Jen Burckhard
Jen Burckhard is a passionate professional with over 20 years of experience working with children and families. As the Director of Community Services, she uses her extensive knowledge and love for advocacy to create programs that bring families closer and help communities thrive.
Jen is a certified Circle of Security Facilitator, helping families build stronger, more secure relationships, and she’s also one of just two SafeCare trainers in Montana, teaching others how to create positive, safe environments for children.
When she’s not working, Jen loves spending time with her family, friends, and her dogs. Travel and adventure are a big part of her life too, and she’s always up for exploring new places and making memories along the way. These personal experiences and connections with others shape how she approaches her work and keep her grounded in what matters most.
Jason DeShaw
Jason DeShaw is a national award-winning mental health speaker and singer-songwriter from Montana. Nearly losing his life to mental illness and addiction, he now dedicates himself to inspiring others through speaking, storytelling and music. He is living proof that hope is worth believing in, and his life story is a powerful testament to resilience.
Serenity in the Storm is Jason DeShaw’s presentation—a moving story of hope, set to the soundtrack of his life. His journey to help others has taken him from high school gymnasiums to the lecture halls of Harvard. University research has shown that DeShaw's work has significantly reduced stigma and encouraged help-seeking behavior in Montana youth.
Jason DeShaw received the Champions Award in Washington D.C. from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) for “exhibiting courage, leadership and service on behalf of all people living with mental illness.”
Gaelin Elmore
Gaelin Elmore is a dynamic and nationally sought-after keynote speaker, trainer, and thought leader. He works with organizations and people to become belonging-informed in order to help children overcome trauma and unleash their potential. Gaelin's passion and energy for his work stems from his heart for justice and his own lived experience. His own belonging journey has led Gaelin to the National Football League, and now stages, board rooms, and organizations, all across the country, aiming to inspire, encourage, and equip others to think differently about their work and its long-term impact on others. Gaelin now lives in Burnsville, MN, where he gets to experience the purest form of belonging as a husband to his wife, Micaela, and dad to their three children, Laniah, Tatum, and Gideon!
Valerie Frost
Valerie Frost is a passionate advocate for children, families, and communities, with a particular focus on empowering families impacted by the child welfare system. With over a decade of experience as a teacher and leader, Valerie combines her expertise in early childhood education and family advocacy with her personal lived experience as a parent to drive systemic change. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education, graduating summa cum laude, and a Master of Education with a specialization in Reading Literacy. Valerie’s work spans childcare, education, special needs, family violence, and child welfare, and she is dedicated to fostering family wellbeing through collaboration, authentic engagement, and policy reform.
Her leadership has been instrumental in creating programs and initiatives that empower parents and families, and her keynote presentations inspire audiences to act with compassion, purpose, and a shared commitment to transforming systems for the better.
Kaci Gaub-Bruno
Kaci has been working within the Montana child welfare network for almost 20 years. She has been with the DOJ for four years as the Child and Family Ombudsman. Prior to her work at DOJ, she worked with federal stakeholders to pair early childhood home visitors with local CPS workers. She has done direct work with children and families in the foster care world. Kaci holds a master’s degree in Forensic Psychology and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. When not at work, Kaci spends time with her family enjoying the beautiful Montana outdoors.
Shari Morin-Degal, LCPC
Shari Morin-Degel is a licensed professional counselor in both Montana and Arizona. She is also the founder of My Work BALANCE, a digital burnout prevention tool for health and human service organizations. After graduating with a master’s degree in professional counseling and marriage and family therapy, Shari received her clinical hours working on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. Once licensed, she assumed the role of Clinical Director for a nonprofit behavioral health agency in Montana and remained for 15 years. Here Shari gained her expertise in trauma informed care and supporting employees to avoid burnout and compassion fatigue. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she started a teletherapy practice to support employees experiencing burnout due to the fear, stress and isolation plaguing the world at the time. In 2021, she provided brief, crisis intervention to hospital personnel suffering burnout due to the extreme and chronic stress they experienced during the height of the pandemic. In 2024, Shari launched the My Work BALANCE mobile app to address the rising demand for burnout resources. My Work BALANCE is designed to promote professional fulfillment by increasing resilience skills in both the individual employee and the workplace. Shari shares her time between Montana and Arizona where she lives with her husband, Peter and dog, Whiskey.
Katie Neuman, LCSW
Katie Neuman received her Bachelor of Science in Sociology from Montana State University in 2008. Katie worked in long-term care, working with both the aging population with an emphasis in dementia care and with individuals with developmental disabilities. Through these roles, she gained interest in studying the environmental impacts on behavior, advocacy and community program development. Katie returned to school to gain her Masters in Clinical Social Work and graduated in 2017 from New Mexico Highlands
University. She began her clinical practice in the rural areas of Northern New Mexico working in a child, adolescent, and family clinic providing therapy. Katie continued her training in family systems work by training and joining a Multisystemic Therapy team that serves families with at risk adolescents. Through this experience, Katie was able to collaborate with community stakeholders including schools, CPS, juvenile probation and families’ natural support to create sustainable change in the family system. When returning home to Montana, Katie was able to join Providence Mental Health and participate in the unique family systems model that combines both family and individual work. Over the last four years of employment with PMH, Katie has collaborated with colleagues to continue the development of the Applied Family Systems model by bringing together evidence-based practices used in both individual therapy and family therapy and supports the team through providing supervision to licensure candidates and consultation. Katie is passionate about training new therapists in evidence-based therapeutic modalities as a basis for ethical practice with individuals and families and is working collaboratively with the PMH team to further develop and research the application of the Applied Family Systems model.
April Quinlan, LCPC
April Quinlan is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) who oversees the Family Engagement Programs and grants at the Mineral County Health Department.
During her career path April has partnered with families as a Family Support Specialist, Home Visitor, Certified Lactation Counselor and Therapist as well as a School Teacher and School Counselor.
She loves community building and participates on multiple local and statewide community building coalitions. April lives with her husband, son, three dogs and cat. Her professional and personal mission is to strengthen people’s/community’s roots one connection at a time.
Karl Rosston, LCSW
Karl Rosston is the Suicide Prevention Coordinator for the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. He provides evidenced-based programs to all Montana secondary schools, implements the State Suicide Prevention Plan, supports the Montana Suicide Prevention Lifeline, implements firearm safety programs and statewide media campaigns, provides suicide prevention trainings, and coordinates suicide prevention efforts around the state. Karl is adjunct faculty at the Montana Law Enforcement Academy and a nationally certified trainer in QPR and Mental Health First Aid.
Previously, Karl was the Director of Social Services at Shodair Children’s Hospital in Helena. Before returning to Montana, he was on the faculty of the University of Colorado, School of Medicine, and a clinical consultant with the Colorado Division of Youth Corrections.
He is a licensed clinical social worker who maintains a small private practice in Helena. He received his Master’s in Social Work from the University of Denver and his Bachelor’s in Psychology from the 老虎机攻略.
John Sommers-Flanagan
John Sommers-Flanagan is acting director of the Institute for Positive Education at the 老虎机攻略, a clinical psychologist, and author or coauthor of over 100 publications, including ten books and many training videos. His books, co-written with his wife Rita, include How to Listen so Parents will Talk and Talk so Parents will Listen, Clinical Interviewing, and Tough Kids, Cool Counseling. For more information, you can subscribe to his Youtube channel, follow his blog at , and learn about the Montana Happiness Project, at
Melaney Swenson
Master of Social Work, Boise State University Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, 老虎机攻略 Melaney was born and raised in Montana. After completing her Bachelor’s degree, Melaney decided to expand her horizons by moving to Cincinnati to work in a Family Resource Center. After earning her MSW, Melaney worked with the newly formed Catholic Charities of Idaho, developing and supervising counseling, family support, and immigration programs. She then returned home to Montana to work in schools, providing mental health services to children and families. Melaney joined Intermountain in August of 2021 to supervise school-based mental health services in Gallatin County. In June 2023, she was provided the opportunity to supervise and develop programs at Intermountain’s Family Support Network in Billings. Melaney enjoys working with the Intermountain teams in Bozeman and Billings. She considers it an honor to support Intermountain’s professionals in providing hope and healing to children and families. In her free time, Melaney enjoys hiking, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.
Jennifer Verlanic-Graham, LCPC
Jennifer Graham received her Bachelors of History at the 老虎机攻略 in 2005 and eventually pursued a career in Education for 13 years. Within the relationships Jennifer formed with students and parents, she found herself starting to explore a career in the counseling field. Four years ago, Jennifer received her Master’s Degree in Clinical Counseling and gained valuable exposure to CSCT and school based mental health services. Jennifer then began private practice supervision with Gypsy Ray,
LCSW and was able to begin clinical practice with adults and children within a rural setting. Joining Providence Mental Health and bringing with her a unique perspective in how systemic changes can impact individuals, families and communities, Jennifer was able to bridge her past career with her current. She continues to work with local schools in Granite County, as well as other community agencies like Public Health and private practice providers to enable PMH’s services to reach those in rural areas with limited access. She works diligently to ensure those small towns that make up the fabric of Montana receive the care they deserve.
Jennifer is currently the Board Chair of the Healthy Granite County Network and works alongside other stakeholders to provide resources and collaboration with health professionals and other civic-minded citizens. Jennifer has been providing services at PMH for three years.
Peyton Vining
Serving as Program Manager of all Caregiving Programs through Montana State University’s Extension Program, Peyton Vining’s passion for serving families across the life span extends beyond surface level support. After receiving a Master’s of Family and Consumer Science through Montana State University, Peyton took the role of Program Manager of the Montana Kinship Navigator Program with the intention of helping provide support to a unique group of families in her home state of Montana. Peyton has a large involvement in other Montana Caregiving Programs, leading as Program Manager for the Montana Caregiver Respite Retreat Program and the Caregiver Respite Food Box Program. Her drive and passion for Kinship Caregivers led her to successfully obtain Exemplary Program Status for the Montana Kinship Navigator Program, granted through the national organization, Generations United. Prior to her position, Peyton served as Administrative Assistance at ASMSU Early Learning Center on the Montana State University Campus. Additionally, Peyton has supported multiple professors at Montana State University with research in Education and Caregiving. Her current work and research continue to reach families across Montana, supporting individuals in each of their unique caregiving roles.