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Company > Team
“Reducing Workplace Violence means Increasing Workplace Safety
through Positive Behavior Supports”
The Mandt System® Team
In 1975 David Mandt was asked to design a systematic training program for the staff at residential facilities supporting people affected by intellectual disabilities, developmental disabilities, and mental health, as well as for the staff at community mental health centers. The development and subsequent refinement of the The Mandt System® programs have resulted in effective and affordable training using graded alternatives that can be used by any facility or agency, including those likely to encounter the problem of aggressive or uncooperative behavior among its people.
David H. Mandt, Sr.,
Developer, Training Faculty Consultant
David H. Mandt, Sr. has more than fifty years of experience in interpersonal communication skills and physical crisis interaction. He is the author of The Mandt System®.
Mr. Mandt has earned a Masters degree in Professional Development from Amberton University and has done graduate work at Dallas Theological Seminary, both in Dallas, Texas. He holds a B.S. degree in Communication from The University of Texas at Austin in Austin, Texas. He has also done undergraduate work at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, and at Miami Dade Community College in Miami, Florida.
While serving with the U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Berets), he received Airborne, Ranger, Parachute Rigger, Mountain, and Medical training. His training and experience in gymnastics competition and sports instruction provide a wide background in body mechanics and movement. Mr. Mandt served as an instructor for self-defense classes at a university, a community college, a YMCA, and an elementary school.
His education and diverse work experience provide a practical foundation for effective communication of the concepts presented in The Mandt System®. Mr. Mandt is or has been a member of the American Association on Mental Retardation, the Association for Retarded Citizens, The Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps, The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, and the American Society of Training and Development.
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Kevin Mandt,
President
After graduating from the University of Texas, Kevin joined the company in order to further his own professional development and use his skills to improve workplace safety. Kevin is the first point of contact with many people as they call or email to find out more about The Mandt System®. Kevin manages customer relations and marketing.
In addition to his certification in The Mandt System®, Kevin has received Emergency Medical Technician training, and has worked in retail services. He has used his many and varied experiences and his commitment to always treating people with dignity and respect to grow as a professional and a member of the Leadership Team of the company.
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Bob Bowen,
CEO, Training Faculty
Bob Bowen has worked with and for people affected by developmental disabilities since 1974. After working as a houseparent in a group home and a caseworker supporting people in supported living and supported employment services, Mr. Bowen worked as a senior executive in human service organizations in four different states. He has work experience ranging from neo-natal intensive care to geriatric services for people affected by developmental disabilities, and has led the closure of a public ICF/MR, provided technical assistance in rate setting methodologies in two states, and served on the Board of Directors of several non-profit organizations. In addition, he has worked in psychiatric hospitals, group homes, and a juvenile detention center. He was first certified as a Mandt System trainer in 1980, and joined the National Training Faculty of The Mandt System, Inc. in 2000. He became the CEO of the company in 2002.
Mr. Bowen graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Work from the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. He has also done graduate work at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminaries in Elkhart, Indiana, Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, and the University of Phoenix. He has been an adjunct instructor at Walsh University in North Canton, Ohio and Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo, Iowa. In addition, he has presented numerous workshops on topics such as positive behavior support, organizational management, and person directed planning in the U.S, Canada, and Europe.
As a Mandt Trainer since 1980, Mr. Bowen has had the opportunity to combine his education, work experience, and values into a program which has the foundation belief that disabilities affect what people do, they do not define who people are. His focus is on "Supporting People, Not Just Their Behaviors."
Mr. Bowen is or has been a member of the Association for Behavior Analysis, the International Association for Positive Behavior Support, AAIDD, and TASH. He served on the Behavior Support Advisory Committee to the Ohio Department of MR.DD from 1999 – 2007, and has provided assistance in developing Best Practice Standards in the use of Positive Behavior Supports to The ArcLink, the Child Welfare League of America, and has consulted with a number of states on regulatory changes to increase workplace safety by decreasing the use of restraint.
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Sally Phipps,
Vice President of Administration, Training Faculty
Sally Phipps, has more than forty years of experience in nonphysical and physical crisis interaction. She has been a member of the National Training Faculty of The Mandt System® since 1978 and has presented the program in area community colleges and in private and state agencies for mental health, mental retardation, adult corrections, youth corrections, law enforcement, security, school districts, general hospitals, psychiatric and substance abuse centers, as well as at local, state, national, and international conventions.
Ms. Phipps has an extensive background in juvenile corrections, adult corrections, and law enforcement, along with experience in working with the physically and mentally impaired. She held the position of Director of Security while working in juvenile corrections. She assisted in the development of a security unit while working as a corrections officer at a maximum security facility for women. Ms. Phipps was also employed for two years in law enforcement and spent four years working with the physically and mentally impaired.
Ms. Phipps has been a certified mediator for the Polk County Attorney´s Office in Des Moines, Iowa. She is a lifetime member of the International Association of Police Women.
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Randel Goad,
Vice President of Training, Training Faculty
Randel Goad, Vice President of Training of The Mandt System, Inc., has more than forty-five years of experience in nonphysical and physical crisis interaction. He has been a member of the National Training Faculty of The Mandt System® since 1978 and has presented the program in area community colleges and in private and state agencies for mental health, mental retardation, adult corrections, youth corrections, law enforcement, security, school districts, general hospitals, psychiatric and substance abuse centers, as well as at local, state, national, and international conventions.
Mr. Goad has an extensive background in juvenile corrections and mental retardation. He worked two years for Hissom Memorial Center, a state agency for the mentally retarded, and twelve years in juvenile corrections for L. E. Rader Center, a state agency for juvenile delinquent youths, in the state of Oklahoma.
Mr. Goad was a supervisor and has worked as a crisis counselor, direct care staff, and shift and unit supervisor. He also worked with the training department providing necessary training in The Mandt System® for all employees at the L. E. Rader Center.
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Tim Geels,
Training Faculty
Mr. Tim Geels was first certified in The Mandt System® in 1988 and was later certified as a Mandt System® trainer in 1994. Mr. Geels became a member of the National Training Faculty of The Mandt System, Inc. in October of 2001. He attended Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in 1992 in Sociology with a concentration in Criminal Justice and Religion. His educational experiences also include a number of Masters Courses through the University of South Dakota in Administrative Studies.
Mr. Geels started working with individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury in 1987 while working at Village Northwest Unlimited in Sheldon, Iowa. In his eight years with VNU, Mr. Geels worked as Direct Care, Senior Counselor, Community Living Supervisor, and Co-Director of Waiver Services. His experiences include working with individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury, Developmental Disabilities, and Mental Retardation, as well as teaching various staff development courses.
In 1995 Mr. Geels started his almost six-year employment with Opportunities Unlimited in Sioux City, Iowa. While at Opportunities Unlimited, Mr. Geels served adults with Traumatic Brain Injury in the capacities of Residential Coordinator, Director of Residential Services, and Director of Staff Development. Mr. Geels had first been certified in The Mandt System® in 1988 and was a certified trainer of The Mandt System® for six years.
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Aaryce Hayes,
Training Faculty
Ms. Aaryce Hayes became a member of the Training Faculty of The Mandt System, Inc. in 2008. Prior to that, she served as a Policy Specialist for Protection and Advocacy, Inc. in Austin, Texas. In that position, Aaryce was responsible for ensuring the health and safety of individuals affected by mental illness through regulatory, legislative, and legal initiatives. Aaryce has also worked at the Austin State Hospital, an in-patient psychiatric hospital.
Aaryce has a Master´s Degree in Social Work from the University of Texas in Austin, and completed her Bachelor´s degree in Psychology with a certificate in African Studies from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.She is a frequent presenter at state and national conferences focusing on mental health issues and the elimination of the use of restraint and seclusion. She was first certified as a Mandt System® trainer in 2002.
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Nikki Wince,
Training Faculty
Nikki Wince became a member of the Training Faculty of The Mandt System, Inc. in 2008. Nikki has worked with and for people affected by disabilities since 1989, and has worked in direct support, administrative, and supervisory positions. She has worked with children and adults, with work experiences at Village Northwest Unlimited in Sheldon, Iowa, and the Marc Center in Mesa, Arizona.
Nikki has a Bachelor´s degree in Sociology from Nebraska Wesleyan University, and has also been certified as an Emergency Medical Technician. She has been a certified Mandt System® trainer since 1989.
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Mike Bellisario,
Training Faculty
Mike Bellisario became a member of the Training Faculty of The Mandt System, Inc. in 2008. Mike started working with people affected by developmental disabilities in 1994. While at Valley HealthCare System in Morgantown, West Virginia, he worked in positions of direct care, service coordination and management. He continues to work at Valley, where he is the Program Manager of Waiver Community Services. Mike has also worked at Chestnut Ridge Hospital in Morgantown, West Virginia, where he served on all in-patient units and two residential treatment centers for adolescent males.
Mike has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from West Virginia University. He has been a certified Mandt System® trainer since 1998. As the senior Mandt System trainer at Valley HealthCare System, an organization serving over 1,000 persons per year in a combination of out-patient, in-patient, and emergency placements, he was able to work with many other team members to create a service and support structure in which a total of 2 restraints were done from 2000 to 2008.
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Annette Braun,
Chief Operations Officer of The Mandt System - Canada, Training Faculty
Annette Braun has been working for people with disabilities since 1981. She has held various senior management positions in organizations in Manitoba, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. She lead the development of employment and business services as well as community development. From 1995-2000 she led community groups in various parts of Saskatchewan forming four nonprofit organizations providing new direct services to people with disabilities. Ms. Braun has led various teams of people to accomplish significant results in services for people with disabilities, their families, and the community. In each of her positions and roles, training has held prominence as she led organizations through developmental processes. She has studied management at Simon Fraser University, Justice Institute of British Columbia and the University of British Columbia. She also studied at the Canadian Bible College in areas of human development and counseling.
Ms. Braun connected with David Mandt & Associates in 1998, while involved in a Saskatchewan provincial project to bring a recommendation for crisis prevention training. After a move to Alberta in 2000 she initiated the development of Mandt System Training in Canada. She has lead both small and larger organizations and brings her business background to the Canadian division of The Mandt System®.
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Janet Gulash,
Training Faculty
Janet Gulash has been working for people with disabilities since 1979 and joined the Mandt System-Canada team in 2001. Ms. Gulash, first became involved in the field for people with disabilities in the local early childhood intervention program in the early eighties. In 1986 she accepted employment in a vocational training facility in Melville, SK. Ms. Gulash was primarily responsible for program development for individuals with challenging behavioral and communicative disabilities. Over the course of 15 years, her role changed to include supported employment initiatives and public relations for the vocational facility. In 1995, Ms. Gulash became involved at the Saskatchewan provincial level as a committee member developing policy & procedure guidelines for abuse prevention. She was instrumental in the process of researching and recommending a crisis interaction training program for Saskatchewan and becoming a certified Mandt Trainer in 1998 as a result of this process.
As well as being a Mandt Trainer, Ms. Gulash is a Job Finding Club leader, and a PATH facilitator. She believes in fostering awareness and independence for people with disabilities. She continues to be a strong advocate for people striving to be independent in her community.
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Karen Heller, Ed.D.,
Training Faculty, Consultant
Dr. Karen M. Heller is a highly respected and recognized expert in the field of behavior management with over 25 years of direct and practical experience. Her results-oriented approach places her in high demand as an international presenter, consultant, and trainer. Her expertise encompasses the areas of behavior, conflict resolution, civility, diversity and tolerance, organizational change, and education. She was first certified as a Mandt System® trainer in 1998.
Karen completed her Doctorate in Organizational Leadership, specializing in conflict resolution. She served as the Assistant Vice President, Multicultural Affairs Division at Nevada State College. Karen also holds the position of International Special Projects Director of Ungdomsalternativet, a Swedish youth organization.
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Kristin Hirschmann,
Team Consultant
Kris Hirschmann joins the National Training Faculty of The Mandt System® with a background in Special Education. She has taught and supervised teachers for 28 years, and has previous experience working in an ICF/MR and in a mental health setting. She has had experience in working with people who have a range of disabilities in institutional settings, public schools, and in the community. She was first certified as a Mandt System® trainer in 1997 for a large school district in Washington State.
Ms. Hirschmann´s educational background includes a Bachelor´s Degree in Physical Education (Pacific Lutheran University), a Bachelor´s Degree in Special Education (Central Washington University), and a Masters Degree in Education – Curriculum and Instruction (City University). In addition to her K-12 experience, Kris has taught at the University of Washington, Tacoma, St. Martins University in Lacey, WA, and Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, WA, preparing future teachers in the area of Special Education. She is a member of the Council for Exceptional Children, and the Association of School Curriculum Development.
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Frances Dowell,
Administrative Team
Frances Dowell graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, and has done graduate work in counseling at North Texas University in Denton. Her work experience includes editing a technical publication and teaching English and Latin at North Dallas High School in Dallas. She has been working with The Mandt System, Inc. since September of 1991 in various capacities. Currently she finalizes the training events, including designing, preparing, and shipping certificates. She works to keep our data base accurate and in good order. She also handles transfers and dual certifications.
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Brenda Goad,
Administrative Team
Brenda Goad coordinates the locations for all the training events in the USA on our administrative team. You may even connect with her when you first call. She loves to welcome you to The Mandt System®.
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