Special Education Spotlight Series for Administrators

Andratesha Fritzgerald is a former teacher, curriculum specialist, and administrator who is now the Director of Human Resources, Diversity and Equity in a large urban school district. As an international speaker, presenter, and facilitator, Andratesha exhibits audacious perseverance calling on organizations to evolve into inclusive antiracist safe zones for all learners. She is the founder of Building Blocks of Brilliance Educational Consulting Firm, and the author of Antiracism and Universal Design for Learning: Building Expressways to Success.

Dr. LaRon A. Scott is a professor of special education at the University of Virginia. His research focuses on the recruitment, preparation, and retention of special education teachers of color, as well as postsecondary transition outcomes for Black youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities. He also examines how local, state, and federal policies shape the experiences of minoritized special educators. Dr. Scott has authored over 70 peer-reviewed articles, five books, more than 20 book chapters, and delivered over 100 conference presentations. He has held editorial roles with Inclusion and Teacher Education and Special Education. His work has earned multiple honors, including the TED Excellence in Research Award, the Patricia L. Sitlington Research Award (DCDT), and the Education Award from the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD).

Dr. Elizabeth Bettini is an associate professor in the Special Education program at Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. Her research examines factors shaping the special education teacher workforce, particularly how working conditions contribute to the shortage of special education teachers and to inequities in access to skilled, committed special education teachers, based on students’ disability, race/ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. Her current work is focused on identifying potential interventions to improve working conditions, to eliminate these inequities. She previously taught students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) in self-contained and inclusive settings in Arizona and Connecticut.

Janae Duclos Francois, Ph.D., is an Assistant in Research at Florida State University in the Florida Center for Reading Research. Dr. Duclos is also an adjunct Professor of Special Education in the School of Teacher Education. Dr. Duclos has a research interest and professional experience in transition for students with disabilities, differentiating instruction, inclusion, access to the general education curriculum and educational leadership.

Dr. Katie Novak is an internationally renowned education consultant, author, adjunct professor, and former Assistant Superintendent of Schools. Katie has more than 19 years of experience in teaching and administration and has written eight books, including UDL Now!, Equity By Design, and UDL and Blended Learning. Katie helping districts across the country implement Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), and universally designed leadership. Katie's work is featured in many publications, including Edutopia, AMLE Magazine, the Huffington Post, ASCD Education Update, and School Administrator.

Kendra partners with public school districts and charter schools to problem solve related to student issues, focusing on special education, Section 504, Title IX, and other civil rights. Kendra supports IEP and 504 teams and serves as lead counsel in special education mediations and due process hearings. She represents schools in complaints before the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and the Texas Education Agency. Prior to joining Thompson and Horton in Dallas, Kendra represented schools in Illinois, and prior to that, she served in the general counsel’s office for the District of Columbia Public Schools, handling hundreds of special education due process complaints. Before attending law school, Kendra taught seventh and eighth grade special education reading and language arts in Houston ISD.

In her role as an Implementation Specialist for CAST, Susan partners with educators to implement the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework to practice. For over 25 years, Susan has consulted with in-service educators on issues related to inclusive learning design in her roles at both the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability (UCED) and at the University of Vermont’s Center for Disability and Community Inclusion (UCED). She taught as an adjunct professor in the Special Education Department at the University of New Hampshire’s Graduate School for nearly a decade. Susan’s earliest jobs were in public elementary schools where she worked as a special educator, a general education classroom teacher, and as one of New Hampshire’s first Inclusion Facilitators.