Rachel Freeman, PhD, Project Director

Rachel Freeman is the Project Director of the Kansas Institute for Positive Behavior Support, an Associate Research Professor at the Life Span Institute in the University of Kansas (KU), an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Special Education at KU, and is the acting President of the Association for Positive Behavior Support (www.apbs.org). Dr. Freeman works with state, regional, and local PBS teams interested in wide-scale dissemination of PBS within an interagency framework, including facilitation of PBS in districts and schools implementing positive behavioral interventions and supports, as well as in residential, and vocational settings supporting adults with disabilities. Her research interests include interagency statewide planning, organization-wide and school-wide positive behavior support, online instruction and staff development systems related to PBS, and issues related to children and adults with developmental disabilities including self-injury, self-restraint, and biobehavioral assessment. For more information about Rachel Freeman and the projects she directs, please visit www.kipbs.org, www.swpbs.org, and www.pbskansas.org.

Pat Kimbrough, MS Ed, Assistant Director of Operations

Pat Kimbrough is the Assistant Director of Operations at the Kansas Institute for Positive Behavior Support. Pat manages the daily activities of the program, coordinates the training and mentoring process, and works with the technology development. She has experience with web and database design, software support and training, and grant management in the areas of mental retardation and developmental disabilities. Pat has her Master's degree in Higher Education Administration from the University of Kansas.

Shonda S. Anderson, MS Ed, SWPBS Training Coordinator/ KIPBS Research Assistant / Central Instructor

Shonda Anderson is a Training Coordinator with the Kansas Institute for Positive Behavior Support and is a Research Assistant within the Life Span Institute at the University of Kansas. She works collaboratively with the Kansas State Department of Education in providing training, technical assistance and on-site support to schools and districts implementing school-wide positive behavior support within the Multi-Tier System of Support framework. She also serves as an instructor and mentor for students in the KIPBS facilitator course. Shonda has over 10 years experience as a special education teacher and at-risk interventionist in Kansas and Iowa. She has taught in elementary, middle school, high school and alternative settings. Along with Positive Behavior Support, her interest areas include integration of academic and behavior interventions, transition education for secondary students with disabilities, and interagency collaboration for effective systems change. Shonda earned her BS in Elementary Education from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. She earned her MS Ed in Special Education from Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri.
 

Kelcey Schmitz, SWPBS Training Coordinator/ KIPBS Research Assistant / Central Instructor

Kelcey Schmitz is a Research Assistant for the Kansas Institute for Positive Behavior Support within the Life Span Institute at the University of Kansas. Kelcey also serves as an instructor and mentor for students in the KIPBS facilitator course. As the online instructor, Kelcey is responsible for grading online homework and providing feedback to professionals enrolled in the KIPBS course. Kelcey has been involved with KIPBS for 5 years, initially taking the facilitator course in 2004. She has been providing services to adults and children with developmental disabilities for 15 years in areas including residential services, supported employment, in-home behavioral therapy for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), behavioral consultation for adults with developmental disabilities, and facilitation of Positive Behavior Supports for children with challenging behavior. Her areas of interest include Person Centered Planning, Functional Behavior Assessment, organization and statewide planning and systems change within MR/DD Community Developmental Disability Organizations (CDDO) and Community Service Providers (CSP) and assisting professionals in furthering their skills in order to work effectively with individuals with challenging behavior. As a Targeted Case Manager for individuals on the Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) MR/DD waiver for over 10 years Kelcey has worked with individuals with developmental disabilities and their support teams to ensure quality, responsive and appropriate services in Northeast and Southeast Kansas. Kelcey has a bachelor's degree in Human Development and Family Life from the University of Kansas.
 

Peter Griggs, M.Ed, Evaluation Coordinator / Northeast Instructor

Peter Griggs is the Evaluation Coordinator for the Kansas Institute for Positive Behavior Support. He reviews all components of the project, including case study plans developed by KIPBS facilitators in training, as well as initial SRS prior authorized plans, to assure that all PC-PBS plans are of high quality (fidelity) and, when implemented, produce positive impacts across various domains. Peter also mentors professionals enrolled in the KIPBS facilitator course. He has extensive experience facilitating SWPBS in early childhood, elementary, and middle school urban and rural settings. He has worked in community residential settings in Missouri with adults with disabilities and problem behaviors. Peter’s research interests include tertiary-level PBS for students with significant support needs, including deaf-blindness; sustaining communities of practice, and behavioral health systems change initiatives that require cross-agency collaboration. Peter earned his M. Ed. in Special Education from Temple University, and has completed all course requirements for a Doctorate in Community Psychology at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
 

James Letcher, IT Coordinator/Programmer

James is the IT Coordinator and Programmer for the Kansas Institute for Positive Behavior Support. He manages the Institute's websites by making updates and adding new content areas. James earned his B.S. in Computer Information Systems from Missouri Western State University in 2005.

Kristin Rennells, MSM, Project Assistant

Kristin Rennells is the Project Assistant for the Kansas Institute for Positive Behavior Support. Kristin handles purchasing, budgeting, accounting, travel and contractual issues for the Institute. She coordinates staff schedules and supervises student workers and GRAs employed by the Institute. Additionally, Kristin provides event planning management and support for all KIPBS meetings, training events and PBS Kansas meetings. She has a BS in Biology from the University of Kansas and an MS in Management from Baker University.

KIPBS Instructors

Nan Perrin, Northeast Instructor - Nan Perrin is currently employed by Community Living Opportunities as the director of the Children's Network Clinical Services. Ms. Perrin is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and has a graduate degree in Human Development from the University of Kansas. She has worked with individuals with disabilities for 18 years. Her primary areas of focus are autism, behavior support for individuals and families, as well as policy and systems change. She currently oversees Positive Behavior Support facilitation, Autism Waiver Services, behavioral consultation and Targeted Case Management.

Sara Quick, Northeast Instructor - Sara Quick is currently employed for Community Living Opportunities, Early Childhood Autism Program as a Behavioral Consultant, Autism Specialist for the Autism Waiver, and a Targeted Case Manager. Sara is a graduate from the University of Kansas and has a Bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Life as well as a Master’s in Early Childhood Special Education. Sara has worked with children and adults with disabilities for nine years. Her primary areas of focus are autism, children, early intensive intervention and positive behavior support.

Matt Reese, Northeast Instructor - R Matthew Reese PhD is a Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics and the Director of the Center for Child Health and Development at the University of Kansas Medical Center. He is the Director of the Kansas Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities program and Co- director of both the Kansas University Center of Excellence on Developmental Disabilities and the Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training at the University of Kansas. Dr Reese received his Masters degree in clinical psychology from Southern Illinois University and Ph.D. from the University of Kansas in Developmental and Child Psychology. Dr Reese completed two years of postdoctoral work at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill at the Center for Disorders in Development and Learning and Project TEACCH. Dr Reese has over 30 years experience in autism spectrum disorders and has published several manuscripts related to the treatment of aberrant behavior in individuals with autism. He was appointed to the Governor’s Commission on Autism in 1996 and the Autism Legislative Task-force in Kansas in 2007 because of his involvement with starting diagnostic services, providing outreach training and clinics, and conducting research in the area of autism. Dr Reese has served for several years as a reviewer for the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. Dr Reese is currently involved in the Kansas Institute for Positive Behavior Support and has been an investigator on NICHD program project grants on treating severe aberrant behavior in people with developmental disabilities including autism.

Katie Zerr, Northeast Instructor - Katie Zerr is currently employed by The Arc of Douglas County as Behavior Supports Coordinator. Katie has a bachelor’s degree in Human Development and a master’s degree is Early Childhood Special Education with an emphasis in Autism Spectrum Disorders from the University of Kansas. She has worked with individuals with Autism for approximately 8 years. Her primary areas of focus are early intervention for children with Autism and providing Positive Behavior Supports services. At the Arc of Douglas County, Katie currently provides Autism Specialist services through the Autism Waiver and Positive Behavior Support facilitation.

National Advisory Board

The role of the National Advisory Board is to provide KIPBS staff members with expert guidance on the development of the standards and curriculum. The National Advisory Board members:

• Specify the standards for selecting the curriculum;
• Select and organizing the curricular content that will be covered;
• Oversee the professional development procedures; and
• Review the online instructional materials.

The Current KIPBS National Advisory Board Members