National Resource Center for Youth Services: Oklahoma Trauma Informed Care Project

Nelvin Cecil Howell, MFA

Program Development Specialist, NRCYS

Nelvin (They/Them/Theirs) has spent their career focusing on outreach and engagement to youth, adults, families, and communities. Nelvin works to create inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility in their trainings, workshops, projects, and programs. Nelvin utilizes collaboration, facilitation, and exploration in their trainings to create critical dialogue for change and advocacy for Queer youth, youth with Intellectual Development Disorder, immigrants, and youth of color. Through their work, they continually foster empathy and learn how the complexities of intersectionality impact their work, youth, colleagues, and communities within Oklahoma and nationally. Nelvin works in the Trauma Informed Care project to provide training and consulting in Oklahoma relating to trauma responsive care, youth development, diversity and inclusion, and crisis prevention. They earned their Master of Fine Arts degree from Kent State University.

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Jean Carpenter-Williams, MS, CYC-P

Director of Training Development, NRCYS

Jean has worked to support the development of professional youth workers with a focus on creating a healthy culture of care, reducing the use of seclusion and restraint, and including youth voice in all areas of service provision. She participated in the development of NRCYS training curricula, including Managing Aggressive Behavior and the Residential Child and Youth Work Professional certification course, as well as co-authoring Youth Thrive: Protective and Promotive Factors for Healthy Adolescent Development for the Center for the Study of Social Policy. Jean currently directs the activities of the fee-based training and services provided by NRCYS, the Trauma Informed Care Project team, and serves as the program area advisor for youth development with the Capacity Building Center for States. She earned her master degree in therapeutic recreation from the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse.

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Bridgett Moran, MHR, MSEd, LPC-S, RPT

Program Development Specialist, NRCYS

Bridgett has supported children, adolescents, young adults, and their families in finding solutions using proven treatment models that strengthen the youth, family, and support systems to dramatically improve their long-term success. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Registered Play Therapist with the state of Oklahoma. Bridgett obtained her bachelor degree from Oklahoma State University, majoring in family relations and child development. Her graduate work in human relations was completed at the University of Oklahoma; and mental health counseling from the University of the Southwest.

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C.J. Ward, MA

Program Development Specialist, NRCYS

C.J. has spent his career educating, counseling, advocating, and mentoring youth (K-12/Higher Ed). Through collaboration and independent research, he had the opportunity to provide student support services as an Academic, Behavioral, and Mental Health Specialist in Western, Central, Eastern, and Southern Kentucky. Recently, C.J. relocated to Oklahoma as a member of the Tulsa Remote Program and now works primarily with the Trauma Informed Care Project and provides training and consulting in Oklahoma relating to trauma responsive care, youth development, diversity and inclusion, and crisis prevention.

C.J. earned his bachelor of Youth and Community Studies degree from the University of Texas at Austin, and master of School Guidance degree from Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky. In addition, C.J. has published a doctoral thesis with an emphasis on CBT and a Philosophy-based doctoral dissertation with a Social Science concentration.

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