TN CEC Executive Board

Alicia Pence, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Special Education at Middle Tennessee State University. Dr. Pence graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Ph.D. in Special Education and was awarded numerous accolades for her service and dedication to the field. She currently teaches a wide range of classes at Middle Tennessee State University, mentors pre-service and in-service special educators, as well as facilitates state-wide professional development trainings and holds the office of faculty advisor for the Council for Exceptional Children Professional Student Organization. Most importantly, Dr. Pence is the mother of a young son, Preston, who was diagnosed with autism at eighteen months of age.

Allison Oliver, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Special Education at Austin Peay State University. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in special education and assessment with a focus on behavior management and strategies for mild and moderate-severe disabilities. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Mississippi.

Amy Locke Callender, PhD, serves as a lecturer in the special education program at Tennessee Tech University. With 20 years of service working with children and adults who are differently abled and their families she continues to research and explore multifaceted ways to better serve this population.  She serves as a faculty advisor for the TN Tech’s SCEC organization. 

Mrs. Callie Welch serves as a lecturer at Tennessee Tech University in the special education program. Callie is in her 6th year as an educator and is currently pursuing her EdD in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis at East Tennessee State University. Her research interests include school culture and climate, inclusive and co-teaching practices, and behavior intervention in the classroom setting. 

Missy Drinnon serves as the Program Director for Undergraduate Teacher Education, Program Director for Special Education, and Associate Professor of Education at the Templar School of Education. She retired from Knox County Schools after 30 years of dedicated service as a special education teacher, consulting teacher, supervisor, and executive director. Throughout her career, she has remained deeply committed to advocating for and meeting the needs of students with disabilities. Beyond her professional work, she is a devoted wife and mother of three, recently embracing the joys and challenges of farm life. She has a love for travel, cherishes time with family, and enjoys expressing her creativity in the kitchen.

Joan Grim is retired from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville Special Education Program as Senior Lecturer after 15 years. She previously taught children with complex disabilities in upper-elementary ages and later in PreK special education in Knox County Schools for 23 years. Her professional interests include IDEA policies and practices that are related directly to improving teaching and learning conditions for teachers and students; providing high quality play  to improve social-communication in children with disabilities and promoting high-quality preparation of pre-service special educators

Dr. Mills currently serves as an assistant principal at an elementary school. Her previous position was a special education facilitator. Dr. Mills believes that all students can learn. Her passion is to teach and train others to help students with disabilities reach their full potential.  

Jennifer Cook, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in Special Education at Carson-Newman University. She has worked in special education since 1995 and is passionate about supporting learning and behavior for students with disabilities in public school settings. Jennifer received her Ph.D. in Special Education from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in special education at ETSU and UTK.

Cindy Lang, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Carson-Newman University. She earned her Ph.D. in Special Education from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Her professional interests include supporting all teachers in effectively serving students with disabilities in the general education classroom, inclusion and co-teaching, as well as behavior intervention practices. She served as the President of the Tennessee Council for Exceptional Children from 2020 to 2021.