In Person Seminar – Supporting School Mental Health Leadership – Apr. 28, 2026

PDPs and CEUs are not being offered for this event.

April 28, 2026 @ 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Registration closes on April 20, 2026 at 11:59 pm

Registration: 8:30 – 9:00 am
Seminar: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Attend In Person

MPTC Lynnfield Police Academy
425 Walnut St.
Lynnfield, MA 01940

SpeakerS

Description

Building a strong school mental health system doesn’t happen on its own—instead, it requires leadership from committed school and district staff. This seminar will help current and aspiring mental health leaders dig into the elements of an effective school mental health system, from staffing to data collection to evidence-based services for students. The session will introduce participants to multiple models of needs assessment on school mental health, allowing leaders to build on areas of strength and target areas for improvement. Participants will come away with practical resources they can apply within their own systems, including methods of building buy-in among staff, strategies for identifying the existing state of school mental health services, and guidance on moving toward a more thoughtful approach to supporting student wellbeing.

About the SpeakerS

John Crocker, M.Ed., (he/him) has worked in public education for fifteen years, primarily as the administrator for the Methuen Public Schools Counseling Department. He has overseen the planning and implementation of the “Mental Health Initiative,” which has focused on the establishment of a comprehensive school mental health system (CSMHS) in partnership with the National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH). John has worked with the NCSMH as a member of the National School Mental Health Task Force and as the Massachusetts team leader for the National Coalition for the State Advancement of School Mental Health (NCSA-SMH). In his role as the Director of School Mental Health & Behavioral Services, he is charged with overseeing the district-wide implementation and evaluation of Methuen’s CSMHS and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). His work has focused on developing a district-wide system of universal mental health screening, advancing the use of psychosocial data to inform school mental health staff’s therapeutic practice, and the development and evaluation of the CSMHS in Methuen. He has worked to scale up evidence-based therapeutic services across Methuen through the provision of district-wide professional development and the design and implementation of group- and individual-therapy programs. Jonn founded the Massachusetts School Mental Health Consortium (MASMHC), a group of approximately one-hundred and seventy school districts across Massachusetts committed to advocating for and implementing quality and sustainable school mental health services and supports. Most recently, MASMHC co-led the Massachusetts Collaborative for Improvement and Innovation Network (CoIIN) for Comprehensive School Mental Health, the School Mental Health Leadership Institute, and Thriving Minds, a professional development series focused on building comprehensive school mental health systems. He received the National Center for School Mental Health’s School Mental Health Champion Award in 2018 and was nominated the 2019 Massachusetts School Counselors Association (MASCA) Administrator of the Year, the 2020 – 2021 Massachusetts Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Counselor of the Year, and the 2021 Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) Michael J. Kane Wellness Award recipient.

Laura Cinelli (she/her) joined the Rennie Center with a background in education policy and on-the-ground experience at both the classroom and district levels. In her role at Rennie, she oversees a variety of initiatives including Thriving Minds, which aims to advance comprehensive school mental health systems in education systems across Massachusetts. Prior to joining Rennie, Laura served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Boston Public Schools, where she worked closely with the School Committee to lead district policy-making and managed cross-departmental projects such as a working group on measuring school quality. Laura is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center, where she participated in the policy clinic of the Harrison Institute for Public Law and served as an intern in the education policy office of the US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Before law school, she taught fourth grade at Ira J. Earl Elementary School in Las Vegas, Nevada and earned a Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Amanda Chung (she/her) joined the Rennie Center shortly after receiving a Master’s in Public Affairs from the LBJ School at the University of Texas at Austin. Her desire to engage with K-12 education policy is largely inspired by her time as an AmeriCorps tutor at a middle school in Boston. Amanda’s fulfilling experience working with sixth grade students, combined with past volunteer involvement, contributed to her interest in education accessibility. Amanda’s work as an economic development consultant for rural universities reinforced the value of qualitative data and stakeholder engagement to better understand the needs of a community. An appreciation for community connection has been a key pillar in Amanda’s work history, as she has led outreach efforts for many private, public, and non-profit organizations. Before her Master’s program in Texas, Amanda received a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley where she studied Political Science, Public Policy, and Journalism.

Membership Information

Most MPY webinars are available ONLY to current staff from member districts and organizations. Public school memberships include police and fire personnel. Former and retired employees and members of committees, including but not limited to, PTO/PTA, PAC, School Improvement Councils, Health Councils, Drug/Alcohol Councils, and school volunteers, are not considered MPY members.

PDPs and CEUs

PDPs and CEUs will not be offered for this seminar.

Event Cancellation Policy

If you are unable to attend a MPY webinar you must cancel, through Bonnie Mullen at bonnie@mpyinc.org, one business day before the webinar.

For MPY hybrid conferences, the date in-person registration closes will be posted on MPY’s website. Virtual conference registration will close one business day before the hybrid conference. You cannot cancel or switch your registration from in-person to virtual after in-person registration closes. Please email Bonnie Mullen at bonnie@mpyinc.org with any questions regarding registration.