2022-2023 Elected NAIMH Board of Directors
The Nebraska Association for Infant Mental Health is currently made up of members from across the state.
Co-Leads
Holly Hatton-Bowers, PhD
Dr. Holly Hatton-Bowers is an assistant professor in Child, Youth, and Family studies and an Early Childhood Extension Specialist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Hatton-Bowers’ aims to support parenting and early care and education, with an emphasis on promoting and enhancing the well-being of caregivers and young children’s social-emotional development. She is active in translating and disseminating current research findings in the areas of caregiving and health in early childhood using an interdisciplinary approach. Contact Holly at hattonb@unl.edu.
Sami Bradley, LIMHP
Sami Bradley, LIMHP works with the Rooted in Relationships Initiative where she works with state and community partners to develop systems of care that support the social and emotional well-being of children birth through age 8. She has training and experience in providing evidence-based practices to children and families, such as Child Parent Psychotherapy and Circle of Security Parenting. She has a special interest in the importance of attachment, relationships, and supporting those that care for our youngest children. Contact Sami at sbradley@nebraskachildren.org.
Board Treasurer
Lynne Brehm, MS
Lynne Brehm currently works at Nebraska Children and Families Foundation where in her role she has been responsible for developing the early childhood mental health initiative, Rooted in Relationships. Lynne and the Rooted team partner with state and community partners to ensure systems’ support the social and emotional well-being of Nebraska's young children. Lynne’s primary area of focus throughout her career has been systems development to ensure promotion and prevention strategies are in place, enabling children and families to thrive. Previously she coordinated the Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems (ECCS) Initiative, Together for Kids and Families at the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. During this tenure Lynne became familiar with the Pyramid Model, a conceptual framework of evidence-based practices for promoting young children’s healthy social emotional development and has supported implementation since 2007 when Nebraska was selected as a pilot site.Lynne Brehm currently works at Nebraska Children and Families Foundation where in her role she has been responsible for developing the early childhood mental health initiative, Rooted in Relationships. Lynne and the Rooted team partner with state and community partners to ensure systems’ support the social and emotional well-being of Nebraska's young children. Lynne’s primary area of focus throughout her career has been systems development to ensure promotion and prevention strategies are in place, enabling children and families to thrive. Previously she coordinated the Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems (ECCS) Initiative, Together for Kids and Families at the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. During this tenure Lynne became familiar with the Pyramid Model, a conceptual framework of evidence-based practices for promoting young children’s healthy social emotional development and has supported implementation since 2007 when Nebraska was selected as a pilot site.
Board Secretary
Julia Torquati
Julia Torquati is a professor in the Department of Child, Youth and Family Studies at the University of Nebraska, and the Buffett Early Childhood Institute Community Chair in Infant Mental Health. She began her academic career as Director of the Ruth Staples Child Development Lab, where she provided leadership for preparing future early childhood educators and for quality early care and education programming for children and families. As Director, Dr. Torquati promoted two pedagogical principles: (1) development within close relationships with peers, teachers, and families, with teachers as a “secure base” for children; and (2) developing positive relationships with the natural world. Dr Torquati has two corresponding research programs, one focusing on how children develop in the context of close relationships, for example, parent-child synchrony and children’s social and emotional development, and dimensions of parent-child relationships that predict children’s executive functions; and one focusing on the benefits of providing children with experiences in and about nature, including how exposure to natural environments support children’s development of attention, working memory, and self-regulation, foundational capacities for mental health.
Board Members
Angela Carlow, M.Ed., Ed.S.
Angela is a School Psychologist with Lincoln Public Schools. She has provided psychological services in Early Childhood for over 27 years; services for children birth through age 5 and their families including social-emotional and behavioral development, collaborative consultation and coaching, expertise in Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis and treatment, trauma, children who are medically fragile, and general developmental issues. Angela enjoys reviewing current research and integrating Evidence Based Practices into day-to-day work with families and colleagues. Angela is passionate about the ‘littlest learners” and their families.
Tana Eddy
Tana has worked in childcare for 7 years at her local daycare center, earned an Associates degree in Early Childhood Education and development, and is also a mother to a 1 year old little boy. Tana has shown a special interest in Infant mental health, because she has seen first hand how important these early years are! Tana is determined to help the Early Childhood field grow anyway she can! She brings a refreshing perspective on what it’s like to be a parent and also to work in the childcare field into days world.
Kelli Hauptman
Kelli Hauptman is the project director of the Nebraska Resource Project for Vulnerable Young Children (NRPVYC) at the UNL Center on Children, Families and the Law, which focuses on the areas of Early Childhood Mental Health (ECMH), Reflective Practice and their integration into juvenile court practices. NPRYVC manages the Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) and Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (IoWA-PCIT) training programs and supports ECMH clinicians in their practice. NRPVYC also manages the reflective practice FAN training program and reflective consultation services under the Nebraska Center on Reflective Practice, where Kelli is a reflective practice mentor and facilitator. She is a member of the Nebraska Bar and a guardian ad litem in Douglas County.
Aiesha Rahn, EdS
Aiesha has spent the last 20 years in the field of Early Childhood Education working with children and families that have been the most vulnerable. Aiesha spent five years with Early Childhood Services under the umbrella of Building Bright Future's as a Early Childhood Specialist. She conducted training with the Department of Education while transitioning to the State of Nebraska Step Up to Quality Initiative as a Early Childhood Specialist. Moreover, Aiesha was a part of the last 2 years of the 10 year research project with the University of Nebraska at Lincoln's Getting Ready Infant and Toddler study. In addition, she has been and Adjunct instructor with Metropolitan Community College for the past 3 years, teaching Early Childhood Education courses. Aiesha received her Master's of Education from Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska in 2013. She went on to pursue her Ed.S, Educational Specialist Degree from Northcentral University in San Diego California in 2017.
Tammi Ohmstede, PhD, NCSP
Tammi Ohmstede is a Professor and Chair of the School Psychology Program at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. Dr. Ohmstede teaches graduate level classes within the Counseling, School Psychology and Family Sciences Department which include the school psychology interventions practicum, behavioral problem-solving assessment, problem-solving consultation, infant preschool assessment, and supervises internship. Dr. Ohmstede's primary research interests include early childhood assessment and intervention, social-emotional development, and collaborative consultation in the schools.
Shelina Williams MS, LIMHP, LADC
Shelina is a dually licensed behavioral health therapist in Omaha, Nebraska. She has provided behavioral health services to families since 2003. She recently joined the Behavioral Health team at Charles Drew Health Center. She will be providing behavioral health services to children, teens, young adults and their families. Previously she was the Early Childhood Community Coordinator at Nebraska Early Childhood Collaborative (NECC). As the Early Childhood Community Coordinator, she worked to strengthen access and quality related to early care and education by coordinating local birth through five (B-5) community-based efforts. Prior to that, she was the Mental Health Specialist with NECC where she worked with educators, families, and children and offered social and emotional support to the programs and assisted with challenging behaviors. She is a champion for trauma informed care and Equity for All. She loves traveling in her spare time and listening to Audible books.
