Chan Joined the University of Oklahoma in 2002. Chan is a professor in the Anne & Henry Zarrow School of Social Work and Founding Director of the Hope Research Center. He is also an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine and Department of Pediatrics for the OU College of Medicine and the Department of Health Promotion Science for the OU College of Public Health.

Chan’s current research is focused on the application of hope theory to predict adaptive behaviors, and hope as a psychological strength that buffers stress and adversity among those impacted by family violence. In this context, he is also interested in the impact of prevention and intervention services on improving client hope and wellbeing. The Hope Research Center is focused on developing, testing, and implementing a trauma-informed and hope-centered framework for human service agencies. The HRC partners with these agencies to conduct outcome evaluations to improve the hope and well-being through effective program service delivery.

Hope is the belief that the future will be better and you have the power to make it so. Hope is based on three main ideas: (1) the ability to set desirable goals, (2) ability to identify viable pathways to these goals, and (3) the capacity to dedicate mental energy or willpower to pursue these goals.

The science demonstrates that hope is a critical psychological strength. Hope is easily measured in children, adults, and communities. Hope can be increased and sustained through effective programming. Hope is one of the most important predictors of positive outcomes for human service agencies.

Shannon Saxby joined the YLAT team in 2011 and has been inspired ever since! Hearing the experiences of young people, and what youth in care are currently facing motivates Shannon to think creatively with her partners to create sustainable changes and reforms to the child welfare system in Maine. Shannon often describes her connections with young people as “humbling” and feels truly lucky to be a part of their journeys. You’ll see Shannon facilitating at YLAT meetings, panel presentations and training, and as the voice behind the YLAT social media pages. Currently, Shannon serves as the Adult Liaison for Maine’s partnership with the Foster Youth in Action, a national organization that brings a network of programs, like YLAT, together to create a larger voice for youth in foster care. When Shannon isn’t at work, she enjoys spending time with her daughters, reading a good book and catching up on her favorite TV shows with her fur babies.

Lily Maass joined YLAT in 2019 after studying Child Development and designing and implementing teen programming in a variety of settings. Lily’s passion for working with youth and young adults stems from the belief that all young people hold an inherent ability to strengthen the systems and communities they engage with through sharing their expertise and unique perspectives to enact change. Outside of work, Lily loves to try new recipes, relax on the beaches and in the woods of Maine, and spend time sitting on the porch with friends listening to old music.

Denise is the Prevention Support Specialist for Maine Children's Trust. Maine Children’s Trust coordinates Maine’s network of Prevention Councils. Denise provides curricula training and technical assistance to council staff. Denise assists each Prevention Council to successfully implement county specific primary prevention services that include raising awareness of child abuse prevention, providing evidenced based parent education, and training professionals that work with children and families.

Heidi is the Assistant Director and Prevention Coordinator at Maine Children’s Trust, a statewide organization that works to strengthen families, promote healthy relationships, and support communities to prevent child abuse and neglect. In this role, she develops and implements statewide prevention messaging, planning, program implementation as well as efforts to strengthen the network of Prevention Councils located in every county in the state. Heidi has 20 years of experience in working in child and family services including family court, the juvenile prison system, children’s homes, school systems, and child abuse prevention services. Heidi enjoys spending time outside hiking and boating with her husband and two sons.

Bette is mother to 21 children: 3 biological, 8 adopted and 10 former foster children who consider Bette their Mom. Bette has cared for over 150 foster children since becoming licensed in 1972. Bette laughs when she thinks about how she imagined retirement and the reality at 75. Bette is now a caregiver, through guardianship through probate, to a super active toddler who happens to be diagnosed as autistic as well as a licensed foster parent to a 6-year-old grandchild. Bette has worked in the child welfare field as an advocate for adoptive, foster and birth parents of special needs children since 1980 and has been providing an array of training since 1984. Bette specializes in providing training to individuals caring for children who have had prenatal exposure to alcohol and drugs. She is the former Executive Director of Adoptive and Foster Families of Maine Inc. & The Kinship Program, and currently the Kinship Supervisor.

Elizabeth Stout received her law degree from the University of Maine School of Law and joined the Maine Bar in 1990. Since then, she has worked as an Assistant District Attorney, an Assistant Attorney General in child protection, a family law attorney, guardian ad litem (GAL) and mediator. In 2020, Liz joined the Volunteer Lawyers Project as executive director. Liz lives in Portland with her husband.

Brett Hayes has worked at the Oklahoma Department of Human Services for 14 years and currently serves as the Director of Hope Transformation where he leads the organization’s statewide efforts to infuse the Science of Hope to improve outcomes for children and families. Brett strongly believes in the Science of Hope and has seen firsthand how applying this practice can improve the lives of all Oklahomans. He serves as a co-chair on the Children’s State Advisory Workgroup and is a member of the Trauma Inform Care Task Force. Brett earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Central Oklahoma and a Master of Social Work from the University of Oklahoma. Brett resides in Oklahoma City and is adoptive parent of three children and a proud member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

Sue Badeau trains, consults and speaks nationally and internationally on trauma, racial justice, family engagement, self-care and more and serves in leadership capacity for Justice for Families, the Association for Training and Treatment of Trauma in Children (ATTACh) and Imara International. She is an in-demand consultant for numerous public and private child welfare, youth and adult justice and mental health agencies, courts, prison systems, and other organizations in the USA, Canada and Kenya. After receiving a degree in Early Childhood Education from Smith College, Sue worked for many years in child welfare and juvenile justice systems. She has worked closely with the North American Council on Adoptable Children. National Child Traumatic Stress Network, A Second Chance, Inc., All Children, All Families, the National Council for Juvenile and Family Court Judges, Casey Family Programs and the Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care. Sue has developed curricula and provided training in all fifty states, several Tribal nations and internationally in North America and Africa. Sue and her husband, Hector are lifetime parents of 22, two by birth, 20 adopted and have also been foster parents to 75 and hosted refugees from Kosovo and Sudan. They have co-authored Are We There Yet: The Ultimate Road Trip, Adopting and Raising 22 Kids and Building Bridges of Hope: A Coloring Book for Adults Caring for Children Who Have Experienced Trauma. Sue and Hector grew up in New England, raised their family in Philadelphia and now live in an RV with a landing pad in North Carolina and dividing time between work, speaking engagements, their many grand and great grandchildren and volunteer trips to Kenya.

Website: https://www.suebadeau.com/

Kini-Ana Tinkham, Executive Director, Maine Resilience Building Network Kini-Ana Tinkham is the Executive Director of the Maine Resilience Building Network (MRBN). Kini works to improve the health and well-being of children, families and communities by advancing the MRBN mission through capacity building, system integration, policy and advocacy. Kini has worked in public health and healthcare for close to 40 years as an RN, educator, advocate, and leader. She brings system transformation leadership to advance health equity, wellness, and improved health and well-being. In addition to her work at MRBN, her career expands across maternal and child health, home visitation, school-based health centers, youth leadership, education, clinical healthcare delivery, and public health. Kini has served as a school board member and Chair of the RSU #38 school committee and a past recipient of the Maine Youth Action Network (MYAN) Youth Leadership and Advocacy Award. Maine Resilience Building Network: www.maineresilience.org

Travis is the Executive Director for Adoptive and Foster Families of Maine & The Kinship Program and has been working with AFFM for 7 years. Travis serves on the Maine Child Welfare Advisory Panel, The Justice for Children Task Force, and is Coordinator for the Resource Parent Advisory Committee. Travis spent his childhood years with his mother and stepfather who provided foster care for youth in Maine. Later in life, he received his undergraduate degree in Mental Health and Human Services from The University of Maine Augusta and then went on to earn his MSW from the University of New England. Travis values family connections and building supportive communities. Travis enjoys giving back to the community by volunteering as a youth sports coach and is the Vice President of the local Youth Hockey Association. First and foremost, Travis is a proud husband and a father of three boys ages 11, 12 & 15.

Marcus Stallworth, LMSW, has spearheaded several initiatives to promote the engagement of Fathers, the prevention of abuse and neglect, and the dangers of Social Media. He has direct experience educating and supporting Human Trafficking and Sexually Exploited victims, training staff on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, and advocating for youth in Foster Care. Marcus is the Director of Training and Implementation at the Child Welfare League of America and is also co-owner of Welcome 2 Reality, LLC which focuses on providing media literacy and education for students and parents regarding media literacy and technology.

Sophie is 14 and is a freshman in high school. Adopted as an infant, she is passionate about promoting the interests of adoptive families and children and cares deeply about diversity and inclusion. She enjoys running track, playing volleyball, and spending time with her family, friends, and dogs.

Cyndi is a single parent as well as an educator. Children learn how to respond to others by watching the adults around them.

Bobbi is the Associate Director of Child Welfare Services for the Office of Child and Family Services within the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. Bobbi has experience with community building at both the local and statewide levels and has been instrumental in moving the work of child welfare from an agency responsibility to the shared re- sponsibility of families, OCFS and community partners.

Angela Okafor is an immigrant from Nigeria, currently living in Bangor with her three children. She is the sole practitioner at Okafor Law Practice and the owner of Tropical Tastes & Styles International Market and Gela's Hair Braiding & Crafts. Angela is the first person of color and first immigrant to serve on the Bangor City Council. She is an Americorps Vista Member working with the Maine Multicultural Center and a Husson University MBA 2022 student.

Dr. Jim Harris is the owner of Opportunities Consulting Services and the Associate Director of the West Virginia Autism Training Center at Marshall University. He has had several roles in the health and human services field throughout his career as an early interventionist, parent educator, educational consultant, university professor, and behavioral health therapist. Dr. Harris has presented at a variety of conferences from the local to the international levels on such topics as behavioral intervention, parenting, positive behavior support, trauma-informed care, organizational change, and many more. He is the creator of “10 Things You Need to Know About Kids”, an audio program that helps parents and teachers be more effective in their work with children. He has also worked with a variety of public and private entities including the Fred Rogers Company, United States Department of Education, the United States Department of Justice, and many more.

Dr. Todd A. Landry, Director of the Office of Child & Family Services: Dr. Landry holds a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry from Lamar University, Beaumont, Texas and a Master's degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas. He earned his Doctorate degree in Educational Leadership from the Simmons School of Education and Human Development at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, in 2018. Landry most recently was chief executive officer of Lena Pope in Fort Worth, Texas, a nonprofit that serves children and families with an array of prevention and early intervention services, including childcare, public education, mental health counseling, and juvenile justice. He previously served as director of Nebraska's Division of Child and Family Services and sits on national boards, including the Child Welfare League of America, a national coalition of private and public agencies working to improve the lives of vulnerable children and families.