2025 SELPA ADR Conference - Synergy in Action!: Directory

Aaron Benton

Aaron Benton possesses a Master of Arts degree in Educational Administration from CSU Dominguez Hills and Juris Doctor degree from Western State University. He served as a United States Peace Corps as a Volunteer in the Federated States of Micronesia. Since 1995, he has been a general education teacher at both John Muir Middle School and at Dodson Middle School, where he was also Dean of Students; Assistant Principal and later Director of Special Education in Torrance USD; Executive Director of Special Education for Redondo Beach USD; Assistant Superintendent of Special Education/SELPA for Compton... Read more

Company Butte County Office of Education
Position SELPA Director

Mildred Browne

Has spent 30 years as an educator and advocate for students and families whose needs fall outside traditional school system offerings. Holding increasingly responsible positions as director, administrative director, and assistant superintendent at school districts in California and Georgia.

Veronica Coates

Veronica Coates is the Assistant Superintendent for Tehama County SELPA in rural Northern California. Prior to being a SELPA Administrator, she held other leadership positions in special education. Her origin in education is as a school psychologist. She believes strongly in preserving relationships between LEAs and Families to ensure the common goal of servicing students is always the primary focus in this work. Veronica worked to secure 550 million dollars in the California Budget to fund Dispute Prevention and Learning Recovery efforts due to the impacts of the pandemic for Students with Disabilities. She... Read more

Company Tehama County SELPA/Pathways to Partnership
Position Assistant Superintendent, SELPA

Claudia Brown Coulter

Claudia Brown Coulter is a mediator who practices online and has clients all across the country. Her practice areas are family, education and faith-based disputes. She was a public school teacher for 21 years and when colleagues and administrators kept coming to her to help settle disputes, she decided to attend Pepperdine Law to study the art and science of mediation. She is an active member of the Western Justice Center's Program Advisory Council, co-chairs the Family Mediation Institute in Southern California, conducts training with Pepperdine Law School and is the President-Elect for the Southern... Read more

Company Pivotal Peace
Position Mediator

Diana Cruz

Diana, a seasoned special education professional, joined WestEd in 2022. With almost two decades of experience, she led the IDEA State Policies team at the Oregon Department of Education and served as a Dispute Resolution Specialist at CADRE. Currently pursuing her Ph.D., Diana excels in conflict resolution and family-educator collaboration. For two decades, Jennifer devoted herself to public service, supporting individuals with disabilities. With an eleven-year tenure at the U.S. Department of Education and recent entry into WestEd, she specializes in dispute resolution and public policy. As... Read more

Company WestEd
Position Program Associate

Heather DiFede

Heather DiFede is the Executive Director for East County SELPA. East County SELPA, along with Santa Clara County SELPA, has been awarded the High Quality IEP Grant awarded by CDE. East County SELPA is currently serving as an Exemplar for Interagency Collaboration for the California Early Childhood Special Education Network. Ms. DiFede recently served on the IEP Expert Panel for California and is a co-chair for the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) Forms Manual through the SELPA Administrators Association of California. As a SELPA Administrator, Ms. DiFede has served as the Chair of the... Read more

Company East County SELPA, High Quality IEPs
Position Executive Director, SELPA
Location El Cajon, CA

Amber Gallagher

Amber has been the Executive Director of SLO SELPA for five years. Prior to her role at the SELPA, she has experience as a school psychologist and Special Education Administrator.

Company San Luis Obispo County SELPA
Position Executive Director

Maia Ginnelly

Maia Ginnelly co-leads a neurodivergent-affirming, collaborative, student-centered IEP advocacy. As a parent navigating the IEP process herself, Maia serves as vice-chair of the Community Advisory Committee and collaborates with the Amador County SELPA to promote communication and mutual understanding between the special education department and the community

Position CAC Vice-Chair, Amador County SELPA
Location Amador

Helen Huynh

Helen has served students and families for over 17 years in various professional capacities, including being a teacher, a school psychologist, and is currently a special education administrator at the South East Santa Clara Special Education Local Plan Area. Her work focuses on helping others thrive academically and socially-emotionally.

Company South East Santa Clara SELPA
Position Special Education Administrator

Mae Innes

Mae C. Innes, has been a Special Educator for 15 years. With a teaching background in specialized programs for mild to moderate disabilities in Northern California and then as a co-teacher and resource teacher in rural Texas, Mae then made the transition to administrative positions. For the past five years, she has worked at schools, building special education programming and ensuring compliance is being met. She works at building anti-racism environments and equity through regional and school site professional development. Her advocacy for students with IEPs has continues on the professional... Read more

Company With SpEd in Mind
Position Special Education Consultant

Michelle Kinner

Michelle Kinner is a Program Specialist/Administrator for the Tehama County Department of Education and Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA). She oversees the SELPA’s Alternative Dispute Resolution and Prevention program by providing a continuum of supports for families and districts in Tehama County. Michelle is also part of the Statewide System of Support as a member of the Special Education Resource Lead (SERL) in Alternative Dispute Resolution, Pathways to Partnership. Michelle earned her Education Specialist Credentials, Administrative Services Credential, and Masters Degree in Education... Read more

Company Tehama County Department of Education/Pathways to Partnership
Position Program Specialist

Ms. Tavia Lorese Lawson, BBA

For nearly 15 years, Tavia Lorese Lawson has served as a devoted Parent Representative on the East San Gabriel Valley Special Educational Local Plan Area Community Advisory Committee (ESGV SELPA CAC). Tavia's journey navigating various systems, which began in her childhood, has uniquely equipped her to advocate on behalf of her son and support others in their journeys. She is a CAPTAIN Cadre Representative, nominated by the State and Federally Funded Family Support Agencies and part of the CAPTAIN C.L.I.C. Region. She has been a Family Resource Specialist for the past 10 years and, most importantly... Read more

Company ESGV SELPA Community Advisory Committee
Position Chair

Noreen Lippincott

Noreen Lippincott has been in the educational field for over 20 years. She has worked in group homes, taught in general and special education, and as a Program Administrator for 16 years within a large urban district. She served for four years as an Improvement Facilitator with the System Improvement Leads (SIL) Project, and is currently the Program Administrator for the High Quality IEPs project. Noreen is a certified Compassionate Systems Master Practitioner and Improvement Science coach. As an adoptive foster parent and sibling to a neurodiverse brother, Noreen firmly believes in the potential... Read more

Company HQ IEPs/East County SELPA
Position Program Administrator

Vanessa Lopez

Vanessa Lopez is a Coordinator of Inclusionary Practices at Imperial County SELPA. Ms. Lopez has over 23 years of experience teaching multilingual learners with exceptional needs in various settings.

Ms. Lopez works to highlight the myriad assets all learners, including those who are dually identified, contribute to our education system and community. She believes in being a change agent, an advocate for all students, and in contributing to the collective commitment and zeal educators bring to their students daily.

Ms. Lopez has worked as a K-6 Special Education teacher, English language develop... Read more

Company Project MuSE
Position Coordinator
Location El Centro, CA

Julia Martin

Julia Martin has been the SFUSD Special Education Ombudperson since 2019. In this role, she works as the ADR Administrator and family, community and staff liaison for students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). The Ombuds office assists parents, guardians and community members in navigating Special Education Services and addressing concerns regarding special education services at school sites and districtwide. Over the last 12 years, Ms. Martin has worked with hundreds of families to help them navigate the maze of supports, therapies and accommodations to access their education. Prior... Read more

Company SFUSD
Position Special Education Ombudsperson

Alyssa McCombs

Program Director Permit, M.A. degree in Early Childhood Education Trauma Studies/Organizational Leadership, B.A. degree in Sociology, A.A. degree in Child Development, A.S. degree in Social and Behavioral Science. Alyssa has been working in the ECE profession since 2005. Alyssa has one school-aged child and loves cooking, reading, and gardening with her family. In addition to working in the Early Learning Programs and Services department at TCDE, Alyssa works as an Adjunct Faculty at Shasta Community College in the Early Childhood Education department, and Pacific Oaks College in the Child Development... Read more

Company Tehama County Department of Education
Position Director, Early Childhood Education Early Learning Programs and Services

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Leticia Del Moral

Company Temecula Valley Unified School District
Position Director of Special Education

Larkin O'Leary

Larkin O'Leary is the president and co-founder of Common Ground Society. Larkin received her credential through CSU, Chico in 2004, she has taught various grades ranging from preschool-8th and has won several awards in her educational career. Since resigning to care for her son, who was born with Down syndrome, hearing loss and a list of medical issues, Larkin has completed over 70 presentations to a wide variety of audiences about how to increase inclusion in society. She is a passionate educator turned advocate who will change the way we view and interact with people who are disabled.

Company Common Ground Society
Position Chief Operating Officer
Location Santa Rosa, CA

Andrew Ownby

Andrew Ownby has worked in the field of special education for over 30 years and is currently the SELPA administrator for Solano County SELPA. Andrew is an experienced IEP facilitator and mediator with a passion for empowering families and schools to work collaboratively.

Company Solano County SELPA
Position Assistant Superintendent
Location Fairfield, CA

Christian Patz

Dr. Patz has worked in Special Education as a paraeducator, RS teacher, SDC teacher, and an Administrator.

Company Shasta SELPA
Position Selpa Director

Jodi Payne

With over 30 years in Special Education, Jodi now leads Family Engagement, Support, and Resolution. She manages Alternative Dispute Resolution and Mediation cases, focusing on resolving conflicts at the lowest level. The partnership with our Parent Engagement Liaison and our families has enabled the creation of the Parent Ambassador Program, emphasizing the importance of parents as partners in education.

Company Poway Unified School District
Position Director II- SPED

Marc Purchin

Mr. Purchin is the President of Purchin Consulting, a firm specializing in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) . Marc has personally conducted more than 3,000 mediations, mostly through contracts with the California Special Education Hearing Office, the Department of Developmental Disabilities and several public-school districts. Marc is the proud author of Building Positive Parent and School Partnerships, a user-friendly book that creatively gets educators and families on the same side - namely to best serve each student. He has been asked to train and speak about the book nationally to... Read more

Company Purchin Consulting
Position President

Kelly Rauscher

Kelly Rauscher provides trainings and TA to support the development and implementation of a full continuum of dispute resolution options. Rauscher specializes in system design and improvement, building local-level capacity, family engagement, and early dispute resolution. She co-leads an early intervention dispute resolution learning community for Lead Agencies in collaboration with ECTA and co-authored Navigating Intra-Family Conflict: A Resource for Early Intervention Service Providers.

Company CADRE
Position Learning and Development Specialist
Location Eugene

Nitza Romero

Nitza Romero is currently a SELPA Coordinator with San Diego South County SELPA. She was previously a dedicated School Psychologist and Special Education Director with over 20 years of experience in special education serving populations ranging from preschool to high school and has been known for her empathetic approach and expertise in supporting the mental health of students within educational settings.

Company San Diego South County SELPA
Position Program Administrator

Ashley Rosenthal

Ashley Rosenthal, is a special education mediator, IEP facilitator, alternative dispute resolution consultant and trainer. With over 15 years in special education as a program director, classroom teacher, and coordinator, she has extensive experience working with students, families, teachers, and administrators across various educational settings: private, public, charter, and non-public schools (NPS). All of my school-based teacher-trainings are tailored to support reflective teaching practices and are rooted in the recognition that education is situated socially, culturally, and linguistically... Read more

Company Rosenthal Mediation
Position Special Education Mediator

Carlo Rossi

Carlo Rossi has been involved in Special Education advocacy and mediation for over forty-five years. He has been a presenter for the California Statewide Dispute Resolution Conference, CADRE, and LRP. He is passionate about parents and districts working collaboratively while meeting the needs of students with unique learning challenges.

Tonya Saheli

Tonya Saheli, JD, MS, is the owner of Saheli Legal Mediation and Arbitration, LLC and ADR Solutions, LLC, where she provides private ADR support to school districts, inclusive of IEP/504 meeting facilitation and mediation, due process corrective action, ADR, and Title IX trainings.

After graduating Law School, Tonya set out to change the way legal conflicts and other disputes are resolved outside of court. After mediating hundreds of litigated court cases, she decided to concentrate on getting to the conflict before it made it to court. Through these efforts, her passion for Alternative Dispute Resolution grew into working with California Special Education Departments to resolve conflicts before they turn into due process complaints and litigated disputes. Overall, she has been mediating special education disputes and Facilitating IEP meetings for almost 10 years throughout... Read more

Company Saheli Legal Mediation, LLC
Position ADR Consultant/Mediator/Arbitrator
Location Northern California Region

Richard Salvatto

Richard Salvatto has spent 18 years in the field of special education and has worked as a teacher, site administrator, and now special education administrator. His core values are honesty, acceptance, and compassion. Richard is an introvert, advocate, self-proclaimed picky eater, and lover of golf and fantasy football.

Company Solano County SELPA
Position SELPA Coordinator
Location Fairfield California

Christina Spector

Company WestEd
Position Program Manager Special Education Policy & Practice Team

Jade Tyner

My name is Jade Tyner, an enrolled Yurok Tribal member. I’m the Director of Prevention and Intervention at the Trinity County Office of Education and a former School Psychologist. With a strong background in special education and culturally responsive practices, I am dedicated to inclusivity and supporting student well-being.

Company Trinity County Office of Education
Position Director of Prevention and Intervention

Cassie Velasquez

Cassie Velasquez, M.Ed., M.D.R., is co-owner of Key2Ed, an educational consulting company specializing in improving school and family partnerships. Cassie has over 30 years of educational experience in special education and is a national public speaker. She delivers professional development workshops to educators nationwide. With a master’s degree in special education and a master’s degree in Dispute Resolution, as well as being a certified mediator, she brings expertise to the field of special education related to conflict prevention.

Company Key2Ed, Inc.
Position Co-Owner of Key2ed
Location Scottsdale, Arizona

Michele Villarreal

Michele, a program administrator for the South East Santa Clara SELPA, has been working in the field of special education since 2001, serving in various roles from paraeducator, middle school special education teacher, program specialist and program administrator. She provides training in such areas as writing high quality IEPs, and she also serves as a member of the SELPA’s ADR Cadre.

Company South East Consortium
Position Program Administrator
Location San Jose, CA

Crystal Williams

Crystal Williams, a Disability Informed Mediator and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) consultant, leads White & Williams ADR Services LLC, specializing in Special Education Dispute Resolution. Her expertise encompasses IEP facilitation, conflict management coaching, professional development, parent engagement, and trauma-informed practices. With a Masters of Dispute Resolution from the University of Southern California’s Gould School of Law, Crystal expanded her mediation training through Waymakers Dispute Resolution Services and Mosten Guthrie Academy. Active in various organizations, Crystal... Read more

Company White & Williams ADR Services
Position Consultant/Mediator
Location California

Melissa Wood

Melissa Wood is the Director of Special Education Programs in Panama-Buena Vista Union School District. With a background in teaching, psychology, and administration, she has served as a SELPA Coordinator, Director of Special Education, and adjunct professor. She is also the California Association of School Psychologists Past President.

Company Panama Buena Vista Union School District
Position Director of Special Education Programs
Location Bakersfield, Ca.

John Woods

John Woods is the Director of Special Education for Lindsay Unified and been in education for a long time! - both as an administrator and as a teacher. He understands the process of special education and 504's from a parent's point of view. And he understands that building strong coalitions of invested adults equates to positive outcomes for all.

Company Lindsay Unified
Position Director of Special Education
Location Special Ed/Stuent Services

Jennifer Yales, Ed.D.

Jennifer Yales, Ed.D firmly believes that all students can learn -- her passion for this belief, and a strong sense of responsibility -- drive Dr. Yales in her advocacy for the development and implementation of structures and systems that facilitate learning for all. She is a lifelong learner with over 20 years of experience as a special education professional. For 16 years she worked in a large, urban school district in California, growing from a school psychologist before being promoted into an administrative leadership role within the district, ultimately advancing to the position of SELPA Director... Read more

Company High Quality IEPs Special Education Resource Lead, East County SELPA
Position SELPA Executive Consultant

2025 SELPA ADR Conference - Synergy in Action!