Professional Development

Angela Allen-McDonald - McPherson, Kansas
Angela Allen-McDonald is a non-categorical special education teacher at Roosevelt Elementary in McPherson, Kansas. Her 23 students range in grade from kindergarten through fifth grade and may have disabilities such as mental retardation, learning disabilities, or other health impairments. The majority of her students are served in the general education classroom using a team teaching model.

Ms. Allen-McDonald received a B.A. in Elementary Education from Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas in 1989. She received a Masters in Elementary Education in 1998 from Kansas State University. In 1988, she received the Special Education Student of the Year award from the Kansas Association of Special Education Administrators, as well as the Student of the Year Award from the Kansas Council for Exceptional Children.

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Tezella Cline - Spaugh Middle School
Tezella Cline teaches at Spaugh Middle School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology. She currently teaches sixth and seventh grade students in a self-contained classroom, where she works in a team comprised of one teacher, one teacher assistant, and one behavior management technician. The eight students currently served in this setting have been diagnosed with varying degrees of behavior and emotional disorders.

Ms. Cline attended Winston-Salem University in North Carolina where she graduated with a B.S. in Special Education. Other awards she has received include Hines Middle School Teacher of the Year in 1990 and Middle School Teacher of the Year for the City of Newport News in 1996. In 1999, she was selected for the Teacher Leader Program for Charlotte-Mecklenburg School, and awarded a $2000 Impact II Grant for Outstanding Teaching Strategy.

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Dianna Herrmann - Princeton, MN
Since 1993, Dianna Herrmann has been a special education teacher in the Emotional Behavior Disorders Program at Princeton Middle School in Princeton, MN. She currently works with 25 students with emotional and behavior needs in a program that is based on direct teaching and positive interventions. Students range in age from 11 through 14.
Ms. Herrmann attended St. Cloud State University, where she obtained a B.S. in 1984 and completed a two-year graduate program in Special Education in 1987. In 1997, she received the Minnesota Senator Gloria Segal Award for Excellence in Program Achievement.

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Lyn Pasik Johnson - Fergus Falls, MN
Lyn Johnson currently works for the Fergus Falls Area Special Education Cooperative in Fergus Falls, MN. She currently works as an inclusion teacher for preschoolers ages 3 – 7 with special needs. In addition, she serves as an Autism Resource Specialist for 42 school districts providing consultation to educational staff of students with autism.

Ms. Johnson attended Moorhead State University, where she received a B.S. in 1976 and a Masters of Science in Early Childhood Education in 1984. Other awards she has received include the Friend of Education Award from the Friendship Child Development Center and the Teacher of Excellence Award from the city of Fergus Falls.

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Oralia Lara - San Antonio, TX
Oralia Lara is currently employed as an Educational Specialist in the Special Education Department at Guerra Development Center in San Antonio, TX. As part of the staff development training she provides to special education and general education teachers, she spends a significant amount of time in the classroom working with students with mental retardation, physical impairments, and autism.

Ms. Lara attended Our Lady of the Lake University of San Antonio, where she received a B.A. in Special Education in 1981 and a Masters in Special Education in 1986. In 1992, Ms. Lara was selected to participate in a mentorship program for first-year teachers by Our Lady of the Lake University and in 1999 was selected Outstanding Alumni in the area of "Contribution to the Profession".

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Jessica Moreau - Lilburn, GA
Jessica Moreau currently teaches a high school level class for students with sensory impairments and moderate/severe/profound intellectual disabilities at Berkmar High School in Lilburn, GA. This self-contained class was the first one of its kind in the country, and focuses on teaching students how to function as independently as possible in their homes and communities. Class size varies form 5 – 7 students per year.

Ms. Moreau obtained a B.S. from Madonna College in Livonia, Michigan in 1980 and a Masters in Special Education from Georgia State University in 1986. She was voted Gwinnett County CEC Teacher of the Year in 1999, and was an Atlanta/Journal Constitution Honor Teacher Finalist in 1998. In addition, she was voted Teacher of the Year by Berkmar High School in 1997 and by the Georgia Deafblind Project in 1996.

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Suzanne Perry - Phoenix, AZ
Suzanne Perry is a special education teacher in a cross-categorical, self-contained classroom at Rose Lane Elementary in Phoenix, AZ. Students range from kindergarten through third grade and have been diagnosed with emotional disturbances, as well as other disabilities such as autism, ADHD, or mental retardation.

Ms. Perry attended Arizona State University, where she received a B.A. in Spanish in 1993. In 1997, she obtained a Masters in Education from the University of Phoenix. In 1998 she was awarded the ExCEL Practitioner as Researcher Grant to study the effectiveness of an Attribution Retraining Program at Rose Lane Elementary to reduce aggressive and violent behavior in third grade students.

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Kathryn Rotter - Chehalis and Centralia, Washington
Kathryn Rotter currently works as a teacher with the VISIONS Program, a community-based vocational and life skills training program for students with developmental disabilities. VISIONS is based in a local shopping mall located between the two primary communities it serves, Chehalis and Centralia, Washington. The program focuses on providing transition services for students approaching community employment and independent living in the community. Students range in age from 18 – 21 and may have disabilities such as vision impairment, mental health disorders, cognitive impairments, autism, or behavior disorders.

Ms. Rotter attended Central Washington University, where she received a B.A. in Education in 1998 and a Masters in Special Education in 1991. In 1996, she received the Certificated Staff of the Year Award from the Chehalis/Centralia Student Support Cooperative.

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Susan Skinner - Asheboro, SC
Susan Skinner is an Exceptional Children's Teacher at North Asheboro Middle School in Asheboro, SC. Her classroom serves students in grades 6 - 8 with serious behavioral, emotional, mental, and/or learning disabilities. Many of the students in her class come from a very challenging environments, including psychiatric hospitals, residential programs, alternative schools, and/or unstable home environments.

Ms. Skinner obtained a B.S. from Defiance College in Defiance, OH in 1974 and a Masters of Education from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro in 1998. In 1996, she received an Innovative Teaching Grant from Asheboro City Schools and in 1999, was awarded an Environmentalist Citation by the Randolph County Woodmen of the World for a garden project created by her class.

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Bonnie Wiseman - Fullerton, CA
Bonnie Wiseman currently teaches in a self-contained mild-moderate special education classroom with the Fullerton School District in Fullerton, CA. Her classroom has thirteen full-time students whose disabilities include visual impairment, speech/language impairment, learning disabilities, autism, mental retardation, and/or traumatic brain injury. Students range from 6 – 9 years of age.

Ms. Wiseman received a B.S. in Special Education from Brigham Young University in 1993 and obtained a Masters in Education in 1999. She has received numerous educational grants from various foundations, the Hawaii Educational Foundation, the Fullerton Foundation of the Arts, and the Fullerton Educational Foundation among them.