Wired for Connection: Generating Transformative Learning
- Are you encountering problem behaviors?
- Are you frustrated with time and energy lost with outbursts and dysregulation?
- Are you looking for solutions to help you and your students?
Join renowned educator and neuroscientist Lori Desautels, Ph.D. external website and other experts for a powerful, accessible experience that brings brain science into everyday life. Discover how our nervous systems shape communication, behavior, and relationships—and gain practical strategies to strengthen connection, regulate emotions, and navigate conflict with greater clarity and compassion.
Whether you’re an educator, leader, parent, or community member, this event will transform how you understand yourself and others through the lens of neuroscience and human connection.
Registration is free. If you have any questions about this event, please contact Michele Garrison at michele.garrison@wilkes.edu email link.
Keynote Speaker
Dr. Lori Desautels
Dr. Desautels, has been an Assistant Professor at Butler University since 2016 where she teaches both undergraduate and graduate programs in the College of Education. Lori was also an Assistant Professor at Marian University in Indianapolis for eight years where she founded the Educational Neuroscience Symposium that has now reached thousands of educators and is in its 15th year.
Lori’s passion is engaging her students through the social and relational neurosciences as it applies to education. She does this by integrating the tier one trauma accommodating Applied Educational Neuroscience framework, and its learning principles and practices into her coursework at Butler.
Call for Proposals
Are you passionate about making a difference in the lives of students, schools, districts,
and stakeholders? Are you interested in sharing resources your organization offers
within our community?
We're looking for presenters and community organizations to join our event and share
resources available to support our community! The deadline to submit a proposal
is May 15, 2026.
Submit a Proposal external website
Program Themes
- The Impact of Adversity on Learning and Behavior
- Creating Safe and Engaged Learning Environments
- Designing Curriculum for Connection and Cognitive Growth
- Identifying and Minimizing Barriers to Learning and Behavior
Schedule
- 4:30 - 5:00 p.m. - Registration/Check-in (1st Floor)
- 5:00 - 5:25 p.m. - Poster Presentations/Research Sharing/Community Resource Information (2nd Floor)
- Supporting Regulation and Resilience: Teacher Perspectives on Non-Cognitive Skills
and Student Learning
- Presenter: Kathryn Skinner Nichol, Ed.D.
- One Step at a Time: Bringing AEN to our School Community
- Presenter: Diana Bixby, Ph.D.
- Connecting lessons to classroom management and behaviors
- Presenter: Elizabeth imBrahm, MS.Ed.(c)
- Restorative Practices in Action: A Phenomenological Study of Secondary Teachers' Support
for Social and Emotional Learning
- Presenter: Allyson Bear, Ed.D.
- Adolescents, Emotional Wellness, and Learning
- Presenter: Lisa Ferry, Ed.D.
- The Neuroscience of Safety: How Nurses Can Support Educators to Facilitate Emotionally
Engaged Classrooms
- Presenter: Todd Hastings, Ph.D.
- How Teachers and Administrators Perceive Mental Health Stressors and Supports in Schools:
A Documented Disconnect
- Presenter: Vicki Jones, Ed.D.
- Presenter: Vicki Jones, Ed.D.
- Supporting Regulation and Resilience: Teacher Perspectives on Non-Cognitive Skills
and Student Learning
- 5:30 - 6:45 p.m. - Keynote Speaker - Dr. Lori Desautels
- 6:45 - 7:00 p.m. - Break & Poster Presentations/Research Sharing/Community Resource Information
- Restorative Practices in Action: A Phenomenological Study of Secondary Teachers' Support
for Social and Emotional Learning
- Presenter: Allyson Bear, Ed.D.
- How Teachers and Administrators Perceive Mental Health Stressors and Supports in Schools:
A Documented Disconnect
- Presenter: Vicki Jones, Ed.D
- The Neuroscience of Safety: How Nurses Can Support Educators to Facilitate Emotionally
Engaged Classrooms
- Presenter: Todd Hastings, Ph.D.
- Adolescents, Emotional Wellness, and Learning
- Presenter: Lisa Ferry, Ed.D
- Connecting lessons to classroom management and behaviors
- Presenter: Elizabeth imBrahm, MS.Ed.(c)
- Presenter: Elizabeth imBrahm, MS.Ed.(c)
- Restorative Practices in Action: A Phenomenological Study of Secondary Teachers' Support
for Social and Emotional Learning
- 7:00 - 7:25 p.m. - Breakout Sessions I
- How Teachers and Administrators Perceive Mental Health Stressors and Supports in Schools:
A Documented Disconnect
- Speaker: Vicki Jones, Ed.D.
- Supporting Regulation and Resilience: Teacher Perspectives on Non-Cognitive Skills
and Student Learning
- Speaker: Kathryn Skinner Nichol, Ed.D.
- Building a Safe and Engaged Learning Environment Through Connection, Structure, and
Student Voice
- Speaker: Lauren Dennis, Ed.D.
- One Step at a Time: Bringing AEN to our School Community
- Speakers: Diana Bixby, Ph.D., Kim Butaitis, M.Ed.
- Speakers: Diana Bixby, Ph.D., Kim Butaitis, M.Ed.
- How Teachers and Administrators Perceive Mental Health Stressors and Supports in Schools:
A Documented Disconnect
- 7:30 - 8:00 p.m. - Breakout Sessions II
- The Synchronous-First Learning Model: Virtual Education Designed Around Authentic
Connections to Enhance the Online Learning Experience
- Speakers: Richard Jensen, Ed.D., Anne Butler, Ed.D., Stephanie Wasmanski, Ed.D.
- Restorative Practices in Action: A Phenomenological Study of Secondary Teachers' Support
for Social and Emotional Learning
- Speaker: Allyson Bear, Ed.D.
- Fostering Students’ Safety and Connection through Trauma-Informed Care
- Speaker: Jeanne Rabel, Ed.D.
- Beyond Burnout: Creating Conditions for Resilience in Educators and Helpers
- Speaker: Indra Lahiri, Ph.D.
- The Synchronous-First Learning Model: Virtual Education Designed Around Authentic
Connections to Enhance the Online Learning Experience
Continuing Education Credits
Act 48 legislation governs continuing education (CE) requirements for teachers and educators in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Wilkes University is a state-certified provider of for-credit courses that fulfill Act 48 requirements.
Pending Act 45/PIL Credit.
In partnership with PLS Classes