Ricky Robertson

Facilitator

Ricky has had the privilege to work with students from pre-K to 12th grade who have persevered in the face of adversity and trauma. As a consultant and coach, he assists schools in developing trauma-informed systems of support and Restorative Practices that foster resilience and success for staff and students. Ricky is the co-author of the recently published book, “Building Resilience in Students Impacted by Adverse Childhood Experiences: A Whole-Staff Approach.”

Ricky joined the Sound Discipline team as a facilitator in January of 2019. As a former teacher and Behavior Intervention Specialist, Ricky values Sound Discipline’s holistic approach to students’ social-emotional and behavioral needs. He finds inspiration in educators’ willingness to courageously embrace vulnerability and change in service of building better relationships with their students.

Reid Kuennen

Facilitator

Reid Kuennen’s work is rooted in their belief that everyone, regardless of age or background, has a valid desire to be seen and heard. Steeped in the power of arts and imagination-based practices, Reid has designed, facilitated, and managed experiential-learning programs for organizations in the U.S., Canada, Bolivia, Egypt, and Spain. With an equity lens, they collaborate with youth and educators to create safer and braver spaces where groups build one another up to be their most creative and courageous selves. Reid’s most foundational work has been with Partners for Youth Empowerment, Power of Hope, IndigenEYEZ, Salish School of Spokane, Reel Grrls, YMCA Camp Seymour, and Young Women Empowered. On their list of superpowers, empathic listening and inclusive humor rise to the top.

When not facilitating, Reid’s busy filmmaking, gardening and creating board games with friends. Reid holds a BA in both Spanish and Multicultural Media and lives in Seattle with their cat, Simon.

Teresa Hurliman, MEd, CPDT

Facilitator

As a child, Teresa always dreamed of becoming a teacher. Those early dreams resulted a 44-year career working in schools as a special education teacher and administrator, alternative school principal, and most recently as a school improvement coach. She feels fortunate to have the opportunity to work with Sound Discipline, where she helps educators understand the connections between brain science, attachment and trauma to build strong school communities.

Teresa is passionate about empowering teachers and principals to be the best they can be for student success by helping them to develop new tools for understanding and responding to students. She really enjoys hearing success stories from the educators she works with and seeing their delight when a student is making progress. Teresa believes that, when implemented in concert with other school district and community practices, Sound Discipline’s work can have a significant impact on any community in which it takes root. Her dream would be to establish a cohort of colleagues to help expand Sound Discipline’s work into Eastern Washington and North Idaho.

Teresa sees how Sound Discipline has enabled her to be more understanding and compassionate as a spouse, parent, and family member. Her colleagues describe her as thoughtful, curious, and full of positivity. When not working, Teresa enjoys playing with her family, traveling, swapping stories with friends, and dancing – as long as she can lead!

Stacy Lappin, MEd, CPDT

Director of Program

From the time she was in 3rd grade, Stacy wanted to be a teacher. In her 10 years of teaching, she experienced firsthand the challenges that educators and school leaders face every day trying to support their students. As Director of Program at Sound Discipline, Stacy holds the vision for this work, believing deeply in its power to change the world one educator, one student, one classroom, one school at a time. In addition to direct service professional development, coaching, and consultation, Stacy works to create new resources for transformation in schools and to lead Sound Discipline facilitators in their journey.

Stacy clearly sees the systems challenges in schools and is committed to supporting educators who want to make a difference but don’t know a way out of the “system”. Over the years, Stacy has come to understand that the work of Sound Discipline is not simply about intervening to fix a broken system. Rather, we are disrupting a system that in fact is doing precisely what it was designed to do: create division and oppression. By giving adults tools for being in relationship with each other, self-awareness and support, this work can create peace and dignity for all students and challenge deep inequities in our communities.

For Stacy, this work has shaped how she sees the world and how she interacts with everyone in her personal and professional life. She is deeply grateful for the transformational impact it has had on her relationships with her three children. This experience has fueled her passion for teaching parenting classes, which she has done for the last 14 years in a variety of settings ranging from co-op preschools, and elementary schools to homeless and court-ordered families and families in transition housing. She believes deeply that every parent is doing the best they can with the tools they have, and sees that when we offer parents new tools in a respectful way, we help them change the way they show up for their children and powerful things can happen.

When she is not working, Stacy is happiest spending time with her family. She appreciates the small moments together and enjoys watching her kids do what they love. She also loves to cook, bake, and share traditions with her family.

Her personal motto, which her colleagues witness her living by every day, is “Always walk the talk.”

Email her, here.

Sahara Pirie, LMP, CPDLT

Lead Facilitator

Sahara worked in the corporate world for nearly a decade after receiving a BS in math and computer science before deciding to go back to school to become a licensed massage therapist. After learning about Positive Discipline in 1999, she began teaching it starting in 2001 and the rest is history. As a lead facilitator for Sound Discipline, Sahara supports the facilitation staff in developing their understanding of our content and offers perceptions and views into personnel growth.

Sahara came to this work prior to joining Sound Discipline but feels grateful to have deeply expanded her knowledge about the impact of trauma and increased her awareness and tools around equity. She deeply appreciates the “day of learning” training offered to Sound Discipline staff and sees the profound impact Sound Discipline is making in the community. Though she believes it is a long path and that it may take years to really see and feel the social implications, changing the way young people (particularly people of color) see themselves, and their important role in our culture gives Sahara great hope for our future.

She loves to start most days with a workout and is happiest riding her bike outdoors on a beautiful day. Sahara loves to cook, make chocolates, knit and watch movies with friends in her spare time. Her personal motto in life is: “You’re human. Forgive yourself, find gratitude, and spread joy.”

Penny Davis, MA, CPDLT

Facilitator

Penny has been facilitating parenting education and teacher training using Adlerian concepts for over 35 years. She became a certified Positive Discipline trainer in 2001 and has been a Lead Trainer for the Positive Discipline Association for the past 10 years. When she and her husband relocated to the Pacific Northwest from Southern California in 2012, she decided to retire from full time work to become a facilitator for Sound Discipline.

For Penny, it’s Sound Discipline’s practical tools of Positive Discipline along with the trauma-Informed data that is having such a powerful and positive effect on how staff understand their students. It has encouraged and allowed her to dig deeply into public education and learn a great deal about the challenges facing public school teachers. It has also enhanced Penny’s learning around issues of equity and cultural competence. Ultimately, Penny believes when schools and families begin to shift towards strength-based, encouraging ways of connecting, a new and more welcoming sense of community emerges.

As a semi-retiree, she enjoys leisurely mornings spent drinking coffee while reading the newspaper. On nice days, she likes to garden or go for long walks around the neighborhood with her dog. When she’s feeling more adventurous and Sound Discipline can spare her absence, she enjoys traveling the globe including stints teaching Positive Discipline in China.

Pase Garrett

Database Manager/IT Support

Pase has dedicated much of his professional life to problem-solving and building creative technological infrastructures with his background in IT and has tried to harness that knowledge in ways that benefit others. Sound Discipline’s mission appealed to him because it is forward-thinking and comprehensive. With a deep passion for the rights of the disenfranchised, displaced and underprivileged, Pase believes Sound Discipline can drastically improve the way community is formed and felt within and around our schools by fostering more meaningful relationships. His favorite part of working at SD has been having the opportunity to meet some of the students and see firsthand how our work is helping to positively impact their lives.

At Sound Discipline, Pase keeps the IT infrastructure in shipshape, supports our technology, administers the database and does some of our data analysis. He is a remarkable problem solver and is always searching for new ways that technology can further Sound Discipline’s goals. Working at Sound Discipline has made Pase much more aware of how past trauma can thoroughly influence someone’s behavior and outlook.

Pase ideally likes to start his days with a cup of coffee and work on projects that fulfill his desire to produce creative work that is both true to himself and of value to others. On days off, he is happiest exploring the world (outer and inner) through conversation, travel, art, music, literature, movies, and other ways.

Mary Power, MLIS, CPDPE

Program Manager

Mary has a Master’s in Library and Information Science and is a Certified Positive Discipline Parenting Educator. She worked for years in the foundation and state and local government arenas to address the digital divide. After her daughter was born involved in providing programming and support groups for new parents. While engaged in that work, Mary first learned about adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and their effects on brain development. Mary appreciates how Sound Discipline offers a solution to the impacts of ACES by working with teachers and parents to implement Positive Discipline through a trauma-informed lens, giving both adults and kids the tools they need to build resilience and community and lead better lives. She believes if we can help kids feel connected to their community, many behavioral issues will resolve. Mary considers how we help form community and foster a sense of belonging for all people when working on Sound Discipline programming and in her free time, volunteering in her daughter’s school and the wider community.

As the Program Manager for Sound Discipline, Mary works with schools and community organizations to develop, coordinate and market programs and support our Facilitators. She also helps manage our evaluation processes. Mary is excited about expanding and developing Sound Discipline’s parenting programs by partnering with local schools and other organizations to bring Parenting with Positive Discipline workshops to local communities, which will support the work we do in classrooms and with educators. She believes teaching Positive Discipline through a trauma-informed lens gives everyone the skills needed to problem-solve and relate to each other. She is thrilled to be part of an organization that gives educators tools they can use and support to make their jobs easier and better.

Outside of work. Mary loves spending quality time with her 11-year old daughter and husband, being an overcommitted PTA volunteer, musical theater, good food, yoga and travel. She also loves to read and puts her Librarian hat on to frequently recommend books for friends and family. Mary is passionate about her involvement with a giving circle where she serves as the Grants Officer (actofgiving.org). Another organization she admires is Facing Homelessness, an organization dedicated to helping meet immediate needs, while looking for long-term solutions for people facing homelessness.

Lisa Chang

Director of Development

Growing up Lisa did not fully understand how much her parents’ background would influence her personal and professional journey. Despite limited means and other challenges that refugee and immigrant households face, she is often in awe of her parents’ ability to make ends meet while she and her siblings were growing up. From an early age, she became concerned with “fairness” and was struck by how many doors appeared to be closed to people based on their education level, race/ethnicity/nationality and socioeconomic status. Though she was born and raised in Texas, Lisa arrived at school without basic English language proficiency and experienced the challenges of playing catch-up in the school system firsthand. She witnessed the struggles many other children (particularly brown and black kids) faced in schools owing to their “otherness” and inability to self-regulate due to trauma, and always wished schools could help all kids feel a sense of belonging.

It was her early experiences in the school system that cemented Lisa’s deep commitment to breaking down systemic barriers for marginalized and underserved communities and led to her activism around issues of race and gender bias. She received her Bachelor’s in Anthropology with minors in Sociology and Government from the University of Texas and is currently enrolled at the University of Washington to receive her Master’s in Communication in Communities and Networks. With her deeply rooted commitment to social justice and racial equity, Lisa recognized the amazing opportunity joining Sound Discipline presented. In SD, she recognized an organization doing the tough work in schools, and with parents and caregivers to help more youth reach their potential. In her role as Director of Development, Lisa develops the fundraising and marketing strategies to sustain and promote the excellent work of our program. Previously, Lisa has worked at United Way of King County and YWCA of Seattle | King | Snohomish Counties to alleviate homelessness, food insecurity and help women and families find stability. She currently advises non-profits serving women, communities of color, refugees and immigrants and people facing the challenges of re-entry through her consultancy, Sea Change Management.

Lisa loves hearing about the transformations Sound Discipline is fostering in our community by building students’ social-emotional skills that help them problem-solve and self-regulate in schools and beyond. She is confident that the work Sound Discipline is doing to cultivate a generation of kinder, more resilient young people will help create a better world and feels incredibly fortunate to be working at an organization which is in alignment with her passion for equity and desire to help kids feel seen, heard, and appreciated. In her spare time, Lisa enjoys traveling near and far, attending community events, and spending quality time with her friends and two rescue dogs.

Email her, here.

Karimah Stewart, MS

Facilitator

Karimah has dedicated most of her career to education and working with youth. At Children of the Night, she helped provide basic needs for those facing homelessness and at Cuidando Los Niños she dedicated her work to empower and protect them from exploitation. She began her career in facilitation as an International Leadership Development Facilitator for The Boeing Company before joining Sound Discipline, where she is able to combine her passion for youth empowerment and teaching leadership.

Karimah feels blessed and inspired by the transformational and live-giving work Sound Discipline does in the community. She strongly believes that children want to be their best selves and when the adults in their lives model connection, social-emotional intelligence, and mutual respect that they learn how to be more authentically powerful in the world. Working for Sound Discipline has had a profound impact on how Karimah now views parenting. She knows it can be empowering, mutually respectful, and that children can take part in their own learning and development.

Karimah likes to start most mornings in prayer, meditation, dancing, and affirmations. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, hanging out with her closest friends watching movies, going to concerts or singing karaoke.

Jennifer N. Brown, MS

Director of Operations

Proud to be born and raised in Nebraska with short stints in Texas, South Carolina, DC, and San Francisco, Jennifer has called Seattle home since 1991. With an M.S. in Management from Antioch University and a professional background in non-profit management of social justice, public interest, education and political advocacy organizations, Jennifer came to Sound Discipline with a wealth of knowledge that has helped build us a strong foundation as we grow.

At Sound Discipline, Jennifer tends to the background details of running the organization so the facilitators who work with educators, parents and others in the community can focus on what they do best and have the systems and support they need to do it. Before she started working at Sound Discipline, Jennifer was able to attend the Positive Discipline in the Classroom workshop over a 5-week period. She was blown away from day one and felt what she had acquired were powerful tools that all of us can use in our lives – not just teachers in classrooms. Jennifer feels proud to be a part of an organization that is helping to build lifelong skills and tools that can shift how we all treat one another.

As a parent of a new teenager, Jennifer has learned much about herself and how she can be a more effective parent. The Sound Discipline tenets of “connect before correct” and being both “kind and firm” are words she now lives by when it comes to her parenting philosophy. Colleagues would describe Jennifer as unflappable, kind, extremely resourceful, and the ultimate detective. In her free time, Jennifer enjoys seeing live music shows, eating good food, taking urban hikes, and enjoying beautiful Seattle (and other more exotic) sunsets.

Email her, here.

Jen Giomi

Facilitator

Jen’s life is a testament to her lifelong fascination with people. As a young adult, she traveled extensively motivated by the desire to see the world, know who else lives here and appreciate the similarities as well as the differences. With her her own children (4) she witnesses firsthand the joy and complexity of growing up. She felt fortunate to learn of Positive Discipline early on as a parent and its ability to change the way people interact with others, beginning with the most intimate and powerful relationship between a parent/caregiver and child.

Driven by this understanding Jen started working in parenting education, sharing the information and tools she had learned with other families. Joining Sound Discipline was a next step in deepening her own understanding and sharing it beyond families, with teachers and administrators who, after primary relationships, are in a unique position to influence how little humans grow and develop. Through her work as a facilitator at Sound Discipline, Jen helps teachers to see their students differently; to understand how students’ private logic and/or trauma influences their brain development and behavior and how to leverage student strengths to improve a child’s sense of connection and belonging in their classroom. She offers them Positive Discipline tools that support building relationships and safety within their classrooms and schools so that students can settle in to the task of learning. Working and learning with Sound Discipline has deepened her understanding of what a young people need to grow and thrive.

In those rare instances when Jen is afforded some down time, she enjoys quality time with her friends and family. Together, she enjoys walking or running, going to book club, and going dancing and hosting parties.

Deneen Bowen, MEd, CPDT

Facilitator

Since committing to a career in education, Deneen’s primary curiosity has been around how we create the space and conditions for students to co-create their own learning alongside educators. Along the way, she has searched for doors she could open where that conversation and work could flourish. As a facilitator with Sound Discipline, Deneen invites adults to examine the ways in which they are showing up with the children in their lives and how, when we live with intention and mindfulness, we can make a difference for young people, even those affected by trauma.

While she is keenly aware of the challenges educators face, Deneen believes deeply in the transformative potential of this work. She is grateful to contribute to the planting of healthy seeds in our communities, supporting adults to show up over and over and over in ways that teach empathy, compassion, problem-solving and repairing our mistakes. Deneen’s work with Sound Discipline has helped her to develop a deeper understanding of her place in the larger social structure, and she strives to shine a light on systems of inequity and teach the leaders of those systems how to shift the balance of power so that every human being may thrive.

Deneen tries every day to put her learning into practice with her 9-year-old daughter to support her journey in becoming a whole-hearted woman (though she admits that some days are more successful than others). She enjoys snowboarding, yoga, listening to jazz, and dancing with her daughter. Her colleagues describe her as lively, spirited, joyful – and as having the best laugh, ever.

Corrina Skildum, MA, LMHC

Facilitator

Corrina is passionate about co-creating experiences that empower people as they learn and grow. For the past 25 years, she has worked as an experiential educator and therapist in a variety of community settings, from wilderness programs to community mental health and education.

At Sound Discipline, Corrina facilitates learning experiences and leadership meetings for educators as they implement strength-based, solution-focused, and trauma-informed practices in the classrooms and schools they serve. She is regularly inspired by the work teachers and school staff do when faced with incredible challenges, and their perseverance and dedication to building more compassionate and healthy communities for all students. One of Corrina’s favorite stories is helping two first grade classes make their own “feeling faces chart” with photos of themselves. “It was so much fun to see them act out the facial expressions of surprised, disappointed, and confused. It helped to establish a community norm around sharing feelings.”

When Corrina is not working, she is happiest when she is paddle boarding and soaking in the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest.

Ashley Farnan

Executive & Program Assistant

Ashley comes to Sound Discipline with a background in Gender Studies and International Development and a deep desire to contribute to work that challenges the systems of oppression and exclusion that permeate our institutions. She joined Sound Discipline in May 2017 and works “behind the scenes” to support the administrative and program processes that undergird the transformative work the organization is carrying out in communities.

Over the years, as she has worked with various non-profits in both the U.S. and abroad on issues ranging from nonviolent civil resistance to engaging men and boys in the struggle for gender equality, her ideas about political and social change have greatly evolved. She is fascinated by how Sound Discipline bridges the gap between individual and social change by giving communities tools for reflecting on their own and others’ mindsets, assumptions, and behaviors in a way that undoes the patterns and systems that so often perpetuate inequity and marginalization.

One of Ashley’s favorite things about working at Sound Discipline is the opportunity to work alongside colleagues who truly “walk the talk,” living by the same principles and practices that they teach. Ashley enjoys spending time with her nieces and nephews and is learning to play the piano. She is dedicated to supporting the re-emergence of the lineage of Buddhist nuns, which after centuries of marginalization and being denied access to the same opportunities and positions as men, are finally beginning to re-claim their space and legitimacy.

Ashley tries to live by the mantra of “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle,” and her work at Sound Discipline reinforces this orientation toward compassion every day.

Email her, here.

Alan Wong, MSW, CPDT

Facilitator

Alan Wong is a lifelong Seattleite who has dedicated his life to helping youth, educators, and communities to grow. Alan began his career in education working as a reading tutor at Sanislo Elementary, in the very same South Seattle neighborhood where he grew up. Over the last fifteen years he has worked as a lead facilitator and trainer for his own business, with innovative youth development organizations PYE Global, Power of Hope, and now, Sound Discipline. He has led professional development trainings for educators throughout the Northwest, United States, and internationally in Myanmar, India, Canada, Ecuador, Thailand, Korea, and Brazil. Alan also has experience working as a mentor health counselor in Seattle-area schools and as Program Director of a youth-serving non-profit.

Working with Sound Discipline, Alan has witnessed firsthand the powerful change that happens when educators, students, and administrators work collaboratively to build community, shift school culture and create an environment that works for everyone. He has been privileged to stand side by side with teachers as they gain the confidence, skill and courage necessary to support their students in new ways. Ultimately, Alan believes that Sound Discipline is sowing the seeds of equity and empathy in communities and creating small scale models of what our schools and society can be.

Alan’s ultimate goal is to help build healthy, connected communities – where every individual is treated with dignity and respect, and has the opportunity to realize their full potential. Sound Discipline provides the perfect opportunity for Alan to work towards this goal. As a facilitator for Sound Discipline, Alan helps educators and administrators implement trauma-informed strategies and reduce discipline issues, while building connection and social-emotional skills within classrooms.

Growing up as part of a multi-racial family in South Seattle, Alan has been committed to bringing diverse cultures and communities together since his early days. His Chinese name, 平 “Peng”, means “peace” and “balance” – qualities he strives to embody himself and share with the communities he serves. In his spare time, Alan enjoys writing poetry, making music, practicing meditation, playing basketball and cooking creative cuisine.

Aaron Norikane, CPDT

Facilitator

Aaron has been working to support and develop quality youth programs in the Seattle area for over 25 years. Throughout his career, he has been a strong advocate for creating strong connections and supportive systems for children from all backgrounds. While working at the YMCA, one of his colleagues recommended a Sound Discipline workshop and he never looked back.

Aaron joined the Sound Discipline team as a facilitator in 2016 and helps educators gain tools to empower young people. He feels extremely fortunate working to stretch the perceptions of how young people are seen and grateful to be in a profession that align with his values and how he wants to live his life. As a Facilitator for Sound Discipline, Aaron believes the work we do provides an amazing opportunity to empower, build capacity, shift perspectives and change the world for the better.

As a young person, Aaron always thought he would be an architect or airline pilot or ideally an NBA player. Never once did he think he would get over his intense fear of public speaking to take on a job where he delivers powerful content to audiences as big as 300 people. Aaron was born and raised in Seattle and finds his greatest source of joy in watching his two children learn, grow and giggle. His colleagues describe him as passionate, caring, and constantly pushing to make our systems better. By the end of his career, Aaron hopes that he will have helped shift the trajectory of this community towards a mutually respectful place where everyone belongs and matters.

Jody McVittie, MD, CPDLT

Executive Director & Co-Founder

Jody McVittie, MD was first introduced to Positive Discipline in 1991 when a school counselor recommended that she and her husband take parenting classes. The classes transformed her relationship with her children and gave her direct experience of the ways in which the lives of adults and children can change when given the tools to build respectful relationships. When she began sharing the information with her patients, they got healthier. They had less disease. The shift in perspective led Jody to begin teaching parenting workshops, collaborating with Terry Chadsey to lead workshops for teachers and eventually, in 1996, leave her family medicine practice. She hasn’t spent much time looking back. She became a certified trainer and then lead trainer for the Positive Discipline Association. She and Terry trained a network of Positive Discipline facilitators to lead parenting workshops and work in schools, and in 2007 founded Sound Discipline with the vision of building healthy communities and a more equitable society by supporting educators, physicians, students and parents to build relationships founded on deep mutual respect.

Dr. McVittie has a clear memory of the first time she learned about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) listening to Dr. Felliti at a conference in 2005. Understanding the impact of ACES would have such a difference in her medical practice and would be incredibly helpful for classroom teachers working so hard to create an environment in which every student learns. She immediately began to incorporate trauma informed practices and her understanding of brain science into the work being done by Sound Discipline in schools. In addition to her experience as a physician, Jody brings to Sound Discipline her training as an ICF certified coach, training in Adlerian psychology and her training in the neuroscience of trauma with Dr. Bruce Perry (Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT)).

Jody is a co-author Positive Discipline in the School and Classroom, Teachers Guide: Activities for students and Positive Discipline in the School and Classroom, Leaders Guide: Resources and Activities. She has consulted for dozens of schools: public, independent, early childhood, elementary, and secondary. Her work with schools includes trainings in Spanish (Nicaragua) for First Nations Communities (in northern British Columbia) and for a school for the deaf.

Jody dreams of a community in which all children know that they matter and that their contributions are valued both at home and at school. She is aware of many of the historical and structural systems that perpetuate inequities and “otherize” member of our community. She is dedicated to empowering community members, young and old to build a more inclusive society. She believes that Sound Discipline can provide important resources for respectful relationship building in schools and families.

Jody is deeply grateful for Positive Discipline and the understanding about adverse experiences which have made her a more compassionate and empathetic person; both towards others and herself. On the rare occasion when Jody is not working, she can be found rowing on Greenlake early in the morning, commuting on her road bike through her native Seattle, mucking around in her garden or snuggling with her new grandson. She is the mother of three young adults and she believes that her children have been some of her best teachers.