Linda Dusenbury has worked with CASEL for more than a decade. During that time she has been involved in CASEL’s reviews of evidence-based SEL programs. In the past several years she has also led CASEL’s reviews of state learning standards for SEL, and, more recently, research on mindfulness. Linda is a senior research scientist to CASEL and a nationally recognized expert with 25 years experience planning, supporting and evaluating evidence-based strategies designed to create a safe and nurturing world for children and adolescents. Linda was a student of George Albee, an early pioneer in the field of primary prevention of psychopathology. She served on the faculty of Weill Medical College of Cornell University from 1984 to 1994, where she collaborated with Gil Botvin, developer of the Life Skills Training program, on randomized control prevention trials in New York City schools. From 1994 to 2001 she served as a consultant to nonprofit organizations, developing consumer guides to bridge the gap between research and practice by identifying best practices in prevention and youth development. From 2001 to 2010 she was a senior researcher at Tanglewood Research, Inc., where she co-authored and produced professional development tools designed to enhance the quality of implementation, including online courses, DVDs and an online video-messaging system. Linda has published more than 70 professional articles and chapters. She also co-edited two books in the Vermont Conference on the Primary Prevention of Psychopathology series. She is a dedicated advocate for social and emotional learning, prevention, and education whose research has focused on the identification and dissemination of effective strategies to promote social and emotional development and prevent adolescent problem behaviors, including drug use, violence, teen pregnancy, and school dropout.

Elizabeth Hanselman has been with the Illinois State Board of Education since 1994, serving in a variety of administrative capacities, most recently as State Director of Special Education since 2007. She is a strong proponent in using data to inform policy and practices to support student performance. Prior to joining the State Board of Education, Ms. Hanselman worked as a low incidence teacher and vocation coordinator. Ms. Hansleman holds a Bachelors Degree in Education from Illinois State University and a Masters Degree in Legal Studies from the University of Illinois at Springfield.

Mike Lamb joined Turnaround for Children in 2013 as Director of District Engagement, partnering with school districts to infuse Turnaround’s interventions at the district level and support successful implementation in schools. Mike also works on federal, state, and district policy issues to broaden the reach of Turnaround and its key priorities. Mike comes to Turnaround from the U.S. Department of Education, where in 2009 he was appointed Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, and helped lead the Office of Civil Rights’ strategic planning process and technical assistance efforts. In 2011, he became Senior Policy Advisor to the Assistant Secretary of Elementary and Secondary Education on school turnaround, high school redesign, and Title II programs and policies. Mike worked as an organizer on Barack Obama’s 2008 Presidential campaign and spent his most treasured years to date teaching 7th and 8th graders at a turnaround school in the Harold Ickes Homes, a housing project on Chicago’s South Side. Mike graduated cum laude from Duke University with a B.A. in Public Policy Studies, while earning his teaching certificate.