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.
Robert Anda, MD
Opening Keynote
Dr, Anda was the principal co-investigator of the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Study as a medical officer for the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
He has written more than 200 peer-reviewed and government publications about this work.
In addition, he has received numerous awards and recognition for scientific achievements. He and his work are highlighted in the documentary Resilience by Jamie Redford that was accepted to the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and is now being shown across the nation.
Dr. Anda now works in his role 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 help create a trauma-informed Nation.
Bryan Post, PhD
Parenting Track
Rae Hughart, MS Ed
Schools Track
Rae Hughart is the CEO and Founder of Teachers Deserve It, a TEDx Speaker, educator, and author of Teachers Deserve It and Teach Better.
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.
Meredith Velasguez, LCSW, LAC, ACS
Youth Justice Track
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.
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.
Stan Sonu, MD
Community Track
Dr. Sonu is Medical Director for Advocacy for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, as well as an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at Emory University’s School of Medicine.
He is passionate about teaching about ACEs and training future clinicians on effective and patient-centered ways to address trauma in primary care. His research interests include trauma-informed care, advancing health equity, and addressing social determinants of health in clinical care settings.
Dr. Sonu is currently engaged in efforts to build community consensus around responding to and preventing ACEs through cross-sector approaches.
Karen Doyle Buckwalter, LCSW, RPT-S
Clinician Track
Karen Doyle Buckwalter, LCSW, RPT-S is an Author, Teacher, Podcaster, Psychotherapist, and Consultant. Karen has been a Certified Theraplay® Trainer and Supervisor since 2000 and is also a Registered Play Therapist Supervisor.™ She provides training, consultation and supervision services to agencies and individuals in the U.S. and across the world. In addition, she is trained in many other types of therapy including Child-Centered Play Therapy, Sandtray Therapy, Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy(DDP), Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP), Video Intervention Therapy, and EyeMovement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).
Having completed the 2-week Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) Institute in 2007, she has a special interest in the clinical use of the AAI and the intergenerational transmission of attachment in adoption dyads as measured by the AAI.
She has authored peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and articles featured in Adoption Today and Fostering Families Today magazines. Her first book, Attachment Theory in Action, edited with Debbie Reed released in 2017. Her second book, Raising the Challenging Child, co-authored with Debbie Reed and Wendy Lyons Sunshine released in 2020.
During her nearly 30 years at Chaddock, a child-serving agency in Quincy IL, Karen led in the creation of Chaddock’s Developmental Trauma and Attachment Program(DTAP).
