Bio

Heather is currently the Part B 619 Coordinator or the Preschool Special Education Specialist in the Office of Special Education at the Nebraska Department of Education since June of 2020. She holds a Master’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology and has her Clinical Certification of Competence through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Prior to her position within NDE, she was an early childhood speech-language pathologist within the Millard Public School District, serving preschool children (ages 3-5) on IEP’s within regular early childhood programs, special education classrooms, and itinerantly. Through her experience working on an early childhood special education team, she learned the importance of collaborating with all individuals on an IEP team, parents included, to improve the outcomes of preschool children with disabilities in all developmental areas. In addition, she saw the benefits and importance of embedding therapy services within the daily classroom routines of preschool children. With that being said, her experiences have helped provide the basis for her current work at NDE and her love for improving special education services for preschool children across the state.