Policy Breakfast Series
MAKING A DIFFERENCE THROUGH RESEARCH
CEHD's Policy Breakfast Series brings a research focus to the conversation about closing opportunity gaps in Minnesota. Policy Breakfast events examine the role of school leadership, early childhood education, reading and literacy, STEM education, teacher preparation, and children's mental health. Each event discusses the ways CEHD research can inform Minnesota's legislative policies.
Join us for our October event in Morris, MN
October 28, 2024
8:00 to 10:30 a.m.
Oyate Hall
University of Minnesota - Morris
Free and open to the public
Our next Policy Breakfast will focus on the State of Children’s Mental Health in Minnesota. This discussion will engage statewide and University leaders deeply knowledgeable and connected with this issue and will identify and expand upon recommendations that will be released in early October from the Department of Human Services formed Acute Care Transitions Advisory Council.
Moderator
Jessica Simacek
Jessica Simacek, PhD, is the Director of the TeleOutreach Center in the Institute on Community Integration and the TeleOutreach Service Hub at the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain at the University of Minnesota. She serves as the Research Director of the University of Minnesota Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (MNLEND). Her research focuses on improving access to interventions and supports for children with developmental disabilities, behavioral needs, or complex communication needs and for their families. She is a Principal and Co-Investigator on research projects related to telehealth, communication and positive behavioral support, and her work has appeared in peer-reviewed journals, reports, and book chapters. She has a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology, Special Education, from the University of Minnesota, and is a former MNLEND Pre- and Post-Doctoral Fellow. Dr. Simacek is the parent of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities and understands the needs of these populations firsthand.
Participants
Amy Esler
Amy Esler, PhD, is a licensed psychologist and researcher at the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain at the University of Minnesota. She completed her PhD in school psychology from the University of Minnesota. Her clinical interests include early diagnosis of autism and care and support of individuals with profound autism as well as fragile X and other rare genetic conditions. Her research focuses on effective interventions for aggression and self-injury, improving equitable access to care, and measurement of behaviors and characteristics for tracking growth and change in development.
Marnie Werner
Marnie Werner is Vice President of Research & Operations at the Center for Rural Policy and Development. Marnie joined the Center in 2000 after receiving her master’s degree from the University of Minnesota Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. Before the Center, Marnie received a bachelor’s in journalism at the U of MN, then spent the next eight years reporting for a group of east central Minnesota newspapers, covering everything from the state legislature to turtle races. At the Center, Marnie has developed a special interest in the child care shortage, addiction issues, broadband, water quality, and correcting other people’s typos. In her spare time she likes to write, spend time with friends and be outside as much as possible in the beautiful southern Minnesota landscape.
Megan Copeland
Megan Copeland is a dedicated and compassionate Lead Social Worker for Stevens County Human Services. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Minnesota, Morris. She has worked in Human Services for 12 years, and she has specialized as a Children’s Mental Health Case Manager for the last 10 years. Megan and her coworkers provide support to those in need and find solutions to complex cases while living in rural MN where services are limited.
Rachel Freeman
Rachel Freeman is the Director of State Initiatives at the Institute on Community Integration in the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Freeman has been actively involved in statewide research and technical assistance systems for positive behavior support (PBS), person-centered planning, and other evidence-based practices over 25 years. Her research interests include evaluation design and implementation, the occurrence of self-injurious behavior in individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and nonsuicidal self-injury, and multi-tiered systems of support. She is an associate editor for the Journal of Child and Family Studies and serves as a Board of Director for Arc Minnesota.
Save the date
The State of Children’s Mental Health in Minnesota
January 7, 2025
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Join us in January as we will continue the conversation on children’s mental health with a focus on improving systems to support children and families in the Twin Cities metro area.
Past events
October 2023: The state of the state's accountability system
On October 30, 2023, CEHD hosted more than 120 educational leaders and policy makers for a Policy Breakfast at the Historic Chateau Theatre in Rochester, Minnesota. Katie Pekel, CEHD’s Executive Director of Educational Leadership, moderated a panel of experts, including: CEHD Dean Michael C. Rodriguez, Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) Commissioner Willie Jett, and Superintendent of Rochester Public Schools Kent Pekel.
January 2023: Minnesota PK-12 special education policy
On January 10, 2023, superintendents, directors of special education and legislators from across the state joined us for a panel. With a wide range of professional experience and research expertise, the panel discussed what policies and practices could exist in Minnesota at the state, system, and school level.
Equal opportunity statement
The University of Minnesota shall provide equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, familial status, disability, public assistance status, membership or activity in a local commission created for the purpose of dealing with discrimination, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.