ICE Symposium - Presenter Bios

Alexa Poynor serves Region 10as the VI and O&M consultant developing relevant training opportunities to professionals, creating student focused events, providing technical support and coaching to school district professionals who serve students who have visual impairments. She has served as a subject matter expert to various groups including American Printing House for the Blind, American Foundation for the Blind and the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professionals. Alexa has served the field of visual impairment for the past 23 years.

Dr. Amanda Gray is a licensed psychologist and licensed specialist in school psychology. She earned her Ph.D. in School Psychology from Texas Woman’s University (TWU) in Denton and her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from The University of Texas at Austin (UT). She worked at private and public schools throughout the DFW metroplex as well as in hospitals, private practice, and counseling centers before opening her own practice, Gray Area, PLLC.

Amy Smith is a child find and evaluation consultant here at Region 10. She has worked in public education for the past 31 years as a special education teacher, educational diagnostician and special education administrator. She has presented professional learning sessions in multiple forums on topics such as child find, REEDs and evaluating for disabilities including SLD dyslexia, dysgraphia, intellectual disabilities and D/HH.

Anise Flowers is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and received her Ph.D. in Clinical Child Psychology from Louisiana State University. She is currently a Sales Partnership Director for Presence Learning in Texas. Anise was an Assessment Consultant with Pearson Clinical Assessment for 18 years, providing consultation to school professionals across Texas. She has presented numerous workshops and conference presentations throughout Texas on a variety of assessment topics. In 2019, she authored her second children’s book, Mindfulness on My Street: A Guide for Children.

Andrea Webb is a Behavior Consultant with Region 10. Prior to joining Region 10, Andrea worked as a Licensed Specialist in School Psychology and a Special Programs Coordinator for 18 years

Ashley Arnold, M.A. LSSP, NCSP is an Assessment Consultant with Western Psychological Services (WPS). She has 17 years of public-school experience supervising practicum students, interns, trainees, and school psychologists in several public schools in Texas. Ashley is a Past President of the Texas Association of School Psychologists and has served on the Executive Board in a variety of roles for close to 20 years. Ashley is currently the Co-Chair for the National Association of School Psychologists’ Assistance to States committee, as well as a member of the National/State Credentialing Committee. In addition, she is the current Texas Delegate for NASP. Ashley is a certified PREPaRE School Crisis Prevention and Intervention trainer. Her passions are assessment, supervision and advocating for school psychological services.

Ashley Noble, Ed.S., LSSP currently serves in an LSSP role at Prosper ISD where she works with students across a variety of ages, ranging from ECSE to middle school. Prior to Prosper ISD, she served as an LSSP at Lovejoy ISD for two years and then at Highland Park ISD for seven years. Evaluations, best practices, and special education law are areas of passion for Ashley, and if she isn't at a legal training then she can be found at Special Olympics soccer events.

Becky Hobson, M.S.Ed, RPED is currently a Special Education Coordinator. She has been an educator for 30 years, the last 16 of them with Frisco ISD. Becky started her career as an elementary and middle school general education teacher. She spent 16 years as an Educational Diagnostician and was one of the original members of FISD's Preschool Evaluation Team. Now as coordinator, one of her primary roles is supporting Early Childhood Special Education services. Becky lives in Frisco with her husband and two college-aged daughters. She also has a bonus son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter.

Dr. Cindy Lee is an early childhood special education (ECSE) consultant with the Region 10 Education Service Center. Cindy previously worked as an early childhood diagnostician and ECSE teacher. Cindy obtained her Master’s Degree in special education and her doctorate in Curriculum, Instruction & Supervision with an emphasis in early childhood education from Texas A&M Commerce. She currently serves as the ECSE lead on the Student Centered Transition Network in Texas and is the President of the Texas DEC Subdivision. Cindy also serves on Governor Abbott’s ECI Advisory Board and was recently selected as an aRPy ambassador for the ECTA center and DEC.

Dina Stephenson, M.Ed., is an Educational Diagnostician in Frisco ISD with the Preschool Evaluation Team. She has 18+ years of experience in special education in both Texas and Colorado, with most of her years spent in Early Childhood Education. She moved back to Texas in 2018 after spending 20 years in Colorado. She stepped into her current role with Frisco ISD and continues to learn from her colleagues as well as the students she serves each day. Dina lives in McKinney with her husband and three children.

Hillary Keys is the Deafblind Specialist for ESC Region 11 and the Texas Sensory Support Network (TxSSN). Prior to that, she was a teacher of students with visual impairments and deafblind consultant at Region 10 ESC for 15 years and a teacher in Dallas ISD for 15 years. She holds a master's degree in Special Education (SFASU ’07) and a graduate certificate in Sensory Disabilities and Autism (TTU ’13). With over 30 years in education, sharing her knowledge and experience with colleagues might be the favorite part of her career.

Isabel Aragon is an experienced Diagnostician currently employed with Frisco ISD. She has first hand experience establishing and facilitating the Peer Review process within their district.

Jennifer Farley, SSP, NCSP serves as the School Community Resource Consultant at Region 10 Educational Service Center where she works with small and rural schools across the region to increase mental health capacity and supports in those districts. She also provides a variety of behavioral health professional development and is a Crisis Prevention Intervention Instructor. Prior to coming on board at Region 10, Jennifer served as a Licensed Specialist in School Psychology and Special Education teacher for numerous districts in the DFW area.

Dr. Julie Ivey is a Clinical Professor at Baylor University at the new Dallas satellite location. She is a LSSP and has been practicing for 27 years. She has served as an internship and practicum supervisor for numerous years in her 17 years at Baylor.

Dr. Jyutika Mehta is a Consultant for Speech-Language Pathology, Deaf/Hard of Hearing, and Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) at Region 10 ESC and an Associate Professor at Texas Woman’s University. She has been a practicing SLP for over 20 years and author of many publications in the field. Her research lab is dedicated to the study of speech and language representation in the brain. She has presented on Speech and Language topics at various forums for SLPs, special education providers, general classroom educators, and parent groups.

In her role as Senior Assessment Consultant for Pearson, Ms. Woodward consults with large school districts throughout the Western U.S. regarding their psychological and educational assessment practices and continuing education needs. She regularly presents workshops on assessment related topics for professionals both in their organizational settings and at state and national conventions.

Ms. Woodward received both a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and an Educational Specialist degree in School Psychology from the University of Northern Colorado, where she was awarded the Graduate Dean’s Citation of Excellence for her research accomplishments in psychological assessment.

Katie Adams is a consultant for SLP at Region 11 ESC. She has over 20 years of experience in the field and has presented at numerous forums.

Kevin is currently in his 3rd year as a Consultant for Inclusive Services and Practices on the Special Populations team at Region 10 Education Service Center. In this role, he serves as a champion for diverse learners as he supports educators across the region to reimagine what is possible for students with disabilities. He is a dynamic leader who is hyper-focused at the intersection between teacher development and student outcomes. Kevin has successfully led and created systems that have improved student outcomes for students with disabilities throughout his career with these three guiding pillars: Community, Opportunity, and Perspective. As he supports SPEDucators throughout the region, he continues to lead with the belief that while we are not in control of how we receive our students, there is no excuse for how they should leave us.

Layne Pethick is an Autism Spectrum Disorder and Behavior Consultant for Region 10 ESC. He has a PhD in Business/Organization Leadership (with an earned MBA) and has a Master’s degree in Special Education with concentration in Autism Spectrum Disorder, Emotional/Behavioral Disorders, and Human Behavior, along with degrees in Elementary Education, Early Childhood Education, and Reading.

Layne has experience as a general and special education teacher, school administrator, district trainer, program director, and in higher education as a professor of special education, assessment, early childhood and teacher education. He has had several articles published and presents at local, state, national, and international conferences. He has and continues to work with various countries in the areas of education and special education to include Mexico (2009-2011), Hong Kong (2009), Canada (currently), Vietnam (currently), and across the United States (currently).

Lori Hawkins, M.S., CCC-SLP. is a Speech Language Pathologist who currently works at Frisco Independent School District (FISD) as part of the Preschool Evaluation Team. Lori has been a SLP for 25+ years and the last 11 years have been in Frisco serving children of elementary and preschool age. Lori lives in Frisco with her husband, two daughters.

Malia is a licensed professional counselor who has been in private practice for 15 years. After several years of counseling children and teens, many with special needs, she attended the Region 10 alternative certification program to gain her special education certification. Malia taught in a self-contained special education classroom at the alternative campus for four years in Wylie ISD. For the past six years, she has been an Emotional Behavioral Support Specialist for Wylie ISD, serving in a dual role as a special education counselor and behavior specialist. She has been a registered behavior technician for two years and previously certified as a CPI trainer. Malia has five years of experience in teaching undergraduate courses in the counseling and psychology departments of two local colleges.

Malia is married to her husband of 15 years, a chiropractor in Plano. Together they try to keep up with their two active girls and two aging beagles. The beagles actually rule the house, and so far, no behavior modification strategies have been effective in curbing their bad habits.

Michael is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and has been working with students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) for 25 years. He began working with children with autism in a private setting and then at the Autism Treatment Center. His teaching career has included working as an elementary life skills teacher, Lead In-Home/Parent Trainer, a Behavior Specialist and now serves as the ESC Region 11 Autism Consultant. Michael earned his BCBA in 2020. Michael received his Master of Education from University of North Texas in Special Education and Autism Intervention in 2005 and earned his BCBA in 2020.

Pam Sepulvado is a Consultant of Speech-Language Pathology at Region 10 ESC and Statewide Coordinator for the SLP Master’s Degree Distance Venue via TWU. She has worked as a SLP for over 23 years both in public schools and private practice. Her focus in practice has been in the area of social communication as a campus-based service provider, as well as district Lead SLP. She has presented on Speech and Language topics at various forums for SLPs, special education providers, general classroom educators, and parent groups.

Patricia Weisman is an experienced Diagnostician currently employed with Frisco ISD. She has first hand experience establishing and facilitating the Peer Review process within their district.

Phuong Lien Palafox, MS, CCC-SLP, is a Vietnamese-Chinese bilingual speech-language pathologist, author and advocate. Currently, her time is spent serving clients and their families, SLPs and educators internationally. Her work has been featured in various publications including the American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology and content for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. With a foundation of evidence-based and human-centered practices, she is continually invested in Cultural Responsiveness, Advocacy, Narrative-Based Interventions and the Mental Health of Educators. She is the author of The Heartbeat of Speech-Language Pathology. Attendees leave her presentations and storytelling feeling validated, refueled and re-engaged to fuel their meaningful work. You can find more information at www.phuonglienpalafox.com.

Rachel Funderburg is an educational diagnostician in Highland Park ISD with 17 years of special education experience, including as a Content Mastery and Resource teacher.

Sarah Welbourne, M.Ed. is an Educational Diagnostician with Frisco ISD who has worked in special education in the state of Texas for over 25 years. Sarah started her career as an elementary special and general education teacher, and is currently in her 21st year as an Educational Diagnostician. She has experience with team evaluations including preschool/play based evaluations as well as autism evaluations. She is the proud mother of a 23-year old adult son with special needs and is active in the special needs community in Frisco.

Shelley Ratcliff is an Occupational Therapist and has been in the school system for 19 years. She currently works as the Instructional and Assistive Technology Specialist for Region 10 Education Service Center. Shelley has worked with all ages and grades within the school setting as well as home health in pediatrics. She has served as an AT specialist in the school setting, supporting students with their technology needs within the classroom. Her role is to support educational staff throughout the assessment process, implementation and resources available.

Stephanie Walker is the Texas Sensory Support Network Coordinator for Blind and Visual Impairment. She provides training and technical assistance to students with visual impairments, their families, and the educational staff who serve them.

Susan Key is a Special Education Specialist with ESC Region 11, supporting Assistive Technology, Complex Access Needs, and the STAAR Alternate 2 assessment. Susan has worked in schools for 12 years with special education students from preschool to middle school. Her focus is on implementing practical classroom strategies and working with staff to improve upon them.

Taylor Hernandez is an experienced Diagnostician currently employed with Frisco ISD. She has first hand experience establishing and facilitating the Peer Review process within their district.

Dr. Tim Allen is 17-year licensed specialist in school psychology, special education coordinator, internship coordinator, supervisor, consultant, and now faculty member. He has a wide range of diversity, age, disability, population, and SES experience. He uses a practitioner-focused research lens to pursue school psychology professional issues, such as building the field, helping school psychologists and other special education professionals engage in current, high-quality, and efficient practice, creating and disseminating tools that are actually useful, closing the research-to-practice gap, and especially vice versa.

Email: keya.saleh@region10.org
Location: 904 Abrams Road, Richardson, TX, USA
Phone: 972-348-1598