medical Center/Bellevue Hospital. He completed a fellowship in neonatal-perinatal medicine at Babies Hospital of Columbia University School of Medicine and is board certified in both pediatrics and neonatal-perinatal medicine. |
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