Chair:

Dr. Heather M. Brown was initially trained as an elementary school teacher but is now an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta. She is also an Autistic researcher passionate about supporting the academic achievement and overall well-being of Autistic children, youth and adults. Her research approach is community-based and participatory, empowering Autistic individuals to embrace their neurodiversity confidently and aims to understand the factors that most support their well-being at home, work and school. She currently serves as the director of the Autism, Neurodiversity and Academic Achievement (AIDAN) Lab as well as the chair of both the Neurodiversity and Autism Research in Education Committee (NAREC) for the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and Autistic and Neurodivergent Scholars Working for Equity in Research (ANSWER) for the Autism Intervention Research Network on Physical Health (AIR-P) Network at UCLA.

Email: heather2@ualberta.ca

Websites: https://apps.ualberta.ca/directory/person/heather2

https://www.aidanlab.ca/

 

Co-Chair:

Dr. Matthew C. Zajic is an Assistant Professor of Intellectual Disability/Autism in the Health Studies & Applied Educational Psychology Department at Teachers College, Columbia University. He earned his PhD in Education (Learning and Mind Sciences) from the University of California, Davis and completed a predoctoral fellowship in psychometrics and assessment of special populations (Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need, US Department of Education) as well as a postdoctoral fellowship in autism and education (National Center for Special Education Research, Institute of Education Sciences). His research focuses on understanding and supporting the writing development of individuals on the autism spectrum, with specific attention to theory, measurement and assessment, and instruction. He is broadly interested in language and literacy development, educational and special educational practices, and lifespan perspectives to conceptualizing and measuring writing development. He teaches courses on assessment and evaluation in special education, writing development and instruction, and language and literacy development across neurodiverse populations.

Email: mcz2114@tc.columbia.edu

Website: https://www.tc.columbia.edu/faculty/mcz2114/

 

Secretary/Treasurer:

Dr. Marisa Kofke is an Assistant Professor of Special and Inclusive/Disability Studies in Education in the Department of Education and Human Development at SUNY Brockport located near Rochester, New York. Her work resides at the intersection of Disability Studies in Education and Neurodiversity Studies with an intersectional focus on inclusive education for autistic and Neurodivergent students. She is a qualitative scholar who has completed research about autism at the intersection of gender, and presents her work at national and international conferences. Marisa teaches courses about inclusive education teaching practices. Her career began as a special educator working with autistic students at the Early Intervention and Middle School levels. She also has experience in wraparound services as a Behavior Specialist and worked with undergraduate students with Intellectual Disabilities participating in an inclusive college program. 

Email: mkofke@brockport.edu 

 

Committee Officers:

Dr. Kristie Asaro-Saddler is an Associate Professor in the Division of Special Education and the Division of Educational Psychology and Methodology at the University at Albany. Her research focuses on writing instruction and support for autistic students, with a focus on the self-regulatory components of writing, and supporting autistic students and their families from under-represented areas.  She has numerous publications in autism, special education and writing journals and has presented her works at international, national and regional conferences. She teaches courses on autism and effective practices for teachers of students with disabilities. Prior to joining the faculty at the University at Albany she was a special education teacher for children with autism and developmental disabilities.  

Email: ksaddler@albany.edu 

Website: https://www.albany.edu/education/faculty/kristie-asaro-saddler

 

Dr. Amy Accardo is the founding director of the Center for Neurodiversity at Rowan University and an associate professor and co-chair of the Wellness and Inclusive Services in Education Department. Amy presently serves as a Principal Investigator of the Learning Resource Center- South. Her scholarly activities focus on promoting equitable education opportunities for autistic students and working with neurodiverse students, teachers, faculty, and staff to implement inclusive pedagogy and practices. She has published numerous articles and presents in person nationally on neurodiversity, autism and topics including college access, literacy, teacher preparation and mental health. Amy holds a master’s degree from Drexel University and a doctoral degree in special education from Arcadia University. She is co-author of the book College Success for Students on the Autism Spectrum: A Neurodiversity Perspective.

Email: Accardo@rowan.edu  

Website: https://education.rowan.edu/contactus/accardo-amy.html

 

 

Graduate Student Chairs:

Juliette Gudknecht (MS) obtained her MS in Applied Statistics from Teachers College, Columbia University, and is now completing doctoral studies there in Special Education: ID/Autism. She also identifies as an autistic autism researcher. Juliette is presently an intern at the US Department of Education at IES and at the US Department of State under the Special Advisor for International Disability Rights. She also worked for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, where she helped create the federal government's Neurodiversity at Work program. Additionally, Juliette has also held previous internships at Geisinger, NASA, The US State Department, Authentic Social, Leda Health, PA Biotechnology Center, and was a research assistant at her undergraduate institution. 

Email: jg4390@tc.columbia.edu

 

Cassandra Olmstead (MA) is a PhD Candidate in the Learning Sciences and Educational Psychology at the University of Iowa. She has a minor in Disability studies as well as an MA in Cognitive Psychology. She is a neurodivergent person and the parent of disabled and neurodivergent children. Her research investigates barriers to inclusive and diverse learning environments, specifically when looking at the training and education we provide at the tertiary level, as well as in involving stakeholders in the identification of systemic barriers. She is specifically focused on the use of epistemic cognition tools to assist educators in identifying the root causes of ableist interactions, as a starting point for participatory action research to address those causes directly.

Email: cassandra-olmstead@uiowa.edu