Trauma-informed experts guiding your journey

Gerald Vassar is the President and CEO of Lakeside Educational Network, where he has spent over 41 years building one of the most comprehensive trauma-informed education organizations in the United States. Throughout his career, Gerry has created and led social, emotional, educational, and clinical training programs that have reached thousands of individuals, families, organizations, and systems of care across the country.

Gerry's approach is rooted in strengths-based innovation — the belief that sustainable change comes not from pathologizing people and communities, but from recognizing and building on their inherent capacities. He has worked directly with businesses, counties, school districts, community organizations, and state-level systems of care to help them design and implement trauma-informed environments that support healing, resilience, and growth.

As a thought leader in trauma-informed care, Gerry has been a driving force behind Lakeside's mission to make evidence-based trauma education accessible to anyone who works with, or cares for, other human beings. His vision for LakeCloud and the Lakeside Metaverse stems from a fundamental belief that immersive, accessible education can transform the way communities understand and respond to trauma — not just in clinical settings, but in every home, classroom, and workplace.

Dr. Sandra Bloom is a Board-Certified psychiatrist, author, speaker, and one of the world's foremost authorities on organizational trauma and the systemic effects of stress on human communities. With over 46 years of experience working at the intersection of psychiatry, trauma science, and organizational change, she has dedicated her career to understanding how trauma ripples outward from individuals into the cultures and systems that surround them.

Dr. Bloom is the creator of the Sanctuary Model — a widely adopted, evidence-based framework for building trauma-informed organizational cultures used by hospitals, schools, residential programs, and social service agencies around the world. She is also the founder of PRESENCE for Business and the Creating Presence program, both of which translate trauma science into practical tools for leaders navigating complex, high-stress organizations.

Her published works include Destroying Sanctuary: The Crisis in Human Service Delivery Systems and Restoring Sanctuary: A New Operating System for Trauma-Informed Systems of Care, both of which have become foundational texts in the field. Dr. Bloom's contribution to LakeCloud brings decades of clinical insight and organizational wisdom to every learner — helping them understand not just how trauma works within individuals, but how it shapes the institutions and communities we all inhabit.

Diane Wagenhals is the Director Emeritus of Lakeside Global Institute (LGI) and one of the most prolific curriculum designers in trauma-informed education. Over a career spanning more than 45 years, she has authored over 35 courses, workshops, and educational programs that have reached educators, parents, clinicians, social workers, and community leaders across the United States and beyond.

Diane is the primary architect of the Lakeside Teaching and Learning Sequence — a paired pedagogical model that guides both educator and learner through a carefully structured journey from first exposure to deep internalization. This sequence forms the backbone of every LakeCloud course and is the foundation of what makes Lakeside Metaverse's immersive learning approach uniquely effective.

As a master trainer and educational leader, Diane has spent decades translating the science of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), brain development, and trauma response into language and experiences that are accessible to anyone — regardless of their professional background. Her work is built on the conviction that understanding trauma is not a clinical specialty but a human necessity, and that the right education, delivered in the right way, can transform how people see themselves, their relationships, and the world around them. She is the guiding voice behind DIANE AI, the LakeCloud AI companion who supports every learner through the Intro to Trauma course.

Kathy Van Horn is the Founder and Executive Director of NeuroLogic® by Lakeside — a flagship Lakeside Educational Network program designed to help adolescents understand their own developing brains and navigate the unique challenges of the teenage years through the lens of neuroscience and trauma-informed care.

With over 43 years of experience in education, training, and organizational leadership, Kathy brings a rare combination of scientific rigor and practical wisdom to her work. She is the primary author of the NeuroLogic® curriculum, which takes complex neuroscience and translates it into engaging, age-appropriate content that resonates deeply with teenagers and the adults who support them — parents, teachers, counselors, and youth workers alike.

Kathy is a sought-after speaker, trainer, and consultant who has worked with school districts, community organizations, and family service agencies to implement NeuroLogic and related trauma-informed programming. Her approach is grounded in empathy, evidence, and a deep respect for the complexity of adolescent development. She oversees the continued growth and evolution of the NeuroLogic program and plays a central role in shaping LakeCloud's programming for families and teens.

Beth Hall is a seasoned administrator and trainer with over 44 years of experience working within Lakeside Educational Network. As an expert instructor and curriculum contributor to Lakeside Metaverse, Beth brings a grounded, deeply human perspective to complex material — making the science of trauma and resilience accessible and meaningful for learners at every level of experience.

Beth has worked extensively with educators, social workers, healthcare professionals, and community organizations, helping them develop the knowledge and skills needed to recognize and respond to trauma in their daily work. Her instructional style is characterized by warmth, clarity, and an ability to meet learners exactly where they are — creating learning experiences that feel both intellectually rigorous and personally relevant.

Her contributions to LakeCloud's course library reflect her commitment to practical, application-focused learning. Beth believes that trauma-informed education is most powerful when it connects to real lived experience, and her work consistently bridges the gap between theory and practice — helping learners not just understand trauma, but respond to it more effectively in their own lives and communities.

Kat DeVries is an expert instructor and curriculum contributor within Lakeside Educational Network, bringing more than 23 years of experience in trauma-informed education, facilitation, and professional development to her work at LakeCloud. Kat has a particular expertise in creating learning environments where difficult topics can be explored with safety, curiosity, and care.

Throughout her career, Kat has worked with a wide range of organizations — from school districts and healthcare systems to nonprofits and government agencies — helping professionals build the knowledge and confidence to integrate trauma-informed principles into their daily practice. Her facilitation style is collaborative and inquiry-based, inviting learners to examine their own assumptions and develop a deeper, more nuanced understanding of how trauma shapes human behavior.

As a contributor to the Lakeside Metaverse curriculum, Kat brings her experience as a skilled communicator and educator to the immersive learning environment — helping design experiences that engage the whole learner and leave lasting impressions. She is committed to the idea that trauma education should be transformative, not transactional, and that every learner deserves the tools to become a more compassionate and effective presence in the lives of others.

Michelle Machado is an expert instructor and curriculum contributor at Lakeside Educational Network, with over 29 years of experience in trauma-informed education, community engagement, and professional development. Michelle is known for her dynamic, passionate approach to teaching — she brings both scholarly depth and lived authenticity to her work, creating learning experiences that resonate across diverse professional and personal backgrounds.

Michelle has worked with educators, healthcare workers, social service professionals, and community leaders, helping organizations understand how trauma intersects with culture, identity, and systemic inequity. Her work consistently centers on the full humanity of the people being served — not just their symptoms or behaviors, but the contexts that shape their lives and the strengths they bring to their healing journeys.

As a contributor to LakeCloud and Lakeside Metaverse, Michelle brings her commitment to culturally responsive, equity-centered trauma education to a wider audience. She believes that trauma-informed care is most powerful when it is inclusive — when it makes room for every learner's story, and when it equips practitioners to show up with the awareness and skills needed to serve their communities with genuine compassion and competence.

Sarah Yanosy is an expert instructor and curriculum contributor at Lakeside Educational Network, with over 29 years of experience in trauma-informed practice, organizational training, and professional development. Sarah is a skilled facilitator and educator whose work has helped thousands of practitioners across multiple sectors deepen their understanding of trauma and translate that understanding into meaningful change.

Sarah has a particular strength in helping organizations build trauma-informed cultures from the inside out — working not just with frontline staff, but with leaders and administrators to create systems and structures that support healing at every level. Her training approach is grounded in reflective practice, inviting participants to examine their own responses to stress and adversity as a foundation for serving others more effectively.

As a contributor to the Lakeside Metaverse curriculum, Sarah brings her extensive experience as a trainer and organizational consultant to LakeCloud's immersive learning environment. She is committed to making trauma education that is both evidence-based and deeply human — rigorous enough to build real competence, and personal enough to genuinely change the way learners see the world and their place in it.