About Virginia CEC
The Virginia Council for Exceptional Children (VA CEC) has been active since 1958. The mission of Virginia CEC is to advance the education of individuals with exceptionalities. We have continued CEC's mission of excellence by sharing resources and information as they connect to High Leverage Practices, including information on state and regional conferences and workshops, VA CEC newsletters, and other professional development support.
Board of Directors
Past President |
Jarrod Hobson Dr. Jarrod Hobson is an education coordinator focusing on inclusive education and self-determination for the Virginia Department of Education's Technical Training and Assistance Center at JMU. He previously taught as a collaborative special education teacher in the Greater Richmond area in elementary and secondary settings. Jarrod is a doctoral student in Special Education at Virginia Commonwealth University, studying ways to address long-standing special education teacher shortages. Additionally, he is interested in post-secondary transition, assistive technology, and education policy. Jarrod received both his bachelor's and master's degrees from Radford University. In his free time, Jarrod enjoys time with his family, being outside, and cooking. |
President |
Kristen Wilkins, Ed.D. Dr. Kristen Wilkins serves as the President of Virginia CEC. She additionally serves as a Special Education Coordinator with Isle of Wight County Schools. Dr. Wilkins has experience as an assistant principal, instructional coach, and special education teacher. Dr. Wilkins holds a bachelor's degree in Psychology and a Master's Degree in Elementary and Special Education from Hofstra University, as well as an Education Specialist and Doctorate Degree in Educational Leadership from Liberty University. Her dissertation research focused on the lived experiences of novice administrators tasked with supervising special education programs. |
President Elect |
Regina Frazier Regina Frazier is an experienced public school administrator and special education teacher with a Master’s in Education in Administration from Virginia State University. She is a doctoral student at Virginia Commonwealth University pursuing a Ph.D. in Special Education and Disability Policy as an OSEP (Office of Special Education Programs) and PRISE (Policy & Research Intensive Special Educator) scholar. Her professional activities address teacher preparation and retention, reading instruction, and policy advocacy, particularly related to the education of students with disabilities. Regina holds a Virginia Special Education postgraduate professional license (General Curriculum K-12), with an administrative (PK-12) and division superintendent endorsement. |
Treasurer |
Dr. Lisa Rose Johnson, Ed.D. Dr. Johnson is a full-time lecturer at Old Dominion University (ODU) in Norfolk, Virginia. Additionally, at ODU she serves as the program coordinator for the Adaptive Curriculum Certification track where she helps advise graduate students seeking an endorsement or master's degree in special education. Dr. Johnson earned a bachelor's degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Loyola University Maryland, a Master of Education degree in Elementary Education from Louisiana Tech University, and an Ed.D. in Special Education from Arcadia University in Glenside, Pennsylvania. Dr. Johnson currently serves as the co-chair of the Teacher as Researcher Special Interest Group (TAR-SIG) of the American Education Research Association (AERA) where she works to facilitate the process of peer review and selecting the programming for the annual conference. She also serves as the current President of the Tennessee Valley Toastmasters Club and is an Ocean Friendly Gardens Lead Volunteer for the Virginia Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation.
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Secretary |
Dr. Kevin Hogge Kevin teaches the moderate to severe students with disabilities class at his local high school and serves as his division's transition coordinator. He is responsible for ensuring students with disabilities are prepared with services as they graduate from high school and move into their local communities. Kevin completed his Ph.D. at Liberty University in June 2022 in Education: Curriculum and Instruction. His dissertation was titled “Perceptions Regarding Reading Comprehension and Self-Efficacy in Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. |
Membership Chair | Nevine Youssef |
CAN Coordinator |
Rachel Bowman Rachel Bowman is a Ph.D. candidate in Special Education at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she is an OSEP (Office of Special Education Programs) and PRISE (Policy & Research Intensive Special Educator) scholar. She earned her M.A. in Deaf Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and worked for seven years as a teacher of the Deaf in NYC, D.C., and Virginia. Her research interests include mentorship to retain a diverse teaching force and culturally sustaining teacher retention practices. |
CAN Coordinator | Gino Binkert |
Subcommittees
Mission
The Virginia CEC Diversity Committee’s mission is to promote and support diverse exceptional learners and their families, educators, and practitioners, advance opportunities for equity and inclusion, and engage in research-based activism across the state.
Vision
Bringing Virginia closer to the ideals of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act by bridging the gap between students, educators, administrators, parents/guardians, higher education, and policy makers.