Dr. Gary Low is Professor Emeritus of Education, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Consulting Psychologist, Patron and Life Member of the Forum for EI Learning (FEIL) in India. A principal of EI Learning Systems, Inc. he is also a founder and faculty member of the Emotional Intelligence Training & Research Institute (EITRI).

Dr. Hawkins has been teaching in higher education for over 15 years. Dr. Hawkins is currently employed at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi as an Associate Professor of Psychology. She holds a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Dr. Hawkins has a variety of research experiences and is currently investigating the effects of Emotional Intelligence on cognitive functioning. Dr. Hawkins will be presenting this year with Dr. Denver-Potter on Generational Differences in Emotional Intelligence, as measured by the Skills for Career And Life Effectiveness (SCALE) online assessment.

Dr. Potter is a South Texas native with over 14 years of experience in higher education. She has worked as a counselor helping to guide college students through their academics while preparing them for life after graduation. Currently, Lauren is a Professional Assistant Professor with Texas A&M University Corpus Christi and has enjoyed serving college students in that capacity since 2018. Lauren holds a PhD in General Psychology, and an M.S. in Counseling and Guidance. Dr. Potter enjoys spreading the skills of emotional intelligence in her professional endeavors and personal relationships. Dr. Denver-Potter will be presenting this year with Dr. Hawkins on Generational Differences in Emotional Intelligence, as measured by the Skills for Career And Life Effectiveness (SCALE) online assessment.

Fernando came to the United States from Mexico with the intention of becoming a medical doctor. While attending UT-Austin, he became fascinated with the art of teaching. He obtained a BS in microbiology and a teaching certificate in 2003. He obtained a master of education from Texas State University. As a science teacher, he discovered that students learn better by doing. His classroom became a place where students were able to create and discover new knowledge utilizing a project-based approach to education. As the principal of I&G, his focus is to help students and staff enhance their EQ.

Ana Laura Ramirez was born in McAllen, Texas and raised in Camargo, Mexico. She graduated with a BA in Food Engineering from Instituto Tecnologico de Monterrey. She moved to Texas in 2000 and became a Bilingual teacher through an Alternative Certification program. She has served as a kinder teacher in Rio Grande City, Texas for 6 years and for McAllen 9 years. Since 2016 she has been the Spanish Teacher at the Instruction and Guidance Center in McAllen ISD. Believing so much in emotional intelligence, since 2018, Ana Laura has participated in professional development and has shared her knowledge with fellow educators, students, and other professionals through statewide conferences and district departments.

Julie has worked as a driver's education instructor for twenty-four years. She began teaching both classroom and behind-the-wheel in Cypress Fairbanks ISD. Julie worked at numerous commercial driving schools in Houston prior to moving to the Coastal Bend. She has been employed at two commercial schools in the Corpus Christi region prior to opening her own business in 2015. Julie owns Mustang Sally Driving School in Kingsville, TX. Upon opening her school, she was told her business was the only school owned solely by a female in Texas. Additionally, Julie is certified as a driver's education teacher for Texas public schools. She holds valid teaching permits for school principal, social studies and special education. Julie obtained her doctoral degree from Texas A&M University Kingsville in 2012. Her dissertation was entitled: A comparison of emotional intelligence and leadership styles among Texas public school principals.

Born in Israel and raised in the Rio Grande Valley, Karen Ilanit earned her bachelor's degree in accounting from UTPA in Edinburg, Texas. She became a teacher through the Alternative Certification Program at the Region One Education Service Center in 2005. After teaching for a couple of years, she earned her master's degree in Special Education from UTPA. She has been the Director of Education with her faith community and been an instructor with UTRGV in Edinburg, Texas. Currently, she is the Special Education Teacher at the Instruction and Guidance Center in McAllen ISD. Karen Ilanit has participated in and spoken at professional learning sessions in which she has gained and shared her knowledge about emotional intelligence.

Dr. Delia E. Mateias’ current research interest is experiential research evidence-based analytics of emotional intelligence as it relates to leadership and decision making. Delia completed a her PhD thesis, “Emotional Intelligence in Leadership”, during her Fulbright Scholar experience at George Washington University, sustaining a passion for understanding the role of emotional intelligence in leadership excellence.

Dr. Mateias created a non-governmental organization – www.eilead.org (Transformational Leadership NGO) and subsequently achieved accreditation for an EI teacher training program through the Romanian Ministry of Education. Through her pioneering training program, Dr. Mateias aims to share best practices and transformative models of emotional intelligence to help shape and develop current and future leaders who will transform the quality of education throughout Romania and beyond. For further information about how to jointly develop an international partnership, please contact Dr. Delia Mateias at: [email protected], [email protected].

She has a unique combination of experience in line and staff management, academic work in business and behavioral sciences, and experience in structuring and managing human performance systems. Her best seller book, Beyond the Myths and Magic of Mentoring: How to Facilitate an Effective Mentoring Process, includes more than forty years of research and client experiences with Facilitated Mentoring. Margo assists this year with the pre-conference EI Certification Workshop, and during the conference, provides valuable insights based on 40+ years of working with Drs. Nelson and Low's positive assessment process with corporate and government clients..

Tiago Horta Reis da Silva is a Lecturer in Nursing Education (AEP) in the Department of Adult Nursing. Before joining King’s in August 2019, worked in other HEI and NHS.

Tiago qualified as BSc (HONS) in Nursing and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). He holds an MSc in Emotional Intelligence, Counselling and NLP and MBA. An MSc in TCM and multiple post graduations in Higher Education. Tiago holds the following qualifications: MSc, MBA, MScTCM, PGDipSFC, PGDipHE, PGCertHE, PGDipTCM, PGDip TNM, BSc (HONS) (Nurs), BSc (HONS) (TCM), RN, FHEA, MBAcC. In addition to Emotional Intelligence, Tiago’s research interests include Falls Prevention, Nursing Care of the Elderly, Back Pain, Moving and Handling, Nursing Skills, Complementary and Alternative Medicines, and Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Dr. Hammett is a founding faculty member of the Emotional Intelligence Training & Research Institute and editor of EITRI's journal, the International Journal of Transformative Emotional Intelligence. He also supervises doctoral research for Walden University's Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership.

Ashis Sen holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Human Resources Management from the University of Petroleum and Engineering Studies, Dehradun, India. As an internal coach for Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL), Dr. Sen initially became familiar with EITRI and the works of Darwin Nelson and Gary Low during the 2007 - Fourth Annual Institute for Emotional Intelligence in Kingsville, Texas. Between then and the time he retired from HPCL in 2016, Dr. Sen was instrumental in hosting the 1st (2008), 2nd (2009), and 3rd (2010) Global Forums for Emotional Intelligence in Mumbai, India. He was also instrumental in starting the Forum for Emotional Intelligence Learning in India, and rose to the position of General Manager of Capability Building before his retirement. In addition to running his own coaching and consulting business, he teaches in guest faculty positions for the T A Pai Institute of Management, IIM (Kashpur), NMIMS (Mumbai), and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (Mumbai).

Dr. Fritz Lebowsky received a PhD degree in electrical engineering from the Technical University of Braunschweig, Germany. He is enthusiastic about investigating astonishing human performance in visual perception and transferring the findings into meaningful products.

A Master degree program of executive Management of Technology and Innovation at the Grenoble School of Management led to encouraging people to grow valuable human competencies emerging from transformative emotional intelligence, artificial intelligence, and ethics in the era of ‘digital transformation’ — enabling a sustainable human future for ALL.

Dr. Sarah Spradlin is an Industrial Organizational Psychologist, MHS certified EI Coach, Mother of 4, and Marine Corps veteran dedicated to the study and application of EI on leader-member exchange and organizational resilience among high performing teams. She serves as the CEO of Vitruvian Advantage supporting organizations like The National Football League (NFL), Spartan Races, Department of Defense, and Department of Homeland Security. She holds a certificate in Management & Leadership from MIT’s Sloan School of Management; a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) in IO Psychology; MA in Criminal Justice; and a BS in Psychology and Leadership from Virginia Tech. Sarah will be presenting this year on TSA's Passenger Experience Survey (PES 2.0) and EI's impact on Customer Experience (CX) across industries.

Weiss currently serves as the Director of Counseling Services at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. Renée is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor, Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor; and is certified as a professional school counselor, principal and teacher with over 30 years of experience in the field of Education. Prior to coming to Kingsville, Renée served as the Director of Career and Employment Services at Amarillo College. She also served as a professional school counselor and teacher for the Amarillo Independent School District in Amarillo, Texas. Renée’ holds a Doctorate is in Education Leadership, a Master of Education in Counseling, and a Master of Science in Sport and Exercise Science. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Health and Physical Education/Fitness Special Education the University of New Mexico and an Associate of Arts Liberal Arts and Sciences the Technical-Vocational Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Renée belongs to numerous professional organizations and has served in leadership roles through many of those same organizations.

Synthia Garza is a Professional Counselor II at Student Health and Wellness Counseling Services at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. Synthia has worked for Counseling Services since 2018. She received her bachelors in 2013 majoring in Psychology and Spanish Literature. She graduated in 2016 with a Master’s of Arts in Psychology with an LPC track. Synthia is a Board-Certified Tele-Mental Health Provider since 2019. Synthia completed the training to become an Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapist in training and is currently receiving consultation to complete the process. Synthia is a Certified Anger Resolution Therapist, a QPR Certified Instructor and is working toward getting certified as a Complex Trauma Treatment Level II Professional. She has been practicing for more than five years as a counselor. Synthia is bilingual, speaking fluently both English and Spanish.

Lindsey Sanchez is a Licensed Professional Counselor Associate. Lindsey has been with Student Health and Wellness Counseling services for about a year and half. Lindsey is QPR Gatekeeper Instructor certified, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) trained, and BC-Tele Mental Health provider trained. Her goal is to allow her clients to feel heard and guide them through their healing journey. She enjoys watching her clients grow and make positive changes for their future.

Roxana Castellanos is a Licensed Professional Counselor Associate with Student Health and Wellness – Counseling Services at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. She double majored and earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Criminology from Texas A&M University in Kingsville and holds a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Texas A&M University in Kingsville. She is a Board-Certified Tele-Health Professional, Certified Grief Informed Professional, QPR Gatekeeper Instructor, and EMDR-trained. She is also bilingual and speaks Spanish fluently.

Kristen L. Perez is a Licensed Professional Counselor – Associate for the state of Texas. Kristen is currently employed as a Professional Counselor I at Texas A&M University – Kingsville since February, 2023. Kristen is from Premont, Texas, and has been living in Kingsville, Texas since 2005. Kristen is currently pursuing her license to be Board Certified Tele-Mental Health and EMDR Trained. Kristen is also pursuing the Educational Leadership Doctoral Program, with a Cognate in Special Education at Texas A&M University – Kingsville. Kristen’s professional goals include collaboration with Rural Schools to focus on mental health needs and challenges of students and neighboring communities. Kristen enjoys spending time with her daughter, BBQs with family, and enjoys karaoke and trying new foods on her spare time. Kristen’s motto is “We all face challenges, but it is the choices that we make during those challenges that ultimately help shape us into who we want to become.”

Cory S. Martin is currently a Professional Counselor at Counseling Services Texas A&M University-Kingsville. He is also a 2nd year Doctoral Student in the PhD in Counselor Education program at Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi. Cory’s research interests include the utilization of technology as a co-counselor as well as men’s mental health issues. In his spare time, he enjoys listening to music, playing a round of golf or spending time with his family. Cory resides in Corpus Christi with his wife Andrea and 5-year-old daughter Audrey.

Andrew Gregg is a Licensed Professional Counselor Associate who has been working for four months with Texas A&M University–Kingsville’s Student Health and Wellness Center. Andrew graduated with his MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Texas A&M University: Corpus Christi in 2022. Andrew enjoys working with college students as he works toward getting his LPC license and hopes to continue learning and growing as a professional counselor.

A passionate professor playing a pivotal role in growth journeys of several institutions in the last 29 years. 19 years of these have been in Dean/Program Director level. Trained in international environment and taught international students. Understands institutional policy formulation required for Accreditation processes; motivation of employees; nurturing leadership and sustainable growth of the institution. Likes to comment on complexities of markets and Global macroeconomic dynamics. Loved for his courses in regular classes as well as MDPs