Subject Matter Experts

Ryan Mayfield is an expert in safety communications and user engagement, with experience in industry, government, and academia. Together with the Social Computing Systems (SALT) Lab at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, he helped publish the first-ever study of safety…

Alexandra Brunjes is an Associate Marketing Manager at Vector Solutions. She specializes in Vector LiveSafe, the leading mobile platform for safety and security risk reporting. Alexandra has a B.S. in Neurobiology from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. with minors in…

Lynne Loeser, MEd, works as an independent consultant with Voyager Sopris West as a national trainer providing Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS). She has worked in public education for more than 40 years, including as a…

Miriam Manary is a research engineer at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) who has participated in education, research and standards writing in the area of wheelchair transportation safety for over 20 years. Lawrence Schneider is a Research…

Laura Fish is a marriage and family therapist in private practice and consultant in the field of education. She began her work in early education more than 20 years ago as a preschool teacher before serving as a mental health…

Mr. Patterson is the senior principal at Patterson Buchanan. He has significant civil trial and appellate experience, having tried more than 100 cases to verdict in both federal and state courts, and having argued over two dozen cases in federal…

John E. Mayer, PhD, is a practicing clinical psychologist and a visiting professor at the University of Nuevo Leon in Mexico. He specializes in the treatment of children, adolescents, young adults, families, violent and acting-out patients, and substance abusers. He…

Sheri Van Dijk, MSW, RSW, is an internationally recognized expert in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), which is used to help people with difficulties managing emotions. She is the author of several books that focus on helping readers learn DBT skills…

The Decision Education Foundation (DEF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission to empower youth with effective decision skills that enhance their prospects for better lives in today’s challenging and uncertain world. DEF develops high quality course materials and…