FOUNDER + LEAD TRAINER

New Hampshire

Brooklyn Raney is the author of One Trusted Adult: How to Build Strong Connections & Healthy Boundaries with Young People. After working in schools for more than a decade, she founded One Trusted Adult, a company through which she has spent the past five years working with youth-serving professionals, parents, and guardians to develop strategies for strengthening relationships in homes, schools, and communities so they can best support the positive development of youth.

She is a research-practitioner who holds a BA from Colgate University, an MA in Educational Theater from NYU, and an MS in Education from the University of Pennsylvania, where she is currently a doctoral candidate. Brooklyn’s research explores the intersection of student perception, teacher sustainability, and parent expectation as it relates to an ethic of care in schools.

Brooklyn spends most of her time working with youth-serving organizations around the world to develop adults’ capacity and commitment for showing up in the best possible way for youth, while helping youth see the trusted adults around them as the greatest available resource for supporting their wellness and success. An experienced educator, school administrator, and facilitator, she has designed effective professional development courses, advisory programming, and student leadership trainings that are boosting school connectedness and improving educational culture and climate in communities across the globe.

Though often immersed in writing and research projects, Brooklyn will never miss a week of Girls Leadership Camp, an adventure with her mentee from the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, or a FaceTime with her nieces and nephews. She believes every adult must see themselves as an advocate of youth needs, a promoter of youth potential, and a defender of youth dreams if we are to prevent our biggest fears and promote our greatest hopes for youth today.

Brooklyn lives in Moultonborough, New Hampshire, with her husband, son, and two adventurous goldendoodles named Tuukka and Larry Bird.

MANAGING DIRECTOR

Massachusetts and New York

Jill was most recently president and cofounder of a non-fiction book publishing company, successfully sold to a large competitor. Her career has ranged from real estate investment banker to big firm lawyer, non-profit grant writer to finance director, and she’s roamed from New York to London to Boston and the Berkshires. Jill now works with a select group of talented speakers and authors. Recent volunteer work has included VITA tax preparer for low-income New Yorkers, SCORE certified business mentor, and reading with elementary school students. She has a law degree from NYU, and a BA from Harvard. Jill is the mother of four adults.

EDITOR

New York
Susan Lauzau is a seasoned senior editor who has worked in-house for publishers large and small—from Simon & Schuster and Prentice Hall to Friedman/Fairfax Publishers—as well as for Barnes & Noble’s proprietary publishing group, where she oversaw the illustrated book program. Specializing in nonfiction books and informational formats, she has worked extensively in the areas of education, business and marketing, natural history, and lifestyle. She holds a master’s degree in Adolescent Education and English from Hunter College and lives in New York City.

OTA IMPLEMENTATION COACH AND TRAINER

New York
Brenda Aull-Klaben is a retired educator and Teacher Center Director from Syracuse (NY) City School District and the current part-time Director for the Cayuga-Onondaga Teacher Center. She has 31 years of experience working with inner-city, at-risk youth in a high poverty area. She has taught at every grade level K-5 and ELA 6-8. Currently Brenda provides professional learning for teachers in ten public schools. She has extensive experience in developing, implementing and evaluating professional development programs for educators across NYS.

What Brenda enjoys most about her role is building relationships and supporting educators as they work towards district initiatives and goals.

Brenda resides in Central New York with her husband and enjoys spending time with her sons and grandchildren.

OTA IMPLEMENTATION COACH

New Hampshire
Beth Corkum has extensive experience in high school counseling, proactive solution focused coaching & counseling and MTSS (Multi Tiered Systems of Support). She lives in New Hampshire and has been a High School Counselor and is currently a Wellness & Equity Coordinator. Beth earned her undergraduate degree in Psychology at Fairfield University, her Masters of Education in School Counseling at Boston University and her CAGS (Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study) in Educational Leadership at Southern New Hampshire University. In addition to her work in schools, Beth has experience with summer camp programs, youth and high school sports coaching and community engagement.