Speaker Bios

J. Allen is an internationally recognized speaker on social and emotional education.  He has spoken all over the world, from southern Australia to northern Alaska. His experience includes nine years directing programs serving children in school settings and twenty years as a volunteer working with at-risk youth, youth in custody, and foster children.  He has been a passionate advocate for youth, and an innovator in programs for helping youth move from failure to success. He is a highly rated presenter and is a frequent speaker to youth groups and a popular keynote speaker at professional conferences.

Dr. Stephanie Barbre is a licensed specialist in school psychology and currently practices in a rural shared service arrangement in the Lubbock area. Stephanie received her training at Texas Tech University where she earned her Master’s in Educational Psychology and later pursued her doctorate in Educational Psychology with a concentration in School Psychology. Her research interests include juvenile justice, emotional/behavioral disorders, restorative practices, and social-emotional learning.  Stephanie has been on the Texas Association of School Psychologists executive board for five years and is the incumbent treasurer. Her past board positions have included graduate student representative, public relations and information, membership, and treasurer-elect.

David F. Bateman, Ph.D., is a professor at Shippensburg University in the Department of Educational Leadership and Special Education where he teaches courses on special education law, assessment, and facilitating inclusion. He is a former due process hearing officer for Pennsylvania for over 580 hearings. He uses his knowledge of litigation relating to special education to assist school districts in providing appropriate supports for students with disabilities. His latest area of research has been on the role of principals in special education. He has been a classroom teacher of students with learning disabilities, behavior disorders, intellectual disability, and hearing impairments, and a building administrator for summer programs. Dr. Bateman earned a Ph.D. in special education from the University of Kansas. He has recently co-authored the following books: A Principal’s Guide to Special Education, A Teacher’s Guide to Special Education, Charting the Course: Special Education in Charter Schools, and the forthcoming Current Trends and Legal Issues in Special Education.

Peggy Duran-Klenco is an attorney with the Underwood Law Firm’s Lubbock Office.  Mrs. Duran-Klenclo’s practice includes Education Law, Special Education Law, and Employment Law.  Peggy received her undergraduate and Master’s degrees in Education and Doctor of Jurisprudence from Texas Tech University.  After graduating from Law School, she was one of the West Texas staff attorneys for the Texas Protection and Advocacy Organization, Disability Rights of Texas, where her major areas of focus were School Law, Special Education Law, Employment Law and Public Access for persons with disabilities. She has also served as the Student Support Services Coordinator at the Region 17 Education Service Center, the Special Education Director for the Lubbock Independent School District, and a special education teacher in the public school system.

Sam Goldstein, Ph.D., is an Assistant Clinical Instructor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University Of Utah School Of Medicine, with expertise in school psychology, child development, and neuropsychology. He is Board Certified Pediatric neuropsychologist, licensed as a psychologist and certified as a developmental disabilities evaluator in the State of Utah. He has also been nationally certified as a school psychologist by the National Association of School Psychologists. Dr. Goldstein is listed in the Council for the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Attention Disorders and a former Contributing Editor to Attention Magazine. Dr. Goldstein has authored, co-edited, or co-authored over 50 books, including 24 textbooks. He has also authored approximately 70 book chapters and peer-reviewed scientific research studies, and a number of psychological tests.

Peter K. Isquith, Ph.D., is a Licensed Psychologist with specialty in developmental neuropsychology who practices in schools across Vermont and New Hampshire, and is a senior attending psychologist in the Department of Otolaryngology at Boston Children’s Hospital evaluating Deaf and hard of hearing children. He is an Instructor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Assistant Professor in Psychiatry at Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. His primary area of research is the development and disorders of self regulation across the lifespan and he is author of several works on the topic and co-author of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) family of instruments and the Tasks of Executive Control (TEC).

Dr. Edward K. Schultz began his career working with children with significant mental health needs prior to becoming a special educator teacher and educational diagnostician. He earned his undergraduate and master’s degree at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, TX, and earned his PhD at the University of North Texas in Denton, TX. He currently is an Associate Professor and a distinguished West scholar at the West College of Education at Midwestern State University. In addition to teaching both undergraduate and graduate courses at MSU, he is also program coordinator for the educational diagnostician and special education teacher program. He is the co-author of the Core-Selective Evaluation Process (C-SEP) and has written numerous peer-reviewed articles, presented at the national and international level, and has provided trainings across the country to schools and state departments of education. His areas of expertise include SLD identification, multi-tiered systems of support, and emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD).

Dr. Stuart Spendlove is a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice with Driskill, Bates, and Spendlove, P.A. He earned degrees in psychology and clinical psychology from Brigham Young University and Texas Tech University.  His specialty is Clinical Child Psychology. He also completed 3 years of post-doctoral research at the UCSD Autism Center of Excellence where he performed developmental evaluations of children ages 12 through 54 months of age. He is also highly skilled in working with adults for differential diagnosis and treatment. He is able to communicate verbally and in writing in English and Spanish through standard forms of documentation and formal feedback sessions with patients. In recent years, he has assisted families and school districts with evaluations to clarify diagnoses and guide treatments, particularly among the monolingual Spanish-speaking communities of West Texas and the Texas Panhandle.

Dr. Tammy L. Stephens-Pisecco is an Account Executive at Riverside. She has a doctorate in Special Education with an emphasis on Assessment. She is an educational diagnostician as well as a former special education teacher and assistant professor. She has written multiple peer-reviewed journal articles, provides trainings, as well as presented at the national and international conferences. Her research interests include assessment and intervention practices, and the implications of resilience on learning.

Marissa Ximenez, LSSP, NCSP, received her Specialist in School Psychology from Texas State University.  Marissa served as an LSSP for the Bastrop Special Education Cooperative, La Vernia ISD.  As an accomplished LSSP, Ms. Ximenez has had a specialized concern with mounting the effectiveness of schools in improving the intellectual, emotional, and also social development of school age children.  She took the opportunity to serve as a Director of Special Education for Poth ISD for 6 years. While serving in an administrative capacity she has had opportunity to lead the planning, delivery, assessment and improvement of educational programs. Marissa currently serves as the district Special Education Coordinator for East Central ISD in San Antonio TX.  She is one of the leadership team members responsible for the design and implementation of ECISD Special Education, Dyslexia and Section 504 program. Ms. Ximenez directs the district’s administration staff and resources, all of which are driven by clearly articulated values and measurable goals to raise student achievement.