Our Team
Center Directors
Co-Executive Directors
Nathaniel von der Embse, Ph.D., NCSP
Dr. von der Embse is an Associate Professor of School Psychology at the University of South Florida and is an Associate Editor at the Journal of School Psychology. Dr. von der Embse utilizes a social justice framework to examine the intersection of education policy and school mental health. His research has resulted in over 75 peer-reviewed journal articles, professional articles, or book chapters. Dr. von der Embse completed his master’s and educational specialist degrees in school psychology from Miami (OH) University, and Ph.D. from Michigan State University with a specialization in educational policy analysis. Dr. von der Embse has procured nearly $6,000,000 in grant supports from funding agencies including the Institute for Education Sciences, National Institute for Justice, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Agency, Spencer Foundation, and Scattergood Foundation. He was a recipient of the 2018 Lightner Witmer Award for Early Career Scholarship from Division 16 of the American Psychological Association.
Shannon Suldo, Ph.D.
Dr. Suldo is a Professor and Director of Clinical Training in the School Psychology Program at the University of South Florida. She is a Licensed Psychologist (PY #7704, Florida) and completed her graduate training in the School Psychology Program at the University of South Carolina in 2004. She has extensive research and clinical experiences in school-based mental health services, including: establishing empirical links between student mental health and academic success; conceptualizing and measuring student mental health in a dual-factor model that considers psychopathology and subjective well-being; evidence-based positive psychology interventions for promoting positive indicators of student and educator well-being; and schoolwide strategies to identify youth with mental health problems. She also studies the stress, coping strategies, and mental health of high school students in accelerated courses, and is Principal Investigator of studies funded by the Institute of Education Sciences to identify and facilitate student-level and environmental factors that predict academic and emotional success among students in Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses. She is an Associate Editor of School Mental Health. In recognition of her research accomplishments, she received the 2009 Lightner Witmer Award for Early Career Scholarship and the 2019 Thomas Oakland Award for Mid-Career Scholarship from Division 16 of the American Psychological Association.
Evan Dart, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Dr. Dart is an Associate Professor in the School Psychology Program at the University of South Florida. He is a licensed psychologist and board certified behavior analyst and completed his graduate training in the school psychology program at Louisiana State University. His research interests are best summarized as school-based behavioral interventions implemented within a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS). His work in school mental health focuses on the development and evaluation of progress monitoring tools to assess students’ social-emotional functioning and the adaptation of existing behavior interventions (e.g., Check-in/Check-out) to address mental health concerns. Dr. Dart co-edited a special issue of School Mental Health devoted to addressing students’ internalizing behavior through multi-tiered systems of support. His research has resulted in over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and he was named the recipient of the 2019 Lightner Witmer Award for Early Career Scholarship from Division 16 of the American Psychological Association.
Center Director
David Wheeler, Ph.D.
Dr. Wheeler is a Licensed School Psychologist with a lifetime (30+ years) of services as a practicing school psychologist and state and national leader. Dr. Wheeler completed his graduate studies at the University of Texas-Austin with a specialization in school psychology. Prior to joining the SMHC, Dr. Wheeler was the School Psychology Consultant for the Florida Department of Education where he was instrumental in developing state rules, policies, and technical assistance for special education, school psychology, student mental health, and providing leadership in the implementation of Florida’s multi-tiered system of support. Dr. Wheeler served as the Commissioner of Education designee on the Suicide Prevention Coordinating Council and as a Department of Education liaison with other agencies and professional associations. He has participated on numerous state and national policy workgroups, including the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Maltreatment Policy Workgroup and the 2020 NASP Standards Revision, Practice Model Writing Team. In 2019, Dr. Wheeler received the Willard Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award from the Florida Association of School Psychologists and the President’s Certificate of Achievement from the National Association of School Psychologists.