We are deeply grateful to continue our partnership with Yale New Haven Health as our Presenting Sponsor for this year’s symposium. Their unwavering support helps us bring together leaders across sectors to foster meaningful conversations and advance trauma-informed care.

Dr. Bruce Perry is one of the world’s most influential trauma neuroscientists. Dr. Perry reframes trauma not as a behavioral issue, but as a disruption in neurodevelopment, demonstrating that healing occurs through safe, patterned, relational experiences that help reorganize the brain.

In his live virtual keynote, Dr. Perry will:

• Explain how trauma alters brain development and stress-response systems
• Describe why regulation-first, bottom-up approaches are essential for healing
• Show how safe, patterned, relational experiences help reorganize the brain
• Keynote presentations and the panel discussion will include time for audience Q&A.

Vernon Thompson is a community-centered educator and leader who has served as Principal of Warren Harding High School since the 2023–2024 school year. Deeply committed to social-emotional learning and student well-being, Vernon integrates community organizing, relationship-building, and the healing power of the arts into his educational practice. Recognized as a Hip Hop Educator, he uses Hip Hop visual arts as a tool for expression, connection, and positive messaging, amplifying student voice, resilience, and a sense of belonging.

As part of the program, Mr. Thompson will premiere an original song and video created especially for this event, using music and visual storytelling to highlight the role of creativity, regulation, and connection in healing and learning.

Through a collaborative, relationship-driven approach with staff, students, and families, his leadership helped guide Warren Harding High School out of turnaround status in the 2025–2026 school year, an important milestone for the school and the broader community.

A proud graduate of Quinnipiac University with a BA in Marketing, Vernon was the first Division I walk-on at his university to earn a scholarship. He later served as Assistant Basketball Coach at Albertus Magnus College, helping lead the team to its first NCAA Tournament appearance. These experiences continue to inform his emphasis on mentorship, teamwork, and student potential.

Vernon holds a Master’s degree in Special Education with a concentration in Learning Disabilities from Southern Connecticut State University and completed his 092 Educational Administrator certification at the University of Bridgeport. He brings 14 years of experience in the Bridgeport Public School District and has also served as Assistant Principal at Hartford Public High School and Warren Harding High School.

A nationally renowned leader in trauma-informed art therapy and expressive arts, Dr. Malchiodi brings the neuroscience to life—demonstrating how creative and sensory modalities operationalize regulation, integration, and whole-person healing.

Following Dr. Perry’s keynote, Dr. Malchiodi will:

• Translate neuroscience into practical, embodied approaches
• Demonstrate how art, imagination, and expression operationalize regulation
• Highlight applications across clinical, educational, and community settings
• Keynote presentations and the panel discussion will include time for audience Q&A.

Carla Smith Stover, Ph.D. is a Harris Professor and Director of the Stress, Adversity and Trauma Program at the Child Study Center at Yale University School of Medicine. Dr. Stover developed an intervention for fathers to reduce intimate partner violence (IPV), child maltreatment, and substance misuse called Fathers for Change. Her book Fathers and Violence: A Program to Change Behavior, Improve Parenting and Heal Relationships is the manual for this intervention approach.  She currently has two NIH research grants to conduct clinical trials of Fathers for Change and works closely with the CT Department of Children and Families to offer the intervention to DCF involved families. She has presented internationally on the topics of family conflict, healthy relationships, family violence, engaging and treating fathers and interventions for childhood trauma.

Dr. Royce Avery serves as the Interim Superintendent of Schools for Bridgeport Public Schools, bringing more than 35+ years of public education leadership experience to one of Connecticut’s largest and most diverse school districts. In this role, Dr. Avery provides executive oversight of district operations, academic programming, and organizational leadership, with a focus on stability, accountability, and student-centered outcomes.

Dr. Avery has held leadership positions at every level of public education, including classroom teaching, campus administration, district administration, and superintendency. His career is marked by extensive experience leading Pre‑K–12 systems, strengthening instructional quality, developing leadership capacity, and guiding school districts through periods of organizational and academic improvement.

As Interim Superintendent, Dr. Avery is committed to supporting the Bridgeport community through steady leadership, transparent decision-making, and a sustained focus on student achievement, staff development, and organizational integrity.

Dr. Tobias Wasser attended medical school at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and completed his psychiatry training at Yale, including fellowships in forensic and public psychiatry.

Dr. Wasser has held academic leadership roles at Yale in the public psychiatry and residency training programs and clinical leadership roles in the state mental health system and Yale-New Haven Hospital. In 2023, Dr. Wasser joined Hartford Healthcare as Chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health for the Fairfield region. In this role, he is the region’s physician leader for behavioral health, with overall responsibility for quality, safety, and medical education. In 2025, he obtained his MBA from Quinnipiac University’s School of Business.

Dr. Wasser is recognized as a regional and national leader in administrative and forensic psychiatry and medical education. He has previously served as president of the Connecticut Psychiatry Society and the American Association of Psychiatric Administration and Leadership. He has authored over 100 publications and serves as Professor and Chair of Psychiatry for Quinnipiac University.

Tia Reid is an accomplished behavioral health leader and community advocate, overseeing a comprehensive department serving thousands of individuals annually across the Greater Bridgeport region. Through strategic leadership and community partnerships, she works to strengthen systems of care that support youth and families in improving well-being, building resilience, and achieving long-term stability.

Reid has built a career advancing trauma-informed, community-based behavioral health services that address the complex effects of stress, trauma, and systemic inequities. Her leadership includes implementation of the Trauma-Informed Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (TI-MTSS) and Trauma-Informed Alternative Education Programs (TI-AEP) in partnership with schools and community providers.

She oversees one of Connecticut’s eight Urban Trauma Centers through the Department of Children and Families and leads Community Violence Intervention initiatives focused on prevention and access to care. Tia also advances integrated behavioral health partnerships and innovative approaches that strengthen recovery, resilience, and community well-being.

Reid is actively engaged in community leadership, serving on several nonprofit boards including Ankors Inc. and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Greater Bridgeport Chapter, where she serves as Vice President. She also serves as a Youth Advisor for the Greater Bridgeport NAACP and contributes to statewide policy through the Transforming Children’s Behavioral Health (TCB) Planning Committee.

Chris Appleton is the Founder and CEO of SocialRx, a social prescribing company that partners with healthcare systems, educators, and employers to address the dual crises of mental health and loneliness in the United States.

He holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, along with a Certificate in Healthcare Leadership. His work and thought leadership have been featured in major media outlets including The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, CNN, Forbes, ABC, CBS, NPR, TEDx, and Fast Company.

Appleton’s commitment to servant leadership and civic engagement has earned numerous honors, including the Americans for the Arts National Emerging Leader Award, Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Inaugural Healthcare Champion Award, the Emory Center for Creativity and the Arts Community Impact Award, Atlanta Business Chronicle 40 Under 40, Georgia Trend’s 100 Notable Georgians, and recognition from the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers.

He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Foundation for Social Connection and the Grady Hospital Ambassador Force Advisory Board.