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.
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.
Bryan Post, PhD
Parenting Track
Bryan Post is one of America’s foremost authorities on child behavior, trauma, attachment, and family healing. 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.
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.
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.
Meredith Velasquez, LCSW, LAC, ACS
Youth Justice Track
Meredith Velasquez 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.
Stan Sonu, MD, MPH
Communities Track
Dr. Sonu is an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine and the Medical Director for Child Advocacy at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
His research interests include adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), trauma-informed care, advancing health equity and addressing social determinants of health in clinical care settings. Dr. Sonu’s passion is educating future clinicians on patient-centered ways to address trauma in primary care. He’s actively 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 is an author, teacher, podcaster, psychotherapist and consultant. As a Certified Theraplay Training and Supervisor since 2000 and a Registered Plan Therapist Supervisor, Karen provides training, consultation and supervision services to agencies and individuals across the US and around the world.
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). Her clinical specialty areas include working with attachment disruptions, complex trauma, and adoption and foster care-related issues.
Karen 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). The renowned program catapulted Chaddock to both national and international recognition for their work with attachment and trauma issues in children and adolescents. Karen moved into Private Practice full-time in 2023. Although she still works directly with families, the majority of her time is now spent speaking at national conferences and providing supervision and consultation to agencies and individual therapists.
