Gwendolyn “Gwen” Downing, LPC, is a mental health professional, advocate, and leader, best known as the founder and director of Connect All, a global initiative empowering individuals and communities to achieve their potential and address global needs. She has extensive experience in mental health services, including nearly two decades at the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. Gwen is also actively involved in organizations such as the Global Leadership Exchange and the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children. She co-authored Oklahoma’s “Crisis Line Handbook” and is highly regarded for her efforts to raise awareness and break down stigma surrounding mental health.

Dr. Ronald B. Cox, Jr. has a Ph.D. in Family and Child Ecology with a specialization in marriage and family therapy from Michigan State University. He is currently a Family Science State Specialist with the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Services and Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Science at Oklahoma State University. He also serves as the Director of the Oklahoma State University Center for Immigrant Health and Education and holds the George Kaiser Family Foundation Endowed Chair in Child and Family Resilience. His research identifies salient social determinants of health and educational outcomes for diverse families and translates these findings into interventions to improve family health and wellbeing including the United We Can program, the Co-Parenting for Resilience program, and the Strong Dads program. Recently Dr. Cox discovered a new phenomenon he has called Shared Language Erosion that affects immigrant families and is currently being tested with Latino and Chinese families with funding from the NIH. Dr. Cox has been awarded over $20 million from federal, state, and philanthropic organizations to support his research, he has presented over 150 times at national and international conferences, and published over 50 articles in some of the nation’s top scientific journals. Dr. Cox also participates as a board member for several local organizations such as the Coalition of Hispanic Organizations and the Council of Safe Neighborhoods, and as a scientific advisor for the Public Strategies and Tulsa Public Schools.

Monica Brumnett serves as a Program Administrator at Oklahoma Human Services, where she currently oversees the School-Based Family Services Program.

With extensive experience in child welfare and adult & family services, Monica has made significant contributions to the School Based Family Services Program.

Most of her tenure at DHS has been spent as a School-Based Family Services Specialist, a role she considers one of the most rewarding positions she has held within the organization.

Her passion for supporting families and children shines through in her work.

In addition to her administrative role, Monica is an active collaborative member of the Handle with Care Oklahoma initiative, which aims to support children who have experienced trauma.

Camal Pennington is the Executive Director of It’s My Community Initiative (IMCI), a non-profit focused on strengthening communities by building strong, healthy families. Prior to working for IMCI, Camal was the Director of Annual Giving and later the Director of Admissions at the University of Oklahoma College of Law. He received his bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma City University and his law degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Law. After law school, he was a congressional staffer in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he focused on education, civil rights, and criminal justice reform. Following two years of work in Washington, D.C., he served as an attorney for the Oklahoma City American Federation of Teachers. Camal is the former Chair current Ward 7 representative on the Oklahoma City Planning Commission, President of the Harding Fine Arts Academy School Board, and is a member of the Northeast Oklahoma City Renaissance Board of Directors.

Holly Hanan is the State Program Manager for Family and Consumer Sciences with the Oklahoma Department of CareerTech.  She plays a crucial role in overseeing and supporting FCS programs throughout the state. With a focus on enhancing the quality of education and inclusivity within the field, Holly works closely with educators and students to ensure impactful learning.

Holly is involved in several professional organizations, including ACTE/OkACTE, NATFCS/OATFCS, LeadFCS, AAFCS and is serving as President for the Oklahoma Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (OAFCS). She holds extensive experience in the education sector, particularly in family and consumer sciences, which has equipped her with the skills necessary to lead and innovate in her current role.

Over the last 20 years, Derrick’s passion for social and group dynamics has reached every area of his life. In addition to his B.S. in Kinesiology (Recreation Management), M.A. in Theological Studies, 20+ years of community and culture experience in the education and corporate settings, founding and leading OMOS Team Building and Reverb Mentoring, Derrick shares his love for people and the betterment of the environments in which they connect around the world. Those who encounter Derrick for any extended period of time will soon discover his passion for justice and equity, his desire to listen and for others to be heard, his love for his wife of 20 years and two teenage children, and his generosity manifested through hugs.

Lauren Mattox is a dynamic project leader with over 17 years of experience shaking things up in the human services field. She’s adept at designing outcome-oriented strategies for couples, individuals, and youth, and thrives on providing top-notch evaluation and program support for large-scale initiatives. At Public Strategies, Lauren channels her strategic expertise to support programs and service providers in the Family Strengthening space, at both the state and federal level. She’s passionate about empowering families and has an eye for creating practical and effective tools that help practitioners put evidence-based practices into action. Most recently, Lauren led a diverse team of TA Providers to support the Sexual Risk Avoidance Education National Evaluation (SRAENE) project, collaborating closely with project leads to develop co-regulation products and tools for youth practitioners aiming to integrate co-regulation practices into their programs.

Nick Gunzelman is a Senior Project Specialist at Public Strategies in Oklahoma City, where he provides training and technical assistance to various OKDHS-funded programs, with a focus on youth, fatherhood, and family stability initiatives.

With three years of direct care experience, Nick’s background includes roles as a middle school educator and a Master’s student therapist at a youth agency dedicated to serving unhoused, justice-involved, and OKDHS-involved youth. His unique blend of practical experience and professional training enables him to approach challenges with both empathy and expertise.

Nick is particularly skilled in building rapport and fostering connections across diverse groups, making him an effective co-regulation practitioner and advocate.

Dr. Amy Emerson is a pediatrician with a special interest in developmental-behavioral peds who currently works as a consultant for several nonprofits focused on providing safe and nurturing environments for families and young children. She has recently been named Director of Hope-Driven Parenting, an initiative of Hope Rising Oklahoma, and she serves on several boards including Lilyfield, devoted to providing safe and stable families for at-risk children and youth, and Oklahoma Partnership for School Readiness.  Presently, she also serves as an appointment to the board of Oklahoma’s Office of Juvenile Affairs, and, the common themes of her interests lie in child welfare, juvenile justice, early brain growth and family strengthening. She and her husband, Clint, live in Tulsa and are blessed to have 4 children from ages 14-18!

Tammy has worked for Oklahoma Human Services in various roles throughout the agency for 20 years.  She joined the Department of Hope Transformation at Oklahoma Human Services in September 2021 and is now serving the role of Hope Ambassador.

Tammy holds a Master of Liberal Studies/Administrative Leadership degree from the University of Oklahoma and a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Central Oklahoma.

Her areas of experience and expertise include hope science, change leadership, personal power and confidence, leadership development and creating cohesive teams.

Deborah Smith is an innovative leader and social worker with extensive child welfare and social services experience at the local, state, and federal level. She serves as the Deputy Director at Oklahoma Human Services (OKDHS), where she is responsible for safety net services, child care services, and child support services. She started her professional career as a front-line child welfare worker in rural Oklahoma. After 12 years of child welfare practice and management experience, she was promoted to Director of Child Welfare Services (CWS). She was the principal developer and author of the Oklahoma Pinnacle Plan. She also served as the Director of Innovation Services for several years where she worked agency-wide to identify efficiencies innovative strategies. Between the role of CWS Director and Innovation Services Director at OKDHS, she served five years at the federal level as the Regional Program Manager for the Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau out of Kansas City, Missouri. In this role, she worked with child welfare programs in Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, and Nebraska along with the nine Indian Tribes located in those states.

Keith Jossell, Senior Manager of Content Strategy and Delivery, brings over a decade of expertise across human services, safety net benefit programs, and workforce development, backed by an Executive MBA from Northwestern University. Certified in both Risk and Project Management, Keith integrates culturally relevant strategies into every facet of his work. As a Master Trainer, he empowers internal staff, external partners, and clients through impactful training and development. His ability to translate evidence-based research into innovative, practical solutions enables individuals and organizations to take meaningful steps toward their goals.

Mollie Lovera is the Senior Manager of Operational Excellence, focusing on process improvement in the Work Ready Oklahoma program while also working on various projects with human service organizations across the country. At Public Strategies in Oklahoma City, she leads employment and workforce development initiatives that prioritize innovative strategies to boost efficiency and create real impact. Mollie enjoys collaborating with teams to pinpoint pain points and come up with effective solutions. Her hands-on approach promotes open communication and values input from everyone involved, which helps drive positive outcomes and meaningful change. By using data and insights, she helps teams implement solutions that improve service delivery and support workforce development goals.

Dr. Seth Osborn is an organizational consultant and faculty member at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He began his career as a youth care professional and case manager in residential care contexts, including shelters, treatment hospitals, group homes, and juvenile detention centers. In 2015, he began working as a trainer/consultant for the University of Oklahoma National Resource Center for Youth Services. He served as the Program Supervisor for the Oklahoma Trauma Informed Care Project from 2017 through 2020. Much of his consulting work in the human services field focuses on organizational change management, promoting evidence-based practices, and supporting the professionalization of the workforce. He earned his Ph.D. from The University of Tulsa.

Mendy Spohn is Deputy Commissioner for the Oklahoma State Department of Health. Previous to this role, Mendy was the Regional Administrative Director for the health departments in Carter, Johnston, Love, Marshall, Stephens, Pontotoc, Garvin, Murray and Jefferson Counties. She has a master’s degree in public health epidemiology and a bachelor’s degree in microbiology, both from the University of Oklahoma. She has worked for the Oklahoma State Department of Health for twenty-eight years in various roles. She served as president of the Oklahoma Public Health Association Most importantly, Mendy is the mother of Ally.

Holly Towers has been with Lilyfield since 2008. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Holly has a passion for mobilizing the community to care caring for the vulnerable among us.  Holly leads Lilyfield and provides vision and passion for the direction of the agency. She works with strategic partnerships within the community to empower people to engage in responding to the needs of vulnerable children and families. Holly believes that all children deserve to grow and be nurtured in loving and stable families.

Sang Rem is a former refugee from Chin State, Myanmar/Burma. Sang and her family migrated from Myanmar to Malaysia to the USA. After resettling in OK, she started learning English as a high school student and went on to complete a bachelor and master in University of Central Oklahoma.  She is the director of resettlement at the Spero Project.

Armon R. Perry, Ph.D., MSW is a Senior Manager at Public Strategies. Armon’s research interests are fathers’ involvement in the lives of their children and their contributions to family functioning. The findings of his research have pointed to the tools, resources and experiences shaping men’s ability to be involved fathers; the role that mothers play in facilitating or truncating fathers’ involvement; and social service providers’ attitudes toward engaging fathers. Armon’s co-edited book, Fatherhood in America: Social Perspectives in a Changing Society, as well as his feature in the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse’s documentary, Dadication, highlight the importance of fathers’ involvement and the factors shaping it. Armon also has extensive experience in leadership roles and higher education—serving as the Healthy Marriage Responsible Fatherhood Project Director and a child protective services social worker.

Scott strives to share relevant information in fun and engaging ways. With more than 30 years of experience as a facilitator, trainer and consultant—and even more years as a parent—he knows how to encourage positive change in individuals, organizations and government systems. If you really want to get Scott talking, ask him about the Kansas City Chiefs.

Dr. David Hartman brings a wealth of experience in program development, instructional design, and training within the realms of education and social innovation. With a Ph.D. in Education focusing on counseling, and master’s degrees in both counseling and sociology, Dr. Hartman expertly bridges the intrapersonal and interpersonal dynamics essential for serving low-income families effectively. His background is further enriched by certifications in human-centered design from IDEO, audio storytelling and production from the University of California-Berkeley, and UX design from Google.

Crystal Buggs is a results-oriented project manager providing organizational leadership and expertise in employment and workforce development and programmatic training and technical assistance (TTA). Buggs is adept at identifying program implementation challenges and developing targeted technical assistance strategies to evaluate and improve program models. She serves as employment and workforce development (EWD) lead for the HMRF TTA project, providing subject matter expertise to inform both proactive and responsive TTA to all HMRF grantees. Buggs has developed learning tools and has delivered implementation technical assistance for large-scale employment evaluations, and has managed contract TA efforts to assist state and tribal TANF programs in addressing program operation challenges for the Office of Family Assistance (OFA) PeerTA Network.

Kendy Cox has provided longtime leadership to Familyhood, developing models to engages systems, communities, and local entities in building the capacity of vulnerable Oklahomans to improve family well-being across priority areas of healthy relationships, parenting, fatherhood, financial capability, and organizational leadership/coaching. Cox has 25 years of experience providing ground-up support to federal and state organizations, across policy areas including Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood (HMRF), Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (APP), and Self-Sufficiency, supporting hundreds of grantees and contractors to infuse best practices, improve program/performance, and use data for effective continuous quality improvement. She also has provided leadership to national research firms to ensure human services evaluation designs are reflective of lived experience and practitioner needs to improve services and access to services among hard-to-serve populations.