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AVAILABLE TO BOOK EXCLUSIVELY THROUGH THE SAFE AND SOUND SPEAKERS BUREAU
Michele Gay, founder and executive director of Safe and Sound Schools, is an internationally recognized leader in comprehensive school safety. After the tragic loss of her daughter, Josephine, in the Sandy Hook School shooting, Michele turned her grief into action, dedicating her life’s work to protecting and educating school communities. As the primary author of the Safe and Sound Schools Comprehensive Framework for Safety Planning and Development, she provides a practical guidance across six key pillars: emergency management, community engagement, physical safety, mental and behavioral health, school climate, and overall wellness. A trusted subject matter expert, Michele’s voice and inclusive approach foster collaboration among administrators, multidisciplinary teams, school resource officers, parents, and leaders at the local, state, and federal levels.
WHY
Book
Michele
FOR YOUR EVENT?
"Michele’s presentations to parents, educators, and policy makers provide the perfect balance of emotion and practical guidance. She promotes an approach to school safety that strikes the important balance between physical and psychological safety. Her efforts have helped to ensure schools have comprehensive safety and crisis plans, with special attention being given to reunification and recovery.”
—Stephen E. Brock, Ph.D., NCSP, LEP, Past President National Association of School Psychologists
WHO
Books
Michele
?
Michele’s powerful story and purposeful delivery have made her a highly sought-after international speaker. Typically booking 6–12 months in advance, she brings deep subject matter expertise and a practical, inclusive approach to school safety that resonates with diverse audiences. Michele is an ideal choice for schools, agencies, and organizations committed to creating safe and supportive educational environments.
Recent audiences and conferences include:
National Summit on K12 School Safety and Security, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO)
The School Superintendents Organization (AASA)
National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)
British Columbia Ministry of Education
Deaf School Safety Task Force
Texas School Safety Center
Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services
Vermont Governor’s School Safety Conference
Michigan Office of School Safety Academy
(PrepTalks Conference) Federal Emergency Management Agency
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
United States Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (Protecting America’s Schools)
Add your school or organization to the list of those inspired by Michele Gay – book her today!
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Get Inspired
TO BRING
Michele
TO YOUR NEXT EVENT!
SPEAKER
Topics Include
Mental & Behavioral Health
Health & Wellness
Safety & Security
Culture, Climate & Community
Leadership, Law & Policy
Operations & Emergency Management
MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports)
Prevention - Lessons Learned from Averted School Violence Case Studies
School Violence Prevention Strategies
Student Safety Training
Inclusive School Safety
Best Practices for Safety Drills and Training
Emergency Preparedness & Response
Active Shooter Preparedness & Response
Recovery & Resilience After Tragedy
Turning Pain into Purpose
Lessons Learned from Tragedy
Resilience
Reunification for the School Community
Signature
PRESENTATIONS
Click on the titles to learn more about each signature presentation and fill out the form below to book for your next event.
Rethinking School Safety: A Parent’s Perspective
1-2 Hour Keynote
Michele tells her personal story and recounts the lessons she learned on December 14, 2012 and in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook School tragedy. She shares the inspiring way she has chosen to help school communities improve school safety in honor of her daughter, Josephine, and memory of the other 19 children and six teachers lost on December 14, 2012. Michele’s perspective, as the mother of a special-needs child and former elementary school teacher, provides unique insight and inspiration for parents, administrators, school staff, emergency responders and community members who strive to make their schools safer. Michele Gay and the Safe and Sound foundation bring an important message to our communities and represent a powerful presence in our national school safety community.
Reunification for the School Community
Keynote, Half, or Full Day Workshop
Michele draws on her personal experiences and offers valuable insights from the Sandy Hook School tragedy to guide school communities in preparing for safe, successful, and supportive reunification processes. Alongside Dr. Melissa Reeves, another recognized leader in the field of school safety, Michele shares both personal and professional perspectives on school-based reunification. Together, they explore best practices, current reunification models, and lead scenario-based tabletop exercises to equip participants with the tools and strategies necessary for effective reunification planning and preparation.
Beyond Tragedy: Response and Recovery in a School-Based Crisis
1-2 Hour Keynote
Michele shares her personal perspective on the Sandy Hook School response and recovery efforts. Based on her own experiences, those of victims, survivors, first responders, community leaders, educators, families, and children in the Sandy Hook and Newtown community, Michele outlines the challenges, successes, and lessons learned in the aftermath of tragedy and loss to better prepare others to respond and recover from emergencies, crisis, and disaster. She shares insights on emergency notification, communication, death notification, protection of victims and victims’ families, mental health needs and services, media management, and financial considerations, as well as other issues surrounding the response and recovery efforts within Sandy Hook and Newtown.
Engaging the Community in School Safety: Tools and Ideas for Safer Schools
1-Hour Seminar or Workshop
Michele offers presentation and discussion of the Safe and Sound model, toolkits, and tools according to the needs of the attendees. Michele’s sessions can be tailored to specific and various school safety stakeholders or delivered to a mixed group, shared in a seminar format, hands-on workshop, or breakout style. As an active member of the school safety community, Michele is prepared to share expert resources and discuss many of the programs and interventions available to communities striving to improve school safety.
Students First: Developmentally Appropriate & Trauma-Informed Safety Education
1-2 Hour Workshop
Michele addresses one of the most pressing and timely concerns school communities face today: developing and delivering safety curricula and training with respect to the unique needs of students and staff of all ages, abilities, and educational levels. Using Safe and Sound’s models for teaching and training, Michele empowers staff to determine objectives and activities for developmentally appropriate and psychologically safe education and training in the K-12 school setting.
Especially Safe: Ensuring the Safety of EVERYbody
Keynote and/or Half Day Workshop
Through inclusive planning, we can create a culture of safety and security for our children, students, parents, and staff to depend on in emergencies of all kinds. Inspired by her daughter, Josephine, Michele shares her personal insights into school safety preparedness as the parent of a child with autism, developmental, and physical disabilities and the Especially Safe program created in her honor. Dedicated to helping school communities plan and prepare & teach and train for the safety of individuals with special needs, Michele will share the inspiration behind the program as well as its practical application for increasing empowerment and building a positive culture of safety for all members of your school community.
The Road to Resilience
1-2 Hour Keynote
Presented individually or as two braided stories, Michele shares her transformative journey from out of tragedy and into resiliency alongside several Safe and Sound presenters such as Frank DeAngelis, retired Columbine principal, Natalie Hammond, former Sandy Hook School administrator, Missy Dodds, former teacher at Red Lake High School, and Dr. CJ Huff former superintendent of the Joplin, Missouri Schools. She examines critical aspects of resilience along her own healing journey to illustrate the importance of proactive resiliency-building, including protective factors, healthy relationships, mental health supports, faith and spirituality, health and wellness, and discovering post-traumatic growth.
Perspectives In Prevention: From Sandy Hook to Sycamore
1-2 Hour Keynote
Presented in braided format with Safe and Sound presenter Molly Hudgens, school counselor at Sycamore Middle School Michele, this moving presentation contrasts two pathways to violence. Exploring numerous opportunities, practical strategies, and best practices for intervention, Michele and Molly the power of each of us collectively to change the trajectory of an individual on the pathway to violence.
Hindsight to Foresight: From Red Lake to Sandy Hook
1-2 Hour Keynote
Presented with former teacher and survivor, Missy Dodds, two powerful voices share lessons learned through their tragic experiences at Sandy Hook School and Red Lake High School. Michele and Missy provide their valuable hindsight as foresight for school communities who seek to ensure safe and sound schools and bright futures for every child.
Panel Discussions and Q&A Sessions
Michele offers Q&A sessions following her keynotes or as a separate session. She is also available for panel discussions. As these formats are more organic and highly individualized, Michele prefers to discuss and plan for these types of sessions directly with clients.
Testimonials
Michele Gay was a keynote for our annual safety summit. She was so inspiring and her expertise was invaluable. Some of the comments from our districts included ‘the lessons that were learned on that day resonated with me. I’m meeting with my committee this week,’ and ‘we cannot ever prepare for every scenario but we need to plan, plan and plan some more. I see Sandy Hook as our district… This won’t happen here. I appreciated her testimony and work for safe schools.’ I have met with many attendees since the summit, and they have said they are revisiting their EOPs to ensure they are prepared the best they can be for their students, teachers, parents, and communities. That was the goal of our summit and I am glad we had Michele to energize that effort.
—Bilinda K. McCutcheon, Education Specialist, Region 17 Education Service Center, Texas
Speaker
BIOGRAPHY
Mother, educator, and co-founder of Safe and Sound Schools, Michele Gay chose to take action after losing her daughter Josephine Grace on December 14, 2012. Since that time, Gay has channeled her work as an advocate, improving safety and security in schools and communities across our country.
With a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Towson State University, Gay earned her Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from McDaniel College. Prior to the Sandy Hook tragedy, she taught at the elementary level in the Maryland and Virginia public schools.
Now a nationally and internationally recognized public speaker and school safety expert, Gay reaches audiences and consults with all levels of community institutions — schools; municipalities; houses of worship; educational and public safety leadership; state and federal governments; law enforcement agencies; and top news media sources. Through her work, and always with a goal of helping others increase the safety within their own communities, Gay shares her personal experiences and the lessons she has learned.
The recipient of numerous national awards, Michele is a regular contributor for print, radio, and television outlets. The primary visionary and author of Safe and Sound’s programs and materials, Michele has served as a stakeholder voice in national legislative discussions.
Through these works she continues to build Safe and Sound Schools as a national hub of school safety education, technical assistance, expert content, and best practices. Michele’s impassioned position on school safety hinges on every community taking a comprehensive and sustainable approach to safety. She works diligently to unite stakeholders of all disciplines and perspectives.
As an educator, mother, and survivor of tragedy herself, Michele is uniquely positioned to help others. She has dedicated her life to honoring Josephine’s memory by ensuring that every school, every child, and every community is truly safe and sound.