Keynote Presenters
Dr. Walter Roberts, Jr.
Ed.D., LPCC, LSC, NCC, NCSC, ACS
As a professor emeritus of counselor education at Minnesota State University Mankato, Roberts’ 25-year postsecondary career consisted of research and advocacy in the areas of crisis prevention and intervention, violence prevention, school safety, mental health, and legislative efforts to increase counseling services to those in need. He spent 15 years working in public schools as both a teacher and a professional school counselor in Arkansas before moving to higher education in 1993. In addition to being licensed for private practice in Minnesota, Roberts has extensive public policy experience. He has served as chair of the Minnesota Board of Teaching and as co-chair of the Governor’s Task Force on the Prevention of School Bullying. Roberts was instrumental in working to establish professional counseling licensure in Minnesota and was appointed in 1993 to the Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy. Additionally, Dr. Roberts has volunteered hundreds of hours each year doing therapy dog work. He has also volunteered and been deployed nationwide as a supervisor of disaster mental health responders with the American Red Cross.
Dr. Jennifer Ulie-Wells
Executive Director, Please Pass the Love
Since graduating with an education degree and certifications in mental health and social justice, Dr. Ulie-Wells has spent more than 20 years as a special educator, training thousands of educators, youth, families, and community providers on a variety of school mental health topics. In 2013, Dr. Uile-Wells founded Please Pass the Love Youth Mental Health Initiative which provides training and support for thousands of educators across Iowa. She also works as an adjunct professor for Drake University and recently launched an online school mental health program in collaboration with the University and the Iowa State Education Association. In partnership with University of Iowa, Dr. Ulie-Wells is an Iowa Family Leadership Training Institute mentor. As a political activist, she has served on a variety of behavioral health related state committees with the Iowa Department of Education and is a member of the West Des Moines school board. Dr. Ulie-Wells is passionate about improving the quality of life and educational opportunities for children, families, and educators, and strives to construct positive relationships between the educational and mental health communities.