Speakers at LLL Parenting Conference 2011

Barbara Coloroso is an international bestselling author and for the past 38 years an internationally recognized speaker and consultant on parenting, teaching, school discipline, positive school climate, bullying, grieving, nonviolent conflict resolution and restorative justice. She has appeared on Oprah, CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN and NPR and has been featured in the New York Times, Time, U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek, and other national and international publications. Her uniquely effective parenting and teaching strategies were developed through her years of training in sociology, special education, and philosophy, as well as field-tested through her experiences as a classroom teacher, laboratory school instructor, university instructor, seminar leader, volunteer in Rwanda, and mother of three grown children. She is the author of four international bestsellers: kids are worth it! Giving Your Child the Gift of Inner Discipline; Parenting Through Crisis—Helping Kids in Times of Loss, Grief and Change; The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander—From Pre-School to High School, How Parents and Teachers Can Help Break the Cycle of Violence; and Just Because It's Not Wrong Doesn't Make It Right—From Toddlers to Teens, Teaching Kids to Think and Act Ethically. Barbara's latest book is Extraordinary Evil: A Brief History of Genocide…and Why it Matters. She also has two critically acclaimed video programs Winning at Parenting...without beating your kids and Winning at Teaching...without beating your kids.

Dr. Berger David Berger, MD, FAAP, is a Board Certified Pediatrician who specializes in holistic pediatric primary care, nutritional and detoxification therapies for autism, ADHD and related disorders and immune dysregulation. He graduated from The Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1994 and did his Pediatric Residency at the University of South Florida. He started using holistic therapies at the Tampa General Hospital/USF Pediatric Clinic during his residency. He has served as the team doctor for Tampa Catholic High School, the Medical Director for a summer camp run by the Tampa AIDS Network, and the Medical Liaison for the Palm Beach County Breast Feeding Task Force. He has been in private practice since 1997, and in 2005 he opened Wholistic Pediatrics in Tampa, Florida. Dr. David has been an advanced practitioner of the Defeat Autism Now! (D.A.N!) Philosophy since 1999. In 2010 he became an Assistant Professor at the University of South Florida College of Nursing.

Tammy Pat Bodin has been married to his wife, Chrissy, a LLL Leader, for 23 years. Together they have four children, ages 19 through 8 years old. Pat has been attending and occassionally speaking at LLL Conferences for much of the last 10 years and remains committed to La Leche League philosophy. He is the CEO of Firefly Communications, an IT consulting company, and may be spotted by the neighbors playing with his kids or walking the family's standard poodle.

Michelle Burgroff has three energetic boys, Quinton, age 9, Teddy, age 6, and Trent, age 3, who give her plenty opportunities during the day to practice loving guidance and one husband, Jason, who is an empathic listener of the daily household events. Michelle graduated with honors form the University of South Florida with a degree in Elementary Education. She taught first grade for seven years and then became an Academic Intervention Specialist. She currently is a stay at home mom who volunteers her time at her children's school and loves reading and gardening. Michelle is the Coordinator of Leader Accreditation for the Sunshine State and enjoys leading Mothering Meetings which cover the philosophy of La Leche League. She has been a Leader since 2006.

Kendall Kendall Hernandez, B.A., IBCLC, AAHCC is the WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Coordinator for the Hillsborough County Health Department and a Certified Bradley Instructor. She has been working with the Florida Health Department for over 4 years during which she became an IBCLC, and helped establish peer counseling programs in two counties. Outside of WIC, Kendall continues to teach Bradley classes to expectant couples in the Tampa Bay area, and enjoys being a part of the birth team. She and her husband have two creative and vibrant young boys, Keller (4) and Carson (2), who are continued inspiration for her work in teaching and promoting breastfeeding in the community.

Lindsey Pat Lindsey, IBCLC, has been a La Leche League Leader since 1977. In the early 80s, she participated in a volunteer pilot program at Florida Hospital where La Leche League Leaders assisted breastfeeding mothers with on-hand help during their hospital stay. This program helped pave the way for the creation of the profession of the IBCLC, the boards of which were first offered in 1986. In 1991, Pat worked for the Seminole County WIC department where she implemented their Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Program. She began working in the office of Pediatrics Plus as a lactation consultant intern in 1995 and became board certified as an IBCLC in 1996. In 1997, she established her own private practice while continuing as Pediatrics Plus' lactation consultant. Pat relocated to Maitland, FL in 2006 where she works as a private practice lactation consultant and as the staff lactation consultant for Sunshine Pediatrics. Pat's passion for supporting breastfeeding is well known in the breastfeeding community; she is a member of ILCA, Florida Lactation Consultant Association, United States Lactation Consultant Association, La Leche League International and the United States Breastfeeding Committee. Pat is a Founder, Past President and currently on the Board of Directors of the Florida Breastfeeding Coalition. Her most rewarding job has been as mother to her two grown children, whom she raised with her husband, Butch. She also has a 20 year old grandson.

maryranier Mary Ranier has been a La Leche League Leader since 2004 and currently leads Meetings in Gainesville, FL. Mary has enjoyed supporting families in their childbearing years for over 20 years as they prepare for birth, breastfeeding and natural parenting: a Certified Childbirth Educator with the Florida Outreach Childbirth Education Program and member of ICEA, DONA and Lamaze International, Mary Rainer is a recent graduate of midwifery school and expects to be licensed by the Florida Department of Health (DOH) to practice midwifery in 2012. Mary lives with her two youngest children, 12 and 18, and an amazing dog!

Dan Roeder graduated with honors from the University of Maryland with a BA in mathematics and education. He has taught mathematics in Maryland public schools and has over ten years experience developing and running innovative experiential education programs with the Living Classrooms Foundation of Baltimore. He has worked with a wide variety of learners, ranging from elementary aged children to adolescents and adults. Dan formed Select Choice, an educational tutoring and test prep company, in 2005 to serve families in the Tampa Bay area. Dan is also an avid sailor and sailing instructor.

Educational Philosophy:

A good educator is like a mountain guide. He does not stand on the top of the mountain shouting down directions on how to climb up! He meets his charges along the path and walks with them, pointing out the best routes, while honoring the fact that it is their feet that must do the walking.

Dr. Becky Saenz Becky Saenz MD, IBCLC, FABM, is a native of Vicksburg, MS, and graduated from Belhaven College in Jackson. She received her Doctor of Medicine from the University of Mississippi Medical Center, and completed residency training in Family Medicine at the University of Tennessee at St. Francis Hospital in Memphis, TN. She returned to the University of Mississippi in 1994 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine.

When her first child was born in 1996, Dr. Saenz realized how little her medical training had actually prepared her to breastfeed her daughter. However, with access to the entire body of medical literature and practical help from the local La Leche League, she soon found answers to her problems. Realizing the need for better training for physicians in supporting mothers in their breastfeeding, she founded the UMC Breastfeeding Consult Service in 1997, for which she received special recognition from the Mississippi State Health Department.

Besides being a diplomate of the American Board of Family Practice, Dr. Saenz became an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant in 1999. In 2002, she became the only physician in Mississippi to have earned the degree of Fellow of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, given to members of the Academy who have attained clinical, research, and advocacy expertise. Dr. Saenz became an accredited La Leche League leader in 2004.

As breastfeeding rates continued to climb, the need became apparent for a specialty clinic in Mississippi devoted exclusively to the unique needs of breastfeeding mothers and their babies. Dr. Saenz established the Mississippi Breastfeeding Medicine Clinic in July 2003 to meet those needs. In April 2004, the clinic was honored the Mississippi Department of Health and La Leche League of Alabama/ Louisiana/Mississippi for “promoting, supporting, and protecting breastfeeding” in Mississippi.

Dr. Saenz also serves on the Board of Directors of the Mississippi Breastfeeding Coalition and the advisory panel for the Mississippi Department of Health Breastfeeding Program. She is a regular speaker at the annual Breastfeeding: The Gold Standard conference in Jackson, and has been a guest speaker at numerous other conferences. The coalition honored Dr. Saenz in 2002 by establishing an annual scholarship in her name to the Gold Standard conference.

Dr. Saenz is married to Joseph M. Saenz, Jr., MD, and they have four children, whom they enjoy homeschooling.

Curriculum Vitae of Dr. Becky Saenz

tina Tina Stumpfhauser became a La Leche League Leader in 2006 and currently leads meetings in Naples, Florida where she has lived the past year. Tina is a busy homeschooling mom to her two little ones, Rebecca, age 7, and Joey, age 4 and has been married to her Soulmate (and biggest supporter), Dan, for 10 years. She earned her BA in Communications, with a minor in Psychology from the University of South Florida. Since the birth of her daughter, Tina has become more and more passionate about getting the word out in her community about Loving Guidance and credits La Leche League for helping her become the mom she is today!

tanya Tanya Taylor has been a La Leche League Leader since 2007 and is a huge advocate for breastfeeding and babywearing. She has nursed and worn all three of her children. 4 years ago she started a babywearing group that has been successfully helping mothers to nurture their little ones in and around Sarasota. Tanya also holds 2 babywearing certifications.

Tammy Tammy Veatch has been a La Leche League Leader since 1998. Although she recently relocated from Florida to the state of Colorado, she remains active in LLL of the Sunshine State as an associate LAD representative. In Colorado, she is currently orienting LAD representatives for LAD West. Tammy and her husband are the parents of two boys aged 14 and 10 who are second generation La Leche League children thanks to her mother-in-law.

Jen Jennifer Ward, IBCLC is the WIC Breastfeeding Coordinator for the Santa Rosa County Health Department WIC and Nutrition Program. She started as a peer counselor in Escambia County where she eventually became an IBCLC. She has been involved in the peer counselor program for six years. She is passionate about and dedicated to helping women and babies breastfeed successfully. She is also an active board member for the Emerald Coast Alliance for Breastfeeding Support, where she has served as the treasurer for two years. She and her husband are the proud parents of four wonderful breastfed boys, Zachary (18), Aiden (8), Benjamin (7) and Jonah (4).

elaine Elane Ziska has been a La Leche League Leader since 1995 and is passionate about sharing the philosophy of La Leche League through conferences. Her husband David, and their four children, ages 9, 11, 16, and 18, love the opportunities to spend time with like-minded families and learn ways of making their family journey more peaceful, effective, and fun. Mothering is the most exhilarating, challenging, fulfilling career she can imagine and she tries to spend more time and money doing that "job" than in her equities trading business.