About the Speakers:
Sarah Hayes
Bio: Sarah Hayes is a senior instructor at Northwest Missouri State University in the School of Health Sciences and Wellness. She holds advanced degrees in education, theology and counseling. Sarah is currently in the dissertation process of her doctoral program in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis through the University of Missouri Columbia. Her research areas include giftedness, counseling gifted individuals, foster care, diversity education and child play therapy. She is a mental health counselor (PLCP-Missouri) and serves on the county commission mental health board of trustees and local Sequential Intercept Mapping (SIM) sub-committee.
Dr. Tashel Bordere , PhD, CT
Bio: Dr. Bordere is an internationally-known scholar, author, speaker, consultant, and grief researcher at the Center for Family Policy and Research at the University of Missouri-Columbia. She is a former professor of Human Development and Family Science at the University of Missouri and University of Central Missouri. Dr. Bordere is the Immediate Past President of the National Alliance for Children’s Grief (NACG), Advisory Board member for the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and past ADEC Board Member. She completed a Forward Promise Fellowship through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) focused on healing among Black youth. Dr. Bordere’s research focuses on cultural trauma, stigmatized loss (gun violence), suffocated grief (a term she coined) and Black youth and family grief and rituals. She has received national and international awards including the 2025 Dr. Robert Fulton Founder’s Award for Outstanding Professional Service in Death, Dying, and Bereavement (international), Dr. Ronald K. Barrett Award (ADEC), Excellence in Engagement in Outreach (MU), and the Outstanding Faculty Mentorship to underrepresented students award (MU). Dr. Bordere has done keynotes, workshops, trainings, and published research on inequities in loss and culturally resonant practices. She co-edited and co-wrote the Handbook of Social Justice Issues in Loss and Grief (Routledge). She developed SHED Grief Tools for Schools. Dr. Bordere has been featured in national/international media.
Dr. Nathan Stephens
Bio: Dr. Nathan Stephens is a graduate of University of Missouri-Columbia, where he earned his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis. His dissertation was ‘Examining the Impact of a Black Male Initiative on Members’ Post-College Lives. His research interests include such topics as Racism, Racialized Stress, Racialization, Complex Trauma, Black Masculinity, Mass Incarceration, Mental Health, Wellness, Somatic Healing, Racial Healing, Critical Race Theory, Ecological Systems Theory, African American Male Theory, Social Justice, and Social Justice Praxis. He received a Master of Social Work (MSW) from the School of Social Work - Columbia College, after earning a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW).
He is currently an Assistant Professor at Illinois State University, School of Social Work. Some of his current publications include book chapters: The Rose That Grew Through the Concrete. Gumbo for the Soul: Males of color share their stories, meditations, affirmations and inspirations; The Sting of a WASP: An autoethnographic account of a black male administrator in student affairs; Black Studies and Critical Thinking Reader. He has published in such peer-reviewed journals as Health and Social Work, with his work entitled Barriers to Hospice Use Among African Americans: A systemic review. He has presented numerous lectures as invited speaker at conferences and seminars, including Black Mental Wellness = Healing Black Men, Champaign-Urbana Trauma and Resiliency Initiative; MJJA July Virtual Conference 2022; and countless others. He returns to us by popular demand
Dr. Steve Bryant-Collier
Bio: Dr. Steve Bryant-Collier is a social justice educator and belonging practitioner. He holds a Doctor of Education from the University of Missouri-Columbia in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis. Dr. Bryant-Collier’s research and practice focus on centering minoritized communities, providing intentional, diverse learning experiences, and challenging systems and structures that perpetuate inequities.