Biography
Dr. Donna Colleen Kester Phillips is an Associate Professor of Education and the Founder and Director of the Center for Mindful Practice at Niagara University. Her research focuses on social-emotional learning (SEL) in reading, including the development of the Reader Stress Survey, an instrument designed to identify the aspects of reading that can cause stress and anxiety in readers. Since 1985, Dr. Phillips has authored the “Pick of the Literature” children’s
book review column for Western New York Family Magazine. She is a Certified Advanced Lee Holden Qigong Instructor and a Certified Trauma-Informed Yoga Teacher. Dr. Phillips integrates mindfulness and movement into teaching and learning and serves as the host of the annual online Mindfulness and Mindful Movement Conversations Conference. She is the co- author of Taming the Turmoil: Mindful Movement for a Calm Classroom.