Professional Development

Jeanmarie Bantz - Charlottesville, Virginia
Jeanmarie Bantz is currently a Special Education teacher at Walker Upper Elementary School in Charlottesville, Virginia. She works with 5th and 6th grade emotionally disturbed and learning disabled students in a team-taught program she designed with Jenn McCullough.

Ms. Bantz received a B.A. in Elementary/Special Education from Boston College in May 1986 and a Masters in Special Education/Behavior Disorders from Kent State University in 1990. She has a total of 12 years experience in the field of Special Education and received the "Outstanding Elementary Teacher" award from the University of Virginia chapter of Phi Delta Kappa, as well as the "Teacher of the Year" award from the Ohio Council for Children with Behavior Disorders.

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Jenn McCullough- Charlottesville, Virginia
Jenn McCullough is currently a Special Education teacher at Walker Upper Elementary School in Charlottesville, Virginia. She team-teaches 5th and 6th grade students who have been identified as having a learning and/or emotional disability. She was instrumental in designing this program she teaches with Jeanmarie Bantz.

Ms. McCullough received a B.S. in Education in 1993 from the University of Cincinnati. Work toward her Masters includes continuing education from the University of Northern Colorado, as well as the University of Virginia. She has been a teacher in a variety of settings for five years.

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Gerlinde Beckers - Livingston, Louisiana
Gerlinde Beckers has been a Special Education Teacher at Doyle Elementary School in Livingston, Louisiana since 1992. In 1993, she coauthored the Team Inclusion Program (TIP) that became the foundation for the first successful program of its kind in the Livingston Parish. She continues to coordinate this program that was designed to fully integrate students with learning disabilities into general education.

Ms. Beckers received her B.A. in 1991 from Southeastern Louisiana University and in 1994, received her Masters from the same university. She has been a Special Education Teacher since 1991, and received the Livingston Parish Teacher of the Year award in 1995. She was recognized by the Livingston Parish School Board for Meritorious service in the area of Special Education in 1996 and regularly presents "Proof Positive-Inclusion Works" at conventions and conferences.

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James Bensdorf - Evanston, Illinois
James Bensdorf has been a Special Education Learning Resource Teacher at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Laboratory Experimental Schools in Evanston, Illinois since 1977. His work in the resource room setting focuses on tutorial and remedial teaching to students with learning disabilities in grades 5 - 8. In addition, he provides remediation and consultation services for students with school-related learning and behavior difficulties.

Mr. Bensdorf attended Northern Michigan University, where he received a B.S. in 1972. He received a Certificate of Completion from the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis in 1977 and in 1978, he received a Masters in Educational Therapy from the National College of Education in Evanston, Illinois.

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Linda Brandenburg - Baltimore, Maryland
Linda Brandenburg is currently a Special Educator at the Kenndy Krieger Middle School in Baltimore, Maryland. She works with children ages 5 – 16 with autism and pervasive development disorders. Her classroom is based on the TEACCH (Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication handicapped Children) model, developed at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which stresses the use of behavioral approaches to teach appropriate behaviors in people with autism. She has conducted presentations on the TEACCH model, and has given additional presentations on the classroom programming for students with autism.

Ms. Brandenburg received her B.A. from The College of Notre Dame of Maryland in 1988 and received her Masters in Special Education from The John Hopkins University in 1993. She is currently a Doctoral candidate at The John Hopkins University, where her focus would be on Special Education as well as autism and transition.

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Cleo Holloway - Newport News, Virginia
Cleo Holloway is has been a Learning Disabilities Resource Teacher at Huntington Middle School in Newport News, Virginia since 1994. In addition to the responsibilities she fulfills in this position, she also serves on the Middle School Focus Committee, is an Alternative Education Chairperson, a Peer Partner, and a Homebound Instructor, as well as a Grade Level Chairperson. She served on the Newport News Public School's Committee on Diversity and continues to be instrumental in co-teaching, planning and implementing instructional strategies for learning disabled students as well as regular education students. In 1997, she was awarded the Huntington Middle School Distinguished Service Award.

Ms. Holloway received a B.A. in Special Education/Mental Retardation and Specific Learning Disabilities in 1980 from the University of Florida. She received her Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from George Washington University in 1997.

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Kyle Hughes - Denver, Colorado
Kyle Hughes has worked for the Cherry Creek School District in Denver, Colorado for 21 years as a moderate needs resource teacher. Currently, she is on special assignment as a coordinator for the moderate needs teachers in the district, in addition to serving as an educational diagnostician for a high school in the district. She also serves as Chairperson for the Cherry Creek Learning Disabilities Advisory Board and is a board member for the Colorado Association for Children with Learning Disabilities.

Ms. Hughes attended the University of Missouri, where she received a B.S. in Education in 1972 and a Masters of Education in Learning Disabilities and Remedial Reading in 1975. In 1977, she completed an administrators licensure program through the University of Phoenix, with an emphasis in Special Education Administration.

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Suzanne Newsom - Charlotte, North Carolina
For the past eight years, Suzanne Newsom has been a self-contained teacher for children who are behaviorally and emotionally handicapped. Currently, she works in this capacity with students in grades 6 – 12, at Morgan School in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school district in Charlotte, North Carolina. All students enrolled at Morgan School have been unsuccessful in BEH self-contained classrooms on regular public school campuses or are returning to public schools from more restrictive settings. She recently was voted the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Harris Teacher of the Year and organized a regional symposium for Teachers of the Year from 17 other North Carolina counties.

Ms. Newsom attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and received her B.A. in Secondary Education in 1985. In 1995, she received her Masters in Special Education with a concentration in Behavior Disorders from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

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Judy Rockley -
Judy Rockley is currently a teacher in a 7th grade interrelated resource classroom, where she works with students identified as having learning disabilities, mental retardation, behavior disorder, ADHD, Asperger's Syndrome, and/or autism. She has developed a successful school-to-work program that teaches students a variety of employment skills for the future. She has over 10 years experience in the field of special education.

Ms. Rockley attended Emporia State University, where she received a B.S. in Elementary Education in 1973 and a Masters in Learning Disabilities in 1983.

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Nancy Spiegel Rosman - Forest Lake, Minnesota
Nancy Spiegel Rosman has accumulated over 17 years experience as a Special Educator, most recently as a teacher and Special Education Department Chairperson at the Forest Lake Independent School District in Forest Lake, Minnesota. She works with students in grades 7 – 9, who have learning disabilities, mild to severe mental impairments, or are physically or other health impaired. In addition, she is a Professionally Recognized Special Educator by the Council for Exceptional Children, was an Eleanor Roosevelt Fellowship recipient, and in 1994, was one of four AAUW Teacher Mentors in the nation.

Ms. Rosman received a Masters in Special Education and Learning Disabilities from the University of South Dakota in 1994, and received the Outstanding Graduate Student in Special Education award the same year.