Presenters

Harriet Able is an associate professor in the School of Education at UNC-CH where she coordinates the graduate early childhood teacher education programs. Her research focuses on ethics and early childhood intervention, the efficacy of interdisciplinary inclusive personnel preparation models, campus community collaboration, and family centered models of practice in community based settings. She is the parent of a child with disabilities who has been served in inclusive settings.

Kristin Ainslie holds a Masters of Education degree in Early Childhood Special Education. Kristin has been working in the field of Early Childhood education for over 10 years in the roles of teacher, therapist, supervisor and trainer. Currently she is a curriculum specialist for the Head Start Center for Inclusion at the University of Washington.

Lorie C. Barnes received her BS in Child Development and Family Relations from ECU then worked with young children with special needs and their families for ten years. Upon receiving her MEd in Early Childhood Intervention and Family Support from UNC-Chapel Hill, Lorie was an adult educator for eleven years then served as Director of Education at Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh. Now with NCaeyc, Lorie delights in promoting excellence in early care and education.

Karen Blase has been a technical assistance provider, researcher, and evaluator for over 30 years. Together with Dean Fixsen, she is Co-Director of the National Implementation Research Network (NIRN)at Frank Porter Graham at UNC. Her area of interest and expertise is the science and best practice related to implementation and system change. She also co-directs the OSEP Center on State Implementation and Scaling Up of Evidence-Based Practices (SISEP).

Brian Boyd is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at UNC-Chapel Hill. His research focuses on evidence based behavioral intervention strategies for young children with autism spectrum disorders and related developmental disabilities.

William H. Brown is a professor at the University of South Carolina. He has written articles, chapters, and books about practices and policies for young children and their families and served as the editor of the Journal of Early Intervention from 2007-2010. His professional interests include young children’s social competence, preschool inclusion, high quality and effective community-based services for young children, and, most recently, young children’s physical activity in preschools and community settings.

Deana Buck, Project Director, Integrated Training Collaborative, provides administrative support to this project. She has worked in early intervention in Virginia since 1985 at the state and local levels. She served as a Local System Manager for 15 years. She also serves as the Partnership's Program Group Leader in Education/Early Childhood.

Terry Butler is program coordinator for the Oregon Council on Developmental Disabilities Inclusive Child Care Program. Beginning with a background in child and family mental health, for many years Terry's work has focused on child care and respite care as essential areas of support to families of children with disabilities, emotional or behavioral disorders, or special health care needs.

Virginia Buysse, Ph.D., is a Senior Scientist at the FPG Child Development Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She directs a program of research on Recognition & Response (R&R), a model of RTI for pre-k, and serves as Co-PI on three national centers, two related to professional development and inclusion, and a third focused on research related to early care and education practices for dual language learners.

Deb Cassidy is the director of the Division for Child Development in the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. She has conducted research in the area of early childhood program quality, particularly the relationship between teacher variables and quality, including the evaluation of programs designed to address program quality through increased teacher workforce compensation. Earlier in her career, she was an early childhood practitioner as a preschool teacher.

Debbie Cate works at NECTAC, FPG Child Development Institute at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a technical assistance specialist, working with states’ Part C and Section 619 systems. Her experience includes work as a teacher and diagnostician in the public and private sector, as well as ten years with the Tennessee Department of Education, supporting children, families and school districts as an early childhood consultant and 619 coordinator.

Camille Catlett is a Scientist at the University of North Carolina's FPG Child Development Institute. She is currently a co-principal investigator for the National Professional Development Center on Inclusion. She has led strategic planning efforts designed to promote systemic change in professional development in over 30 states, and supports early intervention and early childhood colleagues through research, presentations, writing, resources, and position statements.

Abby Cohen is currently the Region IX State TA Specialist for the Office of Child Care's National Child Care Information and Technical Assistance Center where she works with those administering the CCDF. In this capacity she has supported state/territorial work on inclusion and is currently working with Hawaii in its Expanding Opportunities efforts.

Aubrey Comperatore is currently a graduate student in the Early Childhood, Intervention, and Literacy program at UNC-CH, studying the connection between social-emotional learning, literacy, and teacher education. Aubrey previously taught elementary school for six years and has been a teacher mentor, trainer, and workshop facilitator for in-service teachers. She is currently working with FPG’s Project CONNECT and delivering in-service teacher workshops using their resources.

Shelley deFosset is staff to NECTAC and NPDCI. She works to support states in planning and implementing cross-sector early childhood professional development systems with state Part C and Section 619 programs, Child Care and Head Start. She is co-chair of the Eleventh National Early Childhood Inclusion Institute. Her thirty years’ experience in consultation and technical assistance also includes work with Native American programs as well as service systems in the Pacific Basin, Russia and Mongolia

Brenda Dennis is Project Director of Partnerships for Inclusion, a state-funded technical assistance project that supports the inclusion of young children with disabilities, birth-5 years old, and their families in natural environments. In recent years, the project's primary work has been related to training and consultation to support implementation of the CSEFEL Pyramid Model in public school preschool and Head Start classrooms.

Samtra K. Devard is a parent and uses her personal experiences to advocate for systems change according to the belief that by hearing families with openness, passion and empathy, partnerships are created and success can be achieved. Samtra founded HOPE Center Network for Families to empower parents to be strong and confident advocates and to provide strategies for how professionals can connect with families. Samtra has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Drexel University.

Martha Diefendorf holds an M.R.P. with a concentration in social policy planning and regional development. She has worked at NECTAS/NECTAC for 22 years in the capacity of Evaluation Specialist, TA Specialist, and Associate Director. She leads the Preschool Services TA Team, Early Childhood Collaboration Team, and Long-Term Systems Change Team, and supervises program staff on the fidelity of implementation of the NECTAC systems change model in their work with states nationwide.

Kate Gallagher is a Scientist with Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute and Director of FPG’s Childcare program. After working with children and families in early intervention and education programs for 15 years, she earned her Ph.D. from UW-Madison, and teaches in the School of Education at UNC Chapel Hill. Dr. Gallagher’s research focuses on the development of children’s social relationships, and their relationships’ impact on early learning and developmental competence.

Dayana Garcia is a Content Specialist for Head Start Knowledge and Information Management Services in the area of Disabilities and Mental Health and a former Office of Head Start Fellow. She is a former Disabilities Specialist for the Head Start Parents and Children Together in Honolulu, Hawaii. She has over 15 years’ experience working with children with disabilities and their families in the U.S. and her home country of Venezuela.

Cristina Gillanders, is an Investigator at the FPG Child Development Institute. She has been involved in the field of early childhood for more than 20 years as a bilingual early childhood teacher, director of an early childhood program, teacher educator and researcher.Her research focuses on young Latino emergent literacy, bilingualism, early childhood teaching practices for Latino dual language learners, and minority parents' beliefs and practices related to young children's learning and development.

Jennifer Grisham-Brown is a Professor in the Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education program and faculty director of the Early Childhood Laboratory School at the University of Kentucky. Dr. Grisham-Brown is co-author of two books on blended programs in early childhood education Her research interests include authentic assessment, tiered instruction, and inclusion of children with significant disabilities. Dr. Grisham-Brown isco-founder of a children’s home and preschool program in Guatemala City called Hope for Tomorrow.

Aron Hall is Director of Services for the National Inclusion Project. In this role, he coordinates Let’s ALL Play and other partnerships. Aron also coordinates volunteer fundraising efforts including Wrapping for Inclusion and he is responsible for project website development. A graduate of N.C. State University, Aron has many years experience in planning and implementing inclusive education and recreation programs.

Beth Harry is a Professor of special education in the Department of Teaching and Learning at the University of Miami and renowned scholar, researcher and author. A native of Jamaica, she entered the field of special education as a parent of a child with cerebral palsy, an experience that has been chronicled in her memoir, "Melanie: Bird With A Broken Wing, A Mother's Story."

Mary Louise Hemmeter is an associate professor of Special Education at Vanderbilt. Her research addresses effective instruction, challenging behavior, and professional development. She is principal investigator on the Center for the Social Emotional Foundations for Early Learning and two IES-funded research projects, a co-investigator on the National Center on Quality Teaching and Learning, and a faculty member on the Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Interventions. She is a co-editor of the Journal of Early Intervention.

Wendy Highland utilizes her fifteen years of experience in the field of Early Childhood as a practitioner and professional development specialist to provide training and technical assistance for the Center for Early Literacy Learning. Additional responsibilities include curriculum and product development for the Puckett Institute.

Heidi Hollingsworth currently works on two projects at the FPG Child Development Institute: the National Professional Development Center on Inclusion (NPDCI) and CONNECT: The Center to Mobilize Early Childhood Knowledge. Her research interests include: professional development, inclusion, and early social-emotional development.

Allison Jones holds a Masters of Education degree in Child and Family Studies as well as a NC Birth through Kindergarten license. Ms. Jones has been employed in the field of early childhood for over 15 years and has spent time in the roles of teacher, technical assistance specialist, early interventionist, administrator and trainer. In her current role, she provides specialized training and support to states involved in the Center for Early Literacy Learning (CELL)initiative.

Gail Joseph is director of Early Childhood and Family Studies at the University of Washington. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses, advises students, and conducts research on topics related to early care and education. Currently, she is a principal investigator for the Head Start Center for Inclusion and the Childcare Quality and Early Learning Center for Research and Training and Co-PI for the National Head Start Center for Quality Teaching and Learning.

Lynne Kahn is the Director of NECTAC and the director of TA for the ECO Center. As such she has provided on and off site TA for individual states, convened national teleconferences on issues and challenges related to EC data collection, reporting and use, contributed to guidance materials development, and reviewed state SPR/SPPs to analyze and synthesize the state of the states in their program improvement efforts.

Lindsey Lawrence holds a Masters of Education degree in Early Childhood Special Education. Lindsey has been working in the field of Early Childhood education for over 12 years in the roles of teacher, therapist, supervisor, trainer and teacher coach. Currently she is a curriculum specialist for the Head Start Center for Inclusion at the University of Washington.

Chih Ing Lim is the project coordinator for CONNECT, an OSEP-funded project to develop practice-focused modules using an evidence-based practice approach to professional development.

Kelly Maxwell is a Scientist and Associate Director at the FPG Child Development Institute and a Clinical Assistant Professor in the School of Education. She is interested in early childhood policy-related issues such as the evaluation of Quality Rating Improvement Systems and other early childhood initiatives and school readiness.

Katy McCullough worked as a SpecialQuest State Coordinator from 2007-2010, assisting in the planning and implementation of state level cross-sector professional development systems for early childhood inclusion using the SpecialQuest approach and materials. Katy has also worked with the National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (NECTAC) since 2004 as a Technical Assistance Specialist, assisting states in their implementation of Part C and Section 619 of IDEA.

Robin McWilliam is the Director of the Siskin Center for Child and Family Research in Chattanooga, TN, where he and his colleagues study Part C practices, implement the Engagement Classroom Model, and run a home-visiting program using the Routines-Based Early Intervention model. He is a Professor of Education at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and a Collaborating Member of the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Foundation for Science and Technology), Portugal.

Trish Mengel has provided professional development to early childhood educators through her work with NECTAC, The North Carolina Technical Assistance Project, SpecialQuest Birth - Five, Step-by-Step, and the Resource Access Project Network. Prior to this,she taught Kindergarten and Preschool in private, public, and early intervention settings. She currently works as a consultant. Inclusion has been a lifelong focus and passion.

Suzanne Millbourne is currently the Senior Site Manager of the National Children’s Study at the University of Delaware. Suzanne has developed a focus on person-environment interaction and environment-centered intervention planning. Her work has focused on the application of universal design, assistive technology, and environmental adaptations as primary interventions to promote occupational performance, health and wellbeing. Suzanne has contributed to numerous articles and publications; including CARA’s Kit: Creating Adaptations for Routines and Activities.

Amanda Moore is the State Inclusion Network Coordinator at the Agency for Workforce Innovation's Office of Early Learning. She has been a member of Florida’s Warm Line program since its inception in 2000, and has coordinated this network since 2004. Amanda supports local early learning coalitions and inclusion specialists to ensure child care providers have access to targeted, quality inclusion supports. She is a member of Florida's Expanding Opportunities Team and other cross-sector statewide initiatives.

Mary Louise Peters is a technical assistance specialist for NECTAC, FPG Child Development Institute at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with the Preschool Services TA and Personnel/TA Systems Teams. Her assistance to states focuses on systems change efforts to improve outcomes of young children and their families. She is a former state Section 619 coordinator with LEA/community and state collaboration, professional development, and early childhood and university teaching experiences.

Michelle Plaisance holds a Master's Degree in Teaching English as a Second Language and is entering her second year as a doctoral student in UNC-Charlotte's Urban Education program. Michelle has worked in NC public schools in a K-5 setting with dual language learners and currently is an instructor with the English Language Training Institute at UNCC. The primary focus of her research is educational equity for linguistically diverse children.

Susan Sandall is an Associate Professor at the University of Washington, College of Education. Her scholarly interests are a) effective instructional practices for young children with disabilities in inclusive classrooms, and b) the changing roles of teachers of young children with disabilities, their relationships with other providers, and the implications for personnel preparation. She is the PI for the National Center on Quality Teaching & Learning, and co-PI for the Head Start Center for Inclusion, both funded by the Office of Head Start. She is an investigator on an IES-funded research project studying the impact of varying approaches to professional development

Ilene Schwartz has been working with children with autism and their families for over 30 years. She is currently a Professor of Special Education at the University of Washington. She started the DATA (Developmentally Appropriate Treatment for Autism) Project in 1997 in order to provide a school-based alternative for young children with autism. Her primary research interests involve investigating instructional strategies for young children with autism and other disabilities that are effective, sustainable,and ecologically valid.

Patricia Snyder is a Professor and the David Lawrence Jr. Endowed Chair in Early Childhood Studies at the University of Florida. She is principal investigator for a project focused on supporting preschool teachers’ implementation of embedded instruction practices and co-principal investigator for projects focused on the Teaching Pyramid and a five-component model of early intervention. She partners with the Head Start Center for Inclusion and the National Center for Quality Teaching and Learning.

Elena P. Soukakou is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina. Her research interests include the quality of classroom practices in inclusive and special education settings, the effectiveness of early educational assessment and interventions, and the social and emotional development of young children.

Judy Swett is the Early Childhood Coordinator at PACER Center in MN where she has been employed since 1996. She provides individual assistance to parents of young children with disabilities and, when appropriate, attends IFSP/IEP meetings, conciliations, mediations, or other school meetings with parents. She also designs and presents trainings to parents, early childhood professionals, and undergraduate students regarding early intervention/ early childhood special education services,inclusion, parent /professional partnerships, family support and parent leadership.

Joanna Swett earned her associate degree in child development from St Paul College in 2009. She is currently a teacher in the infant-toddler program at Sand Castle Childcare Center in St. Paul, MN. Joanna has been diagnosed with PDD/NOS and developmental ataxia. She has presented at state and national conferences on her journey of inclusion. She dreams of one day having her own inclusive childcare center.

Carol Trivette is a Research Scientist and Co-Director of the Orelena Hawks Puckett Institute and the Center for Early Literacy Learning (CELL) with Carl Dunst. Cell has completed research syntheses to determine effective early literacy practices and developed a variety of products to support the use of these practices with families and practitioners. CELL staff also provide technical assistance to states on the development of strategies to promote these effective early literacy practices.

Tom Udell is an Associate Fellow at the Teaching Research Institute. He is a Technical Assistance Specialist for the National Consortium for the Deaf-Blind and the Director of the Teaching Research Institute Center on Inclusion. He has over twenty years of experience in early childhood education and special education and has served in the role of director, developer, in-service trainer, classroom consultant and field researcher on state, regional and national projects.

Kathy Whaley works for NECTAC at the FPG Child Development Institute as a Technical Assistance Specialist. Her responsibilities include the provision of strategic systems change services, technical assistance and facilitation for state and local implementation of the IDEA. Kathy works directly with personnel responsible for the design and implementation of service systems in states with specific expertise in transition, interagency collaboration, professional development systems, inclusion and preschool services.

Thea Wilson is parent to Logan, an amazing, wise 15-year-old who happens to have cerebral palsy. She also works as a professional in the field of preschool intervention. Thea, her husband William, and Logan live in Chapel Hill and enjoy spending time with their rescue dogs. In her spare time Thea loves to read, bake, write, advocate, and celebrate living.

Logan Wilson is 15 years old, attends Carolina Friends School, is a powerful advocate for himself and others, and has cerebral palsy. He has been in inclusive educational settings and community recreational and sport programs for as long as he can remember. He lives in Chapel Hill with his parents, Thea and William, and their rescue dogs. In his spare time, Logan enjoys drumming, playing basketball, swimming, and writing poetry.

Pam Winton, a Senior Scientist and the Director of Outreach at FPG Child Development Institute, has been involved in research, outreach, professional development, and scholarly publishing related to early childhood for the last three decades. Currently she is the director and PI of two national centers: the National Center on Professional Development on Inclusion (NPDCI), promoting cross-agency state systems of high quality professional development (PD) to support inclusion; and CONNECT, bringing an evidence-based practice approach to professional development in key early childhood content.

Doyle Woodall is a Preschool teacher at South Smithfield Elementary School in Johnston County, NC. She teaches an inclusive preschool class blended with Special Needs preschoolers and More At Four children ages 3-5. Currently, her classroom is a CSEFEL (Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning) Demonstration Site for NC. Their classroom has had over 85 visitors from across the state since January 2010.

Juliann J Woods is a Professor in Communication Science and Disorders and Director of the Communication and Early Childhood Research and Practice Center. She has 30+ years of experience in early intervention and preschool service delivery as an SLP and teacher. Her current research and teaching interests include early communication and social interaction for young children with ASD and their families, embedded intervention and coaching within early intervention home visiting.

Edward and Phyllis Wright are the parents of Allison, who has Down syndrome. Starting at three years old with her attendance at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, Allison has been involved with programs committed to inclusiveness. Since 2007 with the support of OE Enterprises, she has owned her own business called FrameWright. With the help of a manager and woodworker she handcrafts picture frames and cuts out custom wood products with a computerized router.

Allison Wright is the daughter of Phyllis and Edward Wright. She has Down syndrome. Starting at the age of three with her attendance at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, Allison has been involved with programs committed to inclusiveness. Since 2007, with the support of OE Enterprises, she has owned her own business called FrameWright. With the help of a manager and woodworker, she handcrafts picture frames and cuts out custom wood products with a computerized router.