We would like to formally introduce Brenna Wood, our new PSU Capstone Coordinator. We are thrilled to have her as part of our team and look forward to working with her!

When asked what sparked her interest in special education, Brenna’s reply, “A summer at Kiwanis Camp!”. It’s hard to believe almost 20 years have passed and Brenna has come full circle returning to PSU and MHKC, two places that hold so many wonderful memories for her. In that time away from PSU and MHKC, Brenna received her M.Ed. in Early Childhood Special Education from Peabody College, Vanderbilt University and a PhD from the University of Arizona in Special Education with a focus on Emotional/Behavioral Disorders. In addition, Brenna completed the work needed to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst at the doctoral level (BCBA-D).

In her pursuit to better serve young children with disabilities, Brenna gained a broad range of experiences working with teachers and families, adapting instruction, implementing behavior interventions, and conducting research. Some of her experience includes providing in-home supports for young children with autism, working in inclusive preschool classrooms, providing mentoring/coaching as part of the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports of Arizona (PBISAz) project, in addition to behavioral consultant work to support the inclusion of young children with disabilities in childcare settings as part of Project “Me Too”.

Prior to her current position at PSU, Brenna spent nine years at Lehigh University. Brenna’s research at Lehigh focused on the implementation of positive behavior support (PBS) strategies in early childhood classrooms. A driving force for Brenna’s work in behavior supports is the concern for the number of young children suspended and/or expelled from their early childhood programs. Brenna’s research included strategies to support teacher involvement in behavior intervention plan development and to provide teacher training in the use of PBS. In 2011, Brenna received the Ted Carr Initial Researcher Award (Association for Positive Behavior Support, APBS) for her research in this area.

Brenna’s return to PSU and MHKC is a dream come true! She can’t wait to be back with everyone at MHKC, singing camp songs, cheering on zipliners, and canoeing on Trillium Lake.

Welcome Brenna!