Who We Are

Dr. Brenda Eagan-Johnson, CBIST-AP, directs Pennsylvania's nationally recognized brain injury school consulting program, BrainSTEPS. 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 is a Certified Brain Injury Specialist Trainer with Advanced Practice in NeuroRehabilitation. Dr. Eagan-Johnson is an expert consultant for several research studies investigating brain injury and children. 
 
Dr. Eagan-Johnson obtained her doctorate specializing in Mind, Brain, and Teaching from Johns Hopkins University. Her master's degree is in Special Education Transition & Brain Injury from George Washington University. Her bachelor's degree is in Education from Wittenberg University. She is triple certified in elementary education, special education, and as a reading specialist. 
 
Dr. Eagan-Johnson is published in pediatric brain injury and has won multiple awards for her work. Most recently, in 2023, she was awarded the Robert D. Voogt Founder's Award by Dr. Voogt's family and the North American Brain Injury Society (NABIS). Dr. Eagan-Johnson is an active ENIGMA Brain Injury Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) group member and co-leads the National Association of State Head Injury Administrators Collaborative on Children's Brain Injury (NCCBI) special interest group. 

Maggie Lockovich, MA CCC/SLP-L, CBIST-AP has been involved with BrainSTEPS for over a decade. She served as a BrainSTEPS Team Lead for the Midwestern Intermediate Unit #4 (IU#4) and then BrainSTEPS Team Lead at Seneca Valley School District. Ms. Lockovich was appointed to the BrainSTEPS State Regional Council from 2016 until it ended in 2022. Her primary areas of focus for BrainSTEPS are program implementation and fidelity, outreach, consultation, and training. Ms. Lockovich is a is a Certified Brain Injury Specialist with Advanced Practice in NeuroRehabilitation (CBIST-AP). She is also a Certified Life Care Planner. Ms. Lockovich earned her master’s degree in Speech Language Pathology from Kent State University. She holds a Pennsylvania Supervisor of Special Education certification. Ms. Lockovich is published in brain injury and special education. She has vast expertise in working with children and adults both medically and educationally who are diagnosed with brain injury, autism, and dysphagia.

Kara A. Madara, PT, DPT, CBIST, earned a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from Daemen College and her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Shenandoah University. With over two decades of dedicated service as a Physical Therapist at the IU8, Kara has worked in a supervisory role providing leadership of physical and occupational therapy programs for IU8 for the past 10 years. Since 2007, she has been an integral member of the BrainSTEPS program. In her role as the IU8 BrainSTEPS Team Leader, Kara has spearheaded efforts to provide specialized consultation and training to local school districts, ensuring that educational staff are equipped with the knowledge and strategies to support students recovering from brain injuries. Her leadership extends to collaborating closely with the medical community to enhance awareness and best practices in managing concussions and other brain injuries within the educational setting. As a Certified Brain Injury Specialist Trainer, Kara maintains her certification through continuous professional development, including attending specialized trainings, conferences, and staying abreast of the latest research in brain injury rehabilitation. She is committed to fostering a collaborative approach among educators, healthcare professionals, and families to facilitate successful school re-entry and long-term academic success for students affected by brain injuries. Kara and her husband, Rick, have been married for over 30 years and have two children. Their son, Kyler, is a Chemical Engineer and their daughter, Hannah, is a PharmD both graduating from the University of Pittsburgh.

Ron Deguffroy, PsyD, received his Doctor of Psychology degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Over a 29-year career at Lincoln Intermediate Unit #12, he served as a school psychologist, Pupil Personnel Services Department advisor, and associate supervisor before retiring in 2023. Dr. Deguffroy has extensive experience supporting both regular and special needs students, contributing to district-wide board policy development, as well as providing training to staff. He became involved with the BrainSTEPS Program as a team member during its inception and later led the team for the last several years of his career. Dr. Deguffroy was instrumental in implementing return-to-learn protocols for students with brain injury, ensuring compliance with applicable laws, policies and best practices to ensure student safety and healing. Ron is enthusiastically involved with the Rolls-Royce Foundation, where he is a past chairperson of the Board of Directors. He is also active with the Rolls-Royce Owners’ Club. Ron and his wife, Megan, have been married for over 25 years and have one daughter who attends Penn State.

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.