EdTalks
Meet Your Presenters & Panelists
Session 1A: Creating Trauma-Informed School Environments: Establishing safe and supportive sapes for students
Presenter: Chris Haines
Chris Haines is a Licensed Professional Counselor, a school mental health therapist who specializes in trauma, the Director of a School Mental Health program that stations therapists in over 100 schools in Greenville County, a husband, and a father of three children.
Session 1B : Trauma-Informed Care for Marginalized Students: Today’s Critical Needs Populations
Irene Hamilton-Jones
Irene is a native of Beaufort, South Carolina. She is a 1992 Criminal Justice graduate of the University of South Carolina. She received a Master of Teaching degree from Converse College, in 2002
with an emphasis on Counseling.
Ms. Hamilton Jones is a training facilitator throughout the state on the subject of homelessness and youth. She was a certified adoptions investigator, and facilitator for SCDSS adoption training. She is a certified parent educator, and parent coach.
Irene Hamilton Jones is happily married to Bernard Jones and the proud parent of three adult children.
Cynthia Gordon
Cynthia is the Associate Clinical Trainer with 864Pride. Cynthia received their undergraduate degree from Winthrop University in Psychology with a Minor in Social Sciences. They worked within the child welfare system and child advocacy before pursuing their graduate studies at The University of South Carolina, earning a Master’s in Social Work with a focus on Health and Mental Health.
When they are not working, Cynthia enjoys a good book and random conversations with people in coffee shops.
Halla Banafa
Proud immigrant social worker who specializes in working with adolescents and young adults experiencing foster-care and/or homelessness. Currently the Director of Residential Services at Pendleton Place, overseeing a foster care group home for teenagers as well as a shelter for runaway and homeless youth ages 12-21. As well as experience working in a variety of settings such as community mental health, inpatient hospital, outpatient therapy and nonprofit agencies. Working with teens and young adults is a passion and continued support for this community will continue to grow.
SESSION 2A: Secondary Traumatic Stress - Recognizing and addressing the impact of working with traumatized students
Session 2B – Culturally Responsive Care: Incorporating cultural sensitivity and cultural competence into trauma-informed practices to support students from diverse backgrounds
Tiffany Santigati
A lifelong learner, Tiffany holds a BA in Psychology from the University of South Carolina-
Spartanburg, a Master of Business Administration from Webster University, a graduate of BB&T Banking School at Wake Forest University, and a Ph.D. student at the Center for Leadership and Organizations at Anderson University.
In her personal time, Tiffany is a foodie and avid reader who loves to travel. She strives to enjoy the culture, art, and food of different areas around the globe and cherishes spending time with family and friends.
Courtney Hicks
Courtney is a native of Georgetown, South Carolina, who has dedicated her life to advocating for the holistic justice of black folk in the US. She received her Bachelor of Arts in African American Studies and Communication from the College of Charleston. Hicks’ expertise is community-centered, and she has worked tirelessly to improve the lives of Black Gullah Geechee folk.
Aside from her professional work, Hicks has also been involved in community support and liberation for all Black people. She developed The Joseph Floyd Manor Care Package Project, partnerships with Climate Power for Environmental Racism Advocacy, and has worked as an Organizer with The Charleston Activist Network. Hicks’ professional and personal experiences have prepared her to take on the challenge of fighting for equity and improved quality of life for all Black Greenville residents. Her community-centered expertise has propelled the mission of REEM, and the Greenville community is excited to see the positive impact she will have.
Ed Roman
Ed Roman has 29 years of experience in K-12 public education. He has been a teacher and administrator in middle and high schools in Connecticut, Florida and most recently in Greenville, South Carolina for the last 17 years. He has graduate degrees in educational leadership from the University of North Florida and Furman University, and participated in a principal certification program at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education in 2014. His educational practice centers on building positive relationships with all stakeholders and on always putting children first. Ed has served in school administration at HSC High School in New Haven, CT and in Southside High School, Mauldin High School, Legacy Early College, Lakeview Middle School and Berea High School in Greenville, SC. He is a native of Chile, was brought to the United States at the age of 10 and was raised in New Haven, CT.
Edward has spent his entire career leading and working alongside communities and schools of poverty. He knows that poverty is a great barrier to student success, but believes that children of poverty, when met with strategy and intervention, can be as successful and productive as their non-impoverished peers.
Edward currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Children’s Trust of South Carolina, aimed at preventing child abuse, neglect, and injury; a member of African American Leadership Greenville, the Young Leaders Society, and co-founder of BOLD Leadership, focused on uplifting the profession of Education, but more specifically on the support of African American male educators.
He currently holds an elementary and secondary endorsement in principalship, a Masters degree in Curriculum and Instruction, and a Doctoral Degree in Educational Leadership and Technology. He has two sons, Ellison, 9, and Micah, 5.
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