Trauma Invested Wisdom
I am honored to bring this brand new section to the website. Over the years, I have had the privilege of meeting and working with countless educators in a variety of settings and roles. Their belief in this work and the support they have provided is humbling. I have learned so much from so many. So in 2025, I wanted to try something different. I wanted to find a way to share the amazing things I have learned from others with you! As a result, Trauma Invested Wisdom was created. My intention is to continue to provide you with wisdom from across the globe. Once a week, I will post words of wisdom from many of my amazing colleagues and share with you how their words are trauma invested practices or ideas. I will introduce them, share their experience, share how we became connected and share their advice. I am super proud of this section of the site as I think we can all benefit from learning from other professionals in other roles. I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed putting this together. Read on!
Jeff Omlin
Hi my name is Jeff Omlin, I am a Special Education Inclusion teacher and coach at Cheney Middle School, I have been doing this for the past 22 years. I was born and raised in the small farming town of Quincy Washington. There, I developed a love for the outdoors. I consider myself an avid hunter and fisherman. I initially spent my summers off, helping at harvest driving Semi truck or the combine. Now I spend most of my summers with my wife, Jenny and my daughters, Zoe and Rylee at the lake or in our pool. Growing up on our family farm with parents that instilled a work ethic and encouraged a relentless competitive attitude has had a big hand in the attitude I have as an educator.
Laura Duchow
For 10 years Laura has been a principal in the Mead School District in Spokane, Washington. In that time, she has been in two high-needs Title I schools. Prior to that, she cut my teeth in an Assistant Principal position in an even higher-needs school in Spokane Public Schools. And before all of that, she was a teacher for about 20 years.
Heather Santiemmo
Heather Santiemmo is an Early Childhood School Principal at CCSD93 in Illinois. She has been working in the field of early learning for over 21 years and is dedicated to working with children in early childhood special education.
Paloma Almanza
Paloma Almanza, 10th year as a school administrator, served 6 years as the proud Principal of Mokapu Elementary located on Marine Corps Base Hawai’i in Kaneohe. I was born and raised on the Windward side of Oahu, and have been fortunate enough to work in the complex area which serves my own community for a majority of my career. I am a military impacted sibling. I have been an educator for 21 years. Through observation and experience as a military impacted sibling, I recognized trauma was prevalent in the lives of all my students and therefore, this trauma was experienced by every individual who interacted with them. Basic trauma every student faces as a military impacted child includes and is definitely not limited to: transitioning at least every 3 years, new homes - sometimes a hotel for weeks, new schools - often times multiple schools in their formative years, making and leaving friends regularly, boxes not unpacked, settling in and learning it is soon time to go, and single-parent household. Connecting brain science to the trauma and behaviors we see in school would help us better meet the needs of all our students. If this trauma is our reality, the circumstances we must accept, then how can we succeed? Understanding what's happening to our students and even ourselves so we can respond with Aloha and avoid being reactive and start recognizing students' unwanted behaviors as requests for connection. Connection before correction is critical.
Colin hogan
As the Head of School at Learning Community Charter School, Colin Hogan brings a wealth of experience and a steadfast commitment to education leadership. With a career spanning 26 years in education, Colin has played a pivotal role in shaping educational environments that foster academic excellence, personal growth, and community engagement. Prior to assuming the role of Head of School, Colin held key leadership positions, including serving as the Highland Park Public Schools Social Studies Coordinator and as President of the Kean University Diversity Council on Global Education and Citizenship, demonstrating his dedication to progressive and student-centered educational practices. He holds a BA in history from Indiana University and a Ms.Ed in early adolescent education from the Bank Street College of Education. He is a proud alumnus of the NJExcel program, where he earned his administrative certification, and currently serves as a faculty member advising future school leaders and teaching the program’s course on charter school leadership. He is currently pursuing his Doctorate in educational leadership from William Paterson University.
Betty Weir
Betty is a Director of Professional Learning. She plans professional learning experiences for teachers and for parents in her community. Betty has been working in education for 16 years. She has worked as a teacher, in a curriculum office, as an assistant principal, principal, and now a director. In all roles, Betty has always taken a special interest in social emotional learning.