Mary E. Morningstar, Ph.D., is Associate Professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Kansas and Director of the Transition Coalition, which offers online transition training and resources for practitioners. She coordinates the online masters program in transition and teaches several classes related to secondary education and transition including vocational training and employment, interagency and community services, and transition assessment. She also coordinates the teacher education program for teachers of students with significant disabilities. Dr. Morningstar has been involved in training and staff development regarding transition from school to adult life for over 25 years. Prior to moving to Kansas, she worked as a teacher for students with significant intellectual disabilities. Dr. Morningstar has been an active advocate for all persons with disabilities based on her experiences as a sibling of a brother with disabilities.
Elizabeth Clavenna-Deane, Ph.D., has worked with secondary students with disabilities for over 25 years; she began her career as a secondary special education teacher before spending almost 10 years as a transition coordinator. She has provided special education services to students with varying levels of disability ranging from mild to significant. Over the past decade, Dr. Clavenna -Deane has focused her expertise and research on autism, behavior, and social -emotional learning, and on the impact of related characteristics and skills upon the transition to adulthood. She cur¬rently provides technical assistance and training to multiple Kansas school districts on making universal, targeted, and intensive supports available for all students needing assistance through the Kansas MTSS framework.
Dawn A. Rowe, M.A., is a doctoral student working on her Ph.D. in Special Education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Her current interests include parent and family involvement in special education, interagency collaboration, and transition from school to adult life for students with disabilities.
