Personnel Improvement Center Staff and Major Service Providers

Dr. Phoebe Gillespie is Director of the Personnel Improvement Center, where she manages all technical assistance services to states and directs and coordinates national dissemination activities and collaborative work with other centers and professional organizations. She has 34 years in the field of special education professions, as a paraprofessional, K-12 classroom and early childhood teacher, early intervention specialist, education director at a day treatment facility, high school building-level program administrator, educational diagnostician and, most recently, recruitment/retention outreach manager for CEC’s OSEP-funded Professions Clearinghouse, before becoming Center director at NASDSE in 2003. Her expertise is in working with SEAs, LEAs, and IHEs to craft contextually relevant solutions to on-going statewide personnel needs. She received her B.S. in Education from Baylor University, her M.Ed. in Special Education from Sam Houston State University and her Ed.S. and Ph.D. in Education Policy, Planning and Leadership from the College of William and Mary.

Dr. Bill East is the NASDSE Executive Director and Principal Investigator for the Center. He has over forty years experience in the fields of education and mental health. He has been a high school teacher, supervisor in the Alabama mental health system, adjunct college professor and educational specialist in the Alabama State Department of Education. Dr. East was the State Director of Special Education in Alabama from 1990-1998 and was honored by the Alabama Federation Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) as the Outstanding Special Educator in Alabama. Dr. East has served on the Board of Directors and as President of the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE). He joined NASDSE as the Deputy Executive Director in 1998 and was appointed the position of Executive Director in 1999.

Dr. Lisa Churchill is a service provider for the Center to State, local programs and IHEs to assist them in developing and implementing partnership plans that meet local needs for special education, Part C and related services personnel. She is a (retired) Professor of Special Education at California State University, Chico. Dr. Churchill has been the recipient of numerous OSEP-funded personnel preparation program grants, where she worked with local school districts to craft programs that responded to the needs of both community members and school districts. She has facilitated the SPDG-funded Special Education Personnel Taskforce for the CA DOE for the past eight years to assist them in developing and implementing solutions to special education personnel shortages in the state. Dr. Churchill received her B.A. from UCLA, her M.A. in Education from California State University, Los Angeles, and her Ph.D. in Special Education from UCLA. Her doctoral cognate area was Organizational Psychology. Merrill/Prentice Hall recently published Dr. Churchill's book, "A Practical Guide for the Special Education Professional."

Dr. George Ann Rice is a service provider for the Center to SEAs, Part C agency and LEAs to assist them in increasing their capacity to hire, develop and retain the most qualified teachers for hard-to-staff positions in their highest need areas. She is the former (retired) associate superintendent and human resources director of the Clark County School District, Las Vegas, NV and is a nationally recognized expert in the field of personnel development at the local level. She has presented at national conferences on recruitment and retention for the past ten years and has particular expertise in creating connections between local school districts and their surrounding communities. Dr. Rice earned her B.A. from the University of Nevada–Reno, her M.B.A. and Ed.D in educational administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and her J.D from UCLA.

 

Leila Richey is the Communications Manager for the Personnel Improvement Center. She assists the PIC state service providers in implementing strategies that utilize technology and social media tools to recruit and retain personnel. Part of her work has focused on building online communities of practice at the state and national levels to build their capacity to share information and best practices for recruitment and retention of special education teachers, early interventionists and related services personnel. Ms. Richey also writes the PIC’s bi-monthly newsletter and assists with facilitating the PIC’s bi-monthly webinars. She is a former high school team leader and taught social studies for five years. Ms. Richey is currently pursuing her Ph.D in teacher education and preparation at George Mason University. She received her B.S. in education from Central Connecticut State University and an M.A. in reading specialist and education policy from Teachers College, Columbia University.

 

Christine Cashman is the PIC's Recruitment/Outreach Coordinator. She responds to all inquiries from persons interested in careers, training, financial aid, certification and employment, along with managing the preparation program updates for the PIC’s online database. Christine brings a range of experience to her work with the Center. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA in developmental psychology and history. She received her master’s degree from George Washington University in transition special education with an emphasis on acquired brain injury. Before joining NASDSE, Ms. Cashman was employed by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s John Merck Program at the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, where she worked in both inpatient and residential settings for individuals with psychiatric disorders and developmental disabilities. Since 2003, Ms. Cashman supports NASDSE’s executive director in translating the organization’s objectives to routines and operations that have measurable outcomes, conducts a series of national professional development conferences based on cutting-edge topical information in education and facilitates communities of practice in practice groups on transition and mental health. In addition to working with the Personnel Improvement Center, she is the acting liaison for NASDSE transition initiatives, acquired brain injury and meaningful youth involvement.