I have had nearly 30 years of experience with children with disabilities and their families. I have been a classroom teacher, a diagnostician, an educational consultant, a teacher educator, an outreach trainer and an administrator. Currently, I am Program Director of the Early Intervention Program at the Waisman Center- University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (formerly University Affiliated Program), University of Wisconsin- Madison http://www.waisman.wisc.edu/cedd/indexfr.html. In this role, I provide leadership to and manage several projects in collaboration with partners and colleagues including: The Wisconsin Birth to 3 Personnel Development and other related training and technical assistance Birth to 3 projects (e.g., Birth to 3 RESource & Wisconsin Sound Beginnings); Bridges for Families Birth to 3 Program of Dane County; The Waisman Center Interdisciplinary Training Program in Early Childhood for university students interested in early childhood; and parent leadership projects including Parents as Leaders and the Wisconsin Parent and Provider Early Learning Network.
I am a member of Wisconsin's Birth to 3 Interagency Coordinating Council (ICC) and chair of the ICC Personnel Development Work Group. This past year I taught a web-based course entitled Current Issues and Practices in Early Childhood Special Education, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
I have met many people in Wisconsin's Birth to 3 Program as a result of my travels to counties and participation in numerous workshops, conferences and meetings over the past 12 years. Topics of professional interest include: building collaborative early childhood systems, Wisconsin's Birth to 3 Service system, service coordination, inclusive childcare, natural environments, family-centered practices, team building and consultation, early detection and intervention for hearing loss, and parent support and leadership training.
Professional organizations affiliations include: Division for Early Childhood, Council for Exceptional Children (Wisconsin and National), National Association for the Education of Young Children (and Wisconsin Affiliate, Wisconsin Early Childhood Association), Wisconsin Early Childhood Collaborating Partners.
