The Empowered To Connect Conference is a two-day conference for adoptive and foster parents, ministry leaders, and professionals designed to help them connect with children from hard places in order to help them heal and become all that God desires for them to be.

Founded by Dr. Karyn Purvis (Director of the TCU Institute of Child Development), this conference is ideal for adoptive and foster parents, those considering adoption or foster care and those who are serving and supporting others, including social workers, agency professionals, church staff and ministry leaders, counselors, therapists and others all involved in adoption and foster care ministries or services.

Presenters

David R. Cross, Ph.D.

David R. Cross, Ph.D., is Co-Director of the TCU Institute of Child Development and Professor in the TCU Department of Psychology. Dr. Cross and his colleague, Karyn B. Purvis, Ph.D., lead the Institute in its triple mission of research, education, and outreach to improve the lives of children who have experienced abuse, neglect, and/or trauma. He has authored many peer-reviewed publications about issues regarding at-risk children, including those who have experienced early trauma.

David earned his B.S. from California State University Fresno with a major in Psychology, and then attended The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor for graduate study, beginning in 1980. He earned an M.A. Psychology and an M.A. in Statistics, and then earned a Ph.D. in Education and Psychology. In 1985, he accepted a position as Assistant Professor in TCU’s Department of Psychology.

David’s wife, Trudy, is a retired Kindergarten teacher and a practicing Grandmother. His daughter, Jennifer, graduated from TCU in 2003, and is an environmental project manager for CB&I. His son, Nathan, is a former USMC Captain, and is now studying history at UTA.

Amanda R. Hiles Howard, PhD

Amanda Hiles Howard is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Samford University. She came to Samford after serving as the Assistant Director of the TCU Institute of Child Development for six years. Amanda earned her B.A. from The Ohio State University with a major in Psychology, and then attended Texas Christian University for graduate study under the mentorship of Drs. David Cross and Karyn Purvis. She earned an M.S. in Experimental Psychology with an emphasis on Quantitative Analysis, and then earned a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology with an emphasis on Developmental Psychology. Her work integrates theory, research and practice in a concentrated effort to increase understanding of the interpersonal processes underlying mental health and quality of life for youth in the child welfare system. Amanda and her husband John have two sons, Elias (6) and Silas (5).

Daren Jones, Training Specialist

Daren Jones is a Training Specialist with the TCU Institute of Child Development (ICD), where he works alongside Drs. David Cross and Karyn Purvis. As training specialist, Daren’s main focus is instructing professionals working with children who have experienced trauma, in Trust-Based Relational Intervention® (TBRI®). Since Daren joined the ICD in 2014, he has been an integral part of teaching and spreading TBRI® across the U.S. and throughout the world.

Daren earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. He began his career as a behavior instructor of a therapeutic day treatment program serving children and youth who could no longer function in a regular academic school setting. After serving as a behavior instructor, Daren decided to obtain his Masters in Social Work from Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky. Daren spent 12 years serving youth and families within residential and foster care settings as a direct-care worker, residential group home supervisor and trainer, before beginning his work with the TCU ICD.

Daren is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Counseling & Counselor Education at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, TX, where he resides with his wife Katie Jones, daughter Ruby, and baby boy due May 2016.

Dan and Terri Coley

Dan and Terri Coley are Show Hope founding board members who live in Franklin, Tennessee. Dan also serves on staff at Show Hope as the Senior Director of Programs and Growth Strategies. They have served as foster parents for more than 40 infants and birthmothers, and have adopted children domestically and internationally. Their family is multi-racial and includes children with special needs. It is their heart’s desire for every child to have a family, but through personal experience they have come to know the importance of understanding the challenges and needs of children from “hard places.” Dan and Terri are committed to help educate and prepare families for the adoption journey and empower them with the tools to help children heal while maintaining healthy families. The Coleys have nine children and eight grandchildren. Their daughter Christi lives in Birmingham with her husband Mike and daughters ColeyAnn and Kathren. Rachel and her husband, Corby, pastor in Lookout Mtn., GA with their children, Hank, Reese, Barnes, and Delsie. Carrie, her husband John, and their children, Rider and Leanna, live in New York City. Josh lives in Murfreesboro. Johnson and his wife Catherine live in Franklin. Katie is a college freshman at Tennessee Tech. Michael, Daniel, and Anna live at home with Dan and Terri.

Frequently Asked Questions