Preventing School Violence:
From Community Awareness to Evidence-Based Policies and Practices
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About John-Michael Keyes
John-Michael represents The I Love U Guys Foundation to districts, departments, agencies and organizations regarding school safety. His professional career has included graphic design, software development, and workflow analysis. The death of his daughter, Emily, at the hands of a gunman at Platte Canyon High School in 2006 compelled Mr. Keyes to bring his professional expertise to the arena of school safety.
The Keyes family's response to the events at Platte Canyon High School was immediate support for first responders and compassionate outreach to law enforcement. The Keyes hope these direct and positive actions can act as a guidepost for families impacted by violence.
About the Panel of Experts
Dr. Karen Bierman is a Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Penn State whose research focuses on social-emotional development and children at risk, with an emphasis on the design and evaluation of school- and community-based programs that promote social competence, school readiness and positive intergroup relations while reducing aggression and violence.
Brian Bumbarger is the director of Penn State's EPISCenter, which aims to advance high quality implementation, impact assessment, and sustainability of evidence-based programs to maximize the positive impact of prevention science on outcomes for youth, families, and communities. He has been studying the dissemination and replication of evidence-based programs and community prevention coalitions for over a decade.
Rebecca Bywater is the Manager of Threat Assessment and Community Education for Penn State's University Police and Public Safety Department, with over a decade of law enforcement experience. She is also a member of Center County Safe Schools committee and was an integral part of the development of Penn State's Active Shooter education program. A graduate of Penn State with a B.S. in Administration of Justice and minors in Business, Information Systems and Statistical Analysis, Rebecca is currently pursuing her master's degree in Education.
Randy K. Rockey is the Centre County Director of Emergency Management. He coordinates the preparedness, prevention, response, and recovery to natural or manmade disasters and major incidents. He also works with schools and school crisis teams to prepare disaster and emergency plans/procedures, and review and exercise those plans and procedures with response personnel (Police, Fire, EMS), school officials, and local, county, and state officials.