Dr. Russell T. Jones, a professor of psychology at Virginia Tech University, will be the featured speaker during a conference, Reducing Risk in Educational Settings: Lessons Learned from Virginia Tech, Thursday, April 24, at Winebrenner Theological Seminary, adjacent to The University of Findlay campus. The conference was designed in response to the tragic incident that occurred at Virginia Tech in April 2007, with the goal of preventing a similar incident.

Check-in will begin at 8:30 a.m., and the conference will end at 5 p.m. The registration deadline is April 10. Space is limited to the first 250 paid registrants. Cost is $75 per person, and continuing education units may be available. For more information and registration materials, contact Annie Altman at 419-424-1985 or aaltman@bhg.org.

Jones will present the keynote address, “Prevention and Intervention of School Violence in Primary Through Secondary Educational Settings,” at 9:15 a.m. He also will moderate a question-and-answer panel of speakers at 3:45 p.m.

A clinical psychologist with specialization in clinical child psychology, community psychology and issues related to disaster and terrorism, Jones is an expert in the behavioral sciences. As a member of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Jones worked with a mental health disaster team in Baton Rouge, La., and was called upon by the White House to help prepare the first lady prior to her visit with children displaced by Hurricane Katrina. He also was a team leader for a second group of mental health consultants to Gulf Port, Miss.

Jones frequently serves as a reviewer for both the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and SAMHSA and recently became a consultant to the Disaster Technical Assistance Center at SAMHSA. Jones is a member of the Scientific Board of the Hurricane Katrina Community Advisory Group sponsored by the Harvard Medical School. He has served as a member of editorial boards of several journals and as a guest reviewer on seven medical journals. Jones received a doctorate from Penn State University and completed his clinical internship at Brown University. He also holds a secondary appointment at Yale University at the Child Study Center.

Sandra Stephenson, director of the Ohio Department of Mental Health, will offer opening remarks. Other presentations include “What If? The Roles of Schools and Universities in Terrorism Prevention” by Dr. Ronald Stephens; “Organizing the Crisis Response: School Crisis Teams and Psychological First Aid” by Dr. Marleen Wong; and “Lessons Learned: From Chaos to Recovery” by Cheri Lovre.

Initial funding for the conference was provided by The University of Findlay, Blanchard Valley Hospital, the Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities, The Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation and the United Way of Hancock County.