Faculty Biographies Parent Advocacy Special Education Training January 25, 2014 Kenneth Asher, Ph.D. Clinical Psychologist 16840 Bothell Way NE Lake Forest Park, WA 98155 (206) 322-4552 Dr. Asher s major areas of expertise span the full age-range, including problems of young people from early childhood to young adulthood, developmental disabilities, medical behavioral concerns, clinical diagnostic issues, and problems of living. He has worked with a wide range of severity, from normal developmental issues to severe psychopathology and, as appropriate, employs a variety of treatment modalities, including behavioral, cognitive, and insight-oriented. I work with individuals, families, and groups. He completed doctoral studies in clinical psychology at Peabody College of Vanderbilt University in 1987, with emphases in child and pediatric psychology, and developmental disabilities. He also has graduate degrees in developmental psychology and human development, and postdoctoral training in clinical psychology and developmental disabilities. Dr. Asher also holds adjunct faculty positions with local universities. He has been in private practice in psychology in the Seattle area since 1988. Jill Geary, Esq. Wolf Bay Law 4350 53rd Avenue NE Seattle, WA 98105 (206) 661-3774 jgeary@wolfbaylaw.com Currently a partner at Wolf Bay Law, LLC, in Seattle, Jill Geary served as an Administrative Law Judge ( ALJ ) for the Washington State Office of Administrative Hearings from 1996 to 2003. 2014, Seattle University School of Law Page i
During her tenure, Ms. Geary served as the Lead ALJ for Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, managing all OSPI s hearings, including Special Education due process hearings. Ms. Geary currently has a solo practice, representing parents in Special Education matters and domestic issues, and is one of the only attorneys in western Washington with substantial experience in both family and special education law. She has served as an expert witness with regard to the standards for legal representation in special education matters. Ms. Geary has presented at multiple trainings for attorneys and administrative law judges/hearing officers in Washington on Special Education law and due process hearings. She currently serves on the Advisory Board of the Academy for Precision Learning in Seattle, Washington. She graduated from University of Seattle School of Law in 1993, interning for and practicing with Legal Services Corporation from 1992 through 1995. She received her Bachelor s of Art degree in Rhetoric from the University of California Berkeley in 1988. Jill Geary is also the mother of a twice exceptional child, and has first-hand experiences with the challenges he presents to his school district. Christopher M. Henderson Law Offices of William L.E. Dussault 2722 Eastlake Ave., E., Ste. 200A Seattle, WA 98102-3143 (206) 324-4300 chrish@dussaultlaw.com Mr. Henderson is currently an associate with the Dussault Law Group where his practice focuses on representation of individuals and families impacted by disability. His legal expertise includes special education law, elder and disability law, capacity, end of life planning, estate planning, trust creation and administration, guardianship and benefits advocacy. Mr. Henderson s past experience includes academic work in disability rights and professional work in business and technology, in particular technology addressing the needs of those with disabilities. Mr. Henderson is graduate of Stanford University (BS) and University of Washington School of Law (JD), where he was selected as Symposium Editor for the Washington Law Review. In that capacity he worked closely with the late Professor and former EEOC Commissioner Paul Miller to bring together internationally renowned scholars in the field of disability law in a symposium studying the rights of the disabled on a global scale. The symposium culminated in an edition of the Washington Law Review edited by Mr. Henderson, Framing Legal and Human Rights Strategies for Change: A Case Study of Disability Rights in Asia 83 Wash. Law. Rev. 435 (2008). Mr. Henderson has been an invited speaker on Guardianship, Medicaid and Estate Planning issues to varied groups including other attorneys and a variety of advocacy groups. He has also been invited to co-teach the Disability Law course at the University of Washington in the Spring 2014, Seattle University School of Law Page ii
of 2014. Mr. Henderson is a member of the King County Bar Association, Guardianship and Elder Law Section where he serves on the Communications Committee; the Washington Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, the Washington State Bar Association (Real Property, Probate and Trust Section; Elder Law Section, Member of the Committee on Guardianship Complaints); the National Academy for Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA); the Alzheimer s Association, Western Washington Chapter (King County Council); and Compassion & Choices of Washington (Advisory Committee). He lives in Seattle with his wife and daughter. Stacy Gillett, Director Office of the Education Ombudsman 155 N.E. 100th St., #210 Seattle, WA 98125 (206) 729-3251 http://www.governor.wa.gov/oeo/ Stacy Gillett is Director of the Governor s Office of the Education Ombudsman (OEO). She is a special education teacher by training who has worked for the past 21 years educating and providing support to families, educators and professionals who have or work with children with special needs. Ms. Gillett specializes in helping families and educators understand the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and student civil rights under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Before coming to Washington State, she previously worked at the Disability Law Center of Alaska for 8 years, managing a statewide education advocacy caseload. Ms. Gillett is well-versed in civil rights laws and policies that affect all students in public schools related to disciplinary matters, discrimination, bullying and harassment, due process, and how to navigate public school systems. She has served on a variety of nonprofit boards and committees to address the needs of individuals with disabilities in educational and community settings. She is well known in our state for her legislative advocacy in the areas of special education and developmental disabilities, including Kevin s Law, and ensuring funding for supported employment, selfadvocacy programs and parent-to-parent resources. She is a presenter on a wide variety of special education topics for parent groups, teachers, therapists, medical professionals, and mental health providers and has been a guest speaker at WSTLA Teachers Law Conference, University of Washington School of Law, Seattle University Law School classes, and university teacher training courses. She co-authored A Legal Guide for Families and Educators found on the OSPI website. She has contributed to numerous articles for state and national conferences, public information brochures, newsletters, and manuals. 2014, Seattle University School of Law Page iii
Kelly Warner-King, J.D. Director, Synapse Learning Solutions 2339 20th Avenue, South Seattle, WA 98144 (206) 920-2414 www.synapselearningsolutions.com kelly@synapselearningsolutions.com Kelly Warner-King is an attorney and family advocate with over 15 years of experience helping youth and families access effective education, mental health, chemical dependency and related services in King County and Washington State. Ms. Warner-King is well versed in the educational rights and developmental needs of children. She started her career as an education policy researcher at the RAND Corporation and the University of Washington. As the first Legal Ombudsman in the Washington State Office of the Education Ombudsman, she mediated conflicts between public schools and families and developed materials and trainings for parents and professionals. As an attorney for youth in the foster care system, Ms. Warner-King advocated for clients to receive special education, mental health and other services, and advised other attorneys on the educational and developmental needs of their youth clients. She also co-authored an education rights and advocacy manual for parents and guardians. Currently, Ms. Warner-King runs her own consulting business, Synapse Learning Solutions, LLC. As a family advocate, she works with families to identify services, navigate systems and access effective supports for their children. She supports families through coaching, education, research and direct advocacy. Ms. Warner-King is a graduate of the University of Virginia and the New York University School of Law. Felice Orlich, Ph.D. Associate Director Center on Human Development and Disability Box 357920 Seattle, WA 98195 (206) 987-8080 Felice.orlich@seattlechildrens.org Dr. Orlich has been active in children s health issues since receipt of her Ph.D. in Psychology in 1991 from the University of California, San Diego. She has been affiliated with the University of 2014, Seattle University School of Law Page iv
Washington since 1996, first with the School of Medicine at the Center on Human Development and Disability and, since 2001, with the Autism Clinic and Center. She was appointed to the Governor s Autism Task Force in 2005 and is a member of the American Psychological Association, the National Academy of Neuropsychology and the American Association of University Affiliated Programs. In addition to her current responsibilities as Associate Director of the Autism Center, she has teaching and supervisory responsibilities in the Department of Psychiatry of the School of Medicine. For the Seattle University School of Law S. James Rosenfeld Distinguished Practitioner in Residence Director, Academy for IDEA ALJs & IHOs and for Education Law Programs Seattle University School of Law P.O. Box 222000 Seattle, WA 98122-1050 (206) 922-3319 rosenfeld@seattleu.edu Professor Rosenfeld joined the Law School in September 2001. He supervised the Special Education Clinical program and established the National Academy of IDEA Administrative Law Judges and Hearing Officers, which has trained special education hearing officers from over 25 states. In June 2009, he became Director of Education Law Programs. He currently serves as Chair of the Special Education Section of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary (NAALJ). Prior to joining the Law School, he founded and, for five years, served as Executive Director of COPAA (The Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates), a private, nonprofit organization established to improve the quality and increase the quantity of legal resources for parents of children with disabilities. In April 2002, he was invited to testify before the President s Commission on Excellence in Special Education, which accepted his proposal to establish a system of arbitration for special education. 2014, Seattle University School of Law Page v