Listed in alphabetical order.

Jamie Buchholz

Jamie Buchholz has her master’s degree in teaching, with a post master’s Program Administrator Certificate from Seattle University. She has been a Special Education Administrator in the Everett and Highline School Districts and has also served on Washington State’s Safety Net Committee. She is currently a Transition Specialist for Seattle University’s Center for Change in Transition Services, an adjunct professor for Seattle University’s Special Education Endorsement program, and a special education consultant for local school districts.

Ande Chapman

Ande Chapman has her master’s degree in program development and administration from Central Washington University. She has worked in the development of a variety of educational opportunities for students including alternative, tech prep, and transition programs. While CTE Director of Applied and Integrated Learning, Ande helped to develop CTE programs that were articulated to area technical colleges. Ande’s passion is transition for ALL students through building business/community connections and relevancy in student educational programs.

Tammie Doyle

Tammie Doyle is the Regional Transition Program Consultant with Washington State’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation stationed out of Spokane. She coordinates services and supports educational staff in ESD 101. Tammie has a master’s degree in administrative leadership with a focus on program development and design. Prior to working for DVR, she spent 12 years in the classroom as a reading intervention specialist and alternative behavior support.

Cindy Duncan

Cindy Duncan has been an Educational Consultant since 2016. As a retired Assistant Superintendent from North Central ESD, her experience includes serving as a district and regional Special Education/Federal Programs Director. Currently Cindy is serving as a transition specialist for the Oak Harbor and South Kitsap school districts, while also working with South Kitsap, OSPI, WASA and other districts on specialized projects. #transitionServices #AllMeansAll #Equity #EducatorsRock

LaDonna Fogle

LaDonna Fogle has been with the Kittitas School District since September 1999. She spent the first seven years working as a special education paraeducator, then in 2006, began her career as a special education teacher. She teaches 6-12 grade resource room, with the last two years in the general education classroom co-teaching in the inclusion program. Her philosophy is that every student can learn, regardless of their disability.

Glenna Gallo

Glenna Gallo is the Assistant Superintendent of Special Education of the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) in Washington. Prior to that, she spent seven years as the State Director of Special Education for the Utah State Board of Education. She has 20 years of public education experience teaching students with disabilities and adults and over 13 years of experience in state-level educational leadership with expertise in the planning, management, and monitoring of public special education programs.

Becky Gellerson

Becky Gellerson earned her master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling from Western Washington University and is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor. She currently works for the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation as a Transition Consultant. Her focus is on the implementation of transition services to include the coordination of secondary school transition services and Pre-Employment Transition Services. Becky works in collaboration with schools in ESD 105, community partners, and DVR staff to help prepare students for the transition to post-school settings.

Lacey Hertlein

Lacey Hertlein is a National Board certified resource room math teacher and Special Education Department Chair at Washington High School in the Franklin Pierce School District. Previously, she taught in the life skills classrooms at both Bonney Lake and Sumner High Schools. Her passion for helping students reach their full potential in life after school is evidenced throughout her 10 years in education, but most recently from her work with the FPSD’s Transition Learning Community and T-Folio pilot.

Rob Hines

Rob Hines, MA, CRC, has been the state Director for DVR since March 2017. Prior to his appointment as Director, he was the DVR Region 2 Administrator in Seattle. His past work experiences include workforce development, housing for homeless veterans, and military service in the U.S. Air Force. Rob currently lives in Tumwater and spends time in Phoenix, Arizona, where his immediate family resides. Rob is committed to partnering with the transition community to improve outcomes for students with disabilities.

Kris Hirschmann

Kris Hirschmann is the Director of Transition Services, Curriculum and Training at CCTS. She has worked as a special education director, classroom special education teacher at the high school level and community based transition coordinator. In addition to her work at CCTS, Kris teaches teacher preparation courses at University of Washington Tacoma. She holds a master’s degree in education – curriculum and instruction, a bachelor’s degree in special education and a bachelor’s degree in corrective therapy/physical education.

Debra Howard

Debra Howard has 35+ years of teaching and administrative experience in districts and ESDs in the Pacific Northwest, including nine years as Special Education Director. Since 2011, she has served as a leadership coach, as well as a special education instructional coach for low-performing schools. In the early years of Transition, she taught Secondary Special Education-Vocational Education at the University of Washington and later directed an Eastside Satellite for the Center for Change in Transition Services.

Cinda Johnson

Cinda Johnson, EdD, is a professor and director of the graduate Special Education Endorsement program at Seattle University. She is a national leader in the area of transition from high school to post-high for young people with disabilities. Dr. Johnson is the Principal Investigator for the Center for Change in Transition Services. She is also the co-author of Perfect Chaos: A Daughter’s Journey with Bipolar, A Mother’s Struggle to Save Her (St. Martin’s Press, 2012).

Ed Koehl

Ed Koehl is a retired special education teacher and administrator. He taught for six years in the Northshore School District’s Adult Transition Program, Pathways, serving students 18-21 years of age with significant disabilities. The program focus was on developing students’ vocational skills, independent living skills, community access skills, and communication skills. The program also included connections with agencies providing vocational and living support following graduation. Besides working with CCTS for the past two years, Ed is a substitute teacher in local high schools and middle schools.

Amy Lystad

Amy Lystad earned her master’s degree in psychology from Eastern Washington University. She then worked as a pain and stress management counselor. In 2012, Amy accepted a Vocational Counselor position with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, and later the Transition Consultant role. Amy works with students ages 14-21, providing pre-employment workshops to prepare them for adult life. She also builds relationships between DVR and schools, engages in outreach activities, and provides consultation to DVR staff.

Laurae MacClain

Laurae MacClain holds bachelor’s degrees in human services and psychology and a master’s degree in social work from University of Alaska Anchorage, and she is currently employed by the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. She is Director of Vocational Rehabilitation Program and has been helping fellow tribal members in her capacity for six years. She says that the best part of helping other tribal members find gainful employment is assisting people with disabilities to develop, achieve, and go beyond their dream.

Elaine Marcinek

Elaine Marcinek is the Director of Finance of Operations at CCTS. She attended the University of Washington where she obtained her bachelor’s degree in business. She also holds an MBA and has spent the majority of her career in proprietary education, with opportunities to work in financial aid, operations, and as a Campus Director. Her passions include sailing, spending time with her family and being creative in the kitchen.

Krisheena Mason

Krisheena Mason, MBA, is a Transition Specialist at Educational Service District 123. Krisheena has worked for the special services department at ESD 123 since 2011 and has been primarily focused on pre-employment transition services since December 2016. Since first joining the workforce in 2004, Krisheena has served in government, non-profit, small businesses, and corporation employment and has gained extensive knowledge about employment practices in different sectors as well as implementing different types of networking meetings.

Brian McClay

Brian McClay works as a Program Specialist for the Northwest Educational Service District 189 (NWESD). He currently works with over 20 schools in Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish, Island and San Juan counties. Brian received his bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership from Chapman University and his master’s degree in educational administration from CSU Stanislaus. He worked with inner city youth in Stockton, CA, and has 10 years of teaching and site leadership experience specifically supporting at-risk students, grades 7-12. He successfully embedded career skills and community involvement into the classroom and school site. Collaborating with school and community agencies such as Career Tech and regional training programs, as well as business and city leaders, Brian has developed and provided expanded opportunities to increase education and employment options beyond high school. He truly understands that, for many students, the pain of their obstacles makes success that much sweeter.

Kate Noson

Kate Noson is a Program Coordinator in Teaching & Learning at CCTS. She brings an academic background in Disability Studies to her position where her work focused on representations of disability in Italian film and literature. She earned her PhD in Italian Studies at the University of California Berkeley with a focus on Disability Studies, Feminist Theory, and Sexuality Studies.

Marcus Poppen

Dr. Marcus Poppen is an Assistant Professor of Special Education at Washington State University. His work is broadly focused on supporting career development and employment outcomes for young adults with disabilities. His work emphasizes collaborative partnerships between Vocational Rehabilitation and Schools and the coordination and delivery of Pre-Employment Transition Services.

Midge Rigsby-Eldredge

Midge Rigsby-Eldredge is the Transition Education Specialist for Spokane Public Schools and a member of the Spokane Transition Network. In this capacity, she works closely with DVR to support the implementation and coordination of Pre-Employment Transition services. Midge has a master’s degree in special education and has been an educator for almost forty years. Midge strives to ensure that every student leaves public education prepared and empowered to achieve their post-secondary goals.

Barb Schmidt

This is Barb Schmidt’s fourth year as a middle/high school Life Skills special education teacher at Kittitas Secondary School, and it has been the most enjoyable of her 18 years in the teaching profession. Barb’s philosophy is to encourage her students and to support the path they want to take in life in order to reach their full potential.

Lori Scott

Lori Scott, EdS, is an administrator at the Educational Service District 123 in Pasco. She has 30+ years of professional experience in special education, including 17 years as Special Education Director for the Othello School District. She is a certified school psychologist. In her current role, Lori is in partnership with DVR and Community Rehabilitation Providers, developing, coordinating and providing pre-employment transition services for over 650 high school students with disabilities across the ESD 123 region.

Jay Shepherd

As a program coordinator with CCTS, Jay Shepherd works to support special education teachers and administrators throughout the state of Washington. She has a strong commitment to equity and inclusion in her work, which spans over 15 years in arts education and nonprofit administration. She holds a master’s degree in arts management, a graduate certificate in nonprofit administration, and a bachelor’s in elementary education.

Jennifer Stanton

In her role as CCTS Assistant Director, Jennifer Stanton manages the maintenance and development of the CCTS’s online data collection platforms. Additionally, she coordinates CCTS projects and initiatives with state and community partners. Outside the office, Jennifer loves gardening and getting into the mountains.

Cindy Wright

Cindy Wright has over six years of experience working in the field of Vocational Rehabilitation. She currently works as a Transition Consultant for the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. Her focus is on the implementation of transition services to include the coordination of Secondary School Transition Services and Pre-Employment Transition Services. She works in collaboration with 35 school districts in ESD 123, community partners, and DVR staff to help prepare students as they transition out of high school.

Bill Youngman

Bill Youngman, MSW, CEAS is an Assistive Technology Specialist for the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Washington State. Bill has been helping people figure out how Assistive Technology can help them overcome barriers for 11 years. He also serves as Co-Chair of the RESNA Specialty Interest Group for sensory and cognitive limitations.