The Attachment & Trauma Network, Inc. (ATN) is excited to announce our keynote and plenary speakers for our 2nd annual Building Resilient Communities for Children virtual conference, September 17 & 18, 2026.
Keynote - September 17, 2026
Robert Anda, MD.
Dr. Anda spent 20 years conducting research as a medical officer in the US Public Health Service at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. He played the prinicipal role in the design of the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study and serves as it’s Co-Principal Investigator. Findings from the ACE Study have been presented at Congressional Briefings and numerous conferences around the world.
Having authored more than 200 peer-reviewed and government publications, Dr. Anda has received numerous awards and recognitions for his scientific achievements. His work was highlighted in the documentary “Resilience” by Jamie Redford.
Dr. Anda now works as Co-Founder of ACE Interface to deliver training materials at the state and community level about neurobiology, epigenetics, ACEs, resilience and community capacity development. His dream is to create a trauma-informed Nation.
Plenary Speakers
Parenting Track – Dr. Bryan Post
Bryan Post is one of America’s foremost authorities on child behavior, trauma, attachment, and family healing, bringing a rare combination of lived experience, clinical mastery, entrepreneurial vision, and deeply human insight to his work as a former adopted and foster child himself. For more than 30 years, Bryan has guided thousands of families through their hardest moments across the United States, the UK, and Australia, training tens of thousands of parents and professionals in his transformational Fear to Love methodology, a groundbreaking approach rooted in the belief that behavior is the language of stress and healing happens in relationship. He is the founder of LEAF Wraparound, a trauma-responsive in-home treatment model for adoptive and foster families, and Bondify.ai, one of the first AI-powered parenting companions designed specifically for families navigating childhood trauma. His best-selling book From Fear to Love has sold more than a million copies worldwide and is used by adoption agencies, clinicians, educators, and parents seeking a deeper understanding of fear, stress, and emotional regulation. In 2025, Bryan was named among “The Most Influential People in Healthcare to Watch.” Part trauma therapist, part nervous system translator, and part truth-telling philosopher with the grounded presence of someone who has lived every word he teaches, Bryan has built a global movement challenging parents and professionals to stop asking, “How do I control this child?” and start asking, “What is this child’s stress trying to communicate?” A father of seven and grandfather of three, Bryan teaches with a rare blend of compassion, conviction, humor, and unapologetic honesty, reminding the world that love, practiced firmly and consistently, is still the most powerful force for healing we possess.
Youth Justice Track – Meredith Velasquez, LCSW
Meredith is the Community Assessment Program Director at the Juvenile Assessment Center (JAC) in the 18th and 23rd Judicial District, Colorado. After obtaining a Masters Degree in Social Work, she started her career working with youth in residential care. Meredith began working with the JAC and youth involved in the Juvenile Justice System and Child Welfare System over 10 years ago with the Law Enforcement Program. Shortly after, she transitioned efforts to build out the clinical prevention program with the JAC and assisted with the inception of the formal Community Assessment Program (CAP). Since that time, she has also taken on adolescent clients in private practice.
Her direct clinical work over the years allowed her to obtain a Licensed Clinical Social Work (LCSW) credential as well as a Licensed Addictions Counselor (LAC) credential. Meredith then became the Program Director for CAP and obtained an Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS) national credential. She spends her time as director developing and improving programming, creating relationships within the community, and providing clinical supervision and support to the clinicians. Meredith is passionate about the growth and innovation that can happen within communities that utilize assessment centers and enjoys supporting her team while they do the very challenging and impactful work. She finds peace and gratitude spending time with family, doing yoga, walking outside, and traveling.
Education Track – Rae Hughart, MEd
Rae Hughart is the CEO and Founder of Teachers Deserve It, a TEDx Speaker, educator, and author of Teachers Deserve It and Teach Better.
Growing up with IEP support after being diagnosed with Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) in Reading, Writing, and Math, Rae has made it her mission to collaborate with educators and districts nationwide to design mastery learning classrooms that reach all learners.
In 2017, Rae was inducted into The Illinois State University Hall of Fame, and in 2018, she received the First Place Henry Ford Teacher Innovator Award for her impact through innovative educational models. In 2021, she took the TEDx stage, challenging educators, students, and community members to embrace progressive, data-supported practices to advance 21st-century learners. In 2022, Rae was honored with the Educational Leadership Award at a global event celebrating groundbreaking educational teams.
As the CEO and Founder of Teachers Deserve It, Rae leads a movement dedicated to empowering educators with sustainable strategies that promote professional success and personal well-being. Her work focuses on actionable, efficient practices that help educators achieve balance while fostering student success.
Rae is deeply committed to fostering collaboration and innovation within the education community. She partners with local businesses to help educators create dynamic, connected content that transcends the classroom, transforming communities into hubs for cultivating future leaders. Through Teachers Deserve It, Rae continues to champion the idea that when educators thrive, everyone benefits.
Community Track – Dr. Stan Sonu
Dr. Stan Sonu is an Associate Professor of internal medicine and pediatrics at the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. He is deeply committed to teaching professional and public audiences on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), relational health and resilience in primary care, trauma-informed care, medical-legal partnerships, and health equity. In addition to supervising internal medicine residents at Grady Memorial Hospital, Dr. Sonu provides primary care for children at Hughes Spalding Children’s Hospital. Additionally, he serves as the Medical Director for Child Advocacy at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta; in this role, he oversees programming for Strong 4 Life and helps manage the Health-Law Partnership, an interprofessional medical-legal collaborative addressing health- harming legal issues. Dr. Sonu obtained his medical degree at the Medical College of Georgia and completed a residency in combined internal medicine/pediatrics at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, IL. He completed a fellowship at the Cook County Preventive Medicine and Public Health Program and also obtained a Master’s in Public Health at Northwestern University.
Beyond all of these titles and activities that fill his bio, Dr. Sonu is a son, spouse, parent, friend, Asian American, and person of faith. He strives to live each day in the reality that his worth is found in his humanity, not his professional or educational accomplishments. In his free time, you can find him drinking good coffee, reading a book, enjoying engaging conversations, and spending quality time with his family and friends.
Clinician Track – Karen Buckwalter, LCSW
Karen Doyle Buckwalter, LCSW, RPT-S is an author, therapist, consultant, and international trainer with over 30 years of experience specializing in attachment, trauma, and relationship-based interventions. She is a Certified Theraplay® Trainer and Supervisor, Registered Play Therapist Supervisor™, and author of Attachment Theory in Action and Raising the Challenging Child. She provides training and consultation to professionals seeking to deepen their understanding of attachment, trauma, and the ways relationships shape development and change.
