Episode #78: Dana Brown - Trauma Informed Educators Network Podcast
Unapologetic Disrupter for Good PodcastShow Notes
An inner-city community organizer for 25 years, Dana has founded numerous youth leadership programs in elementary, middle, and high schools and in an inner-city Police Division, partnering with the Juvenile Services Team. Mentoring many inner-city children, youth, and families over the decades, Dana has fostered trust with immigrant, reentry, and refugee populations. In 2017, Dr. Felitti introduced Dana to Dr. Anthony R. Pico, (former) Chairman of 26 years with the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians. Now, on the Warrior Spirit Family Leadership Team, we are passionately focused on healing Indigenous families from historical trauma and ACEs. Collaborating with several Tribal Nations in CA and beyond, we are now integrating "truth-telling" in public education and social service sectors.
Mrs. Brown is the PACEs Science Statewide Facilitator with Learn4Life and along with Craig Beswick and Gabriel Nunez-Soria, has trained thousands of folx around the nation on the Trauma-Resilient Educational Communities (TREC) Model, an 18-month accreditation with public charter schools and social service providers.
As a community leader, Dana is on several Advisory Councils and Board of Directors with Community Wraparound, Echo Parenting & Education, HOPE Grounds, and Ilheimo Bopachemihn, dba Tribal Oak Tree Foster Family Agency.
Winning several awards over the years, Mrs. Brown has received many awards over the years, including the Joy McAllister Advocacy Award from Mental Health America in 2014, President Obama's USA Volunteer Presidential Award in 2012 (with San Diego Compassion Project), and the City of San Diego's Human Relations Commission Award in 2009.
An author, Dana co-wrote Hidden Treasures.
Anthony Pico is the elected chairman of the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians. He has served as the Viejas tribal chairman for more than 24 years.
His tribal "rags to riches" story includes his Native American Indian band's rise from abject reservation poverty to tribal ownership of the successful multi-million dollar Viejas Casino and shopping outlet center on the Viejas Indian Reservation, Alpine, Calif.
Please visit the official Viejas website for information to learn about the sovereign Viejas Tribal Government and Kumeyaay History from a Kumeyaay perspective.
More from Unapologetic Disrupter for Good Podcast
Ginger Healy, LCSW, brings more than 25 years of experience in trauma and attachment. She began her career as a child abuse investigator and hospital social worker before becoming a school therapist. For 15 years, she served as a social services supervisor at an international adoption agency, deepening her expertise in developmental trauma and attachment.
Julie Kurtz, M.S., LMFT is a renowned author and national speaker specializing in trauma-responsive, social-emotional, and resilience-building skills, particularly within educational settings ranging from early childhood to 12th grade. As the Founder and CEO of the Center for Optimal Brain Integration®, Julie is dedicated to amplifying the voices of those who have experienced toxic or traumatic stress, empowering both children and adults, and nurturing humane beings through intentional social-emotional learning and resilience strategies.
Beth Tyson, MA, is a childhood trauma therapist, children’s book author, and founder of Beth Tyson Trauma Consulting. She creates trauma-informed training, curriculum, and tools to help prevent and heal childhood trauma. She serves as the co-chair of the Pennsylvania Child Abuse Prevention team, volunteers as a CASA, but most importantly, she is a mom who is trying her best to break the cycle of trauma in her family.
Dr. Michael Gaskell is an author, speaker and principal in East Brunswick. He models the pursuit of lifelong learning as he mentors new principals through the New Jersey Leaders to Leaders (L2L) program. An NJPSA Stars recipient, presents on AI in the Classroom, at NJPSA/FEA and at Rutgers, has been published in over 6 dozen education journals and blogs, including ASCD Smartbrief, Tech & Learning, Education Post, eSchoolNews, NASSP, Edtech, currently writes a monthly column for ASCD Smartbrief, and made the most-read section of ASCD Smartbrief. Mike presents at national conferences, including the Learning and the Brain conference, November 2021; FETC January 2022,, January 2023 January 2024, January 2025, & 2026, CEC January 2023, NJCEC 2024 & 2023and ISTE June 2023. He has been on numerous podcasts including Larry Ferlazzo’s Education Week Classroom Q&A. Mike has published three books: Radical Principals, Leading Schools Through Trauma and Microstrategy Magic. Dr. Gaskell supports instructional excellence and student success for all.
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