Lisa S. Negrini, Ph.D.

Judge Irene H. Sullivan (ret.) is a nationally-recognized expert in juvenile and family law. She is the author of the book, Raised by the Courts: One Judge’s Insight into Juvenile Justice. Judge Sullivan served as a family and juvenile court judge in the Tampa Bay area of Florida for 12 years. Upon her retirement, she began to teach juvenile law as an adjunct professor at Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Florida. She also began to serve as a guardian ad litem, appointed by the courts, in high conflict divorce and paternity cases. Judge Sullivan received the Salvation Army’s Children’s Justice Award in 2005, followed by awards from her local bar associations and Stetson University Law School’s Hall of Fame selection. In 2022, PACE Center for Girls selected her as their advocacy champion and the Girl Scouts of West Central Florida appointed her a Woman of Distinction.

Lisa S. Negrini, Ph.D., LCSW, IMH-E brings 35 years of experience in child and family mental health, professional development, advocacy, research, workforce development and innovative initiatives for children and families. Dr. Negrini has spent her career promoting integrated community systems of care for families and developing key partnerships and collaborations across disciplines that effectively create and disseminate effective strategies and services to meet the needs of children and their families. Dr. Negrini is the Executive Director of Learning Empowered, Inc. where she works to address educational disparities for children and adults to promote healthy child development and support strong and resilient families.