March 28, 9am-2pm

TCC Southeast Campus, 9100 Chat Room, Building 9 (10300 East 81st Street, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74133)
4 formal training hours through CECPD.

Committed to Hope: Self Reflection and Wellness for Early Childhood Professionals

Kymberly Vaughn-Daniels, M.Ed., CTSS has been with TCC since 2006 and is an Associate Professor of Child Development and Education. In 2024, Kymberly completed training to become a Certified Trauma Support Specialist. She is the Founder of Be-EnFocus Consulting, and two support groups: Compassion Circle Support, and GriefThrive. She also provides professional development at TCC in Continuing Education and with non-profit organizations. In addition, she is a curriculum developer, creative artist, and reading enthusiast. Having personally experienced grief, trauma, and loss, Kymberly embraces these experiences as opportunities to develop inner strength and build community. She lives by the guiding principle, it’s not enough to Perform Well, but to Be Well!

Angelica Reina is an Associate Professor and the George Kaiser Family Foundation Endowed Chair for Latinx/Hispanic Outreach at Tulsa Community College (TCC) in the Department of Child Development and Education (CD&E). Angelica has extensive experience co-facilitating seminars and training sessions on cultural competence. She has worked with educators, community organizations, and institutions to promote culturally responsive practices, particularly for Spanish-speaking immigrant child educators in the U.S. Her work focuses on fostering inclusive learning environments, enhancing cross-cultural communication, and equipping educators with strategies to support diverse student populations.

Activating Hope as a Protective Factor To Wellbeing

Chan M. Hellman is a professor at the University of Oklahoma and Director of The Hope Research Center, and has published over 100+ research studies. Chan has presented his work on hope with TEDx and has provided invited talks in Europe, United Kingdom, and the Middle East. Chan’s research is focused on hope as a psychological strength helping children and adults overcome trauma and adversity. This research led to the development of the “Hope Centered and Trauma Informed ®” training program used to promote Hope Centered Organizations. Chan is the co-author of the award-winning book “Hope Rising: How the Science of Hope Can Change Your Life” published by Morgan James. As a result of this work, Chan was one of five invited presenters for Jane Goodall’s Activating Hope Summit (2021). Chan’s work was featured as a main stage presentation at the 2023 American Psychological Association convention. Chan has Co-Founded Hope Rising Oklahoma along with First Lady Sarah Stitt in their effort to make Oklahoma a hope-centered state. Chan’s work on hope has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, American Psychological Association Monitor, CNN, and TIME Magazine. Chan received the 2024 “Building Knowledge Through Research” award by the US Department of Justice.