Dr. Bork is the founder, Executive Director and Director of Research for the Selective Mutism Foundation. Having devoted over 15 years researching Selective Mutism (SM) including 6 years of active involvement in helping her son overcome a severe form of SM, Dr. Bork is dedicating her research in the efficacy and rapidity of SM treatments for children with SM. Dr. Bork is an active researcher who publishes in peer reviewed journals, and has been invited to over 30 organizations and schools to speak on the topic of SM. Her most recent study published by the Journal of Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry delineated the treatment of 3 young children with SM using a combined behavioural approach within school settings. Unlike most studies which documented lengthy treatment of SM (many were unsuccessful and lasted for months and even years), all children in her study were successfully treated, with each child receiving less than 130 minutes of treatment time within an 8-week period.
With her background in Computer Science, Dr. Bork also actively explored the use of technology for SM treatment. She is the first (known) researcher to propose using software applications to help shape verbal behaviour (Bork, 2010). Over the past few years, she has designed and overseen several developments of software applications assisting individuals with special needs (e.g., SM, stuttering, intellectual and developmental disabilities, etc.). Some of them are currently available free for download in iTunes.

Christina is a proud Brock University Alumni who graduated in 2011 with a BPhed Honours and a BEd JI level. With 20+ years of experience in fitness and training, Christina is equipped with the leadership skills, and knowledge to motivate and inspire others to be the best version of themselves. Her passion for helping others and her strong sense of community has guided her decisions in pursuing careers with non-profit organizations such as the YMCA of Niagara and most recently Brock University. Her multicultural background, education, knowledge and experience working with children, youth, and adults, in both formal and informal settings, allows her to interact effectively with diverse age groups, and a broad spectrum of physical needs and abilities. Christina resides in the beautiful Niagara and loves cooking, dancing and spending time with family and friends. In her free time you will find Christina running or volunteering teaching fitness classes at her local YMCA.

Dr. Sheila Bennett is the Associate Dean of Professional and Undergraduate Programs Faculty of Education at Brock University. She has presented nationally and abroad, and has authored and coedited numerous books, chapters, monographs and articles including; Special Education in Ontario Schools; Community Living Ontario’s Community Inclusion Initiative Report on the Delivery of Education Services for Students Who Have an Intellectual Disability in the Province of Ontario; Including students with exceptionalities and, A Canadian Perspective on the Inclusion of Students with Intellectual Disabilities in High Schools.
Her research centres on inclusion for students with diverse needs. Upon completion of her graduate work at the University of Toronto, Dr. Bennett held a number of school and school board based positions prior to joining the Faculty of Education at Brock. She brings her practical experiences as an educator to the field of research, providing a blend of theory and practice essential to bridge the gap between what we do in classrooms and how we understand those actions in the larger context.

Lori DiMatteo Marcella is a certified Speech-Language Pathologist with the College of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists of Ontario (CASLPO) and is a member the American Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Association (ASHA). She holds an undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Western Ontario and earned her Master of Science in Speech Language Pathology from the State University of New York, College at Buffalo in 1991. Lori began her career at the Niagara Rehabilitation Centre in 1992, worked with the Niagara Voice Program and provided outreach rehabilitation services through Comcare Health Services. Lori has been an employee of the Niagara Catholic District School Board since 2002. She maintains an active caseload servicing school age children in the Niagara Region. She provides assessment, programming and treatment to children who struggle to speak, read, learn or interact socially secondary to developmental or acquired speech-language deficits. Lori is trained in the following programs: (Hanen) ``It Takes Two to Talk`` and in ``Learning Language and Loving It``, Introduction to PROMPT (Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets) and Lidcombe Fluency Training for School Age Children. Lori has a special interest in working with children who have social communication challenges in the classroom setting, specifically students who have a diagnosis of Selective Mutism.
Although Lori has had many years of clinical experience, she continues to maintain her skill set through educational opportunities to help her students achieve their full communication potential.