TIPS for Great Kids Collaborators

The TIPS team is dedicated to improving children’s success in school and in life.  This talented, highly knowledgeable team is comprised of professionals with experience in early childhood education, child development, social work, mental health, substance abuse, violence prevention, writing and editing.

Nikki Edge, Ph.D.

Nikki Edge, PhD is an Associate Professor in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine with a background in Educational Psychology and Research. She conducts research on factors that place children at risk for poor social and emotional outcomes, and designs and evaluates interventions for these high risk children and families. Her specific areas of focus include children and families impacted by maternal substance use, depression and traumatic events such as abuse or neglect and she has published widely in these areas. She also focuses on designing and evaluating interventions in early care and education settings to support teachers and parents and build social and emotional skills in young children. In addition to her role on the TIPS team, she directs an Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation program in Arkansas, called Project PLAY as well as a teacher training and coaching program, called REACH.

Michelle Trulsrud

Michelle Trulsrud is a Research Associate, performing as an Online Content Manager for the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, RED-UAMS.  She has over 17 years of experience in online and classroom training, curriculum development, training design, website development and website management.  Michelle is currently the developer and administrator of the RED / UAMS online learning Platform.

Patti Bokony, Ph.D.

Dr. Patti Bokony launched TIPS as a pilot program in 2006, in partnership with the North Little Rock School District.  The success of the pilot program led to the launch of TIPS statewide. TIPS has been implemented in seven states nationwide and that number will continue to grow.

Dr. Bokony has retired as an assistant research professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.  She earned a Master of Education in Early Childhood Special Education from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and a doctoral degree in Educational Psychology from the University of Memphis. Dr. Bokony’s areas of interest include developing preventive interventions that promote social-emotional development in early childhood and promoting those interventions through parenting education and professional development for childcare and early education professionals.