About UBI

Utah’s Behavior Initiative (UBI) is a collaborative training platform for implementing Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) in Utah schools.  UBI has a state team that includes:  the Utah State Office of Education, the Utah Personnel Development Center and the Utah State Personnel Development Improvement Grant. Additionally, UBI has an advisory council comprised of behavioral experts from the major institutes of higher education in the state, state and district educational personnel, and local mental health agency personnel.  Currently, 13 public school districts participate in the UBI training platform.  2007-2008 is the 6th year for UBI training and technical assistance for public school and mental health systems.

PBIS is a proactive and preventative model for systems change.  There is a national technical assistance center for PBIS (www.pbis.org).  PBIS practices are scientifically validated as effective ways to increase positive student and adult behavior (academic and social behavior) and decrease inappropriate behavior.  Key components of PBIS include:  established expectations by consensus, explicit instruction, effective reinforcement systems, and systematic correction of behavioral errors. Successful implementers of PBIS understand and develop:  1).tiered levels of intervention (i.e. ALL, SOME and FEW), 2).effective data collection, analysis, and use methods,  and 3).coordinated systems (i.e. Schoolwide, Classroom).

Contact UBI
Questions? Contact us, the UBI Core Planning Team.

Utah Personnel Development Center (UPDC)
2290 East 4500 South Suite 220
Salt Lake City, Utah 84117
(801) 272-3431
fax (801) 274-5289

Hollie Pettersson (holliep@updc.org) Prior to joining the UPDC in 2001, Hollie was a special education teacher with experience in Jordan, Granite, and Meridian (Idaho) school districts. She has taught elementary, middle, and high school with responsibilities ranging from self-contained cluster units and youth-in-custody settings to resource and co-teaching classrooms. Hollie earned a degree in Psychology and a master in Special Education, both from the University of Utah; she certified to teach through Utah State University and is currently a Ph.D. student in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Utah. Behavior interventions, empirically proven practices, transition, and mental health issues are her main areas of interest and experience.

Julie Mootz (juliemoo@updc.org) Julie joined the UPDC in 2003. She previously worked in the Park City School District as a math teacher. Julie has been an educator for the past 16 years, teaching in Utah, Florida and Ohio. She is a Track XIII Mentor, and is excited about the collaboration between general education and special education. Her special interests are inclusion and differentiation to provide academic access for all students.

Terri Mitchell (terrim@updc.org) Terri joined the UPDC in October 2001. She started her special education teaching career (graduated BYU) in Ontario, Oregon in 1992, where she taught children with a variety of disabilities in a fully inclusive elementary school. Terri began teaching preschool in 1996 while getting her Early Childhood Special Education Endorsement from USU. During her time teaching preschool, Terri created an inclusive classroom that fulfilled the needs of children with disabilities as well as at-risk Title I and tuition paying students. She has extensive experience in training other teachers about appropriate practices with young children with disabilities. She has authored and co-authored articles regarding young children with disabilities. In addition, Terri is a certified trainer and field consultant for the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation for preschool and infant/toddler curriculums.

Mark Riding (UPDC Director) (markr@updc.edu) During his thirty-plus year career in education he has worked as a special education teacher, teacher specialist, special school principal , elementary school principal; in traditional, year-round, and title-one schools. Much of Mark's present work centers on literacy, leadership, and motivation.

Dan Morgan (State Improvement) (danm@provo.edu) Dan is a life-long special educator. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree from Western MichiganUniversity in 1968, with a major in special education/emotional disturbance. Since 1976, he has been on the faculty in the Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation at Utah StateUniversity. From 1980-1990, he was Department Head. He has directed numerous personnel preparation projects, including preservice and inservice level training programs. He has alsodirected a number of field-initiated research and model demonstration projects. His research and publication activities include best practices for students with behavioral disorders, substance useprevention programs, and student self-management programs. In recent years, he has become more involved in special education legal issues by teaching courses and by serving as a dueprocess hearing officer.

Utah State Office of Education (USOE)
250 East 500 South
P.O. Box 144200
Salt Lake City, Utah 84114-4200

UBI-Links Grant Contact Information

Heidi Mathie
Heidi Mathie is the coordinator of the UBI Mental Health Links grant. Heidi will complete her Ph.D. in school psychology from the University of Utah in the fall of 2007. Additionally, Heidi worked as a school psychologist in Davis School District for 3.5 years in the elementary and secondary setting.
Phone: 801-638-7784
Fax:  801-272-3479
heidi.mathie@schools.utah.gov
2290 E. 4500 S. Suite 220A
Salt Lake City, UT 84117

Chezlie Jedrziewski
Chezlie Jedrziewski is an assistant on the UBI Mental Health Links grant and currently is a graduate student in counseling psychology at the University of Utah.  Chezlie has previous experience in affective disorders.
Phone: 801-638-7783
Fax:  801-272-3479
chezlie.jedrziewski@schools.utah.gov
2290 E. 4500 S. Suite 220A
Salt Lake City, UT 84117

Christian Sabey
Christian Sabey is an assistant on the UBI Mental Health Links grant and currently is a graduate student in school psychology at the University of Utah. Christian has previous experience in elementary schools in the Salt Lake School District.
Phone: 801-638-7782
Fax:  801-272-3479
chrsitian.sabey@schools.utah.gov
2290 E. 4500 S. Suite 220A
Salt Lake City, UT 84117

Advisory Council - Last updated: 1/23/07