Special Needs

Cate Hart Hyatt has spent more than 30 years as an educator, teaching preschool through graduate school students. She is a research associate for the Center on Education and Lifelong Learning at the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community at Indiana University.

With over 30 years of experience in K–12 education, author and education expert Jeanne Spiller is an associate with Solution Tree, supporting schools and districts through workshops, coaching, and collaborative initiatives to enhance instruction, foster innovation, and promote equity.

Kristen Bordonaro, EdD, has served as a school- and district-level administrator for the last 15 years. She’s worked with both private and public school districts as well as special education collaboratives. Dr. Bordonaro’s passion is in uniting school teams to support the needs of all students through an “all means all” model.

Jane Pedersen, EdD, is the assistant director of educational services at Kildeer Countryside School District 96 in Illinois. She has previously served District 96 as an elementary school assistant principal and a school psychologist.

Megan Clarke is the superintendent of a special education collaborative serving four school districts in Illinois. In addition to supporting the collaborative, her work focuses on building partnerships with parents, community agencies, and other districts.

Hillary Woest is a presenter, staff developer, and practitioner with over 24 years of experience in public education. She specializes in supporting Professional Learning Communities at Work® and Response to Intervention at Work™ in schools by helping them assess, refine, and optimize current systems of support for special populations and challenging demographics.

Matthew Rhoads, EdD, is an expert and innovator in educational technology and instructional strategy integration within online, blended, and traditional classroom settings. With a background in special education, he co-teaches regularly while coaching teachers and presenting professional development.