Beginning Within Marking a New Journey Toward Equity in Trauma-Informed Education Practices

Joanne Fish, PhD, is an Associate Dean of Humanities at Jefferson College in Hillsboro, Missouri. She has worked in education for the past two decades. Before assuming her current role as Associate Dean, Dr. Fish worked in teacher preparation for ten years and, in multiple settings, has researched trauma's impact on learning. She is also a reading specialist who has worked with elementary, middle school, secondary, and college students who have found reading challenging. She holds a PhD in literacy education from the University of Missouri–Columbia, a master's degree in education from William Woods University in Fulton, MO, and a master's degree in communication and a bachelor's degree in English from Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, KS. She enjoys spending time with her grown children: Tabitha, Kiefer, and Savanna, as well as each of her three grandchildren: Sylei, Landon, and Lyncoln. Dr. Fish lives in St. Louis, MO.

Jamie Doronkin, PhD, is a Professor Emeritus and Adjunct Instructor at Fontbonne University in St. Louis, MO. She most recently served as the Director for the Fontbonne EdD Program in Collaborative High Impact Instruction and was the co-developer of the EdD program at Fontbonne. Dr. Doronkin has earned dual bachelor's degrees in special education and Elementary Education from Oklahoma Christian University, a master's degree in special education from the University of Central Oklahoma, and a doctoral degree in Special Education with a secondary transition focus from the University of Oklahoma. Research interests for Dr. Doronkin include trauma-informed and trauma-sensitive educator preparation practices, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), adverse community experiences, and the impact of these adverse experiences on learning and brain development. Dr. Doronkin has presented locally, regionally, and nationally on self-care survival strategies; IEP meeting behaviors; and family and sibling disability-related dynamics that include the impact of trauma, transition into adulthood, and self-determination and self-advocacy for individuals with disabilities. Her most recent studies and training include body-centered and somatic movement therapy practices.