Breakout Sessions
Mary Beth Kelley, Birth-Kindergarten: Reframing Conflict: An Opportunity for Growth
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Distress tolerance: the core of resilience
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Sibling dynamics: understanding the role of temperament
Mary Beth Kelley, BSW, MA, is the Director of School Counseling at St. Mary of the Angels School in Chicago. She has devoted her career to helping others heal, learn, and thrive. For six years, she served as the Clinical Director of a Women’s Recovery Program, providing leadership and compassionate counseling to women rebuilding their lives after experiences of domestic violence. Her background includes extensive experience in both inpatient and outpatient counseling, where she worked with individuals and groups navigating a range of challenges.
Mary Beth has also shared her passion for psychology as an instructor at Oakton Community College, teaching courses such as Psychology 101, Abnormal Psychology, and Counseling Psychology. For more than a decade, she served as a school counselor, including time at Evanston High School, where she supported high-risk youth through guidance, advocacy, and care.
Guided by her belief in the dignity and potential of every person, Mary Beth later founded a cookie business that provides meaningful employment for young adults with disabilities. Alongside her professional work, she has embraced her role as a stay-at-home mother for the past fifteen years—actively volunteering as a room parent, community organizer, and Brownie troop leader.
Leticia Rodriguez, 1st-6th Grade: Communication that Grows Relationships
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Playing to the strength of each temperament
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Boundaries and bonds of affection
Leticia Rodriguez is the Director of IFFD Family Enrichment. She has a law degree from the Universidad Autonoma in Madrid and a postgraduate degree in Marriage, Family and Education from the International University of Cataluña in Barcelona. For 24 years she has worked with the International Federation for Family Development (IFFD) and is currently the Director of IFFD Family Enrichment. In this capacity she has organized International Congresses on Familly Enrichment in major cities around the world, most recently in Mexico City, London, and Cebu. In the last 8 years she has travelled to 30 countries in Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas to give conferences on Marriage, Family and the Case Method applied to Family, as well as to promote Family Enrichment, and train Moderators and Team Leaders. She has organized and contributed to IFFD’s digital series, Love Talks, Sexuality & Affectivity, and in the last 5 years she has also organized online Moderating Practice sessions for more than 1500 moderators in 70 countries.
Leticia has been married for 24 years and has three children. Her passions are her
family, the family and helping others strengthen their family through Family Enrichment
programs.
Ann Brodeur, 7th-12th Grade: Communication that Grows Relationships
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Playing to the strength of each temperament
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Boundaries and bonds of affection
Dr. Ann Brodeur, PhD, is the Chair of Education & Liberal Arts at Catholic International University. She received her doctorate in Medieval History from the University of Toronto, her master’s in Medieval Studies from The Catholic University of America, and her bachelor’s from Franciscan University. She also studied at the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at St. Michael’s Hall, Oxford.
For nearly two decades, she has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in Catholic Studies, History, and Education at the University of Toronto, the University of St. Thomas (St. Paul), and the University of Mary. She joined Catholic International in 2024.
Dr. Brodeur researches and writes on the intersection of religion and culture; religious, social, and economic history; the history and philosophy of education; the family and home life. She has published and presented nationally and internationally on these topics and has been interviewed on Relevant Radio and Real Presence Radio. Dr. Brodeur has served on various boards and committees for K-12 institutions and universities, and currently serves as educational advisor to Catholic K-12 schools around the country.
Katie Stangel, Teens-Adult Children: Motherhood Never Ends: The Lifelong Bond and How it Evolves
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Redefining your role in your adult child’s life: letting go without losing connection
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Fostering independence and maturity
Katie Stangel is the Head of School at Willows Academy. She holds a B.A. from Loyola University Chicago, Organizational Communications and a B.A. from Loyola University Chicago, Political Science. Mrs. Stangel began her professional career as a speech writer for the Consul General of Japan and as the Head of the Political Division of the Japanese Consulate in Chicago. After her children were in school full-time, she switched gears and began teaching P.E. and was Assistant Athletic Director at Willows Academy. She spent the last 5 years as the Dean of Students before stepping into the role of interim head of school.
She is an alum of Willows (class of '87) and attended school in the very first Willows Academy up in Glencoe, IL. She and her husband, Mike, have been married for 33 years and have six children and four grandchildren. All four of their daughters graduated from Willows Academy.