Presenters

Doreen Comings, Ph. D., CCC-SLP/L has been a Speech-Language Pathologist at Madison Early Childhood Education Center (MECEC) in Elmhurst District 205 since 2005. She previously worked at the Elementary and Middle School level for District 205. She currently serves children in early childhood special education classrooms, blended classrooms, and bilingual classrooms who have a wide variety of speech and language needs and disorders. She is a proponent of integrated push-in services in the classroom and primarily uses a classroom based model to serve her students. Doreen is also an adjunct professor at Northern Illinois University and has taught courses in Language Development (COMD 403, LTCY 403x), Early Childhood Language Disorders (COMD 603), and Assessment of Language Disorders (COMD 475). She received her Master’s degree from Miami University and her Ph.D. from Northern Illinois University.

Becky Handler, Resource Specialist: Becky Handler has her B.S. and a M.S. in speech language pathology. Her past work experience includes team teaching Kindergarten children with severe communication disorders, consulting and an inclusion facilitator in a school district. She has extensive experience consulting and mentoring in early childhood and elementary classrooms, day care sites and Head Start programs. She is a trainer of trainers for, Portfolios, ECERS-3, IELDS and ELS.

Nancy Kind is an Early Childhood Educational consultant. She has been involved in the field of Special Education, Early Childhood Education, Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education as a classroom teacher and administrator for over 33 years. Over her career, Nancy has been a presenter for many regional workshops, state and national conferences regarding key topics in Early Childhood Special Education. Nancy has participated in many state level committees including Early Childhood LRE Stakeholders and the Stakeholders Committee for Early Childhood Outcomes.

Toni W. Linder consults and presents nationally and internationally on the role of play in assessment, intervention and curriculum. Dr. Linder retired from Mortgridge College of Education at the University of Denver, Colorado in 2011. She has authored books on transdisciplinary play-based assessment (TPBA) and intervention (TPBI).  Recently Toni has been working on a project in Hangzhou, China where she helped to develop a large play and assessment center for children from six months to six years of age. Her focus is currently on developing quality assessment and early childhood programs for all children.

Gina Musielski is the Family Resource Specialist for STAR NET Region II, and has worked as a parent and family resource and support specialist since 1999. As the parent of a child with a developmental disability, Gina draws on both her personal and professional experience in all of her training presentations. She has presented at state and local conferences, for parent groups, early intervention, childcare, and education professionals on a variety of topics relating to special education and parent rights. Active on state level committees such as ISBE/DHS Transition Guidance Committee and Early Childhood LRE Stakeholders committee, Gina is involved in training and resource development for parents of young children with special needs on topics such as transition, IEPs, LRE, parent rights and advocacy.

Keena L. Sims, Project Manager for the Early Intervention Training Program at the University of Illinois in Champaign Urbana, began working in the Early Intervention Program as a Credentialed Lead Service Coordinator and Developmental Therapist in 2000. As a Project Manager for the EI Training Program, Sims oversees the Credit Request process, Interpreter and Translator Project, as well as takes on a lead role in the Child and Family Outcomes projects. Mrs. Sims leads the effort of surveying all families exiting the Illinois Early Intervention Program annually, to help improve services provided to Illinois children and their families. Mrs. Sims is a graduate of Michigan State University with a background in social services specializing in Family and Community Services. She has more than 25 years of professional experiences ranging from helping children and families facing issues of homelessness, domestic violence and providing high quality services to children with special needs. Mrs. Sims is a Grand Rapids, Michigan native, and currently lives in Illinois with her husband and their three children.

Kathy Slattery is the Project Director and an Early Childhood Special Education Professional Development Specialist for STAR NET Region II. She has been involved in the field of Special Education, Early Childhood Special Education and Early Intervention for over 25 years as a classroom teacher, Early Intervention Provider, Parent Support Coordinator and as a technical assistance provider at STAR NET. Kathy has presented at the local, state and national level on topics related to supporting young children with disabilities and their families. In addition, Kathy has been a volunteer State Coordinator for the Selective Mutism Group for twelve years. Kathy participates on several state level committees including Early Childhood LRE Stakeholders and the Stakeholders Committee for Early Childhood Outcomes.

Dr. Xigrid Soto-Boykin is an Assistant Professor at Arizona State University and founder of Habla DLL, a professional development organization with the mission of ensuring educators are equipped to help young bilinguals thrive. Her work focuses on high quality dual language education, effective literacy and language instruction for bilingual children, and early childhood special education. Prior to her current work, she was a speech-language therapist with specialization on bilingual children with disabilities. 

Sharon Sprague is an ECSE Professional Development Specialist for STAR NET Region II. Sharon has worked in the field of Education, Early Childhood Education, and Special Education as a classroom teacher and administrator for over 25 years. She most recently was the Director of Early Childhood programs at the Joseph E. Hill Early Education Center for School District 65 in Evanston, IL. Sharon holds a doctorate in Urban Educational Leadership from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Master’s of Science in Early Childhood Education from The Erikson Institute.  Previously, Sharon has been a presenter for Illinois State Board of Education conferences, and a trainer and coach for school professionals in issues pertaining to Early Childhood Education and Special Education. 

Katie Suchy is an Early Childhood Resource Specialist for STAR NET Region II. Katie holds a bachelor's degree from Iowa State University where she double majored in child, adult, and family services, and linguistics with an emphasis on communication disorders and a minor in psychology. Katie has worked in the field of Early Childhood in a variety of roles in the classroom and as an Administrator for Head Start where she partnered with the local school districts to support students and families in the community. She has a strong background with Head Start, is a certified CLASS observer, GOLD reliable, and CDA Professional Development Specialist.

Rachel Varela Bernardin has twenty years experience working in early childhood education since graduating in 2004, all of which have been in preschool. Sixteen years have been as an at-risk early childhood teacher in public schools for varying positions between ESL, bilingual, and special education. She holds a bachelor's in early childhood, master's in curriculum and instruction, endorsement in ESL/ bilingual, and special education approval for preschool. Her passion is inclusion and supporting teachers with the tools they need so that everyone can be successful.