Who We Are
Dr. Brenda Eagan-Johnson, CBIS-AP
BrainSTEPS Director
Dr. Brenda Eagan-Johnson, CBIS-AP has worked in the field of pediatric brain injury for over two decades. She is the State Project Director for Pennsylvania’s BrainSTEPS Brain Injury School Consulting Program, which is a nationally recognized model. For the past 15 years, 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 300 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 master’s degree in Special Education Transition: Brain Injury from the George Washington University (GWU) and her doctorate from Johns Hopkins University in Mind, Brain, and Teaching (educational neuroscience). Since 2015, she has been an Instructor at GWU for the Graduate School of Education and Human Development, teaching brain injury coursework.
Additionally, Dr. Eagan-Johnson serves on the Board of Governors for the Academy of Certified Brain Injury Specialists under the Brain 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.
Maggie Lockovich, M.A. CCC/SLP-L, CBIS-AP
BrainSTEPS Team Facilitator
Ms. Lockovich’s primary areas of focus for BrainSTEPS are program implementation and fidelity, outreach, consultation, and training. Ms. Lockovich has served as a BrainSTEPS Team Leader for Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV and Seneca Valley School District. She is a Certified Brain Injury Specialist who has worked with Pennsylvania’s BrainSTEPS Program for over 10 years. Ms. Lockovich earned her Master’s degree in Speech Language Pathology from Kent State University. She also holds certification as a Supervisor of Special Education. Ms. Lockovich has expertise in working with children and adults with Brain Injury, Autism, and Dysphagia.
Sarah Krusen, MA CCC/SLP CBIST
Philadelphia Team Facilitator
Sarah Krusen MA CCC/SLP CBIST is a speech language pathologist for the Bucks County Intermediate Unit #22, Bucks IU BrainSTEPS Team Leader. She is also the BrainSTEPS Team Facilitator for Philadelphia County. Sarah earned her undergraduate degree from Temple University in Speech Language Hearing Science. She went on to complete her Master's degree at The College of New Jersey in Speech Language Pathology. She has since also earned a graduate certificate from George Washington University in Transition Special Education and Brain Injury. She also holds a certificate as a Certified Brain Injury Specialist Trainer through The Academy of Certified Brain Injury Specialists (ACBIS). After graduate school Sarah was employed at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia in The Children's Seashore House as a speech language pathologist in neurorehabilitation and was also an evaluating therapist on the Stroke Team. She also worked at St. Mary Rehabilitation Hospital, per diem, with adults with brain injury. Since coming to the Bucks County Intermediate Unit in the fall of 2007, Sarah has continued to support individuals with brain injuries as they return to school and require support in schools due to their acquired brain injuries.
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.
Chloe X. Brown
Social Media Manager
