Our Team

Sherlunda is a special education teacher at North Middle School in the Everett School District.

Jennifer has 6 years experience in emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) and 8 years as a Resource Teacher at Juanita High School in the Lake Washington School District – currently, the Special Education Department Leader at her school, a member of the district’s Special Education Advisory Board, and the high school education representative for the ELA adoption committee. Her areas of specialty/expertise are related to Behavior and Autism.

Benjamin currently serves as a secondary mathematics educator in Pierce County, working with middle school and high school students. Having graduated from the University of Portland with a Bachelor’s, Benjamin explored public service in education as a multi-term AmeriCorps VISTA member before returning to complete a Masters in Teaching from Concordia University.

Shari has served as a member of the Washington State Special Education Advisory Council.

Chris is a Special Education Director through ESD 113 where he supports special education programming within the Lewis County Special Education Cooperative and other districts in the region. He has previously worked in the Central Kitsap and Edmonds School Districts. Chris has both elementary and high school special education experience.  His focus: students with Autism and Emotional/Behavioral Disability. He holds a Masters in Teaching Special Education and Functional Behavioral Analysis from Gonzaga University. 

Brandi is a parent of two daughters, one of whom was diagnosed with Autism at age 2. She has learned much about supporting students with disabilities through her service on the board of the SW Washington Special Education PTSA – helping provide IEP training, Special Education forums, and advocacy for families. In 2016-2017, she was a member of the Clark County Parent Coalition Leadership Academy addressing areas of Special Education, Washington State Disability Services, and Advocacy. Brandi is a tirelessly advocate for her daughters and other parents in similar situations.

Anna is a school psychologist in the Spokane Public Schools and an adjunct professor in the School Psychology program at Gonzaga University. She earned a Ph.D. from Syracuse University, and has been in practice since 1998, serving students from pre-K through high school; in Resource, Designed Instruction, MHOH, Behavior Intervention, ADAPT (for higher functioning students on the Autism Spectrum), MAP and Tamarack (for students with severe mental health needs), the Skills Center, and Images (post-high school transition).

Rebecca previously worked as a Special Education teacher and a K-12 Life Skills coordinator in the Bellevue School District.  She holds a BS in K-6 Primary Collaboration and Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE), a masters degree in ECSE, and a masters in Administration. Rebecca is Nationally Board Certified in the area of ECYA/ENS Sever/Multiple for ages-21 and has worked in a multitude of environments fron K-12 to higher ed. She has served as a head coach for Special Olympics for 10+ years.

Mindy teaches Special Education in the Kennewick School District. Throughout her career, she has held several teaching positions including: middle school resource teacher and inclusion teacher, elementary life skills teacher, and elementary resource room teacher. Mindy is currently a full-time mentor teacher, facilitating the development of new-career special education teachers. With her Master’s in Elementary Math Education, Mindy also has taught Math and Science, in the Early Education department at Columbia Basin College.

As Special Services Compliance & Safety Net Facilitator for the Everett School District, Marisol is responsible for supporting, training, and monitoring special education teachers and related staff providers in the writing of IEPs – monitoring IEP compliance for all high need students. She is a National Board Certified Teacher in ECYA/ENS Mild/Moderate for ages 5-21, with a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a Master’s Degree in Special Education. Marisol has taught students with various disabilities in multiple classroom settings: K-8 Resource, 6-8 Extended Resource, and 3-5 Behavior Support.

[bio and photo coming soon]

Danae is a National Board Certified Exceptional Needs Specialist P-12 for Severe and Profound students. She holds a BA focusing in Deaf and Bilingual Education and has a Master’s Degree in Special Education. Danae started her career in Deaf Education and has taught at every level from early childhood through adults. Some of that time was spent training teachers of the Deaf in Kenya. She is currently working as a K-2nd grade teacher for students with moderate to severe disabilities at Evergreen Elementary School in Shelton, WA, specializing in students with language delays. Danae is also the parent of three typically developing children and one child with severe disabilities.

Gordon is a native San Diegan, where he spent 13 years as a Laboratory Technician. He has lived in Washington for the past 20 years; first attending The Evergreen State College and graduating with a Master in Teaching degree, in 2004. Gordon intended to be a Kindergarten teacher but discovered that he enjoyed Special Education. He teaches students with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Emotional Behavioral Disability, and other similar disabilities that present with challenging behavior.

Tamra began her career path in special education as an undergraduate, working at a residential treatment facility for students with significant emotional and behavioral disabilities.  In part, those experiences led her to become a school psychologist. She has worked in Colorado, Oregon, and Washington, and is currently with the Battle Ground School District.  She later became a district PBIS coach, aiding in the development and implementation of the district’s Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports system. Tamra now works in special education administration.

Joan is a middle school teacher in the Ellensburg School District. She works with students with moderate and significant disabilities, and is an adjunct instructor at Central Washington University. Joan earned a Bachelor’s degree from Central Washington University and a Master’s degree from City University.  She is National Board Certified as an Exceptional Needs Specialist, Severe and Multiple Disabilities. Joan has been in education 25+ years, teaching students with all levels of abilities and in a variety of inclusive settings. Joan’s husband, Steve, is also a teacher.  They have 4 children, 2 dogs, plus several horses and mules.  

Beth teaches in the Wenatchee Valley Community Transitions program. She’s worked with middle and high school students, and currently, with 18-21 year-olds. Beth has taught in Spokane Public Schools, Mead School District, Wenatchee School District, and serves as an Adjunct Professor and Course Developer at Eastern Washington University. She’s a Course Developer and Trainer for both the WEA Special Education Cadre and Inclusionary Practices Project.  Beth is a National Board Certified Teacher; having received awards from Eastern Washington University and ARC of Spokane. She’s also a successful grant writer for her district.

Bio coming, soon. 

Mark is a life long special educator who previously served as Coordinator of Special Programs for the WEA. Since retirement, Mark has continued his interest in special education by serving as a Special Education trainer, advisor, and critical friend, for the WEA Special Education Support Center.

Gary has served in various roles in support of WEA projects and programs, beginning in the mid-80s with the Restructuring Schools initiative and later with the NEA Keys to Excellence program. For more than a decade, he has been a consultant to the Special Education Support Center in the design, maintenance, and promotion of the SESC website, and in the facilitation of online support for the WEA Special Ed Cadre.