IBPA Team
Julie McDaniel, Social Media Director
Julie McDaniel is a culture and climate consultant within the District and School Services Department of Oakland Schools. McDaniel’s focus is on student safety and well-being, specifically bullying prevention, restorative practices and trauma intervention. She is a certified trainer for Bully-Free Schools and an advanced certified trauma practitioner and trainer for the National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children. Julie is a former English Language Arts teacher at Brighton High School. She earned an Master of Arts in Curriculum and Teaching from Michigan State University, a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from the University of Michigan and an Education Specialist degree from Oakland University. Julie holds a PhD in Education from the University of Michigan.
Nicolette Granata, Communications Coordinator
Nicolette Granata is an undergraduate honors student entering her senior year at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. She is double-majoring in Child Development and Psychology, with a minor in Special Education. Nicolette has always been extremely passionate about the social inclusion of students with disabilities and differences. She dreams of a world where “neurodiversity,” as her hero Chris Ulmer of Special Books by Special Kids terms it, becomes an appreciated and accepted societal “norm” in itself!
When Nicolette joined the Social Cognition Lab at Vanderbilt University, she fell in love with Developmental Psychology research and hasn’t looked back since. She is currently doing an Honors Thesis on neurotypical children’s concepts of disability and conventional/moral norm violations. She hopes to continue pursuing similar research in graduate school next year – now beginning the application process to Applied Developmental and/or Educational Psychology Ph.D. programs.
Nicolette feels incredibly lucky that a semester-long Independent Study on evidence-based bullying literature, response, and prevention lead her to find IBPA. She feels truly blessed and grateful to be working with such an impactful, kind, giving, and gifted group of individuals.
David Sharples, Graphic Designer
David Sharples designs IBPA’s materials from Australia which works out fantastic with the Michigan based team as they wake up to new projects being completed overnight! Blackball Designs is an integral part to IBPA’s work. David’s passion for design has helped move the association to a more branded look while continuing to customize every event. David’s portfolio can be found at blackballdesign.blogspot.com.au.
A Shift in Focus: From Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) to Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs)
Adverse Childhood Experiences Bullying was added as an Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) by the Center for Disease Control in 2017, placing the impact of bullying behavior on par with all other ACEs. In short, these experiences have been shown to disrupt neurological development, leading to cognitive, social, and emotional impairment. This impairment may lead to …