Joe Brummer is a trauma survivor. Having lived through early exposure to violence, child abuse and neglect, and two violent anti-LGBTQ hate crimes, he turned his healing journey into a career in peacebuilding, restorative justice, and consulting in trauma-informed education. He supports schools and youth justice institutions internationally using a trauma-informed restorative lens to create supportive human-centered environments. He serves as adjunct faculty at Hartford International University for Religion and Peace, teaching the Peacebuilding Skills: Dialogue, Trauma & Restorative Justice course. He has appeared on dozens of podcasts and webinars and presented at national and international conferences. Joe is certified in Dr. Bruce Perry’s Neurosequential Model in Education and is a member of the Attachment and Trauma Network’s Training Collaborative. His book, Building a Trauma-informed Restorative School: Skills and Approaches for Improving Culture and Behavior (2020) is used by schools across the globe. His next book, Becoming a Trauma-Informed Restorative Educator: Practical Skills to Change Culture and Behavior is co-authored with Margaret Thorsborne and released mid-2024.

Margaret Thorsborne (Marg) is the Managing Director of Margaret Thorsborne & Associates and Thorsborne and Associates United Kingdom. She is committed to improving the way people relate to each other in schools, workplaces & other community groups by providing processes that allow deeply negative feelings to be gradually transformed into cooperation. She strongly suggests that as relationships are restored, job satisfaction, morale and productivity can improve. This commitment to healthy relationships can also be found in her extensive work with schools to improve the way they work with young people in responding to wrongdoing, creating healthier and safer communities. Marg has been awarded an Order of Australia Medal for her services to education, both locally and internationally. She consults to public and private sector businesses and organisations to enhance workplace relationships and the management of high-level conflict & inappropriate behaviour. Marg is co-author with Joe Brummer for their new book, Becoming a Trauma-Informed Restorative Educator: Practical Skills to Change Culture and Behavior (2024).

Mathew Portell utilises his experience as an educator, school administrator, podcaster, writer, and international speaker to impact education globally as an innovator and pioneer of trauma-informed education. In his tenure as the principal of Fall-Hamilton Elementary in Nashville, Tennessee, he drew from the most current neuroscience to transform the school into an international model school for trauma-informed practices. Mathew founded the Trauma Informed Educators Network, a global network of over 31,000 practitioners, which he supports with a weekly podcast and yearly conference. Mathew’s passion and experience have made him a globally sought-after keynote speaker and facilitator. In his current role as Director of Communities with PACEs Connection, Mathew supports cross-sector community collaboration to inform and support the development of resilient and trauma-informed communities. Portell has received several recognitions for his work, but the most notable was the Elementary Principal of the Year in 2021 for Metro Nashville Public Schools, a region that serves nearly 90,000 students.