The Wisconsin School Psychologists Association (WSPA) is approved by the American Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists.

The Wisconsin School Psychologists Association maintains responsibility for the program.

Convention Speakers

Matthew K. Burns is an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology and coordinator of the School Psychology program at the University of Minnesota. He has authored over 100 national publications including co-editing the Handbook of response-to-intervention: The science and practice of assessment and intervention, and co-authoring two additional books about RtI. He has also frequently conducted trainings regarding RtI at the national, state, local, and school building levels. Dr. Burns is the Editor of Assessment for Effective Intervention, an Associate Editor for School Psychology Review, and is on the editorial board of three other journals. Moreover, Dr. Burns was a member of the task force and co-author of School Psychology: A Blueprint for Training and Practice III. Finally, Dr. Burns was a practicing school psychologist and special education administrator in three districts across two states before becoming an academic.

Dr. Robert Dixon is a faculty member and director of the School Psychology Program at the UW-La Crosse. He has worked as a school psychologist since 1987, practicing in Manitoba (Canada), Wyoming and Minnesota. He is the past president of the Wisconsin School Psychology Association and current Chair of Continuing Professional Development for WSPA.

Dr. Steve Elliott: Dr. Elliott is a Professor of Special Education and the Dunn Family Chair of Educational and Psychological Assessment in Peabody College at Vanderbilt University.  He is the Director of the Learning Sciences Institute and also directs the Interdisciplinary Graduated Program in Educational Psychology: Learning and Measurement at Vanderbilt.  Dr. Elliott currently co-directs four USDE research grants concerning the assessment of learning-focused school leadership, effectiveness of early interventions for students at-risk for school difficulties, and the validity of testing modifications and alternate assessments for students with disabilities.  He has authored more than 130 journal articles, 20 books, 30 chapters, and 5 widely used behavior-rating scales.  Dr. Elliott’s research focuses on scale development, the assessment of children’s social skills and academic competence, and the use of testing accommodations and alternate assessment methods for evaluating the academic performance of students with disabilities for purposes of educational accountability.

Dr. William Frankenberger>: William Frankenberger received his Ph.D. from Ohio State University.  He is a professor of psychology, Director of the Human Development Center, and Director of the School Psychology program at UW-Eau Claire. He served on several Wisconsin DPI committees related to Response to Intervention Policy and Implementation.  He has been an active participant in faculty-student research collaboration with numerous collaborative professional presentations and publications.  In addition, he has served as the primary investigator (PI) on numerous funded projects.  Information from the ADHD journal publications has been featured in popular publications such as USA Today, the Globe and Mail, Better Homes and Gardens, Popular Science, the Christian Science Monitor, and Teen Vogue.

Ms. Melissa Grade: Ms. Melissa Grade is a third grade teacher at Northern Hills Elementary. She graduated from Viterbo College in 1995, and received her Master’s Degree in Education in 1999 from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Ms Grade has been with the Onalaska School District since 1996.

JoAnne Gardner, Ed.D. is a school psychologist practicing in Anne Arundel County, Maryland.  She earned her masters in School Psychology and doctorate in Educational Psychology and Special Education from the University of British Columbia, Canada. She recently completed her Administration and Supervision certificate from Johns Hopkins University in Maryland.  For the past 24 years she has worked in schools in British Columbia, Arizona, Minnesota, and Maryland.  Over the past 10 years she has focused on helping schools develop a culture of collaboration to improve student achievement.  She was awarded the Maryland School Psychologist of the year in 2005 for her efforts.

Dr. John Hanson:John A. Hanson, Ph.D. LP is a Clinical Measurement Consultant for The Psychological Corporation, a part of Pearson Assessment and Information.  He has functioned as a School Psychologist in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Ohio.  Most recently, he has been a Senior Licensed Psychologist and Director of Training in a large metropolitan medical center.  In that setting his practice focused on therapeutic interventions with children, adolescents and their families, and adults.  Psychological assessments were regularly used for differential diagnosis and treatment planning.  He is an adjunct faculty member at Augsburg College teaching courses in Psychological Assessment, Abnormal Psychology, Personality and Adolescence.  Dr. Hanson maintains a small private practice doing psychological assessments and family therapy with complex multi-problem families.

John Humphries: John Humphries, NCSP, is the School Psychologist at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and an appointed member of the Ethics Advisory Panel for the National Association of School Psychologists.  His responsibilities at DPI include leadership in school-based suicide prevention and children’s mental health. In 2005, DPI won the “Outstanding Organization” award for work on suicide prevention from The Wisconsin Council on Children and Families. More recently, Mental Health America of Wisconsin awarded DPI with its 2007 “Collaborative Partner Award” for our work in supporting youth suicide prevention in Wisconsin.  Since 1993, John has worked in varied roles with children and adolescents who have learning and behavioral challenges. He has been a school psychologist, special education coordinator, and director of student services, as well as a ropes course and experiential education instructor. John has trained professionals in Wisconsin and nationally on issues related to school psychology, school-based suicide prevention, and mental health programming in schools.

Dr. James Larson: Dr. Larson is the Coordinator of the School Psychology Program at the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater. He has presented widely around the country on the subject of childhood and adolescent aggression and has published numerous articles and book chapters in the scholarly literature. He is the author of Think First: Addressing Aggressive Behavior in Secondary Schools and co-author with John Lochman of Helping Schoolchildren Cope with Anger: A Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention, both published by Guilford Press.

Dr. Kirby Lentz Dr. Lentz is the President of the Onalaska School District and CEO of Chileda in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Dr. Lentz wrote “Hopes and Dreams: An IEP Guide for Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Dr. Lentz is committed to providing parents with the comfort, knowledge and support they need to advocate for their child.

Allison Lundahl: Allison Lundahl is a fourth year student in the PhD program in School Psychology at the University of Wisconsin- Madison. Before starting the graduate program she worked in clinics providing early intervention services to children with autism. Her current research interests are in the areas of childhood anxiety disorders and issues that impact the academic success of English Language Learners.

Laura McCormick, MS.Ed., Laura McCormick is a licensed school psychologist. She is currently in her second term as President of the Wisconsin School Psychologist Association and has been an active WSPA board member for the past nine years. She has been a school psychologist for the past fourteen years. She recently accepted a position as a Director of Pupil Services in Little Chute, Wisconsin.

Dr. Julie McGivern: Dr. McGivern is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A licensed psychologist, Julie teaches in the School Psychology Program. Her primary teaching responsibilities include supervision of School Psychology students in their clinical training experiences. Prior to joining the Department of Educational Psychology in 1996, Julie was a psychologist in the Developmental Disabilities Clinic at the Waisman Center for ten years. She has a particular interest in children with anxiety disorders and low incidence disabilities. She has worked with the Department of Public Instruction developing a traumatic brain injury training curriculum, and she provides regional training for educators and families of children with TBI.

Dr. Jean Mercer: Jean Mercer has been interested in "holding therapy" since reading about it in Beverly James' 1994 book, and became actively engaged in the study of this approach following Candace Newmaker's death in 2000. Together with Larry Sarner and Linda Rosa, she published Attachment Therapy on Trial, a study of the Newmaker case and related issues, in 2003. She has frequently spoken on Attachment Therapy beliefs and practices to professional groups and has published a number of related articles in professional journals. In 2007 she was an expert witness in the child abuse trial of Sylvia Vasquez, a California mother who used Attachment Therapy-related methods with three of her adopted children.

Christin Nelson: Chris Nelson, MS, is a licensed school counselor. Chris counsels students on the autism spectrum at Chileda, a residential and day school in La Crosse, WI. She has worked at Chileda for thirteen years.

Dr. Jocelyn Newton: Jocelyn Newton is currently an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.  Prior to moving to Wisconsin, she worked as a school psychologist in Atlanta, GA.  She received her Ph.D. in School Psychology at Ball State University, and completed a practicum in Parent-Child Interaction therapy at the university clinic.  One of her interests focuses on how parenting behaviors can impact child development and can support or impede their educational success.

Dr. Dung Ngo: Dung Ngo, Ph.D., completed his doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from Saint Louis University, with a special interest in cognitive assessment, psychotherapy, and cross-cultural research.  His research on topics of acculturation, intergenerational conflicts, depression, trauma, and post-traumatic stress disorder has been published in several peer-reviewed scientific journals.  He has also published several book chapters on caring for Vietnamese elders and neuropsychological assessment among Vietnamese-Americans. Dr. Ngo was a former Youth Coordinator for Metropolitan Indochinese Children-Adolescents Services in Boston, MA (MICAS), a non-profit agency that served Southeast Asian youths. Dr. Ngo is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin, Lacrosse and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Baylor College of Medicine, Department Neurology/Neuropsychology. His current research projects include (1) developing and norming a comprehensive dementia neuropsychological battery for Vietnamese adults; (2) the effects of psychological trauma on memory functioning among Southeast Asian refugees; and (3) acculturation and perceptions of family values among Vietnamese-Americans.

Dr. Randal Pennington: Randal Pennington received his PsyD Degree from the School of Professional Psychology at Pacific University.  He is currently the Director of Training/Supervising Psychologist for the Predoctoral Psychology Internship Program at Wasatch Mental Health in Provo, Utah.  Randal Pennington has given numerous presentations on coercive interventions in both Utah and New Hampshire.

Curt Reese is the principal of Northern Hills Elementary and an instructor in Univeristy of Wisconsin La Crosse's MEPD Learning Community program. Mr. Reese was an elementary classroom teacher for grades 2-6 and is proud to call himself a "data geek."

Diane Rogala is a reading teacher at Northern Hills Elementary. She has a Master’s Degree in LD & ED from the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse and a Master’s Degree in Reading from Viterbo University. Ms. Rogala has taught in the Onalaska School District since 1990.

Linda Rosa: Linda Rosa is a registered nurse and has worked in clinical settings for thirty-seven years.  She holds a BS in nursing and a BA in anthropology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.  Her current positions include: Executive Director for the non-profit Advocates for Children in Therapy, Colorado Director and National Board Member for the National Council Against Health Fraud, and Member of Scientific and Technical Advisors Board for Quackwatch.  She is co-author, with Jean Mercer and Larry Sarner, of Attachment Therapy on Trial: The Torture and Death of Candace Newmaker (Praeger, 2003).  She has also published articles in The Journal of the American Medical Association and Quinnipiac Health Law Journal.

Larry Sarner: Larry Sarner has been the Legal Affairs and Administrative Director of Advocates for Children in Therapy since the organization’s founding in 2001 and the Legislative Director of the National Council Against Health Fraud since 2005.  He is co-author, with Jean Mercer and Linda Rosa, of Attachment Therapy on Trial: The Torture and Death of Candace Newmaker (Praeger, 2003).  He has published articles in The Journal of the American Medical Association, Quinnipiac Health Law Journal, Cultic Studies Review, and Skeptic Magazine.  He also authored a chapter in the Skeptic Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience (Shermer, 1993) and has testified many times before committees of the Colorado and Utah legislatures.

Dr. Todd Savage: Todd A. Savage joined the faculty in the school psychology program at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls as an assistant professor. He received his Ph.D. in school psychology from the University of Kentucky in 2002 and he also completed the year-long training program in the Gestalt method at the Cincinnati Gestalt Institute. Most recently, Dr. Savage served as an assistant professor and the director of training in the school psychology program at New Mexico State University. He also has experience as an adjunct professor in the school psychology program at the University of Kentucky and as a consultant for the Bethune Institute for Culturally Responsive Education in Lexington, Kentucky. His research interests have to do with culturally responsive education, social justice issues, cooperative learning, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues as they relate to schools and counseling settings.

Lisa Skifton: Lisa Skifton, MS Ed, has licenses in learning disabilities, mild/moderate mental impairments, and school psychology. Lisa taught special education for three years in a multi-categorical setting before becoming a school psychologist. She is currently a school psychologist at Hiawatha Valley Education District in Winona, MN, working at Winona Middle School. She has enjoyed conducting individual counseling with and social skills groups for students with high functioning autism for many years. Lisa enjoys tutoring in her free time.

Dr. Casey Tobin: Currently, Dr. Tobin is an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin- La Crosse teaching undergraduate and graduate psychology courses.  Dr. Casey Tobin received her Ph.D. in counselor education and supervision from the University of Northern Colorado. As an Approved Clinical Supervisor, Nationally Certified Counselor, and Licensed Professional Counselor, Dr. Casey Tobin has over 12 years of experience in counseling children, adolescents, and families.  The use of play as a therapeutic technique with children and adolescents with various mental health issues is a passion for Dr. Tobin.  She has experience in counseling children in a variety of settings, with mental health issues including eating disorders, physical and emotional abuse, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and child-parent relationship issues. 

Dr. Jacalyn Weissenburger: Jacalyn W. Weissenburger, Ph.D., has nineteen years of experience in public education.  She has experience as a high school teacher, school counselor, and school psychologist. She has co-authored several articles on school consultation and curriculum-based measures of writing in school psychology and special education journals. Dr. Weissenburger is a frequent presenter on curriculum-based measurement, Response to Intervention (RTI), and other educationally relevant matters throughout the United States. Recently, she presented at Wisconsin’s State Superintendent’s Conference on Special Education and Pupil Services Leadership Issues in Madison (Fall of 2007) and Wisconsin School Psychologists Association in Stevens Point (Spring of 2008).  In her role Program Director and Clinical Services Supervisor of the School Psychology Program at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, Dr. Weissenburger conducts research in the area of curriculum-based measurement, college admission criteria, school consultation, counseling, special education and social skill development. 

Dr. Scott Woitaszewski: Dr. Woitaszewski joined the UW-River Falls school psychology training program in 2002. He has experience as a school psychologist in the states of Indiana and Minnesota and became director of the UW-River Falls program in 2007. Dr. Woitaszewski currently supervises school psychology internship students and teaches courses on emotional and behavioral functioning, research and statistics, and psycho educational appraisal and intervention. His research interests include the study of educator collaboration, behavioral interventions, and intervention assistance teams. Dr. Woitaszewski was named the outstanding faculty member of the College of Education and Professional Studies at UW-River Falls in 2007.