Education Expertise

The Spectrum K12 team consists of over 30 former K-12 educators and administrators – many of whom spent as many as 30 years educating special education and at-risk students. Their real-life experience has been and continues to be a major reason Spectrum K12 has built successful partnerships with districts as large as 300,000 students. The expertise these former educators provide helped create Spectrum K12’s patented, market-leading Encore software product line and has been instrumental in the development and expansion of Spectrum K12’s professional development training offerings. 

Read about current hot topics in education our experts have contributed to in our Blog.

 

Virginia (Ginger) Sewell, M.Ed.’s experience in Special Education began as a parent of a child with a disability. Being dually certified, she has been a general education teacher and a teacher of students with learning disabilities. As a former elementary school administrator and Director of Special Education, she has experienced the myriad of changes over her 35 year education career.

Patricia (Pat) Carr, PhD. With a background in both general and special education in rural, suburban and urban settings, Dr. Carr served in the position of Assistant Superintendent of Special Education and Pupil Services in the Cincinnati Public Schools.

Vicki Collier, EdS. has been a professional educator since 1973, including being a teacher of students with mild to profound intellectual disabilities for 9 years, and a school district administrator for 21 years.

Sally Earnest, Ed. D. has extensive experience in school administration as a principal, a special education director and educational support services director. She is a former president & Hall of Honor recipient of Texas Council for Administrators of Special Education.

Margo Habiger, Ed.D. has extensive experience in both General Education and Special Education. She has expertise in Designing and implementing professional learning activities for adult learners at school, district and state levels.

Sandra (Sandi) Kelly has 29 years teaching experience in both special and general education, with extensive experience in reading remediation and instructional interventions.

Margaret (Maggie) Horsnell Masimore, M.Ed. has over 30 years’ experience in the field of Special Education, including serving as Director of Special Education for Metro Nashville Public Schools from 1992 – 2002.

Cortland (Cort) McKee, Ed.D With experience both in the US and in international schools, Dr. McKee has experience in both general and special education. Most recently he has worked with instructional and professional development and the school improvement process at the district level, and volunteers as a trainer and facilitator for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and the Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation (CITA).

Darlene Murrell, M.A. has over 30 years experience in special education and rehabilitation, including teaching and coordinating programs and working in a continuum of environments from self-contained and residential settings to full inclusion classrooms.

Kristen Neves As a Board Certified Associate Behavior Analyst, Ms Neves has expertise in the field of autism and other developmental disabilities. She is a Behavior Analyst for the Behavior Analysis Services Program through the University of South Florida.

Gail Nugent, MSW has over 20 years experience mediating disputes of all kinds, facilitating meetings, conducting training in alternative dispute resolution and designing conflict management systems. She is currently an elected member of the Governing Council of the American Bar Association’s Section of Alternative Dispute Resolution.

Cathy Sartain With 34 years of experience in the field of education, Ms Sartain has been a Special Education administrator, teacher, adjunct professor, and president of both regional and state professional organizations for special education administrators.

Claire Thorsen, MS has over 30 years of educational experience, having served individuals with special needs in residential, hospital, clinic and public school facilities in Illinois and Indiana. Most recently she has served as a District Supervisor and statewide consultant for autism in the state of Indiana, where she has facilitated hundreds of IEP meetings for the state.

Jill A. Tomlinson has over 30 years experience in the areas of general and special education, working in the areas of Vision, Specific Learning Disabilities and Severe Disabilities.

Judy Wollberg has wide experience in special education and literacy. She has been a paraeducator, a classroom teacher, a director of curriculum & staff development, an adjunct university instructor and most recently was an editorial director for Sopris West ( a publisher of educational material for at-risk students).

Carmi Paris was a Media Specialist in Library Science and a Science teacher. She was also a visiting professor at Salem State in the Geography department.

Wanda Duff retired from Omaha Public Schools after 25 years of teaching Special Ed students. She has a B.S. in Education from the University of Nebraska, Omaha and a MLS from Emporia State University.

Machele Stefhon has spent her entire professional career championing at-risk and special needs children.  She is a former Special Education teacher and Administrator and the parent of a child with a disability.

Gerry Stefhon is a former Teacher of the Deaf and former School Principal.  He has spent his professional career advocating for children, public education, and most recently working to impact software and technology to support both.

Tracy Edwards has 10 years of classroom teaching experience that includes elementary school, physical education and technology, as well as teaching pre-K and Kindergarten special education students.

Linda McKinney has dedicated 30 years of her life to the enhancement of the school system. She spent six years teaching regular education, 10 years teaching special education, and 14 years as a school administrator in Ohio, with nine of those years spent as a Director of Special Education.

Quinn Spruill taught Middle School History in Long Beach, Mississippi in 1965 for one year before venturing off into Vietnam. Before joining Spectrum K12, Quinn taught adults to read one-on-one via a volunteer program. 

Beth DuBose has a B.A. in Early Childhood Education and was a K-5 Reading Intervention Specialist for three years. Upon completing her Masters in Special Education, she taught 1^st though 5th grade Self-Contained Emotional Behavioral Disorders for a year, where her classroom became the model classroom for integrating America’s Choice Curriculum and Special Education.

Blake DuBose received his B.A. in Secondary Education/Psychology/Sociology and Social Studies and his M.Ed. in Special Education from Clemson University. He taught Interrelated Resource Special Education at Parkview High School in Lilburn, GA for three years, where he focused on inclusion students in the general education classroom, and taught resource classes for students with various disabilities in the areas of math, science, social studies, and behavior management/interpersonal/academic skills.

Gary Lindsey received his B.S. in Education and his Masters in Education from the University of Missouri, St. Louis in 1970. He became the Area Coordinator of Special Education for the Missouri School District. He also provided computer support for the Missouri School for the Blind where he developed and provided workshops for the staff.

Tammie Malinowski has a BS in Psychology, and an ECE Teaching Certificate for the State of Maryland. She spent 10 years teaching grades K-3, and 13 years tutoring students in Reading and Math. She began her career teaching Kindergarten, and then served as the Director of a Day Care Center in Carroll County. Once employed by Baltimore County Public Schools, she actively participated in many Referral and IEP meetings, and served as Grade Chairperson for 5 of her 9 years in the District.

Earle Dean Christian has devoted 21 years of her life to furthering education. She spent nine years as a middle school classroom teacher, six years as an Elementary School Media Specialist and three years as Lead Teacher/ Grant Writer in high school.

Carlene Marak has a Master of Education degree in special education and over 30 years of experience as a former teacher, Texas Region 10 Education Service Center Consultant, Special Education Coordinator, and a Special Education Director. Carlene was the Special Education Director for both Terrell ISD and Highland Park ISD, and is currently providing consultation services to school districts in Texas, regional education service centers, and charter schools.

Searetha Smith-Collins has held a plethora of positions within the education system. Beginning as a teacher, she was also a reading specialist and curriculum specialist, eventually advancing to Assistant Principal, Principal, and then Director of Curriculum Alignment. From there, she became the Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction, then an Associate Superintendent/Deputy of Instruction and Accountability. Eventually Searetha became a Chief Academic Officer as well as an Adjunct Professor and Sr. Education Consultant.