Members at Large
Cynthia Moore
President (2021-2023)
I began my professional life in the financial services sector, quickly rising to the executive level. In the process I gained extensive expertise in facilitative leadership, strategic planning, data analysis, and negotiation; skills that are invaluable in the world of special education advocacy. I entered the world of special education more than 25 years ago, advocating for my own children. Over time my volunteer advocacy efforts expanded to help family, friends, and eventually children who were wards of the state as a Special Education Surrogate Parent. I have received a plethora of training in special education, civil rights, and negotiating from a wide variety of places including, but not limited to the William and Mary Law Institute for Special Education (ISEA), the Special Education Advocacy Training (SEAT) program offered by COPAA.org, mediator training via The Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution and Training, The Suffolk University Advanced Legal Studies Program, and Parent Consultant Training from the Federation for Children with Special Needs. And, I have completed the COPAA, Advanced Advocacy Certification program and held positions as a board member and leader both with SPaN and with my local SEPAC. My ultimate goal is to empower individuals and organizations to become their own best advocates. I believe that if the special education system worked as designed, special education advocates would not be needed. I dream of the day this vision is a reality.
Elaine Rabbitt
1st Vice President (2021-2022)
Elaine Rabbitt is a special education advocate and parent coach who has supported families in Central Massachusetts since 2007. Her volunteer work has included holding a seat on the local school committee. Simultaneously, she has also supported SEPACs and other organizations through her work as a trainer for the Federation for Children with Special Needs. Further, she has developed and presented custom-designed training for school districts, SEPACs, and other disability groups. Her experience includes training provided by FCSN, Wrightslaw, Suffolk University’s Special Education Law Services, COPAA’s SEAT program, and SPaN
Samantha L. Storey
Vice President of Membership (2022-2023)
Samantha L. Storey I have been involved in the field of special education for 15+ years. My passion for the field began with her participation in the Best Buddies program in high school and advocating for students in the Life Skills program. After completing college with a degree in Special Education I began special education teaching career in a public-school setting to a broad range of students I am level one Wilson Certified and trained in Lindamood Bell LIPS. Over the past year I have participated in COPAA’s SEAT 2.0 training. Since leaving the public schools, I am currently offering private tutoring and advocacy services to students and families.
Beth Tremblay Hall
Treasurer (2021-2022)
Beth Tremblay Hall I truly enjoy my role as a professional Educational Advocate and have been fortunate to be helping children and families for over ten years now. Previously I have served as the V.P. of Programming, Membership Secretary, 1st Vice President, and President of SPaN. I have also been an active member of COPAA. My training consists of an array of workshops with experts in related fields, Fundamentals/Suffolk Law School, Wrightslaw, in addition, I was fortunate to study with two highly respected Advocates as mentors.
Angela Ferreira
Recording Clerk (2021-2023)
Angela Ferreira has been involved in special education advocacy on a personal level for more than 20 years. She is the proud parent of three children – two with disabilities and one adopted from a trauma background at the age of eight. She also serves as a special education surrogate parent (SESP) for a child in the custody of the state (DCF). Angela has a strong passion for supporting families and students through the special education process.
Angela has worked at The Arc of Bristol County as an educational consultant for the past three years. She also supports families outside of Bristol County through her business Advocacy Associates of Massachusetts. She has completed the Parent Consultant Training Institute advocacy training through the Federation for Children with Special Needs, the Special Education Advocate Training (SEAT 2.0) through COPAA (Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates) and the Wrightslaw Special Education Law & Advocacy Bootcamp (strategies & tactics). She has been the chairperson of the Special Education Parent Advisory Council in her local school district for the last eight years and attended the Advancing Parent-Professional Leadership in Education training via MassPAC in her role as the SEPAC Chairperson. She is the leader and co-founder of the Southeast Regional SEPAC Leadership Group. In 2020 she was The Federation for Children with Special Needs Impact Award recipient. Angela has attended many trainings offered by SPaN and seeks to be an active member of their board.
Jesse Brauer
Member-at-Large (2021-2023)
Jesse Brauer Jessie has a Masters of Science in Literacy Education from Nazareth College and a Bachelor of Science in Special and Elementary Education from SUNY Geneseo. She is a certified Special Education and Reading teacher with 10 years of classroom teaching experience at the middle and high school levels. Jessie completed the Parent Consultant Training Institute at the Federation for Children with Special Needs in 2016. She also has two years of experience in school administration, as the Assistant Director of ABC International School in Tokyo, Japan.
Jessie discovered her passion for advocacy working as a special educator. Tasked with supporting a wide variety of ability levels in an inclusive middle school program, she understands the foundations of education and empowerment that are necessary for educational teams to work collaboratively. Jessie has also administered and scored many of the standard formal assessment tools used by schools to determine eligibility for special education programs. Jessie’s expertise lies in diagnosing students with specific learning disabilities in reading and writing and creating remediation plans. She also has a strong background in supporting students with ADD/ADHD, Executive Functioning Disorder, Emotional Impairments, Complex Childhood Trauma, Autism, Health Impairments, and Neurological Impairments.
Kathy Davidoff
Member-at-Large (2021-2023)
Kathy Davidoff I am a special education parent to three wonderful children with disabilities. I have been committed to learning everything that is available to support the advocacy of children with special needs. I started off my professional career as a nurse and have utilized my knowledge in advocacy work for not only my children but for many others. I have completed advocacy training through the Federation for Children with Special Needs PCTI, Children’s Advocacy Network, Mental Health Summit, Wrightslaw, COPAA’s SEAT 1.0 & 2.0 programs and Mental Health First Aid. As a volunteer SEPAC co-chair I have provided advocacy support to my local families and work to empower parents with knowledge to advocate for their own children. As I continue to grow in the field of advocacy, I am committed to support the work done being done by Special Needs Advocacy Network to advance the profession.
Jennie DunKley
Member-at-Large (2020-2022)
As a 20+ year consultant, advocate, trainer and coalition builder, I am dedicated to empowering families, IEP Teams, advocates and organizations to focus unwaveringly on the “I” in IEP. Like many, my entrance into the special education arena derived from being the overwhelmed parent of a child with unique and universal needs, scrambling to navigate multiple complex systems. From a prior career, leading corporate marketing, communications, and crisis management teams, I applied skills for making complicated and confusing information accessible, reasonable, and functional.
My advocacy training includes: MCLE’s School Law; ISEA Clinic, William & Mary Law School; CAST Institute UDL; Fundamentals of Special Education, Suffolk University Law School; SEAT [2008 Assessment Cohort], MA Disability Law Center practicum; FCSN’s Parent Consultant Training Institute [1999 & 2005]; and Wrightslaw.
In addition to coordinating and delivering myriad Special Needs Advocacy Network workshops, I founded the School Fair and Same Side programs, our first IEP Clinics and a Family Grant project that funded Special Needs Advocacy NetworkAdvocates for FCSN and ARC families. I am a co-instructor for COPAA’s SEAT 3.0, a senior trainer for FCSN and created and taught “Autism and the Law” for AANE’s MA Professional Educator Autism Endorsement. A past Chair and a current advocate, SPaN and parent representative on the Massachusetts Special Education Advisory Panel, I also serve as a member of the SpedEx Advisory Committee and a core stakeholder for DESE’s IEP Improvement Project. In 2012, I designed and coordinated the implementation of a transition program at the Ivy Street School. I am a Special Education Surrogate Parent and, most important, an enormously proud parent of a young adult on the autism spectrum, who is a successful graduate of the Ivy Street Transition program.
Ellen McGee
Member-at-Large (2022-2024)
I have served four terms on the Special Needs Advocacy Network’s Board of Directors as a Member at Large and interim Treasurer. I am passionate about Special Needs Advocacy Network’s mission and appreciate the dedication of the Executive Board Members. I wish to continue as a Member-at-Large and progressively contribute whenever I can. I have advocated for children with unique educational needs and disabilities for 16 years. My training started with The Federation for Children with Special Needs. I continue my education through Suffolk University, COPAA, Landmark Outreach programs, Wrightslaw, and Special Needs Advocacy Network programs. I have an affinity for the law and have successfully advocated for educational needs and placement for children with Dyslexia. In my next term as a Member-at-Large, I look forward to serving on the Credentialing Committee and the Legal Bylaws and Policy Committee going forward.
Margie Mikulskis
Member-at-Large (2020-2022)
Raising a child with a disability in a large urban school system has provided me with experience advocating for a child with special needs as a parent. This motivated me to learn more about special education advocacy and become a trained, professional advocate myself. I continually see the importance and urgency of this work. I completed the FCSN PICT Course and Internship program in 2015. I’m a graduate of the William and Mary Law School Institute for Special Education Advocacy, and am COPAA SEAT trained. I enjoy advocating for families and empowering them with knowledge and guidance to navigate the special education process and obtain the services and resources their children need to make effective progress. I’m proud to be on the Board of SPAN and work with other advocates to offer further training and build our wonderful community. I’m the proud parent of 4 amazing children. I hold a B.A. from Boston College, and an M.Ed. in Elementary Education from Lesley College.
Susan Shapiro
Member-at-Large (2020-2022)
Susan Shapiro is a special education surrogate parent, educational consultant, special education advocate, speech-language pathologist and owner of Speaking of Ability, Inc. She has over 30 years of experience working with students, families, educators, specialists, and administrators in an urban public-school setting. Susan completed the Federation of Children with Special Needs Parent Consultant Training Institute and Internship program, SESP and Training the Trainer programs. She is a member of Special Needs Advocacy Network, COPAA and ASHA. Susan maintains currency in the fields of special education and speech-language pathology through professional workshops and courses. Susan looks forward to supporting Special Needs Advocacy Network members, parents, and students by serving on the Special Needs Advocacy Network Board of Directors.
Jonathan Smith, Ed.D.
Member-at-Large (2021-2023)
Educational/Parent Consultant. 35+ years experience to include: educational/parent consultant, special education teacher (ED.), program supervisor, special education director, pupil personnel director; state-wide consultant. University training in Applied Behavior Analysis. Experience with all disability areas, behavior/curriculum assessment and participation in IEP meeting. Completed the FCSN advocacy training program (2010). Special Needs Advocacy Network, Member-at- Large, Board of Directors, 2015-17. Member, Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPPA).
Marge Sunners
Member-at-Large (2021-2023)
Marge Sunners has been a member of Special Needs Advocacy Network since 1995, when she first became a Federation for Children with Special Needs trained advocate. Since 1997, she has served on the SPaN Board on multiple committees and as a past Treasurer, past Membership V.P. and more recently as a past Member-at-Large. As a professional Special Needs Advocate, in private practice, Marge’s primary focus has been on assisting individuals and their families who have a child with a hearing loss. She is able to communicate in ASL with her Deaf clients and their families, who use American Sign Language, as she is also a parent of a now adult bilingual Deaf son, diagnosed with hearing loss and additional disabilities.
Marge has been a Federation for Children with Special Needs Parent Trainer, and an advisor to the Massachusetts Dept. of Education working along with MCDHH to help promote appropriate policy for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing children in Massachusetts. She has previously served many years on the Advisory committees to Yesodot, Gateway, Sudbury Valley Special Needs Initiative, the Advisory Committee of Bureau of Jewish Education, as well as a past board member of Jewish Family Services of Metrowest, and a past president of Women’s American ORT. Currently Marge serves on two committees outside of SPaN. Marge is a community representative on the Jewish Community Relations Council of Boston, with her personal goal of helping to represent the interests of individuals with special needs within the Jewish Community, and the MCDHH Advisory Task Force, working towards improving life in Massachusetts for those with hearing loss, through legislative and other means.
Alicia M.P. Warren
Member-at-Large (2020-2022)
Alicia M.P. Warren is a lawyer at Kotin, Crabtree & Strong, LLP. Her practice currently focuses on representing families who have children with special needs, advising parents on a wide range of special education law issues, such as working through the team process, eligibility for services, the development of appropriate education and accommodation plans, mediation, and litigation before the Bureau of Special Education Appeals (BSEA) and state and federal courts. Ms. Warren also represents individual clients with disabilities. She has been selected as a “Rising Star” by New England Super Lawyers Magazine since 2017. Ms. Warren is a contributor to the Massachusetts Special Education Reporter, and she is a member of local and state bar associations, the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA), and the Special Needs Advocacy Network.
Denise Elliott
I have been working in the field of special education for over 30 years as a teacher and an administrator. My role for the past 16 years has been the Director of Learning Services at a private school in Andover, MA. In this role, I supported families to obtain special education evaluations and advocated for these families in IEP meetings. I would ghost write evaluation request letters, review testing and support families throughout this process. I have also successfully supported families in their requests for IEEs and mediation with public schools in the Merrimack Valley. I recently left this school and I have started my own advocacy practice. I have completed the COPAA SEAT 3.0, the PCTI training with the Federation for Children with Special Needs and a Wrights Law Training on Special Education Advocates Tactics and Strategies along with professional development on EF strategies/coaching, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, ADHD academic and psychological evaluations.
Victoria Crisp
For over 20 years Victoria’s personal and professional resume is filled with factual bullets of helping children succeed. Whether in a specific special education setting, a charter school or a traditional public school system, Victoria has “been there & done that”. Victoria understands families, she empathizes with grace and gets results. Victoria is a change agent. She fights for the children she represents and is determined to get what they deserve. Parents have called her a “life changer”. Victoria holds a Masters Degree in Education and a Bachelors of Arts in Human Studies. Additionally, she holds current Massachusetts Education licenses in the Teaching of Students With Moderate Disabilities, Special Education Administrator, Principal, and Superintendent.
First Name Last Name
For over 20 years Victoria’s personal and professional resume is filled with factual bullets of helping children succeed. Whether in a specific special education setting, a charter school or a traditional public school system, Victoria has “been there & done that”. Victoria understands families, she empathizes with grace and gets results. Victoria is a change agent. She fights for the children she represents and is determined to get what they deserve. Parents have called her a “life changer”. Victoria holds a Masters Degree in Education and a Bachelors of Arts in Human Studies. Additionally, she holds current Massachusetts Education licenses in the Teaching of Students With Moderate Disabilities, Special Education Administrator, Principal, and Superintendent.
