Rachel Freeman, PhD, Project Director

Rachel Freeman is the Project Director of the Kansas Institute for Positive Behavior Support and is a Research Associate Professor within the Life Span Institute at the University of Kansas. Dr. Freeman is also an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Special Education at KU. She collaborates with the Kansas Department of Education in providing training and technical assistance in school-wide positive behavior support to districts and schools. Nationally, Dr. Freeman has served as Secretary and Vice President for the Association for Positive Behavior Support and actively consults with state, regional, and local PBS teams interested in wide scale dissemination of PBS. Dr. Freeman has experience facilitating PBS in districts and schools as well as in residential, and vocational settings supporting adults with disabilities in both America and England. Her research interests include online instruction and staff development systems related to PBS, organization and school-wide positive behavior support, and issues related to children and adults with developmental disabilities including self-injury, self-restraint,and biobehavioral assessment.
 

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

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 a 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.
 

Peter Griggs, M.Ed, Evaluation Coordinator

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, accounting and contractual issues for the Institute. 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 Early Childhood Autism Program. 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 12 years. She is currently overseeing in home services, center based programs as well as in-school behavioral consultation.

Matt Reese, Northeast Instructor - R. Matthew Reese is the Director of Training at the Kansas Center of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. He has over 25 years of experience with children and adults with developmental disabilities. Dr. Reese received his Ph.D. in Developmental and Child Psychology at the University of Kansas and completed a Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the University of North Carolina at the Center for Disorders in Development and Learning. Dr. Reese is licensed as a psychologist in both Kansas and North Carolina. His research interests include biobehavioral assessment of self-injurious behavior, functional assessment of challenging behavior in children with autism, early diagnosis of autism and assessing change in behavior during medication trials.

Kelcey Schmitz, Online Instructor - Kelcey is currently employed by Community Living Opportunities in the Early Childhood Autism Program as a Behavior Consultant and Targeted Case Manager. Kelcey has a bachelor's degree in Human Development and Family Life from the University of Kansas. Kelcey has been providing services to adults and children with developmental disabilities for 14 years.

Susan Slothower, Central Instructor - Susan Slothower is currently employed by Creative Community Living as the Director of Behavioral Services. She began her career in developmental disabilities in 1987 in the special education system, then she was employed at Winfield State Hospital and Training Center in community outreach services focusing on working with agencies, families and schools to support children and adults with challenging reputations. Susan has also had experience as director of targeted case management services.

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