Who We Are
Dr. Brenda Eagan-Johnson, CBIS-AP
BrainSTEPS Director
Brenda Eagan-Johnson, EdD, CBIS-AP has worked in the field of pediatric brain injury for over two decades. She is the State Director for Pennsylvania’s BrainSTEPS Brain Injury School Consulting Program, which is a nationally recognized model. Since it began in 2007, Dr. Eagan-Johnson has focused on the creation and program development of BrainSTEPS. Her daily work includes program implementation, student/school/team member/healthcare provider consultation and training for over 250 BrainSTEPS brain injury educational consultants serving 31 BrainSTEPS teams across the state. She also serves as a consultant for a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) funded study related to BrainSTEPS student outcomes. The Colorado Department of Education adopted the BrainSTEPS model in 2016.
Dr. Eagan-Johnson received her bachelor’s degree in Education from Wittenberg University in Ohio. She obtained teaching certifications in Elementary Education, Special Education (K-12), and Reading. Dr. Eagan-Johnson obtained her master’s degree in Special Education Transition & Brain Injury from the George Washington University (GWU) in Washington, DC and her doctorate from Johns Hopkins University in Mind, Brain, and Teaching (educational neuroscience) in Maryland. Dr. Eagan-Johnson is also an Instructor at GWU for the Graduate School of Education and Human Development, teaching brain injury coursework.
Dr. Eagan-Johnson serves on the Board of Governors for the Academy of Certified Brain Injury Specialists under the Brain Injury Association of America and the Board of Directors for the International Pediatric Brain Injury Society. She serves on the executive board for the National Collaborative on Children’s Brain Injury. Dr. Eagan-Johnson is a Certified Brain Injury Specialist with Advanced Practice in NeuroRehabilitation (CBIS-AP), is published in pediatric brain injury & special education, regularly presents at the state, national, & international levels, and has received multiple state and national awards for her work. In 2022, she was awarded the prestigious Voogt Award in NYC. Spearheading development and creation of PA’s Return to Learn Concussion Management Team Model, she has trained over 3,000+ school-based teams in PA and CO. Injury Association of America. She serves on the executive board for the National Collaborative on Children’s Brain Injury. She is a Certified Brain Injury Specialist Trainer, is published in pediatric brain injury, regularly presents at the state, national, & international levels, and has received multiple state & national awards for her work. Spearheading development and creation of PA’s Return to Learn Concussion Management Team Model, she has trained over 3,000+ school-based teams. Additionally, Dr. Eagan-Johnson serves on the Board of Governors for the Academy of Certified Brain Injury Specialists under the Brain
Maggie Lockovich, M.A. CCC/SLP-L, CBIS-AP
BrainSTEPS Team Facilitator
Email: maggie@brainsteps.net
Dr. Janice Tucker, CBIST
Regional Team Liaison- Central Pennsylvania
Email: janice@brainsteps.net
Ilsa Loetzbeier
Regional Team Liaison- Eastern Pennsylvania
Email: ilsa@brainsteps.net
Dr. Jim Wolf, CBIS
Regional Team Liaison- Eastern Pennsylvania
Email: jim@brainsteps.net
Kelley Avena
BrainSTEPS Administrative Coordinator
Kelley Avena is the BrainSTEPS Administrative Coordinator. For almost 30 years, Ms. Avena has worked in the field as an administrative assistant for accounting and banking industries. She is skilled at project and team management. Ms. Avena excels at her attention to detail. She brings strong organization and problem-solving skills to BrainSTEPS. Ms. Avena assists the Director in establishing administrative processes to enhance statewide BrainSTEPS program productivity.