CDA Renewal - Home Visitor, Part E

Sherrie Segovia
PsyD

Dr. Segovia received her undergraduate and graduate degrees in Psychology and was principally affiliated with community-based mental health and social service organizations. For over 40 years, Dr. Segovia primarily worked with marginalized African American and Latino children and their families in clinic, school, and home settings.

She has functioned as a counselor, family and child advocate, parent educator, and foster care training specialist. As the Clinical Manager at Hope Street Family Center for over 25 years, Dr. Segovia worked within a multi-disciplinary team to access, coordinate, and provide families with appropriate services. She provided clinical and administrative support and reflective supervision to Early Head Start professional case managers, as well as assessment, crisis intervention, and ongoing therapy for families and children.

Dr. Segovia was a frequent presenter at national, state, and regional conferences. She also co-wrote an article on infant mental health for Zero To Three and other publications. Dr. Segovia has also been an expert speaker on Channel 22 Telemundo and Channel 34 Univision as well as radio stations. In December 2003, she completed her Doctorate in Psychology and a dissertation with a focus on domestic violence and its impact on early language development.

Since 2004, Dr. Segovia served as a lead faculty for undergraduate and graduate courses in human services, psychology, and counseling in the college of social and behavioral sciences at the University of Phoenix. Additionally, Dr. Segovia facilitated a course on Parenting in High-Risk Families in the Child and Family Studies Department at California State University in Los Angeles.  She was also affiliated with the Latino Technical Assistance & Training Division of the California Hispanic Commission as an educational consultant. She served as a member of the board of directors for the California Head Start Association. Dr. Segovia’s specific areas of expertise include parental depression and anxiety, substance abuse, cultural competence, communication skills, parenting, and partnerships. Bilingual and bicultural herself, Dr. Segovia has a particular interest in culturally responsive service delivery.  

Tami Micsky
DSW, MSSA, LSW, CT

Dr. Tami Micsky is an Assistant Professor and Program Director in the Department of Social Work at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania. She is a Contributing Faculty in the MSW program at Walden University. Dr. Micsky is a Licensed Social Worker and Certified Thanatologist, who has been working with children, teens, and young adults for over twenty-five years. She received her BSW from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, her MSSA from Case Western Reserve University, and a DSW from Millersville & Kutztown Universities. Dr. Micsky’s research interests include loss and grief, self-care and wellness in social work and higher education, and distance learning.

Julie Kurtz
MS

Julie Kurtz is an author and international speaker consulting and training on trauma and resilience. She promotes the concept of optimal brain integration to maximize the human growth potential. Julie is the Founder and CEO for the Center for Optimal Brain Integration®.

She is a co-author of:

• Trauma-Informed Practices for Early Childhood Educators: RelationshipBased Approaches that Support Healing and Build Resilience in Young Children
• Culturally Responsive Self-Care Practices for Early Childhood Educators 
• Trauma-Informed Practices for Early Childhood Leaders: Creating and Sustaining Healing and Engaged Organizations
• Trauma-Responsive Family Engagement in Early Childhood: Practices for Equity and Resilience
• Supporting Young Children to Cope, Build Resilience and Heal from Trauma through Play: A Practical Guide for Early Childhood Educators (2023 Release)

And the author of the award-winning children’s book:

• Understanding My Brain: Becoming Human(E)! (Ages 4-8 and 5-10)

Julie Kurtz is the creator of the phone/tablet Application (APP) Trigger Stop: Sensory and Emotional Check-in designed specifically for children ages 3-8 years to promote sensory and emotional literacy and to support self-regulation.

Jesse Bernal
MA LMFT

Jesse (Jess) Bernal is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Early Childhood Education Consultant specializing in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health and holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology. Jesse has over 18 years of experience working with children who have been exposed to trauma, children who have severe behavioral challenges, and children with disabilities.

Amber Tankersley
PhD

Amber Tankersley is a professor in child development within the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences at Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas. She holds a bachelor's degree in elementary/early childhood education, a master's degree in elementary education, and a PhD in curriculum and instruction. She has worked in the field of early childhood for over 25 years as a preschool teacher, university child care center director, university instructor/professor and director of a NAEYC accredited preschool lab. She often presents at workshops/conferences on the topic of early childhood curriculum and the importance of play. She teaches courses such as early childhood curriculum, interacting with children, and parent/professional relationships. 

Tere Bowen-Irish
OTR/L

Tere Bowen-Irish has been practicing occupational therapy for over 40 years in pediatrics and psychiatry. Tere provides assessment, treatment, and collaborative services in public and private school systems. Through her business, All the Possibilities Inc., she offers workshops for therapists, parents, and educators focusing on service delivery, classroom management, mindfulness, wellness, and prevention for all school-age children. Tere is also the creator of The Drive Thru Menu Suite of Exercises (published by Therapro), an initiative to bring movement into today’s classrooms. She is a certified YogaKids Inc. teacher and incorporates creative movement and yoga into her practice. She is a Certified Mindful Schools Instructor. She is also the author of Yoga and Me, Come be a Tree and co-authored My Mindful Music with Mary Ann Harman.

Tara Warwick
MS OTR/L

Dr. Tara Warwick is an occupational therapist and the co-owner of Blue Sparrow, a national training and consulting therapy firm, and Today’s Therapy Solutions, an Oklahoma-based pediatric therapy company. She has over 20 years of experience working with children with disabilities across all
settings. A graduate of the University of Oklahoma, Tara obtained her bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy in 2000, her master’s degree in Rehabilitation Sciences with an emphasis in pediatrics in 2005. In 2021, she completed a Post- Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate in from Boston University. Tara spends her days providing in-home therapy to children, conducting training and consultations for schools on challenging behavior and autism, and consulting with other therapy companies on practice management. Tara’s areas of intervention expertise include behavior
management, sensory processing, self-care training (potty training, eating/feeding, dressing, play, etc.), assistive technology, and home programming. Tara enjoys thinking outside the box and developing creative ways to help her business run more efficiently and effectively. Tara resides
in Edmond, OK, with her husband and two children. 

Darneshia Allen
BS

Darneshia Allen offers over 30 years of experience working with young children. Her background includes intensive work with families and communities, including years of experience in Early Care and Education, which ultimately led to development of a Pre-K 4 program. She joined ZERO TO THREE in 2009 and has supported communities implementing the Safe Babies approach in many roles. She currently serves the project as the Manager of Training and Technical Assistance Integration for Safe Babies.