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Meet Our Leadership Team!

Writer's picture: Christine CowartChristine Cowart


At the Trauma-informed Design Society, we focus on ensuring

Trauma-informed Design (TiD) practitioners have access to the latest research and resources so they can apply TiD to their projects with fidelity.



To reach this goal, we operate in four main areas:

  • Researching TiD principles and practices, conducting studies to demonstrate their effectiveness, and compiling resources for practitioners;

  • Developing a framework and standard for the provision of safe, effective, evidence-based TiD services;

  • Cultivating and providing rewarding professional development opportunities for professionals who work in this space; and

  • Providing trauma-informed care and design project consultation services through sister organizations.



All this is possible due to the dedication and diligence of our Leadership Team.

Each member brings a wealth of experience to this work and a passion for helping organizations implement a trauma-informed approach and create safe, stress-reducing physical spaces.



We'd like to introduce:


Janet E. Roche, MDS CAPS

Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer

As a Master of Design for Human Health from the Boston Architectural College, Janet Roche is a faculty member teaching Trauma-informed Design and Biophilia.  She has also taught Environmental Health and Human Conditions + Design.  As the CEO of both the Trauma-informed Design Society and Janet Roche Designs, she leads in the field of health and wellness design.


Janet is also currently the Chair for the Alumni Council for the BAC. With a background with a B.S. in Social Work from Boston University, her Certificate of Business and Management from Harvard University Extension School, and nearly two decades of owning her own production company, she is now engaging her love of design, helping others, and business by owning her own company Janet Roche Designs, LLC. Her company believes that they can find real design solutions to the human condition.


In 2019, Janet launched her own podcast, Inclusive Designers, where she is a host, co-producer, and writer. As she is a longtime advocate for dignity in design, IDP is a collaborative forum for designers to share creative ideas for different human conditions for inclusivity, equality, and diversity.



Christine Cowart, MA, CTP

Co-Founder, Chief Operations Officer

Christine Cowart, a dually-certified trauma professional and policy specialist, has built a career in human services with a focus on criminal justice, family services policy, and trauma intervention.  Through this work, she developed an in-depth understanding of trauma, its possible effects, and what can be done to change the story.  She founded Cowart Trauma-informed Partnership, to help organizations implement trauma-informed care practices, and has been working to merge trauma-informed care with design since 2020.  Christine is a faculty member at the Boston Architectural College (BAC), where she teaches Trauma-informed Design.


Christine earned her Master of Criminal Justice degree from the State University of New York at Albany, before entering service as a state legislative analyst in both New York and New Jersey.  She also worked as a policy analyst for the New York State Division of Parole and as a contract and grant specialist for the Vermont Department for Children and Families, where she doubled as the co-chair for the Family Services Division’s racial equity workgroup. She is currently employed as the policy director for the Vermont Department of Corrections, where she is helping to implement a Department-wide trauma-informed approach.

Christine was raised in the United States by two immigrant parents, one from North Africa, the other from Western Europe, who merged the best of their vastly different cultures. After she married, she joyfully welcomed two Indigenous sons from South America, each with their own personalities, stories, gifts, and traumatic histories.  Her personal and professional experiences led her to a clear recognition of trauma and its effects throughout our society.


Committed to researching and addressing this phenomenon as a specialty, and driven to share this information with the general public, I founded Cowart Trauma Informed Partnership, to help individuals and organizations implement trauma-informed practices.  Recognizing that the physical spaces in which we spend time can impact our perceptions, stress levels, and ability to regulate our emotional responses and behaviors, I then joined Janet E. Roche and Dr. Davis Harte in co-founding the Trauma-informed Design Society.



J. Davis Harte, PhD, WELL AP

Co-Founder, Vice President of Education and Senior Researcher

Dr. Davis Harte is Director and Faculty of the Design for Human Health Master of Design Studies program at the Boston Architectural College (BAC).  She is a WELL Accredited Professional (WELL AP), and in addition to the Trauma-informed Design Society, she is also a co-founder of the Global Birth Environment Design Network.


Davis is an educator, advocate, practitioner, and speaker who bridges trauma-inform designed spaces, children’s places, and also birth environments with brain, neuroscientific and environmental psychological knowledge. She holds a PhD in Health from the University of Technology Sydney, where she penned “The Childbirth Supporter Study: Video-ethnographic examination of the physical birth unit environment.”



Adrienne Erdman

Vice President of Research and Development

With a background in human factors engineering and consulting, Adrienne has over 10 years of experience as an applied researcher and workshop facilitator who collaborates with architects, designers, and interested parties to create innovative evidence-based and human-centered designs. Versed in various methods, she conducts studies and leverages data to uncover needs, identify design solutions fit for purpose, and assess design effectiveness and efficiency.



 

The team has been hard at work developing

new resources for TiD practitioners.


Here's a preview of what's to come:


  • An online app for the Trauma-informed Design Evaluation Tool for K-12 Schools (TiDEvalK12) which users can fill out on their phones, tablets, or computers and will generate a report with their personalized results!


  • Our framework for trauma-informed design will be released later this Fall. Just in time for the holidays! Check back soon for more information on how to get your copy!


  • Two classes in Trauma-informed Design through the Boston Architectural College's Design for Human Health Masters Program, open to continuing education learners as well as enrolled students, starting this Spring:

    • Trauma-informed Design Theory; and

    • Trauma-informed Design applied Practice.


  • Professional development opportunities that will earn designers continuing education credits.


  • A credentialing program for professionals engaging in Trauma-informed Design.


  • New resources added to our website on a regular basis.



Subscribe and check-in to the website often

to stay apprised of all the latest information!

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