The Annual Joan Prouty Conference on Literacy

Keynote Speaker: Dr. M. DEWANA THOMPSON

Dr. M. Dewana Thompson is the Director of the National Training Team at the Brazelton Touchpoints Center (BTC) at Boston Children’s Hospital, where she is proud to lead and support a national and international cadre of trainers. She joined BTC as a National Facilitator in 2010 and, in her current role, not only leads the training team but also serves as a content expert in the co-creation of professional development content in the areas of family engagement, child development, parenting support, and leadership. Over the course of her career, Dr. Thompson has served as a trainer for educators and providers on family engagement at the local, state, and national levels. Prior to her work at BTC, she served in various roles, including Director, Program Coordinator, Program Evaluator, and Family Engagement Specialist, for 21st CCLC-After-School Programs, the Department of Education's Safe Schools Healthy Students Grant Funded Programs, Austin Community College, LSU Health Sciences, and numerous school districts across the country. She holds a PhD in Family Studies with an emphasis on Child Development and has used her training to bridge the gap between families and providers throughout her career. Dr. Thompson is passionate about family engagement and has dedicated her life’s work to supporting parents and families in their role as their children’s first and most important teachers.